“So, that Esther lady. She’s real smiley, huh?”
As soon as the words were out of my mouth, Lily scoffed. “Yeah, that’s one word for it,” she said, “There was something weird about her. She was too nice if you ask me.”
“She was just doing her job,” Sebastian said. He leaned up against the vanity, watching us unpack. “Besides, I’m more curious to know why the Alpha King decided to have us, out of everyone here, at this dinner party. He only picked four .others.”
“Isn’t it obvious why he wants us there?” Lily asked, and her eyes narrowed at me. “I bet he’s curious about Clark. She’s human, he’s probably going to poke and prod at her like a doll.” O
“Me? You really think he wants us there because of me?” I asked. Not a lot of wolves had human children, I knew that – but was I so unusual that I peaked the Alpha King’s interest? Q
So much for blending into the background like I was hoping.
“Well, I don’t know for sure,” Lily said, and she began pulling out clothes, “But I think it’s a distinct possibility. Let’s be honest here. Not a lot of Alphas have affairs. with human women, let alone pop out a child with them.”
Almost immediately, the air grew thick with tension.
Dad’s affair with my mom was a taboo subject at home. Sure, my siblings might’ve teased me about being human, but we never discussed why I was human. I knew it was because of Grace, although nob*dy ever confirmed that. Talking about my mom meant that Grace would have to think about how her husband, her mate, cheated on her.
My mom might not have been the Dark Lord, but she was certainly She-Who-
Must-Not-Be-Named for the Bellevue household.
I scratched the back of my head nervously, and turned away to begin unpacking my own bag. “Yeah, I guess that’s true,” I said quietly. I wanted to say something else, but my tongue felt like it was glued to the roof of my mouth.
“Lily,” Sebastian hissed.
“What?” Lily snarled, “I know that our family loves to pretend that it didn’t happen, but dad did have an affair with a human. Clark got dropped off on our doorstep when I was twelve and you were fourteen, Seb. Whether we want to admit it or not, our family is f**ked up and the entire werewolf world probably knows it.” O
Her words were harsh, and I felt a stir of anger in my gut. It wasn’t my fault that
I’d been dropped into this world, I couldn’t help it. I hadn’t asked for it, so why did it feel like her anger was directed at me?
“You know, Lily,” I suddenly piped up, “Our family is f**ked up, you’re right. But it’s not because of me. Dad is the one at fault, not anyone else. And I’m very aware that I don’t belong here, you don’t need to remind me.”
There was a pause.
I kept my eyes on the clothes I was unpacking. I didn’t want to see her face, but I could still feel her piercing gaze.
“Clark,” she said, and I heard her sigh, “That’s not what I meant. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound like I was blaming you for what dad did. I’m just on edge right now, I’ve been on edge since we left the f**king airport. This place is cranking my anxiety up to ten.”
She plopped down on the b*d, and the anger in my gut dissipated. Lily was a hothead and she often said things she didn’t mean in the heat of the moment. I knew that and I couldn’t hold it against her – especially when we were stuck in an isolated mountainous castle in the middle-of-nowhere Canada.
I approached her b*d and hugged her from behind. “It’s okay, Lil,” I said, “We’re all on edge. Must be something in the air here.”
“Yeah,” she snorted, squeezing my shoulders, “Definitely something in the air.”
“Not to interrupt this Hallmark moment,” Sebastian said, “But Esther said the dinner’s at 8. We should probably start getting ready.”
Right, how could I forget?
We’ve got a date with the Alpha King at 8.
22 Shares
“At a dinner party, one should eat wisely but not too well, and talk well but not too wisely.”
As we stood in front of the door that led into the dining room, all I could think about were how clammy my palms were. What if the Alpha King wanted to shake my hand? Was I supposed to give him my clammy hands? Werewolves had heightened senses, there’s no way he wouldn’t notice if my hands were clammy.
Pull yourself together, Clark. The last thing you needed to be worried about is sweaty palms.
I wiped my hands on the light blue dress I was wearing for the thirtieth time since we’d left the room. The dress wasn’t anything elaborate, but I hoped it would be appropriate for a dinner party. When Lily saw what I’d brought in my backpack, she’d declared all of it unfit for the dinner party and handed me this dress instead.
I had to admit Lily’s taste in clothes was top-notch. The dress was form-fitting. with spaghetti straps and it stopped just above my knees. It looked good. Beside me, Lily and Sebastian were also dressed to the nines. She wore an above-the-knee velvet black dress with straps below the shoulders and Sebastian wore black dress. pants with a blue button-down that matched his eyes.
“You all look marvelous,” Esther said as she approached the dining-room door, “There’s no reason to be nervous. It appears nob*dy else has arrived yet, you’re the first guests.” To prove her point, she threw open the large, intricate wooden door and disappeared inside the empty room.
We trailed in after her and I nearly stopped walking when I saw how elaborate the dining room was. The ceiling stretched more than twenty feet high and the floor was all white and gold marble. Corinthian columns lined each door into the room and there was even a fireplace. A large portrait of Queen Cate, who looked just as young as she had in the other painting, hung above the mantle. The entire room. reminded me of something you’d find in an art museum or the Sistine chapel – but then again, we were in a castle. At a certain point, I’d probably have to get used to all the over-the-top decorating. O
In the middle of the room, there was a large mahogany table with matching chairs and fine china. The place settings were already there and Esther directed us to our seats. She explained the Alpha King would sit at the head of the table surprises there- and Sebastian would be placed on his right. Then, I was beside Sebastian and Lily was beside me.
no
“Go on,” Esther urged, “Take your seats. I imagine the other Alpha children will be showing up any minute now. The King will likely be last, he loves to be fashionably late.”
We did as she asked and I was surprised at just how comfortable the chair was. Even though it was wood, there was a plush cushion on every seat.
“Would you three like anything to drink?” Esther asked, “The kitchen staff will provide water for everyone but I’m sure I could put in a request for wine or another beverage.”
I guess werewolves don’t have any qualms about offering alcohol to underage teenagers.
“No, that’s okay,” Sebastian said, “We’re fine.”
Esther nodded and left the room.
“Excuse you?” Lily hissed, leaning over to glare at Sebastian, “Way to talk for the entire table, Seb. Maybe I wanted some red wine.”
Sebastian glared back. “We’re about to have dinner with the Alpha King, Lily. We should all be as clear-headed as possible.”
Lily scoffed. “Whatever. We’re werewolves, you know? It’s not like we’re going to get drunk on a couple of glasses of wine.”
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