From the moment I realized I was inside the werewolf castle, I knew I was playing a dangerous game. However, I hadn't realized just how dangerous it was until now. While it had been a gamble to continue the charade of being a human in front of the Alpha King, it was now starting to border on suicidal.
Since yesterday the already werewolf-infested castle was now hosting the top of the werewolf community—the Alphas and their Lunas. Too many for me to even bother to count arrived for what was to be a long week of meetings with the Alpha King.
The minute I realized just who the new arrivals were, my every cell began to scream for me to grab my stone and open up a portal. The chance of someone figuring out who I was, was becoming too high. I needed to leave.
However, every time I tried to bring up our departure, one single person always found a new excuse for us to stay. The said person wasn't Judy or Vivian like I might have expected. And it wasn't even Rob. It was Zara who kept making us stay just a little longer.
So, with each additional hour I spent in the castle, my already panicked state turned up another notch. It became so bad that I found myself searching the building for any new uninhabited corners.
While I might have become somewhat familiar with the floor we were staying on, the rest of the castle was a whole different labyrinth. This is why I found myself in the middle of an empty hallway with absolutely no idea where the nearest staircase was. I turned another unfamiliar corner and came across a middle-aged man. The first thing my eyes were drawn to, was a fairly sized beer belly emphasized by his skin-tight white shirt. He was the first werewolf I had ever met who looked like he got out of breath just by walking up the stairs.
He stopped three steps away from me and, without even bothering to hide it, ran his eyes up and down my body. I also didn't miss how he lingered on my long exposed legs, making me for once regret wearing a simple Bohemian dress and small boots.
I intended to walk around without acknowledging him, but he positioned himself right in front of me. Even from the still present three-step distance between us, I caught a sniff of a nasty sweet chemical odor. A scent that left no doubt of how a werewolf managed to get fat.
"Ello, there." His drawl only emphasized the scent of alcohol surrounding him. "I can't believe the brat's hiding such a goddess from his friends. What's your name, sweetheart?"
The absence of the beginning slur told me he wasn't as drunk as I first thought.
"None of your business. Now, move."
"A feisty one? No wonder he keeps you to himself." He moved a step closer to me and raised his hand as if to touch my face.
Before his nasty fingers could come into contact with my skin, I raised my own arm. With one swift move I swatted his hand away.
"You dare refuse an Alpha? A little human like you has no right to refuse an Alpha like me. I see the brat's been going easy on you. But don't worry, I'll teach you some manners."
He took a step too close for comfort, but I remained rooted to my spot. I wanted him to take the last step, so he would give me an excuse to use my magic. He looked like he could use a lesson from a "human" like me.
"I dare you to take another step." A voice said from behind my back, while at the same time another voice spoke from behind the drunk's back, "Let her go, Wayne."
I first caught sight of Yasin's mate, Elena, standing at the end of the hallway behind the Alpha's back. She was slowly walking toward us, with her eyes flickering to somewhere behind me.
I turned around to find two females at the other end of the hallway. Just like Elena, they were walking closer toward us. They were the two Lunas I had met yesterday. While the cute one—Naia—was biting her lip, the redhead—Ren—had her eyes narrowed at the Alpha.
"I suggest you leave Hanim's guests alone, or you'll have to answer to him. If you want, I can escort you back to the meeting." Elena was the first one to speak as all three of them stopped around us.
"No need," Ren said before the Alpha could even open his mouth. "I'll gladly take care of him."
"That won't be necessary." The Alpha—Wayne—scooted a step away from me.
I wasn't sure if it were our numbers or Ren's glare that forced him to retreat. She was, after all, one threatening-looking she-wolf.
"I'll see you around." He shouldered his way past Elena and disappeared around the corner.
I turned back to the female group left behind and found myself standing in between Elena and the two Lunas. While Ren was still glaring down the hallway and muttering about the lack of a good fight, the remaining two stared at everything but each other.
"Elena. It's... good to see you," Naia said.
Those two obviously knew each other and by the looks of it they weren't on the best of terms. I wondered what had caused the cold atmosphere between them. Was it perhaps a guy?
"You too. I've found my m... boyfriend here."
Her quick change of words reminded me that the charade was still going on for my sake. I was the supposed human without an inkling to what was going on around me. To be honest though, with the countless slip-ups the werewolves made in our presence, I wondered how Vivian and Judy hadn't already figured out the truth.
"Good." Naia cleared her throat.
Another awkward second ticked by before Elena moved her eyes to me. "If he tries anything again, don't hesitate to call for help." She didn't even wait for my agreement before she spun around and left off into the same direction the Alpha had disappeared into.
"Who's she?" Ren asked.
"An old acquaintance." Naia shook her head and turned back to us. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Thank you for saving me."
"No problem." Naia smiled at me and then the two Lunas turned to leave into the same direction they came from.
"Wait. I'm actually a little lost right now. So, could either of you point me in the direction of the nearest staircase?" I asked.
"Of course, follow us."
I ended up walking in between the two of them, feeling more than just a little uncomfortable. While they had just saved me from the drunk, they were still nothing more than strangers.
"What brings you to the castle?" Naia was obviously the chattier of the two.
As I glanced in Naia's direction, I noticed the image of a wolf howling at a full moon tattooed on the base of her neck. It told me that she was a human. However, I was sure that Ren was a werewolf, even if I didn't get a chance to catch her mark.
"My brother's dating a girl who lives here and I came here to visit him. What about you two?"
