Chapter 23 The King's Return
~Sage~
I woke to chaos. In fact, this is starting to look like a very normal routine here.
"Get up! Now!" Natalie burst into my room without knocking, her face pale. "The King's convoy was spotted ten minutes out. He'll be here within the hour."
Shock flooded my veins. "But he wasn't supposed to return until tonight—"
"Plans changed." She was already yanking open my wardrobe, pulling out the formal Luna dress I was supposed to wear for his return. "You need to shower immediately. You reek of—" She stopped, her nostrils flaring, eyes widening in horror. "Oh, Sage. What have you done?"
Keith's scent was all over me. In my hair, on my skin, between my thighs. We'd been careless last night, stayed in the maze until nearly dawn, unable to stop touching each other.
"Natalie, I—"
"No time!" She shoved me toward the bathroom. "Scorching hot water, the harshest soap you have. Wash your hair three times. I'll burn these sheets and air out the room." She grabbed my arm as I passed, her grip painful. "If the King smells him on you, Keith is dead. Do you understand? Dead."
My heart stopped. "He wouldn't kill his own son."
"You naive little girl." Her voice was harsh but her eyes held fear. "You have no idea what Damon is capable of. Now GO!"
I stumbled into the bathroom, turning the water as hot as I could stand. I scrubbed until my skin was raw, shampooed until my scalp burned, but I could still smell Keith on me. Or maybe that was my imagination. Maybe—
"Twenty minutes!" Natalie called.
I dried off frantically, letting her dress me like a doll. The formal dress was midnight blue, designed to show my status as future Luna. Natalie sprayed me with so much perfume I nearly choked.
"It's too much," I coughed. "He'll know I'm covering something."
"Better that than the alternative." She was doing my hair with brutal efficiency, pulling it into an elegant updo. "Listen to me very carefully. When you greet him, you'll be surrounded by other pack members. Stay in crowds. Don't let him get you alone until more scents have mingled with yours."
"Where's Keith?"
"Being sent on border patrol by my order." She applied lipstick with a steady hand despite the situation. "He protested, but I told him it was a direct Luna command. He won't be back until tonight."
Thank god. At least he'd be away when—
The sound of car engines made us both freeze. Through my window, we could see the convoy pulling through the gates.
"Remember," Natalie whispered urgently, "you're happy to see him. You missed him. You're his devoted bride."
"I can't—"
"You can and you will. Both your lives depend on it."
She practically dragged me to the main entrance where pack members were already gathering. The lead car's door opened, and my blood curled.
Damon stepped out, and immediately I understood why Keith called him dangerous. This wasn't the same man who'd left three days ago. This was the Alpha King in full power – radiating dominance that made every wolf present bare their throat in submission.
Except me. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe.
His eyes found mine across the courtyard, and slowly, deliberately, he inhaled.
He walked toward me with measured steps, the crowd parting like water. Up close, I could see the resemblance to Keith – the same strong jaw, the same dark hair, though Damon's was streaked with silver. But where Keith's eyes held warmth, Damon's were cold calculation.
"My beloved," he said, loud enough for everyone to hear, taking my hand and kissing it. But he held it too long, inhaling again at my wrist. "You look radiant."
"Thank you, my King. I've missed you." The lie tasted like ash.
"Have you?" His thumb stroked over my pulse point, feeling how it raced. "You seem... anxious."
"Excited," I corrected, forcing a smile. "For your return."
"Mmm." He pulled me closer, embracing me as a lover would. His lips went to my ear, and what he whispered made my blood freeze: "You smell different."
"New perfume," I said, pulling back with what I hoped was a shy smile. "For your return."
"How thoughtful." His hand went to my neck, fingers tracing where Keith had marked me last night. The bruise was hidden under makeup, but did he feel the slight swelling? "We have much to discuss about the marking ceremony."
"Of course."
"Tonight. After dinner." His hand tightened slightly. "Just the two of us."
A death sentence. Alone, he'd smell everything.
