The Crown Thief and Her Alpha Prince

CHAPTER 12 - THE FEAST

Prince Edmund Harrow’s Point of View

In the castle dining room, the guests from the Ivory Kingdom were still pretty shaken by the attack, talking agitatedly between themselves.

Edmund couldn't care less what they thought about this. Although he had managed to calm down a little and shift back to a normal human form, his body was still tense and shaking, his wolf desperate to come out. He was ready to go out and join the fight against the intruders - even though, by the sound of it, it was already over. He just needed to punch something, sink his fangs in someone’s flesh, rip something with his claws.

Someone had attacked Amelia. In his castle. On his territory. 

It should not matter to him. She was a maid, a thief, a human. But Edmund could not control his wolf’s emotions right now. His wolf was screaming for revenge. 

Someone needed to pay. If she had been hurt...

“What is the meaning of this?” fumed Eleanor. “Can’t you get your backwater kingdom in order? Our carriage was attacked thrice since we crossed your border by pesky little humans. I even had to shift yesterday to run away from the fight and insure my security while my guards took care of the problem. And now this? They are able to breach your own castle?”

Edmund, still riled up from the fight, barely maintained the self-control to avoid snapping at the princess. While she was a whiny female, she was technically right to be furious. This attack was not a great look for the Onyx Kingdom.

It had been the third attack on the castle this year. The other attempts had not made it past the drawbridge. 

With the reception for the Ivory delegation, however, only one pack member, Frederic, had been left outside as a lookout, while all other guards were to attend the ceremony. Edmund had thought it was a stupid idea, but, through his letters, King Leopold had insisted: every pack member of the Onyx clan was to be present to welcome the Ivory Princess. Edmund had managed to convince him to leave one guard, Frederic, as a lookout, but not much else. 

Frederic had not warned them of the incoming attack. What had happened to him?

“May I have your attention, ladies and gentlemen,” cried Nestor, the steward. 

Nestor was an older wolf shifter, that was very strict and cold, but very efficient in his job. Edmund disliked the man, but he had to admire the efficacy with which he dealt with castle affairs. With the finances down because of Leopold extravagances, the castle household would have never managed to maintain any semblance of dignity without him. 

He looked quite awkward now. There was no doubt that he had planned the Ivory Princess arrival down to the very last details, and that the attack had shaken his plans quite a bit.

“Excuse me, distinguished assembly,” Nestor tried again, louder this time.

The nervous chatter quietted Nestor cleared his throat.  

“I know these circumstances are a bit… Peculiar. Fear not, the diligent members of our pack have the situation perfectly under control. I have been informed that all intruders have been apprehended. This was naught but a minor hiccup. Today, we celebrate the future union of our dear Prince William to the magnificent Princess Eleanor. Truly, poets had not exaggerated Ivory’s Princess beauty. She really is as pretty as a white rose in its prime. It is a great honor that her father has accepted to have her be the mate of the crown prince of Onyx.”

The nobles from Onyx and Ivory clapped politely. Edmund did too. The speech had been pompous and over-the-top, but it seemed it had the desired effect of flattering Eleanor. She seemed a bit calmer now. 

“Now…” continued Nestor. “It is time for the feast! Take your seats, everyone, please.”

All nobles took their place. At the end of the table, the most important place, Edmund’s brother William Harrow and Eleanor Cordova were seated side by side, as, in the absence of King Leopold, they were the highest ranking nobles present. Ivory delegates were seated on the right side, and the Onyx clan was seated on the left - the most important people being closest to William and Eleanor. As such, Edmund was seated between William and Marjorie. 

There were 24 seats on each side. As they were guests and thus less numerous, most seats on the Ivory side were empty. Edmund counted six shifters, 4 males and 2 females, accompanying the princess - not counting the myriad of human servants that came with her who would not eat at the feast. The shifters were probably the ones who would become part of her permanent entourage now that she was to live at the Onyx castle. They were her personal guards and ladies-in-waiting. The rest of the Ivory clan was staying in their kingdom. 

