It’s been a strange couple of weeks but finally I get to see Ivan and Kyra. I think two weeks of me being delightful and demure in his company has finally convinced Bram I’m not about to go telling them our arrangement. It had to be on his terms though, in the busy dining hall where my idiot bodyguards could unsubtly lurk if they thought the topic was veering away.
I tried not to let it bother me as I trotted down the stairs. I was wearing a long tunic dress and leggings with boots, along with my gorgeous, red-lined cloak. I adored my cloak and as the red swished behind me alongside my bouncing brown curly hair it gave me an endless boost of confidence that nobody could take away. The dinners with his patronising Beta friends, the endless smiling and nodding at everything Bram said or joked about was wearing thin. To be myself was like trying to not scratch at an itch.
As quietly as possible I headed back to Bram’s suite minus Azalea who seemed to peel away separately without me realising. Between myself and Fyre we tried to rationalise what I’d seen. Bella knew the commitment ceremony was only days away, she believed Bram was my mate. Unless he’d told her the truth? Fyre bounced ideas round my head like a pinball. How long have they been seeing each other? How many times? Are they mates? I couldn’t describe the emotion, it wasn’t anywhere close to jealousy, instead a seething resentment raced through me. Why did I have to give up Alexander for appearances sake if he gets to carry on his playboy life? The prophecy clearly wasn't more important to him than some fling! My heart ached for Alexander to sweep me up in those big arms, wrap that huge black cloak around me and take the rest of the world away.
Just as Alpha Romanov finished speaking, half a dozen Beta's surged through the door, including Ivan. He wasn't in Brams squad which included the odious Klaus, but Alpha had added him to the council just before I arrived in Silver City. He was focused and serious, not a trace of the jokey older brother as he met my eyes and nodded politely. "Bram is not here but we shall start anyway. Five Lakes are planning war. The brothers Caleb and Jack are on their way now for the ceremony which takes place in two days. They arrive late tomorrow. They believe we are weak and underprepared, and I have to confess they are probably correct. I need ideas, strategy, information. Now". T
The next few hours were largely a blur as I thanked the servant profusely for her time, got changed and ran to Bram’s suite. Azalea was already at the doorway.“Can you see what is coming?”“I have tried, it is clouded to me, I can only see up to the ceremony and then confusion.” Her eyes seemed glassy with emotion as she stared at me.“So I get to the ball at least” rolling my eyes, “I don’t know what to do”“You can’t change the eventual outcome, you only change the mode of getting there ma’am” and she placed a hand on my arm in consolation. I had to try and see the vision as something to help me rather than scare me. I added
Caleb toyed with his glass of whisky and stared into the roaring fire of the drawing room; this was pointless wasting time on Bram and Romanov with small talk about the local area and their journey over. He knew Alle wanted him to focus on the necessities, to gauge whether White Forest knew of their intentions and network with the other Alpha’s, but he was hopelessly fixated. Through the darkened privacy window of the jeep he had seen her emerge through the arched stone entrance. That brown hair bounced and moved through the wind, her figure was as lithe and desirable as he remembered causing a growl to emerge from deep within. She was clearly enjoying her Luna status, entertaining the Alpha Romanov with her wit as they all arrived like a merry family through the arch.He noticed Bram gripping her hand tightly and his he
The group moved through to the royal dining room, where those previously tense conferences with Alpha Romanov had taken place a new dynamic was thriving. Lively happy conversation, filled with talk of romance, love, future pups was the result of the Luna’s arrival into the gathering. Silver platters laid out, chandeliers sparkling and huge platters to feast upon added to the merriment. It was almost possible to forget that White Forest and Five Lakes were on the very cusp of war. Excitement for the ceremony dominated conversation and the wine flowed merrily down the length of the large wooden table. Whilst Bram, Dexter and Jack happily drank away the evening Helena, Brandon and Caleb were more measured, eyeing the situation around them with caution.Helena sat between Bram and Alpha Romanov, remaining at the head of his table.
The morning sun had begun rising when I awoke with a start. Bram had followed me to bed much later in the evening, silently getting in without a word, his huge muscular back facing all I could see. The anger I felt towards everyone after the dinner was still ripely seething. Getting up silently, wrapping a long robe around my tank top and shorts I padded down the corridor in search of solitude. I headed back to the drawing room where I had finally felt Alexander's presence. I don't know what I hoped for but re-entering the room and sitting on one of the large leather couches I only felt the cold of dawn. That stunning wave of emotion that had washed over me when I stepped into the room had vanished. Adoration, attraction, and a tingling, head to toe wave of sensuality had raced up and down my body causing to stop in my tracks last night. He must have been so close last night so why was he n
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Bram hissed at me, I found myself crouched on the floor in a ball, my hands over my eyes as I came back to the surface of the present. "Get up right now!” he yelled, forgetting we were only behind a door to a crowd of twelve Alpha couples and dozens more White Forest Beta’s. My mind raced trying to work out what I had seen, Fyre raced around my mind desperately - we have only seen one half of the scene, we need Bella! “I said get up!” he screamed again, this time banging his hand against the door itself creating a deafening thud. “What is going on he
Waiting for the happy couple’s entrance into the ballroom Alexander felt sick to his stomach. Dressed in black with his cloak swirled around his huge shoulders he was a darkly, brooding figure in the shadows. His black hair tumbled messily down the side of his face, rumpled from a night of poor, tossing sleep. Hydra had convinced him it was worth showing up today but looking across the ballroom of happy faces and celebration he felt like a naïve fool. His feeble offering of love couldn’t possibly compete with the prestige of being a Luna over a pack of this size. Hydra continued to dismiss his negative thoughts and tried to remain focused on Caleb and Jack, they circled the room like sharks, seemingly appraising the value of the castle like potential new owners. However his heart was trained on the wooden door, waiting desperately for a view of her once more, any sound and his eyes were div