"Actually, my King," Natalie interjected smoothly, "I've planned a welcome feast for tonight. The whole pack is eager to celebrate your return."
Damon's eyes never left mine. "How wonderful. Then we'll talk after the feast. I'm sure Sage won't mind staying up late for her King."
"Of course not," I whispered.
He leaned in again, this time kissing my cheek, but really scenting my neck. I felt him stiffen slightly, his hand tightening on my waist.
When he pulled back, his smile was sharp as a blade.
"Indeed. We have much to discuss." He turned to address the crowd. "I thank you all for this welcome. Tonight, we celebrate. Tomorrow, we start to prepare for the marking ceremony."
Tomorrow. The word hit like a physical blow.
"Now," he continued, his hand possessive on my lower back, "I'd like to rest from my journey. Sage will accompany me."
Panic flared. "Oh, but I have Luna training with—"
"Cancelled." His tone brooked no argument. "Your training with me takes precedence."
He guided me into the palace, and I caught Natalie's terrified expression over my shoulder. She mouthed one word: "Careful."
Once we were alone in the corridor, Damon's demeanor shifted. Gone was the public face of the benevolent king.
"Three days," he said conversationally, still walking. "I was gone three days."
"Yes."
"And in those three days, what did you do?"
"Training, mostly. Learning protocols for the ceremony."
"And my son?" The question was casual, deadly. "How is Keith?"
"I wouldn't know. I barely saw him."
Damon stopped walking, turning to face me fully. His hand came up to cup my face, almost gentle.
"Little Luna," he said softly, "would you like to know what I learned on my diplomatic trip?"
"What?"
"That the Eastern Pack's Luna was murdered for infidelity. Burned alive in front of her lover." His thumb stroked my cheek. "They made him watch before they killed him too."
My heart was pounding so hard I was sure he could hear it.
"How terrible," I managed.
"Isn't it? Such a waste. She was beautiful, like you." His hand slid to my throat, not squeezing, just resting there. "Tell me, Sage. Should I be concerned about anything that happened while I was gone?"
This was it. The moment of truth. I could confess, beg for mercy. Or I could lie and pray Keith's scent was truly gone.
I looked him straight in the eyes. "Nothing happened, my King. I've been preparing for our ceremony, nothing more."
He studied me for a long moment. Then he smiled, and it was somehow worse than anger would have been.
"Good. Because soon you'll be mine in every way." He released me, stepping back. "Wear white to dinner. And Sage? Make sure my son attends. We should have a family meal before the ceremony."
He walked away, leaving me trembling in the hallway.
Keith and I at dinner. Together. With his father watching our every move, every glance, every breath.
It was a test. And if we failed, we were both dead.
I ran to my room, barely making it to the bathroom before I vomited. Natalie found me there, holding my hair back as I shook.
"He knows," I whispered.
"He suspects. There's a difference." She helped me to my feet. "Keith will be briefed when he returns. You both need to be perfect tonight."
"And tomorrow?"
She was quiet for a moment. "Tomorrow, you prepare to become Luna Queen."
"I can't. Not after—"
"You can and you will. Because the alternative is watching Keith die." Her voice was brutal in its honesty. "Damon won't just kill him, Sage. He'll make it slow. Public. A lesson for anyone who would touch what belongs to the King."
I thought of Keith's hands on me, his mouth, the way he'd said I was his.
"Then we can run. Tonight. During the feast—"
"Every border is watched. Every road has guards. Where would you go that the Alpha King couldn't find you?"
She was right. We were trapped.
A knock at the door made us both jump.
"Come in," Natalie called.
A servant entered with a box. "From the King, for tonight's feast."
Inside was a dress – white as commanded, but cut to be revealing. A possession to be displayed.
And underneath the dress, a note in Damon's handwriting:
"Make sure you wash thoroughly before dinner. I'd hate for any... unpleasant scents to ruin our celebration. - D
He knew.
God help us, he knew.