5. Dinner Party Gone Awry
DINNER PARTY GONE AWRY
I sat on the soft cushion of the dinner chair, yet it felt like a hundred tiny needles were poking at my butt. Too many eyes were fixed on Leif and me, their gazes heavy with jealousy.
No one had expected some random omega from a northern clan to suddenly pique Prince Damien’s interest. Even the beautiful male omega, Lovel from Eclipse, who was believed to be the most likely candidate to become the prince’s mate, wasn’t given the special spot right next to the prince.
Lovel’s gaze was so bitter and caustic that it was almost palpable.
However, my brother was too distracted to notice it. Damien had been chatting him up and making him giggle this whole night. I must have rolled my eyes the entire night that my eyeballs were strained.
I was seated next to Leif, and the lady sitting next to me was obviously too intimidated by my northern aura to talk to me, so I focused all my attention on the food.
Even though I wasn’t used to many aspects of Southern culture, I had to give it to them: they knew how to cook.
Even a plain bread roll tasted better than the ones we had in the North.
And the meat ... I never knew they could have such intricate flavours, and the texture was so soft, almost butter-like.
I was engrossed in the brave new world of flavours when Damien’s voice intruded on my ears. “Fenris, do you hunt a lot?”
What kind of stupid question was that? “Of course I hunt a lot,” I replied frigidly. “How else do we survive in a frozen land with dirt as hard as steel?”
“So you’ll join the Full Moon Hunt tomorrow?” Damien leaned forward a little so he could meet my eyes through Leif.
“Sure. I’ll never say no to a hunt.”
“Great, how about we make it a contest?” Damien grinned at me, his smile devious. “Since we didn’t get to finish our contest last night.”
His mention of last night made my eyelids twitch. I glared at him and said, “What’s the rule, then?”
“Before sunrise, whoever brings back the largest, fiercest beast wins,” Damien said smoothly, as though he had thought this whole thing through. “My father will be our judge.”
“Your father being the judge isn’t impartial at all,” I said sarcastically.
Damien narrowed his eyes dangerously. “Are you suggesting my father, the King of Nocturne, is unjust?”
Shit ...
He had intentionally raised his voice, so now several Nocturne royal members were glancing in our direction. I noticed that Prince Valerian, the eldest child of King Octavian, was also glaring at me.
I had to be more careful about what I said in this place.
“What my brother meant is that King Octavian might be put into a difficult position, since he might be hesitant to make the judgement in your favour, Your Highness,” Leif hastily came to rescue.
“Well, if that’s the case, you don’t need to worry. We can also have you as the co-judge.” Damien softened his attitude while talking to my brother and flashed a sweeter-than-honey smile at the end.
Leif’s cheeks turned crimson again.
The bastard ...
Once the dinner concluded, I noticed the guests were divided into two groups. The omegas and female betas had gathered together, heading for the drawing room.
Lovel, the candidate from the Eclipse Clan, and his sister, Helena, suddenly approached Leif with warm, cordial smiles on their delicate faces, inviting Leif to join them in the drawing room.
I was a little suspicious of them, since Leif had outshone them and gained Prince Damien’s attention; surely they’d hated Leif for that. Then why were their smiles so sweet, as though coated in molasses?
However, Leif whispered to me that it was okay, he could handle himself with other omegas and female betas, and it would be seen as rude and inappropriate if he were the only one to stay with other alphas in the dining room.
Hesitantly, I let him leave with Lovel and Helena, and they disappeared into the drawing room with the others.
The alphas and male betas remained seated at the table. The servants brought some wine, others were presented with wooden pipes, inlaid with jade, gold or silver, with burning tobacco and other herbal blends.
We northern clans drank a lot, but we never smoked, and I never really understood the appeal of the pungent scent of burning tobacco leaves, so I rejected the pipe when the servant presented me with one. The wine was not bad, though.
“I heard in the north, you drink mead and wine instead of water, is it true?” someone asked.
I hastily swallowed the wine and looked to the side. A beta male with stunning green eyes was smiling at me, a glass of wine in hand.
I glanced at the row of empty wine glasses sitting on the table before me, realizing I might have indulged a little too much.
It wasn’t like any of these genteel southern nobles were going to talk to a northern brute like me, so what was I supposed to do other than drink?
Besides, this wine was so sweet and weak that it was more like grape juice rather than a proper drink.