There were normally 23 shifters in the Onyx clan: the royal family, the guards, and court ladies. The Onyx Kingdom clan side of the table had a few empty chairs, due to the guards being absent as they were bringing the new prisoners to the dungeons. They would probably join them shortly. One of the empty chairs was the king’s. Only one of the chairs was always empty: Edmund’s mother’s, as she had died years ago.

Edmund supposed that now that Princess Eleanor and her six clan members would be joining their clan, the Onyx clan would count thirty pack members soon, changing the seating arrangements. His mother’s absence would not be so glaring anymore. Edmund was not sure if this was a good or bad thing.

The servants were to stand behind the ones they served, ready to fetch anything they would need in case kitchen staff was too busy. Amelia, being just behind Marjorie, was very close to Edmund. The prince was hyper-conscious of her proximity, but pointedly did not look at her.He could not trust his wolf right now, not when she had just been in danger. 

Not when she was in such a lovely dress.

His little crown thief was pretty - he knew that since he had first laid eyes on her. But in his sister’s green dress hugging her every curve, the cleavage just low enough to tempt his gaze...

She looked more ravishing than anything the feast would have.

He had spent the beginning of the reception talking with Grace, desperate for distraction. Grace had recently come of age and was unmated. She made no secret that she was interested in Edmund. She was a good match, too. Her father was the captain of the guards at the castle, which meant he was a high-ranking noble. 

However, Grace’s attempts at charming Edmund had not managed to distract him from the little crown thief much. Amelia was just too alluring. Oh, how he longed to order her to come to his chambers once the welcoming ceremony would be over. He could unlace her green dress and map her naked body with bites and kisses.... Then again, the dress was so lovely… Maybe he could order her to keep it on while he mated her...

Edmund grit his teeth, clenching his fist until his nails almost drew blood in his palms. He could not think like this about the human maid - least of all next to his brother and sister who would surely be able to smell his desire should he continue with that line of thought. Prince Edmund had no desire to spend the evening avoiding obnoxious questions about who had awoken his wolf desire to mate.

Kitchen staff came in, bringing plates upon plates of delicacies : roasted pheasants, beef, stag, pork, served with bread with warm butter, refined cheeses, bowls of exotic fruits and sauces made from rare spices. Butlers made sure the noble’s cups were always filled to the brim with wine. 

Everything was delicious. It had been a long time since they had such a varied feast at the Onyx castle. Eating satisfied at least one of Edmund’s wolf needs: his hunger. His need to fight, and his need to mate, seemed to fade a little as he was enjoying his meal. All nobles were chatting merilly, the stress from the previous action fading too.

Edmund did his best to ignore the feel of Amelia’s gaze on his plates. The servants would not eat at the feast - they would eat later, downstairs, from whatever was left and porridge. Edmund knew Amelia had probably never even seen half of the type of food on the table. Part of him wanted to save some for her. She was too thin. She needed to eat more.

Gradually, all guards returned, except for Frederic. Despite being content with his food, Edmund’s stomach churned. Frederic was a good lad. What had happened to him?

His answer came soon enough. The doors, that had been unlocked once there was no danger, opened. Frederic, supported by two male human servants, entered. He had changed from his guard uniform into a more appropriate suit for the event, but it was obvious that the fabric was darkened by fresh blood from his left side. On his forehead, the shifter warrior had a large bandage from which blood was also seeping through.

Edmund quickly looked over to Eleanor. She looked disgusted and scared. Animated chatter all around the room turned to whispers as Frederic took his place, sagging more than seating on it. 

“Their Majesties need not worry,” Frederic said in a loud but tired voice. “Some intruders have escaped, but most are in our dungeons as we speak. The battle, if we can even call it that, is over”

“What happened to you, Frederic?” William said, horror in his voice.

Edmund was surprised. He knew William and Frederic were close, but the last thing William (if he wanted to protect the good mood the feast had created) should do right now was to bring more attention to Frederic injuries. William, having spent a lot of time with King Leopold, was usually so good with following decorum that his outburst of concern seemed out of character.

Frederic smiled, but it looked more like a grimace to Edmund’s eyes.

“I smelled and saw the intruders coming from far away. Before I could determine their intentions, one of them hit me with a rock thrown from a sling,” Frederic said, pointing to his head bandage. “I’m lucky it did not take out my eye. But the bastard also had luck on his side, and the shot knocked me out for a few seconds, enough for the crowd to be on me. One stabbed me on the side with his pitchfork, and they left me for dead.”

