12. The Prince’s Offer
THE PRINCE’S OFFER
Damien’s intense stare almost made me lose the tempo. I cursed under my breath, quickly adding a few lighter beats to catch up with the rhythm.
Leif gave me a brief smile, as though reassuring me that my little hiccup didn’t disrupt his dance.
Soon, the dance reached the last chapter, depicting the Goddess’s war against the ice giants.
Leif’s dance grew increasingly wild and unrestrained, as if he were about to transform into the crimson flames that would set the heavens ablaze.
I echoed the intensity of his dance, letting the drumsticks whirl through the air, each beat loaded with raw, frenetic power.
And then, with one last beat, both my drum and Leif’s dance came to a clean, dramatic halt. Leif finished on a powerful pose, with his body bent like a crescent moon, while his right hand reached for the firmament.
The audience was quieter than a snow-covered forest for a few seconds, as though their minds were still lingering in another world, where Leif’s dance had taken them.
Then, suddenly, applause and cheers erupted like thunderclaps, and many people jumped to their feet to show their appreciation for the performance.
I put down the drum and came to Leif’s side, and we bowed slightly to the crowd. I saw Leif’s beautifully flushed face and the bright happiness in his eyes, and my heart was filled with joy like a proud father.
Moreover, the sulky look on Lovel’s face made victory all the sweeter.
I led Leif back to his seat next to Damien, trying my best not to meet those dark brown eyes.
“That was ... mesmerizing,” Damien said, smiling endearingly at Leif. But then he glanced at me, and his smile skewed slightly, adding just a hint of wickedness. He said, as though still talking to Leif, but that glance made it all a little vague, “You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?”
I scoffed, turning away and returning to my old spot. Johnathan looked at me with stars in his eyes, which made me a little smug.
“You never said you could play drums like that!” Johnathan exclaimed.
I chuckled, admitting, “That’s the only beat I know. I learned it to give Leif a hand.”
“That was very nice of you. I wish you were my brother,” Johnathan said softly.
I laughed, then smirked at him in a meaningful way. “Are you sure? Because there are a lot of things brothers can’t do.”
Johnathan blushed, picking up his wine glass and said quietly, “I take it back, then.”
Yarrow and her band began to play again, and people grew more relaxed. They moved around, drinking, eating, chatting, and laughing. I saw some young nobles quietly sneaking away into the woods in pairs, obviously wanting some time alone.
I noticed several pairs of eyes from the guest clans still following Damien closely.
Especially Lovel, he continued to chat with Damien, as though worried that once he stopped, Damien would disappear into thin air.
I guessed he was desperate. Lord Gillian of Eclipse, who chaperoned him during the Presentation, looked like a proud and ambitious man.
He must have put a lot of pressure on his son to capture the prince’s heart.
Suddenly, Damien stood up and extended a hand to my brother.
Leif grabbed his hand happily, as though they were about to go somewhere together.
I was immediately alarmed, and my heart began pounding anxiously in my chest. I was about to stand up and ... do what? I wasn’t even sure. Follow them? Stop them?
A hand grabbed my arm, stopping me. Johnathan looked up at me, saying gently, “Let them go, Fenris.”
“But Leif ...”
“Look, I know you are just being protective, but your brother is his own person; he knows what he wants; let him have some fun, will you?” Johnathan said genuinely.
“Besides, I know Damien. He is always very gentle and respectful to omegas; he won’t force your brother to do anything he doesn’t want to. I promise you, Leif is safe with him.”
I knew Johnathan was right. Leif clearly liked Damien and was eager to go with him. I knew I should give them some space. However, the truth was that my angst wasn’t solely due to wanting to protect Leif ...
No matter how much I wanted to be rational about what happened between Damien and me, seeing him show interest in another person still tore something in my chest open. To think that he would kiss another, touch another, and give another the same pleasure we shared together was ... agonizing.
That goddamned mate bond ...
“Hey, let’s also have a walk, shall we?” Johnathan whispered, his voice tickling my earlobe.
I nodded, not wanting to let those troubled thoughts stew further. Some distraction would be good for me.
I followed him into the woods. We sauntered along a winding trail, chatting about random things, until we eventually arrived at a beautiful white marble pavillion basking in the moonlight.
Climbing roses twined around its pillars, swaying languidly in the night breeze.
The balmy smell of roses saturated the air, adding a sweet note to Johnathan’s refreshing scent.
