29. His Choice #3
The music stopped, and suddenly, a lull settled over the entire scene. Anticipation buzzed in the balmy air, and I knew the moment that everyone had been waiting for, one that each clan had been working toward for the past month, had arrived.
The chamberlain announced that the Duet Dance would start soon. His voice was loud and clear, echoing through the crowd.
“Now, the champion of this year’s Games, our beloved Prince Damien, will select his partner for the first dance,” Graham said, bowing in Damien’s direction.
Whomever Damien chose would be his mate. I could feel all the candidates holding their breath, not daring to disrupt the air. Their eyes locked on Damien, tracing his every move.
Damien stood up from his seat with the grace of a panther. The king and queen were both looking at him, smiling encouragingly.
Damien glanced in Lovel’s direction. And as though following his lead, all gazes focused on the beautiful omega.
It was a heavenly union, one that everyone had expected and anticipated.
I quietly adjusted my breathing, inhaling deeply, then exhaling slowly, bracing myself for the final judgement.
Damien made his move. He walked around the royal table, and yet, he went past Lovel.
I heard sharp gasps and subtle murmurs spreading among the crowd, and I was as confused as everyone else.
So he was not choosing Lovel? Then who?
Lovel’s expression could only be described as devastated. His body was visibly shaking. If not for the servant who held him by his arm, he probably would have already crumpled to the floor. It was almost pitiful to look at. I’d pity him more if he hadn’t plotted against Leif.
Damien walked through the crowd, through the dancing circle, through more omegas and betas, yet he didn’t stop for anyone.
He did stop eventually, though. This stirred up another, bigger wave of commotion all around.
He stopped in front of me.
Me, the kneeler, the marked alpha whom everyone should stay away from.
I stared at him blankly, a little lightheaded, and my heart threatened to burst out of my ribcage.
Was he out of his fucking mind?!
“Fenris,” Damien said loudly. He beamed at me, confidently, almost arrogantly, and he extended a hand to me, and said, “May I have the first dance with you, my mate?”
Suddenly, I was all too aware of all the stupefied eyes focused on us. In my peripheral vision, I noticed that the queen had stood up, and I felt her blazing, furious gaze shooting at us. I didn’t even dare to look in Leif’s direction.
Damien had spoken with a rumbling voice. The words reached far and clear. He had intended to leave no room for vagueness or interpretation.
“What the fuck are you doing?!” I said, flabbergasted.
“Just take my hand,” he said in a hushed, softer voice this time, and his smile was so brilliant and powerful that it compelled me to do as he said.
I hesitantly placed my right hand into his, letting him pull me into the centre of the dancing circle.
Soft grasses caressed our feet, while the air around us seemed to absorb all other noises.
When we were the only pair in the middle of the dancing circle, and everyone stood clear of us, their shocked or judgmental stares suddenly became irrelevant to me.
Damien’s alluring eyes were the only pair of eyes I cared about, and his touch the only thing I could feel.
When Damien slid his right hand behind my back, just below my shoulder blade, and held my right hand in his left, I was suddenly grateful that Johnathan had shown me how to dance on that barge.
“This is madness,” I whispered nervously, still feeling like the whole situation was a bit unreal.
“No, it’s not.” Damien chuckled. “You telling me to marry someone else is.”
Just then, the music started. It undulated around us like shimmering currents.
The gentle melody laminated everything under a glowing fuzz.
And just like that, we began to dance. I followed Damien’s steps, and he led me with such confidence and grace.
Magically, I didn’t feel as clumsy as the first time, as though it came naturally to me, as though we had been dancing together a thousand times.
An ineffable warmth mixed with a bright happiness radiated from my mating mark, spreading to the end of every nerve.
I felt the connection with him was fully restored, if not even stronger than ever.
An impalpable rhythm flowed between us, and we turned around and around, letting the world around us blur and recede.
Only then did it feel more real to me than anything else in my life.
He had chosen me, knowing it would destroy his position, his life, and everything he had built.
And I was there, in his arms, just as he was in mine.
I knew this was not the happy ending yet. After this dance, the world was going to try to tear us apart, but as long as the music was still playing, as long as the dance hadn’t ended, I was his, and he was mine. And that was all that mattered.
As though feeling my feelings, Damien leaned forward and sealed our bond with a deep, unreserved kiss.