The Lycan King's Rebel

𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞

-HER-

I was the one to tear my eyes off first. I felt his eyes linger on me for a while, pricking my skin with a strange sensation that I'd never felt before. A small sigh of relief escaped my lips when I finally felt him look away.

I looked back at the Balcony to see him conversing with the Royal Couple. They seemed to be talking about something very serious, paying undivided attention to the conversation.

As the evening grew older, I'd feel his eyes on me now and then while I spent my time with the three of them. I had to fight the urge to look at him all the while. There was this unknown force inside me, compelling me to look towards him. It did make me look at him a couple of times, locking my eyes with his brown ones afar before I'd be the first one to look away again.

My body grew tense whenever I'd feel his gaze lingering on me, scorching my skin with his intense gaze. I wanted to leave already and disappear in my wing and spend my time with Pax but the dinner hadn't even started, unfortunately.

I knew it was going to be the most intense part of the night because all of us would be sitting at the long table, together. Just thinking about it made me even more nervous. My wolf was pacing inside me as well, sharing my anxiousness.

We didn't know what to expect. The tension in the air was too dense, the night seemed too long.

"What happened?" Regulus asked me when he noticed that I'd grown unnecessarily quiet and wasn't participating in Ares and Augustus' bickering.

"Er... nothing," I mumbled, downing another glass of drink. I welcomed the alcohol, waiting for its effect to steal my anxiousness but it didn't. To add more to the tension, I felt his eyes on me again.

I fought the strong urge to look his way as soon as his gaze lingered on me. On the other hand, Regulus didn't seem satisfied with my response.

"Are you alright?" He pressed.

"Yeah," I told him, my voice coming out breathily, "I'm fine. I just want this to be over soon. I want to go back to my wing and sleep," I told him honestly.

"Yeah, today was tiring. Especially the training," He didn't ask me more questions next and I was grateful for that.

My heart was digging into my chest and my stomach churned in my abdomen when the dinner was finally announced. The other guests took to small tables around the room while the ministers and their families sat on the long table with the Royal Couple and the main guest.

I sat down between my father and Regulus. The Royal couple was sitting just a few chairs away from me. He sat just beside the Royal couple. I didn't miss how his gaze lingered on Regulus for a second longer before it shifted to me.

He must have noticed that I was talking more to Regulus. Although I didn't dare glance at him throughout the dinner. It didn't help when my father was involved in the conversation with him most of the time.

Augustus was right, Ezekiel was here for more military cooperation. This dinner was all about it. It further added to the already existing tension overall in the room throughout the dinner.

The delicately prepared food seemed like sand as I ate it. I wanted to leave the place because, at one point, it seemed just too much for me to take. His constant stares, the tension, the conversation, the food, the people... everything seemed wrong at that moment.

"Who's going to succeed you?" Ezekiel asked my father at one point. It was around when the dinner was about to end.

"My daughter, Celeste," My father answered, nodding towards me. Our eyes locked for the second time over dinner, this time more intentionally. A cold expression hung on his face but I saw something swirl in his eyes.