Chapter198 The Family Dinner Third Person POV

Chapter198 The Family Dinner Third Person POV
By evening, the largest banquet hall in Moon River Pack was blazing with light.
A white tablecloth ran the full length of the dining table. Silverware and wine glasses were placed at precise intervals in front of every seat.
Several staff members in black uniforms stood along both sides of the table, hands behind their backs, heads down, waiting.
Catherine stood at the entrance to the hall in a custom deep gray gown, watching the driveway outside. For the first time in days, something in her face had loosened.
A black car rolled to a stop at the foot of the steps.
A guard opened the door. The Florence Pack's alpha stepped out.
Fiona was in a deep blue evening gown, one hand resting in the crook of her father's arm as they came up the steps together.
Her manners were flawless, her composure steady. Every inch of her looked the part of a noble family's heir.
Catherine went forward to greet them, shaking hands with the Florence alpha and exchanging a few words about pack matters before leading them into the hall.
Justin was already seated at the head of the table.
He had changed into a well-cut black suit. His tie was straight. His hair was combed back. The stubble was gone. He looked exactly like what he was supposed to be: the Alpha of Moon River Pack.
He stood when he heard them come in, pulled out the two chairs beside him, and gestured for them to sit.
Catherine took the seat across from him.
She glanced at Justin and let out a quiet breath of relief.
What she had feared most was Justin snapping in the middle of the dinner and flipping the whole table. But tonight, he was holding up his end.
A staff member came forward with a decanter and poured wine for each of them in turn.
The dinner began.
Justin picked up his glass and looked across the table at the Florence alpha.
"Thank you for making the trip tonight." His tone was calm and measured. "Moon River welcomes the Florence Pack."
The Florence alpha raised his glass and touched it lightly against Justin's.
"The sincerity from Moon River hasn't gone unnoticed." He took a sip and set the glass down. "Now that we've agreed to the alliance, we'll need to revisit the northern silver mine rights and the patrol routes along the border."
Justin set down his wine and picked up his knife and fork. He began cutting into the steak on his plate.
"The three northern mining zones will open thirty percent of extraction rights to Florence at the start of next month." He kept cutting as he spoke, without pause. "I'll pull Moon River's patrol units back ten kilometers along the border and hand that buffer zone over to your people."
The Florence alpha nodded with visible satisfaction.
Catherine leaned forward from across the table and slipped in her addition. "The Elder Council holds its vote again next quarter. We're hoping you'll give Justin your full support."
Justin set a piece of meat in his mouth, chewed, and followed Catherine's lead without missing a beat.
"I'll attend the vote in person." The Florence alpha looked at Justin. "And Moon River's five affiliated packs will cast their ballots for you as well."
From the outside, this looked like exactly what it was meant to: a clean, successful pre-wedding dinner between two powerful families. Moon River's Alpha back in his seat, handling the exchange of resources and influence with practiced ease.
Only Fiona, sitting diagonally across from him, felt something sit uncomfortably in her chest.
Justin wasn't rude. He didn't let anything show on his face.
But every word out of his mouth was empty.
When someone raised a glass, he raised his. When someone made a light comment, he gave a small nod. When Catherine talked about the future between their two families, he offered a single sentence in response.
Fiona sat quietly and ate. Her eyes drifted to Justin's face a few times throughout the meal.
Not once did he glance at the flowers in the center of the table. Not once did he bring her into the conversation on his own.
When he answered questions, he looked at her father. When Catherine spoke, he looked at Catherine.
It wasn't dismissiveness. It wasn't hostility.
It was something closer to absence. His body was in the chair, going through every motion an Alpha was supposed to go through. But he wasn't there. Not really.
Halfway through the dinner, the staff cleared the main course and brought out dessert and fresh wine.
Catherine set her napkin on the table and leaned forward slightly.
She moved the conversation to the wedding.
"Now that the resources and territory are settled, we should nail down the wedding details." She looked at the Florence alpha. "The fifteenth of next month is a good date. The ceremony will be held in Moon River's central square. I've started putting together a guest list. Beyond our direct family members, we should also extend invitations to the alphas of the southern neutral packs."
The Florence alpha agreed.
"The custom tailoring team arrives tomorrow," Catherine continued, working through the specifics. "I'll have someone draw up the seating arrangement for both families' elders. Security will be handled entirely by Moon River's Gamma unit to make sure the day runs without any problems."
The Florence alpha listened, then turned to look at Justin at the head of the table.
"Any requests from Alpha Justin?" he asked, with an easy smile. "Any thoughts on the venue setup, or anything specific you'd like for the day?"
The table went quiet for a beat.
The staff along both walls stopped moving.
Catherine's eyes went straight to Justin. Her fingers tightened in her lap.
Justin set down his wine glass.
He picked up his fork, moved the dessert around his plate once, then rested the fork along the rim. The faint sound of it landing was the only noise in the room.
He looked up.
"No." His voice was perfectly level. "Whatever you've planned is fine."
Catherine reached for her wine glass and took a long sip.
This was exactly what she had wanted. As long as Justin didn't push back, the alliance was sealed.
Fiona sat beside him and watched him reach for his napkin to wipe his fingers.
Something pressed against the inside of her ribs.
She had assumed that even a man being pushed into this, forced to sit here and discuss his own wedding, would have some trace of resistance in his eyes. Resentment. Impatience. Something.
But Justin had none of it.
He had quietly set himself down into the position that everyone needed him to fill.
He accepted every arrangement. He handed over every decision.
That stillness was harder to sit with than if he had walked out.
--
When the dinner ended, the staff pulled the banquet hall doors open.
The Florence alpha and Catherine stood and made their way toward the adjoining sitting room to continue going over the guest list.
Justin didn't follow immediately.
He picked up an untouched glass of whiskey from the table and walked out through the side door to the terrace.