Chapter four

AVELORA

Even though I knew what I was getting into, my body still trembled. His hand squeezed mine, almost reassuringly. It did nothing but fray my nerves further.

The music stopped again. This time, instead of keeping quiet like they did before, people had already gathered.

I looked around at the judgmental faces, their attention on our hands as we walked through the crowd that parted like seawater.

Khyrix made his way toward the podium while I followed with my head down.

When we reached it, the elders who were supposed to arrive during the crowning were already there. My thoughts stumbled as I took in their respective faces.

I didn’t need a fortune teller to know what they were going to say, and even though I had prepared myself for this, the elders’ first words broke all confidence.

“No, not her,” one of them said, finality heavy in his tone.

Weren’t we supposed to be somewhere private to hold this conversation? I knew I had to face this humiliation, I just didn’t know it was going to be this public.

My grip tightened around Khyrix’s hand.

“She’s wolfless, bottom-ranked. She can’t keep the alpha blood going. She can’t carry a worthy heir.”

Ouch.

“I expected you knew better. I expected you broke the bond, not walk out hand in hand with” the elder looked at me, eyeing me from head to toe, “her.” His word made me feel smaller.

I suddenly remembered that my dress was soiled and I shrank even more.

“Enough,” one elder said. I recognized him, he had been in the dining room with Khyrix last week when I had gone to serve him.

The elder looked around. “We discuss this in court,” he concluded.

“Zayn,” Khyrix called. As if he had been standing around, Zayn answered immediately. “Prepare the court for a meeting in two hours.”

“Let’s go,” Khyrix urged, pulling me back toward the hallway we came from. We stopped once the door locked.

“Breathe.” That was the first thing Khyrix said to me.

I wasn’t breathing? I let go immediately after he said that, now focusing on my body.

I was trembling and sweaty.

“That was nerve-wracking,” I said after taking a breath.

I started pacing, the actual fear of what I had agreed to finally catching up to me and knocking the breath out of my lungs.

Khyrix stopped me by grabbing me again. I stared at the hand wrapped around my wrist.

“You did well,” he said simply. His attention settled on me and I suddenly felt small.  One of his hands rested on my shoulder, sending jolts of unknown feeling through me.

I took deep breaths as he instructed. “We need to get you presentable enough.” His gaze slowly dropped down my body, and I hugged myself, suddenly self-conscious.

“Okay.”

Everything was a blur after that.

I found myself questioning the decision I made as I sat in front of the mirror. Even if I had said I wasn’t interested in the deal, would he have killed me in there? After all, this was a secret–his secret.

I stared at my reflection as they worked on me. I looked different. I stared at him through the mirror. He looked like the world revolved around him.

His dark hair was pulled into a bun. His dark eyes held boredom, like they always did. And that leather jacket that never seemed to come off him, he looked like he belonged on a magazine.

Everything about him screamed untouchable, even as he leaned against the door. I looked away, breaking eye contact.

“We’re done, Alpha,” the girl announced as they left the room.

He walked toward the mirror, stopping just behind me. He looked almost like he was admiring me, a small smile forming. I kept staring at him, mesmerized by his beauty.

“One thing my mate doesn’t lack is beauty.”

Was that a compliment? He slowly brushed the stray hair that had fallen out of place away from my face.

Each movement had my heart frantic.

“It’s time,” he whispered.

I was about to stand when the door to the room opened.

It opened on its own, with nobody pushing it from behind.

A strange energy filled the room, pinning me on a spot.