019 - He doesn't care

CHAPTER NINETEEN

NYMERA POV

The crowd howled as I walked to the chair reserved for me. Once again, I was trapped between Dorian and Zephyros.

I bowed to them slightly and fiddled with my fingers hidden under the white fur coat I wore.

Turned out the box Fiona delivered to me contained not just clothing but beautiful and expensive ones at that.

Dorian stood up and walked down the platform as he was called upon to address the crowd as the Alpha of the pack.

"Welcome, everyone, to the hunt. His Majesty specially organized this event..." Dorian's voice faded into the background as Zephyros pulled my chair closer to his.

My heart thudded. His scent filled my nostrils. Butterflies danced in my stomach.

"What are you doing, Your Majesty?" I asked as I tried to move away, but he wouldn't let me.

"Behave!" he growled lowly, without looking at me.

Behave? What did I do wrong? He's the one obviously losing control.

"How can someone be so impatient and domineering?" I mumbled.

After a while, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed. I looked up and saw Dorian walking back.

I cleared my throat and sat up immediately.

"Nymera?" I heard Dorian call out, and I snapped my head to look at him.

I clutched onto my dress. Did he notice anything?

He paused and stared at me silently. His gaze bored into my eyes.

He shoved his hand into his pocket and took out a white handkerchief.

"You're sweating. What's the problem?" Dorian asked in a low voice. He brought forward his hand and instinctively, I pulled back.

He glanced at Zephyros before looking back at me with furrowed brows, showing his disapproval.

I swallowed and leaned forward. Gently, he wiped the beads of sweat off my forehead and then flashed me a smile.

Dorian was publicly trying to appear like a loving mate, but I knew better. Everything he does is to maintain his reputation.

Dorian doesn't really care about what people think; rather, he deeply values what Zephyros thinks of him.

I rubbed my sweaty palms together and readjusted myself.

Zephyros didn't spare me a glance, neither did he say anything. I bit my lower lip.

He got me into this position in the first place, and now he doesn't care.

The event started with a group of black werewolves presenting a shadow show, and then other programs followed.

It's been a while since I had been this excited. Just like Zephyros said, it was indeed fun.

"The next on the list is archery," the Beta announced, and I beamed. I've always loved archery, but...

My thought trailed off as I heard the next words.

"... All females of the pack will take part in this competition, including the Luna!" he added.

My eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

Yes, I've always been a fan, but unfortunately, I had no one to teach me, so I don't know how to.

Tears stung my eyes as I felt the sudden weight of fear. The storm of humiliation was raging toward me, and in no time, I'll be consumed by it.

Zephyros doesn't know that I'm not a good archer, but Dorian is very well aware. Yet, he did nothing to spare me.

His ego was about to ruin me.

I turned to Dorian. "Uhm, what do I do? I suck at this game," I asked with a cracked voice.

I had to ask because he would blame me again if I didn't do the right thing.

"There's nothing special about archery. Just watch others and learn from them." He replied and shrugged.

I scoffed and blinked back my tears, but my eyes were bloodshot.

If it were that, I would have mastered it a long time ago. Besides, how do I learn from them if I go first?

I opened my mouth to talk, but I swallowed the words down. Dorian doesn't deserve to tell me what to do.

My eyes roamed the crowd, and they landed on Caius's right-hand man, who stood at the extreme corner, away from the crowd.

Alas, my downfall won't be hidden from anyone.

Zephyros remained stoic and cold. Here I was, thanking him for making me laugh for the first time forever, unknown to me that it would be one of the worst days of my life.

Today, every member of this pack will know how unfitting and incapable I am.

"Everyone, let's welcome Luna Nymera!" The Beta announced, and everyone cheered.

The only escape I could think of was death. Torture from Dorian and Ophelia was already a lot, but from the whole pack, that would kill me.

Oh, if only I would disappear with the wind and never return.

"Get moving," Dorian seethed quietly, so as not to attract Zephyros' attention.

I nodded and stood up with shaky legs. The long distance became short, and time went by quickly.

A bow and quiver of arrows was handed over to me. The bow was surprisingly heavy. I took position like I had seen people do.

I closed my eyes and took deep breaths. By now, everywhere was quiet, but expectant eyes drilled into my skin.

I snapped my eyes open and slowly picked up an arrow. Unfortunately, I didn't know how to fix it.

Seconds turned into minutes as I struggled with it.

Murmuring crept up. Tears were about to roll down my face. My eyes dilated.

My stomach churned in irritation.

How do I get out of this situation? I gasped as pain shot through my shoulder.

Unable to hold on anymore, my hand began to drop when someone held it in place from behind.

That scent... Dorian? What was he doing?

"My beloved Luna is under the weather, so we'll be doing it together," Dorian announced, which made the crowd go crazy.

They'd probably think their Alpha was the most affectionate man.

I wanted to turn to look at him, but he held me in place. Unlike Zephyros' hug, Dorian's own suffocated me.

I felt like a prey in a silver coated cage.

Despite the uneasiness, my thoughts still trailed off.

It surprised me that he was willing to help me even though I knew it was all pretense.

"Thank you," I whispered, but he didn't reply.

Instead, he fixed the arrow in place, after which he leaned closer. "I couldn't care less if you bring shame upon yourself but not on me," he sneered into my ear.

Goosebumps crept onto my skin as his nails dug into my hand. I couldn't blow up his cover, so I could only smile tightly.

We targeted the bull's-eye and released the arrow, which struck the target correctly.

Dorian retreated immediately, like he had been burned. I breathed out in relief at the loss of contact.

Dorian smiled brightly as he waved at the crowd. My gaze shifted back to the man whose eyes had been on me since I stood here.

We both locked eyes until everything else faded. His eyes were cold, and his jaws clenched.

I regained my senses and bowed in courtesy. It would be disastrous if any figured out what was going on between us.

I steadied my breath. Thankfully, I wasn't put to shame. Fate wasn't totally against me, I guess.

Archery was the worst thing that could happen to me, but somehow my enemy saved me.

I dropped the bow and headed back to my chair. Dorian joined in shortly.

I murmured a "thank you."

"Don't! I didn't have a choice," he growled.

Of course. I nodded and faced the audience when the next event was announced.

Hunting.

My heart sank into my stomach. Hunting? How can I hunt when I haven't shifted since I was born?

Here I was, happy that I finally escaped my greatest nightmare. What a joke!

Why was the event that was meant to be fun now dreadful? But can I blame Zephyros? He doesn't know anything about me.

Zephyros stood up to address everyone, ignoring the microphone.

My stomach turned into knots.

Was Zephyros for me or against me?