It was a perfect spot to make out, and from the way Johnathan was looking at me, I knew he was expecting me to make some move.
And I did. I pushed him against a pillar and kissed him hungrily, devouring his lips, ripping open the first couple of buttons on his tunic so I could sniff his neck.
He purred deliciously, already turned on.
I was also getting warmed up, even though I knew there was always a slight element of performance in my act.
I had always done this when I was with a lover, acting like a dominant alpha, as they would expect me to, grabbing their wrists, pinching their butt, biting their lips, rough but not too much, just enough to make things spicy.
But in the back of my mind, I had always known I wanted something ... different. Something an alpha was not supposed to want ...
He nudged his nose against my collar, and I suddenly remembered something important ...
The mark ... I had to be careful not to let him see that.
I drew back slightly, but Johnathan seemed to notice something interesting.
“You smell a little different from before,” he said curiously. “Better, and ... a little familiar?”
I froze.
It had been almost four hours, and I had forgotten to reapply the scent mask!
“Um, John, wait,” I said, releasing him and stepping back.
He blinked in confusion, saying, “Huh? What’s wrong?”
“I ... um, I think we should slow down a little,” I said gingerly.
An expression of hurt crept over his elegant features. He said quietly, “Did I do something wrong?”
“No! No! You did nothing wrong, it’s just ...” I searched my mind frantically for a good explanation. “You are beautiful and smart, and I want to do this right, you know what I mean? I don’t want to rush it.”
That seemed to relax Johnathan a little, though the disappointment still lingered in his eyes.
I felt guilty for leading him on and then leaving him high and dry, but I couldn’t risk him noticing Damien’s scent or discovering the bite mark.
“I guess we’d better go back, then,” Johnathan said, awkwardly buttoning up his tunic. “I need to check on the servants and make sure everything is in order before we return to Erevos in about an hour.”
“You go first, I may need to um ... find a place to pee. Too much wine,” I lied, using the lamest but easiest excuse.
He chuckled and nodded, heading back to the glade near the willow.
I found a discreet spot behind a tree to quickly apply the masking perfume to my scent gland before heading back.
As I passed a thick rose bush, a strange noise caught my attention. Thinking it was some wild animal, I instinctively looked behind the bush.
It was not a wild animal ... not at all. In the dappled moonlight, I saw two intertwined female figures. The female beta from Eclipse, Lovel’s sister, Helena, was sitting with her back to me, her extravagant pink dress half-slipped from her slim shoulder, revealing her flawless, pearly skin.
A pair of slender hands wrapped around her body, and I saw Cassandra’s light brown eyes glistening in the shadow. She looked at me over Helena’s shoulder and then gave me a sweet yet dangerous smirk that reminded me of her brother Damien.
I quickly left them alone to their pleasure, though a thought hovered at the back of my mind: Eclipse’s intent was clear; they wanted to make sure at least one, preferably two, of the Lunas in the royal household was theirs.
Even if Lovel failed to be chosen by Damien, at least Helena had some success with Cassandra.
Was Lord Gillian of Eclipse aiming to have one of his children as the future queen or consort of Nocturne?
Father used to mention that Gillian was a dangerous man, greedy and ambitious, and always looked down on the northern clans.
It wouldn’t be good for us if they gained power in the Nocturne court.
The glade under the willow tree was half empty. Many pairs hadn’t come back from the woods, and the remaining people were mostly drunk or half-drunk, chatting and laughing.
However, I noticed Leif was back, though he was alone, and sat in a spot farther away from the original spot next to Damien. Meanwhile, Damien was nowhere to be seen.
I also noticed the gloating look on Lovel’s face.
Sensing something was off, I quickly went to Leif. He sat quietly on the grass, his head hung low, and his soft hair shielded his expression.
“Leif,” I said, crouching in front of him. “Hey, buddy, what’s wrong?”
Leif still refused to look up, and he only shook his head. “Nothing. I’m fine,” he said curtly.
But I immediately recognized the heavy nasal sound that only came out after he had cried.
My heart sank. I cupped his chin and guided him to look up, and there it was. Those two red eyes and redder nose. The tears weren’t even fully dried on his cheeks.
I heard my own voice drop into a deep growl. “What did Damien do?”
“Nothing, he did nothing,” Leif said, trying his best to keep his voice steady. “I don’t want to talk about it.”