Chapter 3

Isla

I couldn’t focus, I was restless, and I eventually put the book down after I kept reading the same page over and over. Instead, I paced the length of my small bedroom, back and forth, back and forth, as the low rumble of voices drifted up from below. The pack was gathered in the great hall, sharing dinner with the Alpha King and his entourage. I could picture the scene, my father seated at the head of the table, trying to be stoic, with my stepmother, Lysa and Niall flanking him. The rest of the pack would be arrayed along the sides, faces alight with awe and apprehension at their royal guest.

And there, dominating the room despite the lack of a throne, would be the Alpha King himself. I wondered if conversation flowed freely in his presence, or if his arrival had cast a chill over the gathering. Based on what little I'd glimpsed of him earlier, I suspected the latter. Cassie would be there too, helping serve the lavish feast prepared in the King's honour. I envied them all at that moment, resentful that I was confined to this room while the most exciting event in recent memory unfolded without me. I sighed, ceasing my restless pacing and flopping down onto my quilt-covered bed. I hated this. Hated that I was trapped up here, with no way of knowing what was going on downstairs. I knew that, logically, my father was just trying to protect me by insisting I keep my humanity hidden. But in my heart, I was tired of skulking in the shadows. I wanted to walk freely among my pack, wanted to sit at that table and hear the Alpha King's voice for myself. I was so tired of being the odd one out.

A light knock at the door drew me from my thoughts of feeling sorry for myself. Before I could respond, Cassie burst in, arms laden with a heaping plate of food.

"Hey!" she said brightly, kicking the door shut behind her. "I managed to sneak away for a sec to bring you dinner. Figured you must be starving up here."

"Oh my god, Cassie, you're the best!" I exclaimed, gratitude rushing through me at her thoughtfulness. My empty stomach grumbled in anticipation as the savoury scents of roasted chicken, warm bread, and sweet honeyed fruits wafted from the plate. Cassie grinned, depositing the food onto my desk before flopping onto the bed beside me. 

"So, what's it like being a shut-in while the most exciting thing ever happens downstairs?" I shot her a mock glare. 

"Oh you know, absolutely thrilling. I just love being trapped in my room while everyone else gets to gawk at royalty." Cassie bumped her shoulder against mine. 

"Aw come on, you know your dad's just looking out for you." Her expression softened. "Everyone is, really. We don't want you getting hurt, or worse." My irritation evaporated in the face of her earnest words. I knew she was right. With a rueful smile, I bumped her shoulder back. 

"I know, I know. Just feeling a bit stir-crazy I guess." Cassie nodded sagely. 

"Well, lucky for you, I'm here to give you the inside scoop so you don't miss out completely!" She scooted closer, blue eyes bright with excitement. I couldn’t help but grin at the wicked look in her eyes.

"So the Alpha King,” she started. “He's even more handsome up close, if you can believe it. And so freaking tall! His shoulders are like, super broad. I swear he’s like one of the guys in those books you are always reading." I giggled at her dramatic description. 

"Okay Casanova, tone down the swooning. What's he actually like?" Cassie's expression grew serious. 

"Honestly? Kinda scary. He's got this whole stone-cold vibe going on. Hasn't cracked a smile once, even though everyone's tripping over themselves to compliment him and his pack." I shivered, picturing the Alpha King's sharp features set in an unyielding mask. That seemed more inline with the few things I had heard.

"Does he seem angry?"

"No..." Cassie said slowly. "It's weird. It's like he doesn't feel anything at all. His face is just blank. Those blue eyes stare right through you." Unease trickled down my spine at her words. An Alpha who felt nothing at all, not even anger? It seemed unnatural. I had of course heard rumours as to what it was like in the Royal pack. The Alpha King was said to be a ruthless leader and quick to temper. I guess you would have to be if you had not just your own pack, but several packs, all with their own Alphas, to rule over. 

Oblivious to my deep thoughts, Cassie continued. 

"Oh, and get this, that blond-haired woman who was hanging off him earlier? Turns out she's his mate! Can you believe it?"

"His mate?" I repeated in surprise. That clinging woman was destined to be the Alpha Queen? I just couldn’t see how the two fit together, and the look of irritation that the Alpha King had shown earlier wasn’t a look that a man would give his queen, surely? Cassie nodded eagerly, clearly revelling in the court gossip. 

"Yep! Her name's Bianca. She's a real piece of work too, let me tell you. Would not stop bragging about their mating ceremony and how special it was going to be and blah blah blah. She seems to think everyone should bow down before her just because she managed to land the Alpha King. I mean seriously you can so tell that the blond isn’t real."

“Going to be?” I asked. And Cassie looked up at me confused.

“What?” 

“You said the mating ceremony was going to be, like they aren’t actually mated already?” Cassie nodded. 

“Yeah, I overheard her telling Lysa that they were still planning it and it was going to be so special.” Cassie adopted a mocking high pitched sickly sweet tone on the last two words and rolled her eyes. I couldn't help but laugh. 

“But she’s a total bitch, anyway,” Cassie said. “She spent half the time sneering and making not-so-subtle comments about the pack house.” I pulled a face. I didn’t even know her and she seemed awful. 

"Let me guess, she hates that a tiny pack like ours is getting attention from her precious mate?"

"Oh for sure," Cassie said with an exaggerated eye roll. "She kept making all these snippy comments about the 'quaintness' of our home and the 'simplicity' of the meal. Ugh." I shook my head in disgust. My earlier envy had vanished, I was happy to avoid that unpleasant woman and her inflated sense of self-importance. 

Then Cassie sighed. 

"Anyway, it's been intense. Everyone is on their best behaviour but you can tell they're all freaked out. Your dad especially keeps giving these tense little smiles, like he's scared to do anything to offend His Majesty." She held up her fingers in quote marks as she said the last two words and rolled her eyes again. 

“Be careful,” I warned. “I heard some stuff bout the Alpha King, I don’t think he would take too well to you being so flippant.” 

“Always looking out for me, eh?” Cassie said pulling me into a hug. “Don’t worry I will be a good girl while I am down there.” 

Cassie suddenly stiffened, eyes going distant like she was listening to someone else inside her mind.

"Ugh, they need me back down there," she groaned, pulling away from me. "Apparently I'm slacking on beverage refreshment duties." I grinned and made little shooing motions with my hands. 

"Well, you'd better get to it before Her Royal Crabbiness throws a fit." Cassie laughed and leaned over and gave me another hug. 

“Yes, we wouldn’t want to be on the bad side of her snootiness now would we,” she said with a grimace. We shared one last conspiratorial smile before Cassie slipped out the door, once more leaving me alone with my thoughts. I sat in pensive silence for a moment before finally crossing to my desk to eat the meal she had brought me. 

As I ate, I mulled over everything Cassie had revealed. What must it be like, I wondered, to live devoid of feeling? To stare out at the world through such empty eyes? What must have happened for such an important man to be so closed off from the world? A chill crept down my spine at the thought. Perhaps it was better to remain hidden away after all.