“We still drink water, when there is no mead or ale.” I smirked. The fact that he was not smoking made me like him better, plus, his scent smelled like lemon juice, refreshing with a hint of sweetness.
I’d always liked lemon juice.
I seemed to have always preferred beta males over omegas or beta females, which was why I hadn’t sired a bastard son like some of the randy young alphas who were around the same age as me.
Since I would be trapped in this palace for a few weeks, it would be nice if I could spend it with someone pretty and charming. Which was why I used a little of my “let’s go to bed” bad-boy smile.
He laughed, and I liked the crisp sound of his laughter, too. I also noticed the faint blush lingering on his cheeks.
Seemed like my smile worked. I gave myself a mental pat on the back.
“I’m Johnathan Nocturne, Earl of Sabrecrest,” he said, extending his hand.
I habitually clasped his forearm and gave him a bump on the shoulder, a typical greeting northern warriors used, but he seemed to be taken aback. Only then did I remember that in the south, people shook hands rather than grabbing arms and bumping shoulders.
“Sorry, force of habit.” I scratched my head, feeling a little awkward.
He only smiled wider, a light gleaming in the depths of his emerald irises. “Is that how you greet in the North? How intriguing! I like it.”
“So, are you also part of the royal family?” I asked. Unlike humans, werewolves used their clan name as their last name, so he could be a relative of the king, or he could be from a different bloodline. I hoped it was the latter.
“No, I’m just a very distant relative,” he said with a shrug. “I’m in the court more often recently, only because I was chosen to be one of Prince Damien’s companions.”
“Well then, you must be the bravest one among all the companions, since you are the only one who dared to talk to me.” I smirked again, this time using ten out of ten of my bad-boy smile.
“They’re scared of you because you single-handedly defeated Rydel. He was supposed to be the best fighter among the companions. But to be honest, I don’t like him.” Johnathan chuckled again, tilting his head slightly, almost imperceptibly baring his neck.
Hell yes, perhaps I didn’t have to sleep alone tonight.
Just when I thought everything went smoothly and perfectly, a voice that made my eyelids twitch interjected. “Oh, look. Little Johnny here is trying hard to impress our northern friend.”
I saw irritation flash across Johnathan’s countenance before he turned to meet Rydel’s gaze. “Move along, Rydel. I’m not in the mood.”
The bastard apparently hadn’t learned his lesson after being knocked out by me last night. He also didn’t come alone. Two of his lackeys trailed behind him.
Rydel wrapped one arm around Johnathan’s shoulder as though they were best friends. “Not in the mood for what? Talking to your duke? Or are you too eager to offer your company to our handsome northern friend here? Are you sure he shares your ... hobby?”
He said the word “company” in such a vulgar and suggestive way, obviously implying something.
I picked up a vibe between them. It was not the first time I saw this dynamic in a group of alpha and beta males, who, according to outdated traditional values, should adhere to a set of arbitrary masculine standards.
Relationships between an alpha and a beta male were often seen as controversial, and the male beta was especially targeted and bullied, as they were often seen as the “receiving” party in the relationship.
However, it was not even the worst. If two alphas, especially two males or two females, were discovered to be involved, they would face much more severe social punishments.
Only slightly over a decade ago, they could even go to jail because of it.
Now, even though it was legalized, they were still heavily discriminated against and seen as freaks.
An urge to protect the green-eyed beta rose in me. I stepped forward, inserting myself between them and shielding Johnathan with my body. I said with a scornful smirk, “How are you feeling, Rydel? I hope I didn’t hit too hard last night.”
More people started to gather around us, drawn by the drama yet refraining from getting too close. Prince Valerian, the older brother of Prince Damien, was among them.
Hearing me mention his big disgrace, Rydel hissed at me, “You got lucky.”
“Lucky or not, you still owe me a run, Rydel.” I continued to mock him. “When can I expect to see it?”
“How dare you demand such a thing from the Marquess!” one of Rydel’s lackeys said.
“It was a fair bet, are you going back on your word, Marquess Rydel?” I said coldly, crossing my arms.
Rydel and his lackeys also puffed up their chests, squared their shoulders, and got into an aggressive stance.
The tension in the air increased rapidly by seconds, and I could smell the scent of fight in the air.
Johnathan tried to diffuse the situation by standing in between us, saying, “Please, Rydel, this is not the place—”