57- The Alpha Council
POV Lunara Grimwald:
“Would you like some wine?” asked the eyeless elder. I nodded, forgetting about his lack of vision. Warmth rose up my neck and settled in my face. I opened my mouth to answer, but he was quicker. “Please, SaTharengard, serve our guest of honor,” he added, turning to the beta.
I looked at him, unable to control myself. How could he see when he had no eyes?
As soon as my cup was full, I lifted it with a trembling hand and brought it to my lips, drinking the red wine eagerly. Alcohol has a limit — before it becomes shameful, it brings a few doses of courage, and that was exactly what I needed.
“Hmm... you smell like... Edric,” commented the alpha seated next to Edric, flaring his nostrils.
“Yes, I smell that too,” agreed the long-haired alpha across the room. “Although the scent is weaker than I expected. It’s hard to even identify your species, because his predominates over yours.”
The heat of shame burned my face, knowing they were sniffing me so blatantly.
“So, Lunara, tell us how your beast reacted to mating?” asked the eared-less elder, changing the subject. I almost thanked him for it.
My she-wolf was an animal, as much as each of their wolves were, pure and complete, but I could feel what she felt. She purred every time that son of a bitch was nearby, except for the past few days, since she sensed he’d slept with Thalira and began to despise him, by the grace of God.
I cleared my throat and set the cup on the table.
“She was satisfied,” I replied — a half-truth. The long-haired alpha spat out a laugh.
“Satisfied?” he sneered. “I thought wolves went into ecstasy.” He laid a hand on his chest. “But I understand, it’s not every day someone has the misfortune of mating with Edric Eldoria.”
I opened and closed my mouth, not knowing how to react.
There was a certain... irony in his tone, as if he was doing everything to provoke Edric. I thought they were friends, all of them.
“At least she’s still alive,” Edric retorted, giving him a fleeting smile.
The other let out a loud, fierce growl that made me flinch, my she-wolf reacting to the fury of an alpha. And not just any alpha. He was powerful, like everyone else present in the room.
I knew the dominance of an alpha after years living with my toxic father, but... neither he, nor Alessio, Kellan or anyone else I’d known, compared to any of those in that room.
Edric lunged forward with vertiginous speed and threw an arm over me, as if to protect me. It was a natural reaction of his body, one he did without even realizing.
He bared his teeth, growling in response.
The room fell into a sepulchral silence, all pairs of eyes on me and Edric, with a kind of... curiosity and surprise.
The alpha who had growled burst into thunderous laughter.
“And isn’t he just cute defending his female?” he mocked.
Slowly, Edric turned back to his chair but kept his arm over me. His eyes were fixed on the alpha before us; the golden gleam reflected in his irises, but did not consume them entirely, as it sometimes did.
“Sullivan, behave this instant,” hissed one of the elders. “How dare you threaten the female of one of our alphas — what kind of disrespect is this?” He seemed furious.
Sullivan shrugged and lowered his gaze, showing respect to the elder.
“I wasn’t threatening... her, but rather Edric,” he retorted.
“We will not allow — nor tolerate — actions like this again,” snapped the other, appearing as furious as the first.
More silence.
The contact of Edric’s skin against mine was... comforting. He was warm and smelled so good. My she-wolf was all happy that he had defended us. I held my breath, ignoring his proximity and how I felt... different, pleasantly so.
“Lunara, what can you tell us about Alessio?” asked the other blonde alpha. “By the way, my name is Konrad.” He smiled.
I bit my cheeks.
“I... I don’t know,” I confessed, licking my dry lips. “Alessio was a person during all the years we lived together. He only showed his true face on the day of the wedding. I have no idea who he really is.”
This was one of the things that bothered me the most. As much as Edric was a bastard, I knew him better than my ex-fiancé. Edric was what he was, period. He didn’t hide behind a mask to deceive anyone.
“Why does he want you back?” asked the other alpha, the one next to Edric. “I’m Aldren, by the way — pleased to meet you.” He sounded sincere and polite.
“Revenge. Alessio killed my entire family when I managed to escape. He wants me back to finish his plan.”
The eyeless elder sighed.
“This is a risk we cannot take. Now that you are mated to Edric and your lives are entwined, Alessio has become a huge problem.”
“You need to kill him, Edric. Him and anyone who dares to betray you,” ordered the earless elder.
“And what about you,” the eyeless one continued, turning to the others as if he could see them. “It may not be a problem yet, but that doesn’t mean it won’t become one. Invading wolves could reach your territories and kill your wolves.”
“I will increase my security,” said Konrad, casting a look at Edric. “If you need anything, I’m at your disposal.”
“I will do the same,” Aldren agreed. “None of them will dare step on my lands, and if they do, they will meet certain death. Also, for this affront, my business with any of the packs is over — no estrus inhibitors or other remedies for them.”
Oh — so the herbs belonged to his territory.
“It wasn’t an affront to you,” Sullivan hissed. Aldren shrugged.
“But it was an affront to Edric, and as my friend, the affront extends to me.”
Only then did I realize how comfortable Edric felt beside him, very different from how he behaved in front of the others. The male never took his eyes off Sullivan and Konrad, as if he feared any of them might attack me at any moment, but he did not act that way with Aldren; he hardly even looked at his friend.