Our Alpha King is Here!

POV: Briar

"Last night was my best." I read the words written on the small white paper out loud to the empty room.The other side of the large bed was completely cold. It felt empty. He was already gone. I read the note three more times before I allowed a small smile to touch my lips. For just one single second, I felt normal. Then the memory of his unmasked face crashed straight into my skull, and my smile vanished completely.

"It could not be Kaius," I whispered to myself, dropping the paper onto the pillow.

"He was with Calla."

He was probably still asleep beside my sister in the palace right at this exact moment. But the face I saw under that black mask would not leave my mind. I saw his sharp jaw on my long walk back home. I saw his cruel eyes while I changed out of last night's wrinkled dress. I saw him while I sat at the kitchen table, staring blankly at my own shaking hands.

"Are you just going to sit there all day?" my father asked.I jumped in my chair. He walked into the kitchen with a heavy step. His face looked more alive than it had in years.

"I am just resting," I replied quietly.

"You do not have time to rest," my father ordered.

"Get up and find a proper dress."

"A dress for what?" I asked, keeping my head down.

"The Alpha King's second son is returning home tonight," he said. He poured himself a glass of water and drank it fast.

"The boy who was sent away years ago to train under his aunt. He is coming back to our pack."

"That is good for the King," I said flatly.

"It is good for all of us," my father snapped.

"A welcome banquet is already being prepared at the palace. Every single council family is expected to attend. That includes us."

"I am not going," I said, finally looking up at him.

"You are going," he said, slamming his glass down on the wooden table.

"I cannot walk back into that palace today," I pleaded. My throat tightened.

"Not after what happened at the bonfire last night. Not after everyone laughed at me."

"You will stop acting like a child," he warned, pointing a thick finger at my face.

"Kaius humiliated me in front of the entire pack!" I yelled, my voice cracking.

"He chose my sister. Calla mocked me while you stood there and watched. You did absolutely nothing to help me."

"I did nothing because you brought that shame on yourself," my father replied coldly.

"You aimed too high. You embarrassed the Hensley name."

"What kind of father forces his daughter into a room full of people who hate her?" I asked.

"A father who needs his family to survive," he snapped back.

"You think I like the whispers? You think I enjoy hearing the other council members talk about my fat, wolfless daughter behind my back?"

"Then why make me go?" I challenged him.

"Because hiding makes us look weak," he said loudly.

"If you do not show up, they win. They will say you ran away like a coward. You will go, and you will sit with your head held high."

"I do not care what they say about me anymore," I told him.

"But I care what they say about me," he replied.

"This is not just about you, Briar. This is about my seat on the council."

"So let me hide in this house," I begged one last time.

"Do not make me go back there and face them."

"Listen to me very carefully, Briar," he said, stepping closer until he towered over my chair.

"If you want to keep living under my roof, you will put on a dress tonight. You will show your face at that banquet like a Hensley is supposed to do. You will smile, and you will clap for the returning prince."

"You would kick me out?" I asked. My chest felt tight.

"If you refuse to do your duty to this family, yes," he answered without a single ounce of pity.

"Be ready by sunset. Do not make me ask you again."He walked out of the kitchen, leaving me completely alone again. I had no choice. I could not survive outside the pack territory on my own.

Hours later, I sat stiffly at the high table inside the grand palace hall. The room was packed with people, bright lights, and loud music. I sat right beside my father. I kept my eyes locked on my empty gold plate. I tried to ignore the loud chatter around me, but the two people sitting just a few seats away made that impossible.Calla laughed loudly, throwing her head back.

"You are so funny, Kaius."

"I am just telling the truth," Kaius replied smoothly.I looked up just a fraction. Kaius sat proudly in his chair. His large hand rested heavily on Calla's bare thigh, claiming her in front of the entire pack. He leaned over and pressed his mouth hard against hers. He kissed her deeply, completely ignoring the fact that I was sitting close enough to hear their wet breaths.

Bile climbed straight up my throat. I swallowed the heavy jealousy and focused my eyes back on my empty plate.

"Do you think she is going to eat the entire buffet tonight?" Calla asked loudly, wanting me to hear her.

"We should probably warn the kitchen staff to lock the pantry doors," Kaius laughed.

"Look at her staring at her plate," Calla sneered.

"She is already starving."

"Let her eat," Kaius said, his hand sliding higher up Calla's thigh.

"The more she eats, the faster she will roll away from us."

"Stop it, Kaius," Calla giggled again, leaning into his chest.

"You are going to make me spill my wine."

"Father," I whispered, leaning closer to him.

"Please let me go home."

"Keep your mouth shut and look forward," my father ordered under his breath.

"Do not embarrass me again."

"They are humiliating me right now," I pleaded softly.

"Then stop listening to them," he said simply.

I grabbed my metal fork and gripped it so tightly my knuckles turned completely white. I stared at the silver prongs, praying for the night to just end. I thought about the masked man at the pub. I thought about his warm hands on my skin. I needed to focus on that feeling, on feeling wanted, just to survive sitting in this room."Quiet down!" an older council member shouted from the front of the room.

"They are here!"

The loud music stopped instantly. The heavy chatter died down until the grand hall was completely silent. Everyone turned their heads toward the back of the room.

"Prepare yourselves," my father whispered to me.

"Stand up straight."

I stood up, pushing my heavy chair back. The massive wooden doors at the end of the hall creaked loudly as the guards pulled them wide open. A tall man in a dark uniform stepped through the frame. He held a large golden staff in his right hand.

"Presenting our Alpha King!" the announcer shouted, his loud voice bouncing off the high stone walls.

"And presenting the returning son! The second prince of our pack!"

The entire hall rose to their feet at the exact same time. Every single wolf in the room bowed as one.