8. Eight

eight

B elinda Ridgemore.

Relief nearly brought tears to my eyes. Then I watched the small brunette rise slowly from between her parents, and I hated myself for feeling that way at her misfortune. The pack turned to stare at Belinda, who paled under the scrutiny. Her father gave her a gentle nudge as her mother offered an encouraging smile.

Four enforcers, including her brother, Donnelle, greeted Belinda as she descended the stairs of the stands. They escorted her to Finneus in the center of the arena, and he offered his hand. Violin music filled the silence, and the couple began to dance.

Belinda kept her eyes downcast as they glided over the snow. My heart went out to her, and I wished Finneus had called my name. I could handle myself; the same couldn’t be said of Belinda. She was meek and a bit na?ve. Finneus would easily dominate her into submission.

My gaze flicked to Ander. His fling with Belinda might’ve been casual, but he didn’t look pleased with this unsettling turn of events. Evera placed a hand on his arm, clearly afraid he might do something ill-advised, like stand up and make a claim for his bed buddy’s hand.

The dance concluded, and the music stopped. Finneus stepped back and bowed to Belinda. Her cheeks turned bright red, and she returned the gesture with a curtsey. I usually enjoyed the pageantry of our pack rituals. Not tonight. The spectacle made my hollow insides squirm.

Finneus reached inside his suit jacket and withdrew a flat velvet box from an inner pocket. He presented the gift to Belinda. “It is said, when the alpha finds his true mate, she will wear their bond around her neck,” he said, projecting his voice so it echoed in the silent arena.

With trembling fingers, Belinda opened the lid. Her eyes went round as Finneus reached in the box and withdrew a gold rope necklace intricately carved like a snake. A large emerald gleamed in its opened mouth.

The legs of my chair screeched against the dais as I pushed back from the table. I had sat there while Finneus called my family liars and traitors. Watching him fasten my mother’s necklace on another woman was the final straw; it was too much to bear gracefully or with dignity.

Fuck him.

A hand closed around my arm when I shot to my feet. “Think really hard right now,” Penn muttered in my ear.

Finneus looked toward us and arched an eyebrow in challenge.

My heart pounded painfully, and I had to bite my tongue to keep quiet. It wasn’t just the necklace. The entire scene was twisted and macabre, and I felt like I was the only one who noticed.

I swallowed the opinions no one cared to hear and forced my mouth to smile. “May Gaia bless your union,” I called.

Penn’s grip on my arm relaxed. The brothers exchanged glances, and then Penn tugged me away from the table. I snatched my arm back and marched ahead of him as everyone watched my exit.

“You stole his thunder,” Penn said once we were far enough from the arena that I no longer thought I might collapse under the weight of the packs’ stares.

I stopped in the middle of the road and rounded on him. “Belinda Ridgemore is a child,” I snapped.

Penn didn’t flinch at my tone. “She’s twenty-one. Two years younger than you.”

I gritted my teeth. “He doesn’t even know her.”

Penn’s gaze cut to the wolves who’d followed us from the arena, including Donnelle. “That’s what the courtship is for.”

I stomped down the sidewalk toward my house and wondered how Belinda’s family felt about her becoming the alpha’s mate. Usually, parents would want that. Of course, the daughter typically wanted it too. Belinda had not looked like a woman enamored with idea of becoming Finneus’ wife.

“Why her?” I demanded once Penn and I were alone inside my house.

His jaw tightened. “I thought you’d be happy it wasn’t you.”

I refused to admit that a part of me was relieved. “Why wasn’t it me? Why is Finneus keeping me alive if not to be his trophy bride?”

Penn rounded an eyebrow. “You don’t know?”

A bitter taste filled my mouth. “Obviously not.”

His gaze narrowed. “You have the blood of an alpha. No one can force you to perform a true mates ceremony. It must be your choice.”

I blinked, taken aback. This was the first I’d heard of the rule, though there was no reason for it to come up before. True mates ceremonies were extremely rare. Only an alpha or his heir could call for one, and the ritual had not been performed in my lifetime.

“Is that what Finneus wants? For me to choose him for the ceremony?” I asked.

Penn considered the question for several long moment before answering vaguely. “He wants to find his true mate, whoever she is.”

“And if Gaia doesn’t confirm the match, he will banish Belinda from pack lands.” I leveled him with a cold gaze. “You might’ve managed to justify your brother’s actions up until now, but exiling an innocent woman is fucked up and you know it.”

I turned on my heel and started for the stairs, making it halfway to the second floor before Penn called after me.

“Did you know?”

My hand grabbed the banister for support. He didn’t need to elaborate. I understood the question. Penn was asking if I’d known about the missing words of the prophecy. I owed him no explanations, one way or the other.

Without turning back to him, I asked, “Did you know your brother intended to murder my father?”

I let the accusation hang in the air as I walked away.

Alone in my bedroom, I let down my walls and allowed my emotions to come for the first time in hours.

