chapter seventy six

chapter seventy six
The walk to the royal dining hall felt less like a promenade and more like a forced march to my execution point. My eyes, however, performed a clinical sweep of the familiar stone path and towering walls, taking in every detail I had tried so hard to forget. My breath hitched when I caught sight of the crumbling left wing. It hadn’t changed at all. That was the path they once dragged me down in chains.

The memory slammed into me so hard my knees almost buckled right there on the polished flagstones.

I dragged my focus back, crushing the memory before it could take hold. My teeth ground together so hard the tendons in my neck jumped. I would not give them the victory of a public breakdown. I would not allow that cold ghost to take the reins. Not today

I’d spent the morning grinding my speech, painting on a professional calm, praying this disguise would hold up, even for a few critical moments.

I needed to walk in wearing my biggest smile, and dwelling on the past would not help me achieve that. So I anchored myself, forcing the raw energy of survival into a single, perfect image.

Iris.

Her light was a physical counterweight to the heavy darkness of this place. She had unlocked a part of me I never knew existed. I tightened my jaw one last time, let her warmth flood in, and took the final step.

“Enforcer, didn’t you see what happened at…”

“Shhh.” I hushed him sharply, cutting off his whisper.

“You look different,” he whispered low this time.

I halted, my fist clenched tight enough to drive my fingernails into my palm. Yet, the sharp spike of fear surprisingly dissolved into a slow, curious easing in my chest.

He must have read the sudden shift in my posture, because he straightened his own spine, mirroring me. He fell silent, but remained exactly one pace behind.

My gaze was already fixed on the immense oak. Just as we reached the top frame of the doorway, a thin, pale male servant flung the massive double doors open, revealing a vast room. The walls were lined with portraits framed in blazing gold leaf, their surfaces catching and throwing the light of a colossal crystal chandelier.

He always was a narcissist, but this... this is obscene.

Every piece of furniture in the dining hall glittered with gold. I had been here once before, and it looked completely different from how I remembered.

My gaze snagged on the open, thick steel vault against the wall. It was brazenly displayed, its shelves overflowing with piles of gold bars and stacks of banded cash. I let out a soft, dismissive scoff at the blatant display.

The dining table itself was a battlefield of sheer opulence. It groaned under the weight of platters piled high with glistening roasts, golden-brown poultry, and bowls overflowing with exotic fruits and nuts.

Another omega scurried forward, pulling back the chair located right beside the opulent, throne-like main chair and attempted to nudge me toward it. I smoothly declined the implied honor, my movement economical. Instead, I bypassed the assigned spot and pulled out a simple chair two full seats away from the throne.

The servant’s face flushed with palpable frustration and confusion, tightening her features. Good. I settled into the seat, not bothering to adjust it, and met the room with the biggest, most confident smile my tight jaw could manage.

My legs tapped vigorously against the floor, careful not to betray the unease coiled inside me. I kept the rhythm steady, quiet. Then his scent drifted in, followed by low groans from the doorway and the deliberate tap of his shoes against the floor, each step sounding like metal hooks digging into stone.

The dining hall groaned louder and slower than it did when we entered and everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, he flanged in wearing a white short and a Versace robe hung his shoulder displacing his pot belly.

New scars covered his body, and he walked in with a husky laugh.

“Blue moon are here,” he announced his hands wide in the air, I forced my fears now not wanting him to catch the scent.

And stood on my feet, bowing slightly.

“I had few emergencies to attend to hope my people didn’t give you any troubles ,” his eyes flickered on the servants at the door as he lowered on the throne chair the servant adjusted it as he sat.

“It’s so since to finial meet you, Alpha Jagger”  I wore my biggest smile.

“I expected your Alpha,” he tilted his head slightly, waving hand and I sat down.

“I like dealing directly with the Alpha, but that’s okay,” he smirked, leaned closer on the table

A servant came it with a bottle of champagne and started serving from the Alpha.

I quickly declined.

“Too early for Alcohol,” I declined, my lips still curved.

His face tightened a bit and he started laughing husky.

“You can’t do a peace talk without alcohol, believe me, let’s dig in,” he urged

The servant went ahead to pour the drinks while another started serving the food.

I watched him shoveling the food down his throat plate by plate.

I started eating using each gulp to push down the rising emotions. Constantly placing Iris face in my mind, to calm my growling wolf who has been trying every possible means to blow our cover.

And luckily the meal was done without anyone snapping necks.

The disguise really worked, I exhaled the heavy weight losened but the scent still made me gag.

“That’s a good breakfast,” he breathed relaxing in his chair. “Now we can head to my office for peace talk,” his face twisted in a mocking expression.

I mindlinked Clot to go get the file, and my eyes watched him leave, regretting why i didn’t go myself, could have taken the minute to breath.

“How did you see my pack?” He asked adjusting comfortably in his seat, his face beamed with pride.

“It’s breathtaking,” I complimented smiling

“That’s right, you could have been my delta,”

My breath paused suddenly, the air in the room seized, and the walls began rotating.

“His little disguise ain’t shit, I know the boy I trained,”