**3rd Person POV**
There were many things Kristoff did not like about this girl. He did not like that she challenged him or that she was infinitely more graceful than he was. He did not like feeling remotely inferior to her. He did not like that she teased him. He did not like that he found her interesting, and he did not like that he was curious about her. She was a werewolf princess; it did not make it better that she was partly vampire by reason of her hybrid bloodline. He was a pure-blooded vampire, and he was a prince. He could not, for any reason associate himself with her. His father would forbid it, and so would his people.
He shook his head in a bid to drive out the intrusive thoughts that permeated his senses.
“Kristoff,” she said. He did not like how she made his name sound. Somehow, she managed to make it sound sensual and he was bothered by his own arousal.
“I hope we do not see each other again,” he told her, making an attempt to leave when every single cell in his body cried for him to remain where he was.
“Your father has assured me that you will be spearheading the negotiations about the raid, so we will be seeing each other again,” Charlotte replied with a smile.
Kristoff scoffed. He had forgotten all about it. He knew his father was doing that only to punish him. If he failed at negotiating a good deal for his people, he was certain he would never hear the end of it. His father would use every waking second to remind him about Charlotte. Already, it was hellish when they were in private. His father's song these days was, “How could you lose to a girl?”
He wanted to tell his father to try fighting Charlotte himself. There was no way his father would stand a chance because fighting her was like fighting the wind. You could rarely predict her next move, and her movements were so graceful it almost appeared as though she were dancing and not fighting.
“Well, then,” Kristoff mumbled and walked away.
****
Someone clinked a glass loudly; the music stopped, and so did the hum of chatter.
“Please proceed into the temple hall as we await the bride and groom. The hall was exited, and people began to fill the temple hall one after the other and take their seats on the pew. Once everyone had settled down, the groom walked in. He was a tall man with an easy smile. The expression on his face was like one that had won the lottery. Charlotte concluded that it was either of two things; he was marrying the woman he loved dearly, or this match was going to bring him huge political gain.
Soon enough, the bride followed. She was the princess that had escorted them to the palace the other day. She was smiling brightly too. Charlotte wondered if she could ever be the smiling princess walking down the aisle to meet her beloved. She had always thought that she would be like her mother or Aunt Emily and not get married, but perhaps someday?
She chuckled within herself; that someday seemed like a lifetime away right now.
The priest started the ceremony. It was the usual wedding ceremony with only one key difference. Instead of the exchange of rings, they sucked each other's blood to seal the marital bond between them. It was romantic in a weird sort of way. When it was all over, the couple said their thank you’s and good-bye’s, and they were gone. They did not wait for their own reception. Charlotte found that weird; it was as though the wedding feast was prepared for the guests alone.
“She is marrying into another kingdom so she must leave at once,” Kristoff explained to her. She was surprised to see him standing next to her in the banquet hall. She had the impression that he was not interested in pursuing the attraction between them.
“I see,” she responded coolly.
“The man she married, Ashton? Who is he?” she had come across that name in her investigation of the vampire raids.
“He is a prince. His father is very sick, so he will become king very soon,” came Kristoff’s response.
Charlotte said nothing. She knew this Ashton; he had been in cohorts with Major Drieden to overrun the werewolf clan, and since their plan had failed, they had begun to raid werewolf settlements. If Ashton had just married into this kingdom, then it was possible their negotiations were a waste.
****
Nathan had one thing left to do; he had to mail the flowers to Irene. This was posing an even bigger problem than acquiring them, as he could trust no one but himself to deliver them. However, he could not leave Harlin alone. He placed the flowers in a vase of water, hoping that it would survive until he had to travel back to the pack. There was another matter that had brought him here. He had to find Irvette. He had been following leads that told him that Irvette had been kidnapped by a vampire named Ashton. It was said that Ashton used to display her as his slave at his parties. He had turned the corner queen into an object of ridicule. He had to find the vampire at all costs, and not just for Irvette but for the friend he had failed to stop from going into the valley.
While Ashton was getting married to his bride, Nathan was trying to get acquainted with a servant of his. This was the quickest way to get information. He approached a servant girl who was waiting by Ashton's carriage.
“Hello,” he said with a smile. He knew he had to be quick. All he wanted to do now was form an acquaintance with someone in Ashton's palace.
“Get lost,” she spat in his face.