Images of Belinda wearing my mother’s necklace—a piece of jewelry that had never adorned my throat—flashed in my mind. I hated the acrid taste of jealousy that washed over my tongue. It wasn’t Belinda’s fault. She was innocent in all of this, a pawn.

What if she is his mate? I wondered.

Finneus was too calculating to select Belinda on a whim. There must’ve been a reason he chose her. He clearly knew something he wasn’t sharing.

Maybe not even with Penn.

I kicked off my shoes and slid out of the black dress, tossing it over a chair in the corner of my room. Too drained to consider pajamas, I crossed to the bed in my underwear. I reached to pull back the covers when I noticed an old, familiar book nestled between the pillows.

The leather cover felt smooth beneath my fingertips, and all thoughts of Belinda and Finneus and jewelry fled my mind. The book was from my father’s library—a collection of tales written in old faerie. Dad couldn’t read old faerie, but I loved the pictures, so he made up stories and pretended they matched the written words.

I glanced around my bedroom, searching the shadows as if a book fairy might lurk there. Only two shifters’ scents lingered in my bedroom—mine and Penn’s. He’d been with me since the moment I stepped foot out of the bedroom until the moment I returned.

And yet, I knew he was somehow the culprit. He was aware of the book’s sentimental value. If I wasn’t so happy to have it, I might’ve burned the pages out of spite.

Instead, I curled onto my side and hugged the book to my chest. I felt a little less alone, even if my new best friend was an inanimate object.

“What is this?” I stomped into the kitchen the following morning, waving the heavy envelope someone had slid under my door during the night.

Penn sat at the table, reading something on his phone. “You could try opening it,” he suggested.

I tossed the envelope on the placemat in front of him and pointed to my name. “That’s your brother’s handwriting.”

“It is,” he agreed.

I crossed my arms. “What does he want?”

Penn took a long drink from his mug. “It’s an invitation. Every member of the pack received one.”

My gaze strayed to the green envelope. “To attend what?”

“The Presentation of the Chosen,” Penn replied after a beat.

I cocked my head to the side. “Excuse me?”

He leaned back in his chair and angled his body toward me, tucking a loose piece of damp hair behind his ear. “It’s the first of the traditional courtship rituals.”

“What does that mean?” I asked suspiciously. “What happens?”

Penn took another sip. “You’ll see soon enough.”

My teeth ground together. He was being intentionally infuriating, and I didn’t care to waste my energy pressing for details. It didn’t really matter since my attendance wasn’t optional.

“When does the circus start?” I asked instead.

His lips twitched. “Noon.”

I blew out a breath. “Fine.”

Penn narrowed his grey eyes. “You’re being more agreeable today—why?”

I crossed the kitchen and poured myself a cup of coffee. “Pick and choose your battles, right?”

My answer didn’t erase the furrow in his brow. I smiled sweetly and started back toward my bedroom.

“Don’t wear black, Drake,” he called after me.

“Excuse me?” I snapped.

“He won’t allow it.”

Gripping the mug tightly, I walked away. No mourning attire. I didn’t need to wear any certain color to honor my father’s memory. I had plenty of other ways of doing that. Finneus could have his little victory; it was an inconsequential battle.

I intended to win the whole fucking war.

I spent the morning flipping through the book of faerie tales. The words meant no more to me than they had to my father, yet I still remembered each story he’d invented.

My favorite was about the Queen of the Emerald Sea, who ruled a nomadic kingdom of warriors and traveled the watery world in a never-ending search for a home. Honestly, her story was tragic, but I admired her resilience.

No matter what life had thrown her way, she’d persevered. Maybe it was silly, but I thought about the fictious queen as I filled the tub and soaked in a lavender-scented bath. When a rival kingdom ambushed her fleet and took her prisoner, she stood defiant and refused to eat until her captors allowed her to see her children.

While I hadn’t refused food, it had been a while since I consumed a solid meal. Shifters burned through calories rapidly, and I needed my strength—a hunger strike wasn’t an option. But there were other ways to rebel that would be less detrimental.

That was why I put so much care into my appearance for the Presentation of Chosen. If it was anything like Ophiuchus weddings, pack members would wear a lot of emerald and gold.

I selected a structured crimson gown with velvet rose petals embroidered on the skirt. The bruise across my ribs had faded to yellowish green, reminding me of the stray’s eyes just before he attacked. I shook my head to clear the memory and zipped the dress over my healing injury. The boning in the bodice pressed into my tender skin, but I didn’t mind. The pain served as reminder to remain vigilant.

Penn had changed into a formal suit by the time I met him downstairs. His silky hair hung loose around his shoulders and smelled like the shampoo in the downstairs shower. He lifted a brow as though surprised to see me.

“Did you think I’d refuse Finneus’ summons?” I asked, too curious to keep my question to myself.

He shrugged. “The thought had crossed my mind.”

“I won’t lie and say I’m thrilled to attend, but it is an excuse to leave my house,” I quipped.

Penn’s jaw clenched. “Hopefully without bloodshed this time.” He reached for the door, pausing before he twisted the knob. “Stay close to me. Finneus might not care about the death of one stray, but he is going to get pissed if bodies keep piling up.”

