The Banquet
“That man can be a brute,” Matilda muttered as she poorly attempted to hide her head wound with a curly bang. She groaned, “Tilda, what have you gotten yourself into?”
Matilda had maintained her composure since her arrival in Moonshire, but she was fucked.
She had no sinister well-laid plans of becoming werewolf royalty and reclaiming Night Falls.
She wasn’t na?ve enough to believe she could be mated to a werewolf and have a say in anything—especially any topic regarding politics and diplomacy.
While werewolf men were handsome and strong beyond reason, they were also deeply misogynistic and preferred their women barefoot and pregnant.
That life was not meant for her. Her unyielding pride made her accept David’s challenge—a challenge she had little to no chance of winning.
It was by sheer dumb luck that idiot vampire king interceded, and for that, she was eternally grateful.
She’d slip away and leave the two man-children to their pissing contest.
A series of aggressive knocks at her chamber door interrupted Matilda’s plans for escape. “Yes?” she called.
Matilda rolled her eyes at the barbaric introduction.
“I do apologize, Beta David, but I believe you are lost. There isn’t anyone by the name of Woman here. If you’re seeking a bitch, there’s one next door.”
“I do not believe King Alesi would find your mocking entertaining.”
“I care not. What will he do? Bite me? I doubt it. Not with you around.”
Matilda smirked, knowing her vote of confidence in him had David puffing up his expansive chest with pride.
She took one final lingering gaze at herself in the mirror.
It had been ages since she wore a dress, let alone a dress spun from the finest fabrics and threads.
Her fingers grazed the gold necklace that lay heavy against her lifted bosom, courtesy of the torturous corset.
She fingered the gold-and-ruby pendant and pouted.
Unfortunately, it would have to be returned to its rightful owner.
“Matilda, we cannot keep Prince Lykaon waiting.”
“I’m coming,” she sang, climbing to her feet, leaving the opulent vanity behind.
She unlocked the heavy door and faced her desperate wolf suitor.
She refrained from rolling her eyes when pink dusted his cheeks.
She never thought she’d live to see the day.
She could now add making a werewolf blush to her list of accomplishments.
“Beta David, your hurried tone led me to believe we needed to make haste to the banquet hall. We can’t keep Prince Lykaon waiting. ”
“He can wait while I appreciate such a stunning beauty.”
Matilda was simultaneously impressed and saddened by his statement.
On the one hand, he was willing to inconvenience his prince to bask in her beauty, but on the other hand, he was solely driven by lust and lust alone.
She hadn’t given much thought to finding a mate, partner, husband—whatever you wanted to call it.
Sure, she had offers, but certainly she could do better than a competing hunter, an orc who drank for a living, and a beta werewolf with a breeding kink.
“Unfortunately, Beta David, my stomach cannot wait.”
“Well, let’s not keep the lady waiting,” he said, placing her hand on his forearm. Again, she was impressed.
“I had no idea there was a gentleman buried beneath all that muscle,” Matilda teased as he led her to the dining hall.
“I had no idea there was a breathtakingly beautiful woman under all that leather. You were flailing around like a feral animal when they dragged you from the carriage.”
She laughed in earnest and patted his shoulder.
“I was raised as a fighter. I know nothing else.”
“With me, you wouldn’t have to fight any longer because I’d protect you and fight your battles.”
Matilda remained silent as they continued their venture for good food, savory wines and ales, and entertainment.
Protection.
Growing up, she had no one to protect her. She was raised to defend herself, and she failed herself that day when she entered the woods as a young woman hunting her first vampire and returned a version of herself she couldn’t recognize.
“Are you all right?”
Matilda snapped out of her painful memory and looked up to find Beta David fretfully searching her face.
“All is well. Why do you ask?”
“Your nails are buried into my arm like a frightened kitten.”
“Oh! I apologize,” she said, snatching her hand away.
“No need,” he expressed, pausing his stride. “You’ve had a hard life.”
“What do you know about my life?”
“I know that look on your face. Life doesn’t always have to be a struggle, Matilda,” he said, gently stroking the healing scratches on her cheeks.
Tears pricked behind her eyelids, but she refused to let a single one drop.
“Your comment was very disingenuous. For some, life is a struggle from their first to their last dying breath. You live behind palace walls and speak of struggles. It’s laughable.” And before she knew it, Matilda was wrapped in David’s strong arms. “W-what are you doing?”
“Hugging you. You are aware what a hug is, right?”
