Chapter Three

The ballroom goes quiet.

If my face could burn any harder, that’s what it felt like it was doing right now. Flames singed my skin and spread over my cheeks, nose, and lips. The scent was so strong it was drowning me. I couldn’t take my eyes off of the Alpha King.

Luna Hailey looked a mix between elated and shocked. Darcy and Amanda too, but fury began to well in their eyes. A scowl graced Alpha Banastre’s cold lips and his eyes shot through me, the cold bullets sinking into me. I gulped. My heart beat sped up. The Alpha King didn’t remove his hand from my face. In fact, he turned it, cupping my cheek, smoothing his thumb over my jaw.

“My mate…” he repeats again, softer, delicately, only for me to hear. It’s like he’s in a daze. So am I, to be honest. The one person I never expected to be mine turns out to be, in fact, my mate. I’m not sure if my day just got better or worse.

I notice Oscar peeking at me from the corner of my eye. His eyes are sad, but he’s smiling. His friend pats him on his shoulder – his eyes are dull. I purse my lips.

The Alpha King stops gazing at me for a moment and looks around. Immediately, everyone goes back to talking, and the music starts once more, lively and jubilant. Eyes still wander, though, eager to catch a glimpse of the show that’s going to play soon – the show starring Alpha Banastre and his temper. But he isn’t stronger than the Alpha King…I don’t think. There’s a reason Alpha Banastre is the lowly Alpha that he is, anyway.

“M-Maybe we should go to someplace more private to speak…sir?” Alpha Banastre suggests, his voice soft. Whether it’s soft from anger or from fear, I don’t know, but the Alpha King nods, his gaze once more on me.

“Yes, we will,” he says. His thumb hovers above my bottom lip, hesitant, and I draw it into my mouth. His eyes darken. “But first, I really would like to know your name, my lady, and from your mouth only.” He glares at Alpha Banastre.

“Um…” I hesitate, glancing at Luna Hailey. She looks at me, then at her husband, then at the Alpha King, who seems to have the patience of a saint, for he hasn’t moved an inch. She nods.

“Anvi, sir,” I mumble. Internally, I scold myself. Great going, Anvi. Now we’re going to hear and feel it from Alpha Banastre when we go home

“Anvi?” He repeats my name, like it’s a foreign word on his tongue. It sends shivers down my spine and my stomach flutters. He says it again, and a small smile appears on his lips now. He looks very handsome when he smiles.

“Beautiful name, my lady,” he murmurs, removing his hand from my face. The loss of his warmth startles me as a cool current of cold air washes over my face. He holds his hand out in front of me, offering me to take it. “Shall we?”

Again, I look at Luna Hailey. She’s distracted, looking at her slumped son and furious daughters as they stomp towards the ladies room. She notices me, though, and nods again.

Given her permission, I take his hand, further deepening the tick in Alpha Banastre’s eye. While he was once frowning at my interaction with my Luna, the Alpha King smiled warmly at me. He nodded to Luna Hailey and Alpha Banastre and began to lead us out the glass doors I had tried to escape from earlier. I feel Alpha Banastre’s anger radiating off of him and onto me in persistent, heavy waves, but the Alpha King’s presence is reassuring and calm, washing away Alpha Banastre’s aura. My heart is leaping in my chest and my cheeks are still hot. His effect on me is strong.

The Alpha King leads us to a flowery patio far away from the ball, but close enough to see the crowd dancing and hear the hum of the music. It’s jazz, I think, like from The Princess and the Frog, my favorite movie.

We stop by the water fountain, standing by the gushing, naked statue. The woman is beautiful, but also sad. She’s on her knees, covering her face. The water flows from the corner of her eyes and her open mouth, like she’s drowning. Drowning in her tears, it seems.

“There must be some mistake!” Alpha Banastre begins first. He wipes his hand through their air in front of me wildly, releasing some of his frustration. “S-She can’t be your mate!”

“And why not?” The Alpha King asks. He’s stone faced, glaring at Alpha Banastre. His hand squeezes around mine, as if to tell me that he’s not going to let go.

“B-Because she’s a runt!” Alpha Banastre exclaims. “She’s an Omega, sir, she’s practically nothing! She has nothing to offer and she’s just a troublesome burden!”

With every word Alpha Banastre says about me, I shrink, retreating deeper and deeper into my cocoon of self-doubt and misery. Luna Hailey puts her hand on my shoulder in comfort, but she doesn’t say anything against Banastre. He’s on a roll. Even the Alpha King lets him speak.

“Your highness, trust me,” his voice drops to a low, venomous, hiss. “This girl is a selfish, self-absorbed, incompetent wolf! She’s useful for nothing and uses everyone! She…” He pauses to breathe. “She would be a terrible Luna Queen, sire. Please, think about the safety of your pack before you choose her as a mate.”

All throughout, the Alpha King listened silently. His eyes seem calm and focused to anyone passing by, but because I’m standing right beside him, I can feel the fury radiating from him. It makes my heart leap. He doesn’t believe Alpha Banastre one bit. The first guy, apart from Oscar.

He’s your mate, a small part of me whispers. Of course, he’ll believe your word over Alpha Banastre’s…if you said anything.

Oh, shut up, I think back to myself.

“Have you finished?” The Alpha King asks icily, even though Alpha Banastre has stopped talking for a while and has been waiting for a reply.

Alpha Banastre nods. I think he thinks he’s done the Alpha King a favor or something, but he obviously doesn’t notice the hard stare that the Alpha King is giving him, which is ironic, since it’s the exact same stare that he gives me whenever I’m in trouble.

“Good.” He lets go of my hand, shooting me an apologetic glance before he takes a step forward, his height overpowering that of Alpha Banastre. Luna Hailey grips my arm, but she doesn’t seem frightened about her husband’s fate. In fact, she’s eerily calm. She helps me take two steps back – the pain from earlier today has returned without the Alpha King’s touch.

The Alpha King stares at Alpha Banastre for a moment, as if contemplating how his head would look on a stick, then grabs him by the collar of his shirt, lifting him up from the ground. Alpha Banastre shrieks, but the music is too loud for anybody in the ballroom to hear. He tries to wiggle out, but the Alpha King is not only taller, but also, much stronger. He holds Alpha Banastre as if he’s holding up a piece of paper.

“S-Sir…”

“You don’t know when to shut up, do you?” The Alpha King asks. Alpha Banastre gulps. “How dare you say something so filthy about my mate? Do you think you have any say in my personal affairs? She isn’t your daughter, is she?” Alpha Banastre shakes his head, whimpering, and it’s at this moment that I severely wish that I had a phone to film the scene in front of me. Luna Hailey has her face on my shoulder. Her body is shaking, but she’s not crying. Her lips are turned into a sadistic sort of smirk and containing her laughter seems to be difficult. I don’t blame her. I’m also having trouble keeping my face straight.

“You’ve always been one of my weakest Alphas,” The Alpha King continues. “Speaking about anyone – anyone, like that? What kind of man are you? What do you treat her as? Your slave?”

My heart nearly stops when he says that. I almost forgot – he doesn’t know. Should I tell him? I look at Luna Hailey. She’s nodding. I don’t want to. Alpha Banastre will kill me in my sleep. I shake my head. The Alpha King is saying something, berating Alpha Banastre for speaking so cruelly about me, but my flattery for his protection is overpowered by my fear of speaking up. I can’t. I won’t. Luna Hailey is pushing me to speak. Her eyes are on me. Pleading with me.