Personally, I found this to be a Penn problem.

“Don’t worry, I have no intention of getting anywhere near the strays,” I promised.

He pursed his lips and opened the door, gesturing me outside to where Donnelle and Elton waited on the porch. Both men wore suits with green and gold striped ties. Neither would meet my eyes. That was fine. I didn’t have anything civil to say to them.

Our little entourage wasn’t the last to arrive at the Temple of the Alpha, but we were among the stragglers. I wondered whether Penn’s timing was intentional. My heart leapt into my throat as we entered, but we passed the doors to the ballroom and went to the large throne room. My father had never used it for official business, though my grandfather had supposedly liked the grandeur of the ancient hall.

I paused at the open double doors and stared at the sea of people in formal wear crammed on either side of a green carpeted aisle. At the front of the room, Finneus sat in one of two gold thrones. The other one was empty except for a single white rose laying across the velvet seat cushion.

Every eye turned to focus on me. The stares weren’t friendly. Finneus’ speech the previous night had clearly turned the political tides against my family—against me . My allies were few, if any.

Penn’s touch was light at the small of my back. As much as I didn’t want to, I took comfort in his presence. At least hatred didn’t burn in his eyes when he looked at me. I held my head high and strode up the aisle to where the council stood near the steps to the thrones, Penn trailing on my heels. Donnelle and Elton stayed at the back of the room.

Whispers followed in my wake. People I’d once considered friends questioned my audacity to wear red. A woman from my graduating class, Paula, wasn’t quiet when I passed.

“She shouldn’t even be here,” declared, as if my presence was offensive.

Ignore them, I told myself.

“I thank you for honoring us with your presence, Drake,” Finneus said as I approached, effectively silencing the crowd.

“The honor is mine,” I replied, lowering my gaze only slightly.

Penn directed me to a spot between two elders. Finneus stared down at me for a beat longer before turning his attention to the doors and nodding. His betrothed appeared in the opening and made her grand entrance with her parents on either side. Mr. Ridgemore wore a proud smile, though his wife had a pinched expression. Belinda appeared more confident than she had the night before, almost like she enjoyed the attention. Donnelle followed his family for the march up the aisle.

The crowd inclined their heads as the Ridgemores glided forward. Belinda wore a stunning jade gown that looked like something from a different century. She’d swept her dark hair back from her face with a golden snake headband, and my mother’s necklace was wound around her throat.

Another stab of jealousy struck deep in my gut, and I had to remind myself it wasn’t her fault. Belinda hadn’t asked for Finneus’ attention or my mother’s jewelry. She deserved sympathy, not ire.

Penn kept stealing glances at me out of the corner of his eye, as if worried I might snatch the snake from Belinda’s neck and run. He inched closer to me when she approached.

“I’m not going to make a scene,” I muttered just loud enough for him to hear.

He almost smiled. “Sorry if I don’t believe you.”

Belinda sank into a deep curtsey at the foot of Finneus’ throne. “My alpha,” she said in a soft voice.

“Rise,” he declared. He picked up the white rose and gestured for her to join him.

Belinda climbed the stairs and took the flower. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“Take your rightful place, my love.”

The term of endearment sounded poisonous coming from Finneus’ mouth. Apparently, Belinda disagreed, because her entire face lit up. He took her hand, guiding toward her new throne.

“Dear members of the Ophiuchus pack, I present my chosen mate,” Finneus declared once Belinda was seated beside him.

A grin lifted her cheeks as the crowd stomped their feet and chanted her name. I didn’t join in. Interestingly, neither did Penn.

“You aren’t thrilled with your brother’s choice?” I asked, leaning close to speak in his ear.

Before he could answer, a strange energy rolled into the throne room like a wave. Penn stiffened and took a step closer to me. My wolf bristled, pawing at my insides. I glanced around the ballroom and found a sea of glowing yellow eyes.

The smell of electricity made my nose twitch. Murmurs rippled through the gathered pack.

Penn pulled me against his side. “Stay close.”

“What’s happening?” I demanded. “What is that?”

A cloaked figure appeared at the entranceway.

Penn’s chest rumbled. “Magic,” he growled. “Caster magic.”

I peered around him as the newcomer lowered the fur-lined hood of her white velvet cape. Dark curls fell around her shoulders. Those nearest the doors shied away from her, and I didn’t blame them. Even from a distance, her power made my skin crawl.

“Are you sure she isn’t fae?” I asked Penn.

His gray eyes never strayed from the woman. “Positive.”

“Malia, welcome to the Snake Mountains,” Finneus called as she strode past hundreds of unsettled wolves without hesitation.

The caster paused when she reached me. Penn stepped in front of me as she smiled smugly, like she knew a secret. My wolf whined a warning.

Malia resumed her walk to greet Finneus. She curtsied deep before his throne.

“My alpha,” she said, her voice rich and sultry. She turned her gaze toward Belinda but spoke to Finneus. “Your mate is just as beautiful in life as she was in my vision.”