Frederic let out a humorless, dry laugh, then continued. 

“I don’t think they know how us wolves heal much faster than humans - but the hit still prevented me from warning you all or joining the fight. I am sorry I failed the mission you had given me. I hope I am still worthy of your trust”

“It is not your fault, Frederic,” said William, in a cool tone.

Eleanor leaned over to her fiance, whispering in his ear. William nodded, his eyes as cold as his voice. 

“These humans need to be made examples of,” he proclaimed loudly. “They are all guilty of high treason against the Crown of Onyx and of murder attempt on a royal guard. As regent in my Father’s absence, I hereby decree that the rebels are to be executed.”

The guards banged their fists on the table in rambunctious applause. Eleanor smiled cruelly, lightly caressing William’s forearm. Edmund found himself approving the decision. They had come ready to kill one of them, so furious with rage that they had almost hurt Amelia. Death was too kind a fate for them. 

He was about to manifest his approval when Amelia raised her voice too, eliciting a gasp from the audience, shocked that a maid dared to talk.

“Absolutely not. These are your subjects. Their actions today might have been extreme, but their sentiment is shared by a lot of your people, working in the fields so you can enjoy this food on your table.”

“A maid is to hold her tongue unless spoken to in presence of her monarchs,” hissed Edmund at her, turning towards the impertinent little thing.

Amelia flinched, but held his gaze defiantly, her green eyes flashing with anger. 

She was so sexy when she was angry, when she was defying him. It made Edmund longed to make her submit to her.

“My maid is right,” interjected Marjorie. “Our subjects are hungry, hurt by losses, and angry. Killing them when they revolt will not help the problem, only exacerbate it.”

“I don’t think it is your place either, little sister, to speak on that matter,” Edmund replied. “You always see the good in everyone, but it is a naive point of view.”

“Better naive than stupid,” retorted Marjorie. “I am not taking pity on these men, just being rational. Your anger is blinding you, brothers. An act of violence on our part will only increase our people’s fury. The rebels are to be imprisoned and face a fair trial. Their fate will not be decided by you, riled up after a battle. Since I’m not allowed to leave the castle grounds as per Father’s orders, I will speak with them, and they will help me understand the current state of our kingdom and of our people.”

“Ridiculous,” commented Eleanor. 

“Then let’s put it to the vote,” Edmund said pragmatically. “As per tradition, in the absence of the king, his children may vote to take important decisions.”

Marjorie's eyes shone with anger. She knew both Edmund and William did not agree with her. As much as Edmund loved his sister, he did not care

“Fine. I vote that we execute them,” proclaimed William.

“And I vote that we imprison them and give them a fair trial because we are not monsters. I suggest that you chose wisely, Edmund.”

Edmund’s decision was already made. The intruders needed to pay the price. However, before casting his vote, his eyes met Amelia. If he gave the order to execute them, she would never forgive him. She would see him as a monster, just as his sister had said.

In the end, he had no choice.

“The intruders are to be our prisoners. We will not execute them,” Edmund said.

William’s face contorted with anger, but it did not matter. Amelia’s eyes were shining with happiness. 

Edmund had made the right decision.

“Prince Edmund, as your future Queen, I suggest you reconsider -” began Eleanor.

Edmund was not about to be told how to run his own household by a sheltered, outsider, little brat. He used his most alpha, authoritative tone, the one reserved to give command.

“Future Queen, you said it yourself. Right now, you are under our hospitality, under our law. Your word does not count for anything more than the word of a maid.”

Amelia’s lips parted slightly, her color rising, her scent tinting with the now familiar odor of her desire. She liked his show of authority. It pleased Edmund.

Princess Eleanor, on the other hand, had paled, and looked furious.

“I do not think I can raise my pups in this kind of environment,” fumed the Princess of Ivory, loudly enough to be heard by everyone around. “It is not safe for me here, with criminals running amok and leaders too weak to do anything about it. I will write to my Father at once to ask him to break my engagement to William and our alliance with the Kingdom of Onyx.”