Maybe they would accidentally reveal why all the Alphas were gathering at the werewolf castle. Despite the fact that werewolves and witches have been allies for centuries, one could never be too careful. And the Alpha King calling in all of his Alphas was definitely suspicious.
"Our ma—boyfriends—work with Hanim, and they're here for... negotiations." Naia wasn't any better than the werewolves. "How long have you been here?"
"Not long. Less than a week. Where are you guys from?"
"I'm from a small town called Blue Moon."
Ren snorted at Naia's answer, but I ignored her as something else already preoccupied my mind. I knew that Blue Moon was the name of a werewolf pack. I didn't know much about it, however, I knew one important person who was part of that pack.
A witch named Sasha.
The fan-girl side of me wanted to ask Naia if she would ever introduce me to her. But I knew it was impossible. After all, I wasn't supposed to know about werewolves, let alone about witches.
I really wanted to meet Sasha in person one day, though. She was the sole reason my charade as a human was even possible. While potions that removed one's scent had been present for ages, Sasha was the one who invented the potion which masked only the supernatural component of one's scent.
"And where are you from?" Naia's question brought me back to reality.
I was saved from coming up with an answer as we reached a familiar staircase and one of the two Alphas from yesterday walked up the stairs.
"There you are." He stopped at the top of the stairs, while his eyes burned into Ren's. "I felt your anger through the mate bond. So, who made you angry this time?"
I almost chocked on my own saliva at his casual use of the werewolf terms. And I wasn't the only one who noticed.
"He's only joking." Naia stepped in while Ren only glared at her mate. "He just guessing because Ren is always angry. Right, Blake?"
The Alpha flinched as he realized his mistake and then cleared his throat. "Hanim's been looking for you."
I blinked at the mention of Theo, wondering why in the name of the Spirt he would be looking for me. As far as I knew, the two of us had nothing we needed to discuss.
"He's in the throne room." The Alpha added before I could even open my mouth.
I thanked the two Lunas again and then made my way up to the throne room. Upon entering, I thought the Alpha had lied to me. I was met with nothing but a deserted room. However, upon a closer look I discovered Theo's brooding figure perched on the left one of the two thrones.
He didn't make a single twitch as I entered the room. This caused me to me hesitate in the partly open doorway. Maybe he changed his mind about wanting to talk with me.
When five heartbeats later he still hadn't bothered to even lift his head in my direction, I drifted closer to the raised podium. Once I was close enough, I noticed that something wasn't right. He was slouched over with his elbows resting on his tights and his face resting on his hands. A far cry from his usual painfully straight posture.
"Either you tell me why you're looking for me or I'm leaving." I stopped at the bottom of the stairs.
My words finally caused him to lift his head and his nut eyes met my forest green ones. "Sit." He nodded at the empty throne next to his.
"Nice try." I still remembered him telling me he had people beheaded for lesser things than touching one of his precious thrones.
"Sit." This time the order was accompanied by narrowed eyes.
I glared back at him, but then slowly ascended the stairs. "I'm not doing this because you're ordering me to, but because I really want to know what's it like to sit on a throne." I hesitated for a few further heartbeats before I finally rested my butt on the cold stone and propped my arms on the throne's sides. "If anyone threatens me for sitting on the throne, I'm blaming you... Now, why were you looking for me?"
"What is your nightmare about?" He turned his head, so he was looking straight at me.
I blinked at the unexpected question, not believing this was the reason he's been searching for me. "It's none of your business."
His dark eyes narrowed, but instead of being intimidated by his cold look, I returned his glare with equal measure.
I almost fell off the throne when the corners of his lips curled upwards and an actual smile was painted on his face. For a moment I refused to believe my eyes. However, no matter how many times I blinked the same small smile continued to grace his lips.
"Most grown men quiver under my gaze, but you're not even a little scared." He shook his head before moving his eyes to the rest of the room. "It must be the reason why the Moon Goddess chose you."
I stared at his profile for a moment and then leaned over the side of my throne. I inhaled a deep whiff of his scent. The moment I got a sniff of the same chemical odor as from the fat Alpha, I understood why he was making no sense.
"You're drunk."
Because of their quick metabolism, it was commonly known that werewolves couldn't get drunk from normal human alcohol. Which is why hundreds of years ago a witch invented a brew strong enough to allow even werewolves to get drunk. And right now I felt like cursing her stupidity for doing something like that and then making it widely acceptable to all supernatural creatures.
"No. I'm tired of fighting my instincts and listening to my brother." He turned his dark eyes back onto me. "I should have listened to my wolf from the beginning."
I forced a laugh out of my throat as shot up from the throne. "You mean your dog, right? You can't have a wolf for a pet."
Theo ran his hands through his hair and shook his head. "Me and my pack have spent a long time hating humans because of what hunters did to my father."
I froze at the mention of the former Alpha King. Everyone knew the story of his brutal murder and how that one act caused a deep hatred of humans amongst not only the royal pack, but most werewolves' packs across the country.
Instead of admitting anything like that to Theo, however, I only shook my head. If I continued to stay here, the idiot of an Alpha King might actually blurt out the entire truth about the supernatural world.
"You're drunk, so you don't know what you're talking about." I descended the stairs. At the last stair though, I found myself stopping and unwillingly glancing back up at him. "I think it's wrong to hate... a certain kind of people just because some of them were involved in your father's death... They're not all bad. Maybe it's time you let go of that anger."
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