Chapter Thirty-Two

*At least he has some decency.*

When he’d returned to his office, the remaining stack of paper was finished.

Rowan had run long and hard–longer than he intended. Dinner started in ten minutes, and the smell of the woods on his body was certain to pull an eye from his mother, so he really needed to shower.

His gums began burning anew at the thought of seeing his mate–making his exhausting run worthless.

Reigning in this new urge, Rowan headed to his room.

***

The room held the most tables of any night so far–though he guessed it’d look this way for the next week.

Candidates and their families were filing in slowly. The seating arrangement was two clans per table, planned considerately and strategically to avoid unnecessary disputes between certain clans.

Flowers adorned the round tables–situated on black table cloths, as well as lined the walls of the banquet hall.

The smell of flowers irritated him as it muted the smell of shifters. He nearly motioned a servant to throw them out as he took long strides to the elevated table at the front.

His name was announced, as he approached his mother and father. He bowed to brush a kiss on his mother’s cheek, and inclined his head to his father, before taking his seat to the left of his mother.

Finn decidedly sat next to him.

Rowan glanced over him.

He didn’t appear completely shit-faced, though his personality was a great cover if he truly were.

“If you’re gonna keep staring, you're gonna have to offer me a drink.” He batted his eyes.

Rowan tried not to roll his.

He focused on the activity around him, the dull drone of noise turning into coherent conversation.

His eyes glazed over the crowd as he gave his senses over to his baser self.

Nothing but flowers and the stronger scents of those who couldn’t manage their smell well.

He grunted, pulling a look from his mother.

A chuckle from Finn ended with a kick in the shin.

Rowan sat back, body tense as his claws threatened to rip into the sweater he buried his fist into.

He was going to rampage through the banquet hall if Finn didn’t quit staring at him with that expectant gaze.

*Fuck this. When can I leav–what the fuck is wrong with her.*

His eyes grew wide for a second, before his hand brushed his face, shielding the twist on his mouth.

*I’d dance on their stupid ass graves once a month.*

His frame relaxed.

While the thought of flushing her out was enticing, his mate presenting herself, even if it was incidentally, brought about primal urges.

*If she flicks it one more time, I’m gonna cut it.*

He chuckled softly.

Her thoughts flowed unfiltered.

She seemed to remain in a constant state of anger.

Their bond was growing. He could clearly hear her thoughts, and feel her lashing emotions as if they were his own.

He should greet her properly.

***

*Who is it that angers you so?*

Laura stilled at the rich voice, an unfamiliar feeling of warmth settling over her the tension this event was giving her.

Huh?

*‘Huh’ is quite the dull response.*

Oh my god… My thoughts are bleeding?

*Yes, mate, your thoughts are so amusingly murderous.*

There was no way he knew. He couldn’t know… there are too many of them here to single her out.

*Whether you tell me your name now, or later, makes no difference. I will find you.*

Not in this life.

His warm chuckle vibrated over her being, along with a rush of excitation–the kind one gets from a much needed shift and run.

Laura tried hard to school her features, so as not to appear surprised by the interaction, as the culprit was likely scanning the room.

She didn’t know what kind of face she was making.

She focused hard on blanking her thoughts, then forcing her emotions under control before slamming a wall on their growing link, which was more of a pain to keep shut against his strong will, while also keeping Alpha Grayson’s open for the sake of throwing suspicion off of her.

What a headache.

*Fix your face.*

The oppressive warning intruded.

Laura cut her eyes to Alpha Grayson–then promptly lowered them as icy eyes bored into hers.

She glanced over Sophia, decked out in a glittering orange number and her signature bouffant, who continued to chat away with this bitch of a candidate seated at their table–eating up Sophia’s words like a true kiss-ass.

It was obvious they designed the seating to be..accomodating.

Laura rolled her eyes..landing on Derek.

His composure was a shade darker than usual.

She smirked, recalling his earlier embarrassment. His composure was relaxed, hair falling across his broad shoulders..

*Tsk.*

Such wasted looks on a twisted male.

Her eyes roved to the raised table seating the royals.

He sat with his spin erect, and for all appearances would’ve been considered nonchalant–if not for the slight clenching and unclenching of his jaw. He was dressed in a more casual royal-formal–as were all of the royals–with his dark hair brushing his shoulders. Handsome.

His honeyed eyes roved across the sea of shifters, predictably.

“I want to thank everyone for attending this welcome dinner–”

Laura stilled again, but this voice came from outside of her head.

“--everything going on and the support of the clans this year–”

She twisted to better see the speaker.

Lander Woulf.

The brother of King Reagan–a slightly older looking version of Finn– and the familiar voice she overheard speaking with Alpha Grayson.

He was standing on the far side of the royals’ table–between a couple of the elders–as he addressed the room, lauding the clans for the year’s progress and achievements.

*Well there’s an interesting development..*

Perhaps she needed to speak to the queen sooner than tomorrow. But no sooner did she think that did Queen Lana excuse herself from the table, pecking her son and husband on her way, followed closely by the whore of an assistant Laura remembered barging into the room and rudely saving her from any further contact with Prince Rowan.

Laura motioned to follow.

*Sit. Down.*

She yelped at the force of the command, drawing the attention of a couple of tables next to them, as well as the masked glower of Alpha Grayson–who she'd completely forgotten about for the moment.

She worried her lip; she’d have to find the queen when it was over.