Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
ARES
I move to follow Maya as she stumbles out of the ballroom, but Logan’s low growl stops me.
“Let her go,” he snaps. “We need to find the Inquisitor and start playing nice.”
“You don’t need me for that.”
He raises an imperious eyebrow. “I want you here.”
I look to Poe for support, who just shrugs with a pained look on his face before following after Logan like a reluctant, if well-trained, dog.
Cillian pauses next to me. “Maya is a smart girl. She just needs some time to pull herself together.”
I spare him a glance. “Careful, that almost sounds like sympathy.”
“It’s late,” he drawls. “I’m too tired for strong opinions.”
I watch them disappear into the crowd, annoyance growing. I have never in my life been more tempted to defy our prince than I have been since Maya arrived. Even though he’s given me a direct order to stay, it takes all of my willpower not to race out of here after her.
Instead, I slump down in her vacated chair because it still smells like her and decide to spend the rest of the evening questioning all of my life choices.
Maya’s behavior tonight doesn’t sit well with me. She is always so self-possessed and poised, particularly before the king. A nervous breakdown isn’t something I would ever expect to see from her.
I drum my fingers against the tablecloth, scanning the crowd while my mind churns over Maya’s reaction. The dining room has transformed into a sea of bodies, the formal dinner giving way to what looks like a much larger impromptu gathering.
Wait.
I straighten in my chair, military training kicking in as I count heads. The crowd has nearly doubled since dinner ended, which makes no sense. This was supposed to be an intimate royal dinner, not an open court event.
My gaze sweeps the room again, this time cataloging designations by scent. The hair on my neck rises. Far too many Alpha signatures float through the air — sharp, aggressive notes that clash and compete. At least a dozen more than there should be.
I spot three unfamiliar Alphas near the dessert table, their formal attire a touch too pristine. Another cluster by the windows wears the right colors, but their postures are too rigid, too alert for a social gathering.
My hand instinctively moves to where my weapon should be, finding only empty air beneath my formal jacket. With a sinking feeling, I remember that weapons aren’t allowed to be worn in the king’s presence, aside from his personal guard.At least that means no one else here will be armed.
Maybe I’m just being paranoid.
Logan appears at my side, frustration twisting his features.
I’m curious despite myself. “Any luck with the Inquisitor?”
“Couldn’t find the asshole, not in this crowd.” Logan looks practically frenetic as he scans the faces around us. “And my damn father has already retired for the night.”
Poe slumps into the seat across from me. “Then what the fuck are we still doing here?”
Cillian is nowhere to be seen. Slippery bastard.
Logan glares at him. “We’re not leaving until I’m sure the Inquisitor has gone. I need to know who we’re dealing with.”
“Why so interested?” I ask.
He cast me an incredulous look. “He is investigating my brother’s death.”
Aware of the spying ears around us, I decide to needle him a bit. I guess I am still pretty fucking angry that he sent Maya away on her own. “You hated Ander. Said he was a waste of your mother’s womb.”
Logan’s mouth thins, a warning in his gaze. “If someone is running around killing princes, you don’t think I’d be interested in figuring out who it is?”
Poe nudges me before I can say anything else inflammatory. Instead of provoking my pack leader and prince in front of an audience, I force my attention to return to the still overly-large crowd. “There are a lot of Alphas here.”
Logan drains his glass. “What of it? ”
“You’ve clearly never seen an Alpha frenzy.” My nostrils flare, taking in the acrid stench like locker room socks and overt aggression. “Smell that. We’re practically primed for it.”
Get enough unbonded Alphas in a confined space and you’re basically piling up a bunch of flammable material. All it takes is a single spark to start the conflagration. That’s why so many of us pack up, hoping to find an Omega to create a balance.
“This is the royal palace. No one would dare.”
It hasn’t escaped my notice that many other princes have retired for the night, taking their Omegas with them. And we sent ours back to the harem on her own, like she doesn’t belong beside us every hour of the day. Pointing out any of that feels like a waste of time.
“Whatever you say, boss.”
Logan stands abruptly enough to send his heavy chair clattering to the floor. “I’m going to do one more circuit and then we can go.”
I don’t notice that Poe has remained behind with me until I hear his murmured voice.
“Omegas can rampage, too.”
My eyebrows go up at that. “Yeah?”
“Usually it’s over protecting their young or defending a nest while in heat.” Poe’s gaze is distant, as if he’s recalling a memory. “They almost never survive it, but an Omega in a frenzy might take an Alpha or two with her under the right circumstances.”
“You speaking from personal experience?”
“I might just be,” he acknowledges. “It’s not the kind of thing you forget. ”
As much respect as I have for the average Omega, it’s hard to imagine any of them as an actual threat. They’re the ones who need to be protected from the world, not the other way around. “And somehow you survived.”
“I did. Can’t say the same for everyone who was there.”
I just shake my head at that. “I still think I’d take my chances.”
He smirks. “That’s because you’re an idiot.”
“Oh, fuck off. Next, you’ll be telling me to watch my back around newborn babies.”
Poe dodges my attempt to kick his chair out from under him with a laugh. “I would pay to see you go toe-to-toe with a swarm of babies.”
Asshole.
But the tension has broken somewhat. Imagining Poe getting his ass kicked by a rampaging Omega is enough to lighten my mood.
It also helps that the crowd has thinned enough that I can actually imagine us making it out of here if something crazy goes down. I already see Logan heading back toward us with a frustrated expression, which hopefully means we’re about to leave. Thank fuck.
I allow myself to finally release the metaphorical breath I’ve been holding for the last hour.
That’s whenan explosion strong enough to shake the walls blows out my eardrums.