How to Survive a Werewolf Romance

Chapter 35: Raging Alpha

{It was a valiant effort, but there are probably better places to expend your energy.}

He wasn't wrong. My mind flitted to Jane. I hadn't seen her since her talk with Herbert. Maybe Arthur knew how it had went. {Speaking of—}

Two young wolves began pushing each other near an ice fountain in the middle of the ballroom. Guards appeared as if out of nowhere and surged towards them, but before they reached the altercation, one of the young men landed in the fountain.

Arthur looked resigned. "I have to give it to Mother, she definitely called that one." One of the boys was restrained by a couple of guards, and the other was fished out of the ice fountain by another. Both their fathers—who incidentally I recognized from their photographs in the files—had hurried over, giving their sons harsh words and each other wary looks.

"Maybe she should have her own psychic television show instead of Madame Rivera."

"She'd have done well in show business, I think, but more likely as a director."

The whole altercation was over in five minutes, and then the king and queen were announced. Everyone showed their respect, although the most ego-inflated alphas only bowed their heads in recognition. The king radiated power, I was pretty certain that his wolf was present and pushing his aura down on everyone. The queen, for all her complaints about how troublesome the Alpha-Luna Balls were, looked amused.

The king took the centre throne beside Arthur, and the queen his other side. He indicated that everyone resume what they were doing, and people started moving again.

"You were right about the Depreax and Latimer kids fighting," Arthur told his mother. "You just missed it."

"Did you have any doubts, Arthur? It's the tale as old as time. Two aggressive young men and one pretty young woman..." She scanned the ballroom until she stopped on a beautiful girl with strawberry blond hair. "Right there. She's friends with one and just met the other. Alpha Fergus's niece and heir since he never found his mate. I don't think either is her mate, but you know how it is."

"Not really," Arthur said disapprovingly.

"That's my son," the king said proudly.

She leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. "Indeed." Then she looked over at Arthur and me. "Now, why don't you two kids go mingle and have fun.

"I suppose I should introduce you to more people," he said to me without enthusiasm.

"True, you can't keep your mate to yourself, Son," the king added.

Arthur stood up and offered me his hand for assistance. "Unfortunate but true."

We descended from the dais, and it didn't take people long to notice and begin converging on us. My confidence had grown from study and practice, so I didn't feel quite so painfully awkward. My wolf didn't feel the need to coach me as much as usual, which was a good sign that raised my confidence.

We'd made it through probably half the ballroom relatively peacefully, a never ending parade of alphas, lunas and their sundry relations. I smiled perfectly at each one. Reynold had forced me to maintain a social smile for a week straight during lessons, and as annoying as that had been, I didn't even have to think to keep it on my face anymore.

Arthur smoothly made his way into the next group of people. Fleur along with my sister and Lucas were already chatting, and he introduced those that I didn't know.

I smiled and greeted them all kindly. Fleur's smile was as always, haunted, but it didn't detract from her beauty in the slightest. She was as ethereal as ever in a flowing pastel blue gown, looking more than anything like a water nymph. Her beauty was not surprising, but what did surprise me was the slight bump of her abdomen that made me wonder about possible pregnancy, even though it really was none of my business.

"And are you having a good evening?" Lucas asked me, pulling me from my nosy speculation.

I tore my eyes away from Fleur. "It's surpassed my expectations."

He looked amused, as if he already knew how low my expectations were for the night. Likely my sister had been talking about me while they'd been spending so much time together recently. I considered mind linking her to give her a piece of my mind, but before I had a chance, there was a commotion at the door that captured my attention.

"What the...?" Lucas asked, trailing off as we all looked over to the wide doors leading to the hall. A large-framed man with furious eyes shoved a guard out of his way as his eyes scanned the crowd.

It took me a second to place his face, but I did, just as he found who he was looking for. "Fleur!" he shouted, his voice loud enough to be easily heard over the hum of conversation and tinkling music.

Half the eyes in the ballroom swivelled in my direction, but for once they weren't actually looking at me, but rather at Fleur. Everyone else was looking around, either at the enraged alpha, or trying to figure out what was going on.

Arthur and Lucas were in motion before I could even think to respond and they hurried straight towards the unstable alpha. Without thinking, I followed, wanting to be close to my mate if trouble broke out.

Fleur didn't follow, half hiding behind my sister who was talking to her softly.

Lucas reached Xavier before Arthur did, and he pulled himself up to his full height. "Alpha Xavier, are you supposed to be here?"

He narrowed his eyes at Lucas, gritting his jaw. "It's the Alpha-Luna Ball, and I am an alpha so the answer to that is clear."

"Are you welcome here, though?"

Having enough of Lucas's cocky questions, Xavier shoved around him instead of answering, his eyes trained on Fleur and consequently, also my sister. My wolf was on the surface, ready to rip out and protect our sister if necessary, and I didn't have any will to stop her if it came to Ellen's safety. This alpha had better not go too far, because I didn't want to deal with the fallout of my wolf chewing out his trachea.

As he neared, Fleur shrunk back. Ellen did, too, although she was trying really hard to hold her ground. "It's time to come home with me." His words sounded like a threat, and I just wanted him away from my sister.

"I am home," she retorted in a shaky voice. I would have found it more impressive if she weren't using Ellen as a human shield while she stood up to him.

"You belong at Blue Moon. The goddess decreed it. And doubly so since you're carrying my heir."

"It's not yours!" she snarled.

"What!?" he roared, the territorial alpha overcoming any trace of civility.

Everyone moved in a split second. Arthur rushed to my side and wrapped his arms around me before I could reach my sister to protect her. I opened my mouth to protest, but before I could form a word, Lucas inserted himself between the two women and the raging alpha.

Xavier punched Lucas in the face, splitting his lip, but Lucas just grinned through the dripping blood and swung back at him, returning the blow solidly in the lower jaw. Xavier growled, and began to shift.

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