Filed to story: Luna Riannon and Alpha Brayden Novel
She had to oppose him, and she had to fight him with all. she had.
She had to be a part of this.
“He is right,” she said, and her ward knitted her brows together.
“Don’t listen to him!” she said through clenched teeth. “He is just being an a.ss.hole.”
Astrea glanced at herself in the decorative mirror on the wall. Her dress was dirty and torn, her hair a mess, and dried blood was where she had wounds before. She really needed that bath.
“Excuse me!” She straightened her back. “There is an urgent matter to attend to!”
She sauntered into the elevator and pressed the button.
“See what you have done?” Nikki snarled and bit her lips when she realised what she said.
A little smile curled on Bjorn’s lips, as he did not comment on that.
The elevator doors opened, and Astrea rushed inside, leaving them alone:
“Sometimes we need to hear what we do not want to,”
Bjorn added and finally turned towards where he thought
Nikki stood. “I learned that lesson the hard way.”
“What the hell is she going to do there?” the Firstborn sighed, finding herself already close to him.
“Nikiah,” Bjorn stretched his hand, searching for her face, and she let him find it, blush tinting her cheeks. “Your friend is the key to everything. Don’t you get it?”
“In my humble opinion, the further she is away from all that, the better.” Nikki hummed sarcastically and felt his thumb stroking her cheek.
“That’s something I want for you,” he confessed. “Freedom, far away from this place and these people. It’s the only way for you to stay safe.”
She was stunned by his words.
“You know it’s not going to happen, Darius.” She lowered her eyes and was happy he couldn’t see how ashamed she was right now by her response. Unfortunately, she knew too well how dangerous conversations like these were.
“On the contrary.” Bjorn shook his head. “I think it’s happening this very moment.”
***
Warg pushed the doors open for them. Fenrir, Joran and Forrest walked inside the Alpha Convocation conference room, a strong Eastern fragrance hitting their nostrils at once.
Everyone important in the South was present, and two special seats were prepared for King Gideon and Queen Riannon, who eyed the newcomers curiously.
Devoss stood in the centre of the room with a thin metal stick in one hand and what looked like a brass lid in the other.
“Ah, more guests for the incense ceremony!” he grinned at them, and Fenrir noted how annoyed almost every single Alpha in the room was. That sly fox knew how to evoke this emotion in people.
“How long-” someone tried to ask, but Devoss was next to him in seconds.
“Shh,” he touched his lips and shook his head like a teacher scolding his naughty student. “We don’t talk during the incense ceremony. Unless you guess what incense is burned. But we have burned none yet, right?”
With these words, he hit the metal stick over the lid, creating a bell-like sound with the most serious expression.
This is a vital tradition in our Eastern Kingdom. No important meeting is done without it.”
Lie.
“If you break the ritual, misfortunes will follow everyone involved, and according to our laws, we have to kill the one at fault to prevent this from happening.”
Another lie.
It worked, though, because after the fire show they pulled, no one wanted to provoke them.
Fenrir took a seat at the head of the table, ignoring the one next to Gideon and Riannon, clearly designated for him.
“This seat is meant for the High Chancellor,” a female
Alpha in her fifties whispered to him.
“Well, you don’t have one yet, do you?” He raised a brow at her. “In the East, we give the best seat to the guests.”
“This is-” One of the older Alphas wanted to protest, but Devoss was next to him in the blink of an eye, hitting the stick over the lid again right next to his ear, creating another loud sound. A pure torture for any shifter, considering their nearing.
“So,” the fox could finally speed up the process. “We levelled the ash and used the seal for the incense. Now, all that is left is to light up its edge. All I need is to get some fire and-“
Fenrir clicked his fingers, and the powder sparkled, starting the burning process and helping him to remind everyone in the room what kind of power he held. They would have to listen to him.
Devoss closed the little incense burner, watching a thin stream of smoke rise to the ceiling.
“At the end of the ceremony, guess the scent,” he grinned at his exhausted audience.
“Cherry blossom and white sage.” Astrea’s voice made all eyes dart in her direction as she stood before them in her destroyed dress. “Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen. I am late.”
“Dear, are you all right?” One female Alpha asked, eyes assessing her look.
“It was a long night!” Astrea shrugged and raised her chin.
“You can’t be here,” a man with silver hair rolled his eyes. ” This is the Alpha Convocation, for crying out loud! We let the Kings and the Queen in, but you-“
“She is here as a Luna”” Riannon Stormhold tried to suppress a smile, but for the first time ever, she was failing.
Her husband laced his fingers with hers, watching the show.
“Nathair,” one of the men glared at Joran, who had already taken his usual seat. “How about you tell your fiancée to wait outside with the other Lunas-“
Fenir cleared his throat loudly and smirked
“She is here as my Luna.”
While everyone else in the room was in awe, he stood up and offered her his chair. “I warmed it up for you, my love.”
Astrea walked towards him, finally feeling like she was in the right place.
Joran and Vidar traced each movement with their eyes.
She sat down, and Fenrir remained standing next to her, his hand resting on her bare shoulder.
“The dress from last night, all in blood and with a new Alpha by her side?” one of the younger men scoffed. “It was a long night indeed!”
A group of Alphas next to him exchanged knowing smiles.
Warg growled loudly, making them all flinch.
“Excuse my friend,” Devoss sneered at the offenders. “In the East, remarks like this get people killed. But we will try to restrain him.”
He punctuated the word try.
“Okay, I think it’s safe to say we are done with introductions.” Vidar took the word, not sparing another glance at Astrea. “Obviously, we have guests here today, and maybe they will share their perspective on the situation we found ourselves in. The South has nothing to hide. We are a very transparent nation.”
Fenrir did not like how confident that prick was.
“And what is this situation again?” Forrest asked, tapping his fingers over the cold surface of the long table.
“The Northern army is on our border,” Vidar announced, making everyone gasp. “I just received a report an hour ago.”