The Alpha’s table

I spent the entire afternoon pretending I wasn’t nervous. Caroline had warned me that dinner at the pack house was a big deal, but she left out the part where everyone apparently dressed like they were attending a royal banquet instead of a normal dinner.

I stood in front of the mirror tugging at the hem of the sweater I had picked, wishing I had brought something , anything less city casual. My reflection looked completely out of place already.

Caroline popped her head through the door. “ You ready yet?”

“I don’t have a choice do I?” I muttered.

She smiled. “ Don’t worry, no one bites at dinner.”

“Thanks, that helped.” I bluffed, following her down the long hallway.

The dining hall was huge with timber beams, a huge chandelier hung above the table, with a fire roaring at the far end.

The smell of roasted meat and spices filled the air. Dozens of wolves, most of which were in human form , were already seated at long tables. The food laid on the table, but no one was eating yet.

Caroline squeezed my arm. “ ignore their stares, they’re just curious.”

Curiosity felt like an understatement . I could almost feel the weight of their gazes. I focused on the empty table ahead instead, trying to remember how to breathe.

We navigated our way to the empty table, and grabbed the first two empty seats there. I was halfway through folding my napkin when a hush fell over the room.

He had arrived.

Liam.

Even before I looked up, I could feel their gazes leaving me, and the subtle pull that rippled through the air as every head turned towards the door. When I finally raised my hair, my breath stopped.

He was tall, probably six foot three, with muscles that looked carved from something other than flesh. Broad shoulders, narrow waist, the kind of posture that made people straighten themselves immediately.

His hair was dark brown, almost black, slightly tousled as if the wind itself didn’t dare touch it for long.

But it was his eyes that caught me. Grey, storm-cloud grey, cold and searching with a flicker of something I couldn’t quite understand. When those eyes swept across the room, the noise died immediately.

He didn’t wear a crown, but his presence alone commanded authority and respect.

“That’s my brother, Liam.” Caroline whispered beside me, pride evident in her tone.

No introduction was needed. Everyone already knew who he was.

Liam nodded to a few elders and took the high seat at the table head. For a second, his gaze passed through the crowd and landed on me.

It was quick and accidental, but I felt a shiver run down my spine. He blinked once, expressing unreadable, then looked away.

Caroline leaned closer. “ See? He’s not so scary.”

“ He looked at me like I am an intruder.” I whispered back.

“Oh well,” Caroline shrugged. “Maybe you kind of are.”

The meal began. Bowls were passed, and the laughter slowly returned, and I did my best to act normal. Every now and then though, I caught Liam’s eyes on me, cold and distant.

When the main course ended, he rose with a glass in his hand. The room became quiet immediately.

“My brothers and sisters, it’s another year under the moon.” He started with a voice smooth and deep. “This goes to those who have kept us strong, and to those that returned to us.”

His gaze slid to me at that last word, making my heart skip a beat.

“ Welcome back Marilyn Hale.” He said.

All eyes turned towards me, heat flooding my cheeks. I managed a nod. “ Thank you.” I murmured though, I doubted if anyone heard me apart from Caroline.

Liam inclined his head slightly then sat.

“You see, that wasn’t bad after all.” Caroline grinned. “ He’s being nice.”

“Publicly,” I muttered. “ I’m sure he has a lecture save for later.”

She laughed.” Maybe he just remembered the bite-on -the hand incident.”

“Great.” I sighed. “ exactly how I want to be remembered.”

***********

Dinner moved on, though my appetite didn’t. Every time Liam spoke, quietly, calmly, with that low steady tone that the whole room stopped to listen to, I found myself listening even though I didn’t want to. The way people deferred to him wasn’t fear exactly; it was respect polished into habit.

Caroline kept a cheerful stream of conversation, introducing me to anyone within reach, but half my mind was somewhere else. I could feel him, the weight of his presence, even when he wasn’t looking my way.

The feeling was between nervousness and excitement.

When the plates were cleared, Liam stood up again to dismiss everyone. Chairs scraped and voices raised. I was beginning to feel calm in this place until his voice came from behind me.

“Marilyn Hale”

I froze halfway to the door. Slowly I turned. He was closer than I expected. The firelight behind him made his eyes glint silver.

“Yes?” My voice came out higher than intended.

He studied me for a minute with an unreadable expression. “ You have been gone for a long time.”

“I have”

“How does it feel to be back home?”

Like walking barefoot over glass, I thought, but said “ It feels different.”

The corner of his lips curled into a smile. “ Your aunt wrote to us once, she said the city suited you.”

“It does.” I said quickly. “I am only here for the holidays.”

“Of course.” His gaze lingered a moment longer, too intense, too searching. Then he nodded towards Caroline. “Make sure my sister doesn’t convince you to sneak out into the forest at night. She’s got terrible fantasies.”

Caroline scoffed. “Hey!”

The faintest ghost of amusement touched his eyes before he turned away. People parted ways for him as he left, like the tide giving way for a ship.

Caroline nudged me . “See? Not so bad.”

“ Define ‘ not so bad’”

She laughed and dragged me towards the hallway.

Later in the quiet of the guest room, I replayed everything that happened back at the dining hall. The way he looked at me, steady, assessing like he was trying to remember something he somehow recognized. It shouldn’t have mattered, but somehow it did.

Outside, wolves howled in the distance, their voices piercing through the night. The sounds sent chills down my spine.

I hugged my pillow tightly, playing a video in my head. In that video, I was kidnapped by some maniacal wolves and no one could find me. I shuddered, shaking my head repeatedly to let go of that thinking.

Maybe it was nerves, or even the fact that mentally, I had shut this world out, and didn’t want to belong. Or maybe it was him.

I lay back, staring up at the ceiling. In the night the city was never this quiet and still. Here, the silence had depth. It pressed in, making space for the memories I had buried.

My parents faces flickered behind my eyes, blurred but warm. I wondered what they’ll think of me returning after so long, pretending I didn’t belong.

A soft knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts.

“Who is it?”

Caroline slipped in,wearing a silky pajamas, a grin on her face. “Couldn’t sleep, but it’s normal considering the fact that the full moon would soon be upon us,”

I sat up. “ How soon?”

“Two nights.” She jumped onto my bed. “Don’t look that worried, it’s not scary at all, only intense. As a wolf, you’ll feel it even though you haven’t wolfed out yet.”

“Even though you haven’t wolfed out yet.”

That part stung.

“Oh! I didn’t mean to Marilyn.” She winced.

“It’s fine.”

For a while we just listened to the howling outside. Caroline eventually yawned and curled up beside me.

“You’ll be okay Mari, the pack is always weird at first, but they’re good people. Even Liam, just that he’s a bit……complicated.”

I snorted softly. “ Yeah right.”

I watched as she drifted off to sleep, while I laid wide eyed, thinking. Through the window, moonlight spilled across the floor, illuminating the room.

Then I thought about Liam.

Somehow I felt he was awake too, patrolling, thinking, and carrying the weight of everyone here.

And though I barely knew him, though I wanted nothing more than to go back to the city and forget that all of this ever happened, something whispered within me that a lot was going to happen.

I closed my eyes and tried to pretend I didn’t care, even though I did.