20

Twenty
*Rafe*
Four days had passed and I hadn’t spoken or even looked at her. Even now as she was sitting across the table directly in front of me, I tried to avoid glancing her way, but it was too hard. I found myself unconsciously studying the little things about her. Like the way her eyes creased when she smiled at something the other lady, Addy or whatever her name was said to her.
How her hair framed her perfect heart shaped face and how her red lips looked swollen enough to know that she’d been recently kissed to oblivion.
I groaned and glanced down at the tightness in my breeches. I couldn’t keep going on like this. What I needed was to get her out of my system.
Suddenly, she lifted her head and our eyes met in a tense clash. In that moment, it felt like time stood still. It was just the two of us sitting at the table, locked in a silent battle of wills. I strained to read her expression, but it was as blank as a fresh sheet of paper. There was something different about her – she didn’t fit in with the other girls. She didn’t seem like your typical werewolf. I narrowed my gaze at her, hoping to make her uneasy, but she only rolled her eyes and looked away, undisturbed by my attempts to intimidate her. Really?
“So.. how are my ladies doing today?” I asked, clearing my throat. The five girls turned to me, four of them were beaming at me while the remaining one didn’t spare so much as a glance at me. The girls responded enthusiastically at the same time except Freya who was focused on her boring tea.
You think ignoring is the best past after what happened last night huh?
Her head shot up in surprise. She stared at me in disbelief, her face heating up which made me smirk with satisfaction. Telepathy was something I hardly used because I didn’t like the idea of reaching into someone’s head to communicate with them, but I couldn’t resist it with her. I loved how surprised she was. She probably didn’t know I was capable of doing that. She had no idea the things I was capable of.
Close your mouth before your tea pours out. I chuckled inwardly. She closed her mouth shut and I caught the menacing glare she sent my way. She reached for the cup of tea in front of her, her movements deliberate and controlled. As she brought it to her lips, I noticed a faint glimmer of amusement in her eyes. The tension in the room seemed to thicken as I struggled to maintain my composure.
I think you should focus on your other ladies, Alpha king. You are drawing unnecessary attention. She thought back. That was when I noticed Rafael who was looking back and forth at me and Freya. He must have caught the tension between us.
“Everything alright, Rafe?” Rafael, sitting by my side raised his eyebrow in confusion. I nodded at him. Rafael was practically family and I trusted him with my life as I knew he trusted me too and would protect me with his own life if he had to.
Just then, The competition guide walked in with a news paper in her hands.
“Hello, My alpha king,” She curtseyed in front of me.
“Hello, Aramatha,” I greeted back cheerfully. She approached and I motioned to the seat next to me, indicating for her to take her seat which she did gracefully.
“When would you like the hunting to begin?” Aramatha asked softly. The hunting was a tradition of the crimson pack. Every once in 4 months, we went out and scavenged the lands above the Crimson kingdom. We searched for stray werewolves, the ones that were injured or thrown out of their packs, and we took them in. It was how we had found Aramatha.
The first time we saw her hiding in the woods, she had had a broken leg, tattered clothes and smelled of shit and piss. Rafael had complained that she was too dirty and broken to take her in but I had insisted that I wanted to know her. Something about her had intrigued me. When I asked her why she was a stray, she had explained that the Alpha of her kingdom had sentenced her to death by Banewood: A substance that was extremely deadly to any werewolf. She said right at the moment she was about to be killed, the Alpha’s mate had insisted that she should be banished from the pack instead of being killed. Of course, Aramatha had known that death was a fate worse than banishment so she had begged not to be banished.
They had done it anyway. And I was glad they did because otherwise, I wouldn’t have found her.
“The hunting will begin tomorrow.” I answered her. “Now, take your time to address the girls. I want to be in my offices alone and I want no disturbance from them. Anyone that goes out of line? Send them out of my palace.”
“Even… the girl on blue?” Aramatha asked slowly, raising her eyebrows.
I stiffened at her question. Freya was the only one dressed in a blue outfit. Aramatha had deliberately asked that question. Was it so noticeable that something different was going on between me and her? I paused for a moment.
“Especially the girl on blue.” I responded before rising and walking away from the dining room. I smiled inwardly at Aramatha’s stunned reaction.
***
*Freya*
I was in the dining room with the other four girls, our nervous chatter echoing off the marble walls. Addy had just been telling me about a guard she was developing a crush for when I felt his gaze on me. His gaze was like a physical caress, sending a shiver down my spine. The little hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Slowly, I turned my head and met him staring at me intently from across the crowded room. He was talking with Aramatha but I could still feel him whispering things into my head. I did not know how that was even possible.
“Freya? Did you hear what I just said?” Addy’s voice faded into the background as everything else melted away. There was only him and the electric tension crackling between us.
My breath caught in my throat. Heat flooded my body under the intensity of his stare, as if he could see straight into my soul. I was frozen, unable to look away, completely captivated. His full lips twitched with the hint of a knowing smile.
He knows the effect he has on me, I realized. And he revels in it. Damn him!
Addy grabbed my arm, her nails digging in. “Earth to Freya! Are you even listening?”
I blinked, the spell broken. Sound and motion rushed back in. I turned to Addy, my cheeks flushed. “Sorry, I got distracted for a second. You were saying something about the guard?”
But even as I forced myself to focus on Addy’s chatter, I could still feel the weight of Rafe’s stare burning into me. I was hyperaware of his powerful presence looming at the edges of my consciousness.
What is this hold he has over me? I shook my head, trying to clear it. I can’t afford any distractions. I couldn’t let myself fall for him. As he stood I kept my eyes locked forward, determined not to let him throw me off balance. But deep down, I knew it was futile. The Alpha King had already left his mark.
Aramatha approached us where we sat before the Alpha King’s throne which he had just left. I felt some sort of relief that he wasn’t in front of me anymore.
“Ladies, I have an announcement,” Aramatha declared, clasping her hands. “Your families have arrived and are eager to greet you.”
My stomach dropped at her words. I shifted in my seat, my hands growing clammy.
Aramatha continued on about what an honor it was to have our families here, but her words faded into a dull buzz in my ears. All I could think of was facing my father and step-mother again.
Memories flooded back–all the times they blamed me for Kelly’s misdeeds and punished me unfairly. The shouting, the days locked in my room, the extra chores piled on me. My chest tightened at the thought of seeing their disapproving faces. I glanced at Kelly and saw that she was grinning at her me. That cruel smile plastered on her face.
I glanced at the arched doorway, wondering if I could slip away unnoticed. Perhaps I could feign illness and retreat to my chambers. The other girls were smiling and chattering excitedly, but I couldn’t share their joy.
Aramatha was gesturing for us to rise. “Come, your families await in the great hall. Let us not keep them waiting any longer.”
I stood up, my heart pounding. As I followed the others out, a single thought repeated in my mind:
I can’t face them. I won’t. There has to be a way to avoid this reunion…
*****