A seat at the Table
904 Words
MaLeeka hated dresses.
The one laid out on her bed was a deep crimson, silky and soft, with a slit up the thigh and a neckline that hinted more than it hid. It smelled faintly of lavender and something richer—something like wolf musk and temptation.
She didn’t know who placed it there.
But she knew who ordered it.
Seth.
She considered leaving it untouched, showing up in her torn jeans and scuffed boots just to make a point. But her pride—always sharper than her claws—said otherwise.
Let them see her. Let them stare.
Let them remember exactly who she was.
⸻
The dining hall thrummed with the energy of over fifty wolves. Long wooden tables stretched across the room, laden with roasted meat, fresh bread, and bottles of dark wine. Candles flickered in wrought-iron holders, casting golden light over tense smiles and guarded eyes.
Seth sat at the head table, broad shoulders wrapped in a black button-down shirt that hugged his form like sin. His gold eyes found her the second she entered, and everything around him seemed to quiet.
Conversations faltered. Forks paused in midair.
Because MaLeeka didn’t walk in like prey.
She glided like a storm.
The dress hugged her curves and exposed a long expanse of leg, her hair falling in loose curls over her shoulders. She wore no jewelry, no perfume—only confidence and a gaze that dared anyone to challenge her presence.
She didn’t walk to Seth.
She made him come to her.
And he did.
Without a word, he crossed the room and extended his hand, palm up. His wolf was close—she could feel it pressing beneath his skin, fighting for dominance. Fighting for her.
“You clean up well,” he murmured as she slipped her hand into his.
“You think this is for you?” she shot back, though her heart was racing.
He leaned in, brushing his lips near her ear. “Everything you do drives me wild, MaLeeka.”
She didn’t shiver. Didn’t smile.
But she let him lead her to the high table.
⸻
Dinner was quiet at first.
Until the questioning began.
A dark-haired woman with icy blue eyes, seated to Seth’s right, narrowed her gaze at MaLeeka over a goblet of wine. “So. Rogue girl. Do you have a name? Or do we just call you ‘her’ now?”
MaLeeka’s fingers tightened around her fork. “MaLeeka.”
The woman’s smile was all teeth. “Pretty. Exotic.”
“Like poison,” MaLeeka replied sweetly. “Smooth going down, but it’ll stop your heart.”
A few wolves chuckled. Seth didn’t.
He was watching the woman. “Careful, Jessa.”
“She’s not pack, Seth. You expect us to just forget that?”
“No,” MaLeeka said flatly. “I expect you to fear it.”
The room chilled.
Before anyone could respond, a loud bang echoed through the hall. The front doors slammed open, and a scout burst in, panting and bloodied.
“Alpha!” he shouted. “We’ve got trespassers on the east border. Three rogues. They want to parley.”
Seth stood in an instant. “Who leads them?”
The scout hesitated. “They say they’re looking for her.”
Every head turned toward MaLeeka.
She didn’t move. Didn’t blink.
But inside, her stomach turned to ice.
Seth’s voice was low, dangerous. “You recognize them?”
“No,” she said. But she lied.
Because one of the rogues wasn’t just looking for her.
He was hunting her.
And he knew her real name.
⸻
After the room emptied and Seth began organizing border patrols, MaLeeka slipped away, her heels clicking on the stone floor as she made for the rear balcony.
The night was cool. Quiet. The moon heavy above.
She rested her palms on the stone railing, trying to breathe.
She didn’t hear him approach. She felt him.
Seth’s presence wrapped around her like smoke. His arms slid around her waist without hesitation, pulling her against his chest.
“I need the truth,” he said. “Now.”
MaLeeka didn’t speak.
He pressed his face to her neck. “You’re mine. But if you lie to me again, MaLeeka—”
“I’m not lying,” she said softly. “I just haven’t told you everything.”
His hand slid down her thigh, slow, firm, possessive. “Then tell me.”
She turned in his arms, eyes burning. “You don’t want to hear it.”
“I need to hear it.”
She swallowed. “One of those rogues is from my old pack. A pack that doesn’t exist anymore.”
“Because you left?”
“Because I destroyed it.”
The wind stirred. The bond between them pulsed like a live wire.
Seth’s fingers curled into her hip. “Tell me why.”
And MaLeeka, the rogue Luna with a fire in her blood and shadows in her past, whispered:
“Because they tried to force me into heat. Tried to make me mate with someone I didn’t choose. So I set the Alpha’s den on fire. With him still in it.”
Seth stared at her.
Then, slowly, he grinned.
“My Luna,” he murmured, voice rough with dark approval.
And he kissed her like a man who had no intention of letting her go.
- Writer
