The banquet ended with high energy. Men and women that were surrounding me on either side of the table fisted handfuls of food into their mouths like animals. I couldn’t find my appetite as I quivered in my throne.
I instead focused on Grayson, who was eating poised, a fork and knife in hand. He was deliberately turned away from me. Not once did he angle his body towards me, not once did he steal a glance my way. So much for this useless provocative dress.
The room shifted with the changing of the music. A band joined the violinist and the tone became more upbeat as the smacking of food turned into laughter and clinking drinks. The food was slowly removed from the tables by staff that refused eye contact with any member of the party, hands without faces.
In a synchronized manner, the waitstaff lifted the tables from in front of me and moved them to the sides of the grand room. With the room now open, people gathered to form a line in front of Grayson and me.
Settling myself to observe this nightmare as it unfolded, I tucked my hands in my lap and tried to obscure the emotions from my face.
One by one, each of the members of the room bowed at our feet, pledging their loyalty. They spoke directly to Grayson, ignoring my place by his side. Once they finished their speeches and gave their thanks, they pulled necklaces, rings, and crowns from their pockets to lay before me, intent on keeping their faces away. Gifts for an invisible queen.
I didn’t understand my place here. Why give offerings while also making me feel uncomfortable and unwelcome? It was as if they were bowing to someone they didn’t approve of. I needed to change the script, make Grayson and his disciples want me, otherwise I would be the one they were hunting tonight.
To claim my place on my own terms, I needed to do something bold. I stood from the chair, letting my posture rise tall and demanding.
"Look at me," I demanded, and every eye fell on me, including Grayson’s. I felt the power I seemed to hold over the people here, one I didn’t have at home.
"If these are offerings for me," I continued, faking the confidence I portrayed. "Then I demand you acknowledge me as you give them."
The room stopped, waiting breath. I looked at Grayson, who looked slightly impressed before giving a small wave of his hand and returning to the conversation beside him.
As if a curtain had opened, the people moved about again. I returned to my seat as the gifts continued to flow, but this time the people would glance up from their lowered brows to honor my presence. It felt as though the room had let out a sigh, tension releasing from the stranger I was to them.
Once the tributes finished, dancing commenced. Grayson sat bored, chin on his palm as a rhythmic show was performed around us. I had never experienced the stage before us and I allowed myself to enjoy the dancing. It felt like I had stepped into another time, an old world that had opened itself up to me.
Colors swirled with flowing dresses and elegant suits. They circled each other, placing hands against one another’s. Their execution was perfect, like bats moving in synchronized waves.
After some time, the music stopped as did the performance that had followed. "Finally," Grayson mumbled and promptly left his seat. He disappeared from the banquet hall and like a vacuum, the rest followed. I froze in uncertainty, unfamiliar with the traditions, when a maid came to get me.
"Let’s get back to your chambers. It’s time to ready you for the ceremony." She talked quickly, with a sharp accent. She was a beautiful woman who must have been in her late twenties. I wondered how she came to be a servant in a place like this as I was brought back to my room.
The rest of the maids, including the small girl I had made cry, were waiting for me in my room. They quickly removed my clothing and jewelry, stripping me bare. They even removed my bra with a snap, causing me to grasp at my own breasts. My underwear was pulled down and I reached out a hand to stop them.
My wrist was caught by one maid while the other continued to pull. I hadn’t even been naked in front of my own mother in years and now I was on a literal pedestal for these woman to see.
A bundle of white and silver was brought and pulled over my head, making me relax a little. It was a simple silk material that hung over my shoulders. Sleevless except white ribbons that fell across my arms. It had a dress tail that dragged behind me. The front was cut shorter and I wondered if that was to make it easier for him to claim me.
My heart began racing, the unknown of what our public joining would look like. The girl had said he would mark me as well. Was that with a ring, a cut, a bite? They did call it a blood oath. Fear was burning inside my chest as one maid announced I was ready.
My makeup had been removed and my dark brown hair lay in waves around my exposed shoulders. I had wrapped the necklace my mother gave me in my palm to keep it hidden from my bare looks. Catching the eye of the woman who had led me from the banquet hall, I used my newfound authority to ask,
"What happens now?"
She didn’t appear to be forced into her answer like the other had, but still she answered measuredly, "Now you are given to him."
The night air was chillier than I expected, moisture clipping the edge of my nose. We followed a stone path up a hill where a group of people from the dinner had gathered.
Grayson stood in a soft fabric that matched my dress in color. The look made him less aggressive and somehow, more approachable.
The look of indignation was still set into the features of his face as he stood waiting and I closed the distance until I reached his side under an arch of white sheets adorned in red flowers.
The moonlight lit the sky and the faces around me. Eyes were glowing like they had been before and some appeared to have talons attached to their fingers and jagged fangs reaching from their mouths, though I compelled it as a trick of the mind in the darkness and stared at the large full moon above me.
Grayson turned to me, annoyance wearing clear on his face. His eyes were illuminated with a bright and horrific gold as he finally held my gaze.
"Kneel." He ordered, like a sneer through his teeth. My knees began to buckle but I held my breath, fighting the urge.
His frown intensified as he pushed his authority, "I said, kneel."
I trembled but held strong, a sharp pain shaking through my breastbone, "No." I told him, surprised by my own power.
The pack behind us were shifting uncomfortably, the tension setting them on edge. Grayson smirked as everyone lay in wait. I didn’t want this. I wasn’t going to be some object, even to a king. If he wanted my obedience, he would have to earn it.
"Fine," he said at last and paused before continueing, a look of arrogance glinting in his unnatural eyes.
"Rebel Stirling, I reject you as my mate." He said it loudly, like he was making an announcement and the air was filled with gasps.
Grayson’s teeth seemed to have grown to sharp points as he spoke. I glanced behind me then at the rustling of sharp breaths and low growls. It was undeniable now that the glowing eyes were accompanied by feral jaws and fur growing on their skin.
I could feel the pull for Grayson, an invisible tether tightening around my lungs. Looking back, I could see he felt it too. His smile grew wicked as he fought against the spell.
All of a sudden, my eyes began burning, so much so that I ripped my contacts from my eyes and dropped them to the ground. I could see purple shimmering in my hands.
The sight of my eyes turned Grayson’s smugness into a sneer. The space was thickening as pressure rolled in around me. I could feel the changing with the sound of bones snapping into place and grunts of strain.
Grayson remained poised as his breathing became as fast as a beast, anger deepening his blazing iris.
"By my blood and bone, I deny this bond." He reached for my wrist, holding it to the point of pain.
With his touch, a mark burned into my skin, a scorched scar in the shape of a crescent moon only shattered and distorted in appearance. "The moon holds no claim here."
A long howl erupted behind me and I whipped my wrist from his grasp, holding the injured hand to my chest and backing away.
What happened next, happened too fast for me to comprehend. Tornadoes of fur and teeth and claws as the people around me turned from human to wolf.
I stood, the only one left on two feet, as the largest of them all approached. It held the gold glow of Grayson’s eyes as it towered over me and now I knew why they called him the Alpha King.