“I do, but I was under the impression werewolves didn’t engage in such affection.”
“Ah. How ignorant of you. We hug, kiss, make love—all of that and more; we just have a reputation to uphold. Normally, I wouldn’t do this, but I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot more of each other in the future.”
Matilda smirked into his chest, catching on to David’s nefariousness. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with trying to scent me and enrage a certain challenger, would it?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he replied with a devious grin. “Let’s not keep Prince Lykaon waiting.”
***
“King Alesi, please sit up. Your posture is terrible. You’ll give the impression you’re bored and wish not to be present,” Ezra chastised.
“I should give you a raise. I had no idea you could read minds as well,” Luka replied dryly.
Luka wasn’t bored as his worrisome advisor had suggested.
He was wallowing in shame. For one, the necklace Anastasia had given him had gone missing.
He was ready to tear the castle apart; however, Ezra advised it would be more kingly to approach Prince Lykaon about the issue.
There was always the chance he dropped or misplaced it, but he wouldn’t carelessly lose anything so precious.
Second, he had pleasured himself to the scent of the huntress’s blood.
Like a heathen, he seized his pillow and inhaled the large blood stain.
His body combusted with animalistic hunger and desire.
His dick hardened in his trousers, threatening to burst forth.
He needed relief, and his options weren’t plentiful.
He could visit the brothel, but he’d never be that despairing.
He could seek the bleeding woman out and have her satisfy his sexual need.
It would only take a single bite to make her beg for him.
However, he wouldn’t give her the delight.
He only had one reasonable solution—to take care of himself.
He gritted his teeth and cursed as he spilled his seed, and despite finishing, his dick refused to deflate.
The dining room doors parted, and Prince Lykaon breezed in with his top pack officials and their mates sans David.
Where is my huntress?
Luka shook his head and stood on his feet as a sign of respect to greet Prince Lykaon. She was not his huntress, just a tasty thorn in his side.
“King Alesi! How wonderful of you to grace us with your presence during this time of peaceful negotiations,” Prince Lykaon welcomed, extending his hand for a shake.
“Thank you for accommodating me on such short notice. The banquet was unnecessary, but I appreciate it all the same.”
“Nonsense. I apologize for not seeing you upon arrival. I was tied up, but I will be available to you during the remainder of your stay,” he promised.
“No need for an apology. Some things can’t be helped.”
“Have you sampled the blood? It’s virgin. I hear that’s the best.”
“Not yet. I thought it would be rude to sample before the host arrived.”
“Not at all. Please be seated. I hear we have a lot to discuss.”
Luka promptly took his seat, nodding at some of the officials and purposely ignoring the sneer from the wolf who lunged at him earlier.
At Prince Lykaon’s behest, the servants who stood against the wall like soldiers stepped forward and began serving the food.
Luka held back a grimace when his plate was loaded with meat—venison, boar, moose, turkey, and more.
It was a meat feast, and he wondered if the werewolves had ever heard of fruits and vegetables.
“Regarding our land—”
“No, no. This is a welcoming banquet, King Alesi. Let’s stick to lighter topics. We’ll leave the heavier matters for later. I hear you challenged my beta for a woman. Is that correct?”
“That is accurate.”
“And not just any woman, a huntress. A little morbid, considering vampire hunters killed your queen, is it not? You would choose not only to lay with a huntress but make her your queen as well? Does Night Falls not have laws against this?”
“She will not be my queen. When I win, she’ll return with me to Night Falls and be escorted to the dungeons, where she will await execution for her failed assassination attempt on my life. I refuse to allow Beta David to have her, and she escapes punishment.”
Prince Lykaon slicked his tongue across his gleaming white teeth. He wasn’t buying Luka’s explanation, but he’d play along. He sipped from his goblet of wine before addressing the vampire again.
“I would wish you the best of luck, but my loyalty stays with my beta. You understand, right?”
“Perfectly.”
“Do you have any clues as to who would want you dead? Besides me, of course.”
He recognized the young prince’s attempt to provoke him, but he wouldn’t take the bait.
“Not yet. We haven’t had time to launch a full investigation, as the attack happened en route to Moonshire. But I’m confident I will have justice in the end.”
Prince Lykaon raised his goblet in the air in a distant toast. Luka returned the gesture and took a sip of blood.
He choked and sputtered as soon as David and Matilda arrived.
His strong reaction wasn’t because she was cozied up to him or laughing at whatever joke he told, but because she was wearing his necklace…