Looking over at my kids in the Luna area, my father is the only male looking out of place, and it angers me that the women are separated. Some nod and smile, and others glare. Some ignore me completely. Being here shows me how differently Ezra and my brother run things. Mates are supposed to be equal, but not with these Alphas. Women were below them and they make that painfully obvious.
Andrei drops his hand on my shoulder from behind me. “Give ’em hell, sis,” he whispers, and I smile at his confidence in me. If only he would share some of that confidence right now because, despite my calm demeanor, I am a ball of nerves.
Ezra squeezes my fingers, and I look up at him and nod, letting him lead me down the aisle in the middle of everyone. I can hear everyone’s whispers and disapproving words, but I refuse to show how nervous I truly am. Instead, I use my anger as a shield. Some even speak of how it is all lies and that a small girl couldn’t have taken down Jackson’s pack. The word girl burns my ears like acid with how the Alpha spits it out.
Everyone follows my every move as I walk toward the table that is empty at the front, but it is clear it has been reserved for the Alpha of Alphas, as it is the head table. Ezra pulls me off to the side, sitting at the table we have been placed at.
As soon as I sit down, the other Alphas at the table gets up, moving away from me like I have the plague. The rest move chairs and let the five Alphas at our table move to theirs.
I glare at them, and Ezra growls in warning of their disrespect. Andrei pulls his chair out, dropping in it folding his arms across his chest, also pissed off.
“That’s fine, Kat, we don’t need low breeds or inbreds at the table anyway,” he sneers loud enough that they hear.
Alphas jump up to defend themselves until Ezra, Mateo and Andrei stand up. They all quickly sit down again and only then do I realize the strength of the Alphas were arranged at the tables by status.
My eyes glow as I look around at the crowd, sensing their strength through their auras.
Weaklings.
Now I understand why they sat back down. Their auras are nowhere near as strong as my mates. Pfft, even I’d eat them alive.
However, I am shocked that Andrei is stronger than the other Alphas, considering my father is a Beta. How is that possible? But his aura exudes more power and strength, magnitudes more than the others sitting around us. Another question for Seline, I need to write a goddamn list now.
People talk amongst themselves for a while until a deathly silence takes over the surroundings, and everyone suddenly stands. I get up when Ezra and Mateo rise, along with Andrei. My eyes zero in on a man taking his seat at the head table.
He helps his son, a boy around Jonah’s age into his seat. Yet his Luna isn’t with him, making me wonder if the Alpha of Alphas has the same view as the rest of these Alphas. But the fact she isn’t by his side means he must.
Once they are seated, everyone else sits down, but I can’t tear my eyes from the man sitting at the head table. He looks familiar, and the moment he looks up, I know why. His eyes focus on me, and I press my lips in a line as his blood-red eyes stare in my direction. It is the man from my vision. He smirks before moving his gaze to the crowd and addressing them.
“Seems some Alphas forgot their Luna’s place is at the back with the rest, and not their superiors,” he jokes, making everyone laugh except us.
Ezra is ready to get up, but I grab his hand under the table, and he remains in place. Dominic turns his glare on me like he is expecting for me to get up and run to the Luna area. I hold his gaze, refusing to look away first – an obvious challenge and a great disrespect for a man of his status.
He growls, and his aura rushes out, and everyone bares their necks to him. Some of the Alphas even whimper. Andrei also bares his neck, unable to fight the compulsion to submit to a higher rank. Mateo and Ezra, however, merely stare at him, unaffected.
While everyone else submits to the asshole, I decide to poke the big bad wolf and smile at him.
“Interesting pet you keep, Ezra,” Dominic scoffs to him.
“Call her a pet again, Dominic, and we’ll have issues,” Ezra promises him.
“That’s Alpha to you,” Dominic snaps. All niceties are gone.
“An Alpha of Alphas is someone of a higher rank than me. The fact you couldn’t get me or my mates to submit shows you are not my Alpha. Now, sit down and show my mate the respect she is owed. You invited her here wanting to challenge her. She came, but that doesn’t mean she will bow to you, nor will I ask her to. You want her to submit?” Ezra asks, lifting my hand to his lips. He kisses my fingers, painfully slowly as a show, and sits back down. He motions to me with his hand, a smirk playing on his lips.
“Then make her,” he challenges.
My heart skips a beat at his words and his complete faith in me to rise to the challenge. Dominic lifts his chin and raises an eyebrow at me, but sits down like nothing happened when the caterers come over.
“First we eat, then we will see who will win the battle of titles,” he announces as servers come out, placing dishes on the tables.