Chapter 008

We walked through the dark hallway in silence, following the noise and chatter from where I presumed was the grand hall. Each step I took made my throat tighten, the food in my stomach kept threatening to come back up to my mouth.

I rubbed my free hand around my throat, gulping.

We arrived at the stairs, I could see the hall from were I stood. It was packed. The were three very large and very long tables positioned in the hall. The noise instinctively died down as they sensed my presence in the room, a thousand eyes turned in my direction.

“Come on,” Sophia urged, walking in front of me.

I took a step down the huge staircase, I felt like a toy on display.

Laughing inwardly, I rolled my eyes, well that wouldn’t be a first.

I finally got to the center of the stairs, everyone’s features were visible now.

Their eyes silently cursing me, glowed in yellow and blue, the women looked at me in anger and jealousy while the men looked at me in irritation and disgust. Some of them were bold enough to spit, cursing me out loud, and soon the whispers erupted anew. "The new one."

"From the House of the Lost."

"Alpha Kael's acquisition."

“I won’t have a whore as my Luna,” a red haired to my side spat.

I stood tall, trying to ignore the snickers and side glances.

Dominique, the man I'd thought was Alpha Kael, stepped forward, as I got to the ground floor.

"Listen up!, I present to you Astrid, our guest," he announced.

The room fell silent.

A woman with piercing green eyes and raven hair stepped forward.

"Welcome, Astrid," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "We've heard so much about you, and have expected you for a while now.”

I shifted on my feet, unsure how to respond.

A murmur spread through the crowd.

"He's finally found someone desperate enough to take him," a voice whispered.

"Pathetic," another added.

Dominique's jaw clenched, walking up to the blond male that made the statement and grabbing him by his shirt,

“If you have anything to say about your alpha, say it out loud and stop hiding in the crowd like idiots!” He growled.

“Drop him, Dominique,” the woman who should be his mother from earlier today called from the high stage where she sat.

Alice, the mage, appeared at my side.

"Let's get you seated," she said, guiding me toward the head table.

As we walked, the pack members' gazes lingered on me.

Their whispers stung.

"She’s doesn’t even belong to a pack".

“I hear that she was banished.”

“Foolish”

"Broken".

"Unworthy".

I clenched my fists.

We got to the table at the center of the room, there, Alice pulled a chair out for me between Dominique and a stern-looking woman.

"Alpha Elijah's mate, Vivian," Alice whispered.

Vivian's gaze narrowed.

"Enjoying the attention, my dear?" she asked.

I shook my head, avoiding her gaze.

The woman from earlier, rose from her chair. She was dressed in a blood red gown that tighten from her waist up to her breast and flowed down to the floor, her hair was pinned back in a tight bun and a red lipstick was painted on her lips.

What is it with these people and the color red? My eyes were beginning to burn from it.

“Tonight we feast! We drink to tomorrow and eat the flesh from the bones. And when the moon is at its highest peak, only then shall blood be rained down on us as the goddess blesses and reminds us of our wrong doings.” Her voice was high pitched and it rang across the room.

The room roared in response, fists were being banged on the table and glasses clinked. I watched as several trays of different foods were wheeled in by the chefs.

I have never seen so much food in my entire house, not even back home at Nightbloom.

The feast began, with course after course of exquisite dishes.

Sophia sat on the stage with Alice, and the woman, I was still yet to know her name.

A tall throne like chair was reserved at the center of the stage for who I was expected to serve, Alpha Karl.

Dominique sat at the head of my table and I was positioned to the left, Alpha Elijah sat on his right and Vivian his wife sat beside me, constantly watching my every move.

Mouth watering dishes were placed in front of me, but luckily I was too full to even think of trying any of them out.

“Don’t you like our food?” Vivian asked, as she watched another plate of food being rejected by me.

“Um….I already had dinner, I’m not really hungry.”

“Ahhh…..I see Sophia and her minions has gotten to you.” She snickered, “well that’s not surprising. Pardon my manners child,”

I gave a small smile in response.

Conversations swirled around me.

"...hear she can't shift."

"...Alpha Kael's plaything."

“Do you think he’ll even approve of her.”

“The last one didn’t survive the night.”

“Well good riddance to this one then, she looks so frail.”

My heart stopped beating for a moment.

What was so mysterious about this night that no one wants to tell me about it?

I look around the table, confusion was obviously writing on my face as everyone dug into their foods.

“Get ready to be chased little wolf,” a voice said from behind me.

I felt something pierce my skin and when I looked up, no one was there. I looked down on my hand and saw a small amount of blood sipping through the fabric. I winced.

“Quiet child! You either eat or remain quiet,” Vivian sneered.

“Someone just tried to prick me with something.” I whispered, hoping that she would at least feel sorry.

“That is probably just a pinch from the gown’s fabric,” she scoffed “and who gave you this hideous dress to wear anyway.”

“It was….”

“Oh let me guess, Sophia?” She interrupted.

I nodded in response.

“That damn girl!” The woman sneered, looking up at the stage, anger rising in her voice.

I didn’t understand what was going on or why there was so many bad blood here, but after all it was the red moon pack, I couldn’t expect anything less.

As the feast continued, tensions simmered beneath the surface. Vivian's anger still lingered, her eyes flashing with disdain and constantly darting towards Sophia.

I sat quietly, nursing my wounded hand.

Suddenly, the doors burst open, and wind rushed in.

The room fell silent, as everybody’s attention was turned towards the door.

Conversations ceased.

Heads turned.

I held my breath.

A man strode in, his very presence commanded attention.

His piercing grey eyes scanned the room.

Landing on me for only a split second, his nostrils flared.

My heart skipped a beat.

His figure stood imposing and dominating every bit of space in the room, his broad shoulders and chiseled features exuded something dark and daring.

His dark hair was tousled, like he just came in from running through the woods. A stub of beard framed his sharp jawline.

A black leather jacket accentuated his muscular build.

Taking his eyes off me, he marched straight to the stage.

Settling into the empty chair, his presence radiating power.

Sophia, Alice, and the red-gowned woman stood, bowing their heads.

The pack members followed suit.

And just then I knew, that was Alpha Kael, I remained seated, unsure what to do.

Vivian, seated beside me, nodged my ribs.

"Show respect, child," she whispered.

I stood, bowing my head.

Alpha Kael's gaze swept the room.

But still, he didn't look at me.

"Continue," he commanded.

The music started, and Conversations resumed.

Just then a servant walked up to the stage, whispering something in the ear of the woman.

She stood up, taking a step forward. The room quieted down again.

“It is Time. The moon is at it’s peak. Let us all meet in the courtyard in five minutes.”