Chapter 561 Welcome Banquet 3
After everything that had happened in the Midnight River Pack, she had already told her parents the entire story. They knew what Claire had done to her. They should have been furious. If anything, they should have despised Claire.
There was no way they would simply overlook what happened and allow her to sit at the main table as though nothing had happened.
Her parents had shown obvious displeasure toward Zion when they first met him, despite him trying to atone for his past mistakes. Compared to Claire’s actions, Zion’s offenses pale in comparison, as she was the mastermind behind all the misunderstandings and chaos.
So even if her parents chose not to punish Claire directly, they certainly shouldn’t have welcomed her into such an important gathering.
Yet there she was, seated among them as if she belonged.
The more she thought about it, the less sense it made.
So why was Claire here in the first place?
What displeased her even more was the sight before her.
Claire was openly staring at Zion with undisguised hunger and longing in her eyes, no longer making any effort to conceal her covetous gaze. Meanwhile, Zion deliberately ignored her, acting as though he hadn’t noticed a thing. He knew exactly what Claire was doing, but the last thing he wanted was for Addison to misunderstand the situation.
Zion took the initiative to serve Addison food, taking advantage of the fact that he was seated closest to her. With Maxwell and Levi sitting on his other side, he found himself in the perfect position to monopolize at least a little of Addison’s attention. Under normal circumstances, he would have been quite pleased with the arrangement.
Unfortunately, it seemed even fate had other plans.
Throughout the meal, he could feel Claire’s lingering gaze fixed on him. The attention irritated him more than he cared to admit, but this was neither the time nor the place to address it. They were seated before his future parents-in-law and surrounded by nobles, each harboring their own ambitions and hidden agendas. Causing a scene would only create unnecessary complications, so he forced himself to ignore it.
Then, through their mate bond, he sensed a flicker of annoyance from Addison.
Understanding the source almost immediately, Zion finished serving her before discreetly slipping his right hand beneath the table. Reaching over, he gently squeezed her thigh in a silent attempt to reassure her that she had nothing to worry about.
What he hadn’t anticipated, however, was the effect his gesture would have.
The touch, innocent in intention, felt far more sensual and intimate than he expected. A faint shiver ran through Addison as warmth bloomed within her body. It was as though a handful of sparks had landed upon dry grass, igniting a small flame that threatened to grow with every passing second. She kept her expression composed, but deep inside, her heart was no longer as calm as before.
"Zion, what are you trying to do?" Addison whispered, her voice barely audible above the conversations around them.
Her eyes locked onto his, and Zion immediately turned toward her when he heard her sharp intake of breath.
"I..." he began, intending to explain himself.
But the words never came. The moment their gazes met, something in Addison’s eyes flickered, a flash of emotion that caught him completely off guard. His thoughts stalled, and the explanation sitting on the tip of his tongue vanished. Suddenly, his throat felt unbearably dry.
For a brief moment, reason and instinct clashed within him.
Then instinct won.
Every rational thought he had carefully maintained throughout the meal seemed to fade into the background, drowned out by the overwhelming awareness of the woman sitting beside him. All he could do was stare back at her, his pulse quickening as his wolf stirred restlessly beneath the surface.
To be fair, Addison wasn’t entirely overreacting.
Her fated mates had proven time and time again that they were capable of doing the most outrageous things without regard for their surroundings. There was already a precedent, after all. Maxwell had once shamelessly touched her beneath the table during an official meeting attended by her own father, along with ministers, nobles, and other important figures.
Ever since that incident, Addison had learned never to underestimate what her mates might attempt when their possessiveness and desires got the better of them.
As a result, when Zion suddenly reached for her thigh beneath the table and then failed to explain himself when confronted, her thoughts naturally headed in a particular unholy direction. In her mind, Zion was simply feeling restless and had decided to follow in Maxwell’s infamous footsteps.
And the fact that he couldn’t even form a proper explanation only seemed to confirm her suspicions.
Unfortunately for Zion, he had been thoroughly misunderstood.
His intentions had been far more innocent than Addison assumed. The only reason he had reached for her was to offer reassurance. Claire’s unexpected appearance at the main table had caught all of them off guard, and Zion could sense Addison’s unease through their mate bond.
Since they had no idea why Claire was seated among the royal family as though she belonged there, and because openly questioning it in front of countless watchful eyes would only create unnecessary attention, he simply wanted to remind Addison not to overthink the situation.
For now, there was nothing they could do except set their questions aside and wait for answers to reveal themselves.
But in that moment, the meaning behind his simple gesture seemed to change.
What had begun as reassurance suddenly became temptation.
Zion leaned slightly closer as his hand crawled closer to her inner thigh, making Addison tense up as her pussy clenched, unconcerned by the crowd surrounding them as though the rest of the banquet hall had faded into the background.
"May I?" he murmured softly.
The question sounded innocent enough and a little playful, yet the look in his eyes told a different story while his thumb caressed her skin.
"You..." Addison whispered, her breath catching.
For the longest time, she had always viewed Zion as the serious one among her mates. At one point, she had even thought him overly taciturn. Yet lately, she was beginning to realize that beneath that composed exterior hid a surprisingly mischievous side, one capable of breaking rules and pushing boundaries when he felt like it.
"Can’t..." she tried to protest.
Unfortunately, her objection lacked any real conviction.
Her fingers instinctively wrapped around his wrist, stopping him before his hand could move any closer. Even so, the contact alone was enough to send her thoughts into disarray. Her pulse quickened, and a wave of warmth spread through her as she struggled to maintain her composure while her pussy got wet from the overwhelming desire raging through her veins.
Seeing her reaction, Zion’s gaze darkened slightly, and for a brief moment, neither of them noticed the lively conversations continuing around them while everyone dined and chatted.
"Baby, I can smell your arousal getting stronger..." Zion said teasingly, a playful smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
He wanted nothing more than to savor Addison’s scent lingering in the air, but the thought of anyone else catching even the faintest trace of it stirred his possessive instincts.