Chapter 46: A Diner Party With Friends, And Someone Else...

Hecate POV

The bottle was heavier than I expected.

I had wrapped it in soft cloth and carried it through the castle corridors with care, cradling it against my chest like a newborn. It was not every day I opened my private collection, the small stash of wines I had brought with me from the Midnight Pack, bottles I had been saving for a special occasion.

This felt special.

The Beta's quarters were warm and inviting, the fire crackling in the hearth, candles flickering on every surface. Ysabella had outdone herself. The table was set with ceramic dishes, pale blue with hand painted flowers along the rims. The linens were freshly pressed. The silverware gleamed.

And the smell coming from the kitchen made my mouth water.

"You brought wine," Emrich said, taking the bottle from my hands and examining the label. His eyebrows rose. "This is from Blackthorn. The noble reserve."

"It is my favorite," I said, unpinning my cloak and handing it to a maid. "I have been saving it for years."

Ysabella emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. Her face lit up when she saw the bottle. "Blackthorn wine? I have not had that since I left my home pack."

"Then tonight is the perfect night to open it."

Emrich uncorked the bottle with a practiced hand, pouring generous amounts into three glasses. The wine was deep amber, almost gold in the candlelight, and it smelled of honey and oak and something sweeter, something that reminded me of home.

"To family," Emrich said, raising his glass.

"To family," Ysabella echoed.

"To family," I said, and the word tasted strange on my tongue. I had not said it aloud in years.

We drank.

The wine was smooth and warm, spreading through my chest like a slow fire. Ysabella ushered us to the table, and Emrich pulled out my chair, ever the gentleman. Aileen was already seated, her small hands folded in front of her, her dark hair brushed until it shone.

"You look very pretty tonight, Aileen," I said.

The child beamed. "Mama did my hair."

"Your mama did a beautiful job."

Ysabella brought out the first course, a creamy soup sprinkled with herbs, and we ate in comfortable silence for a while. The only sounds were the clink of spoons against bowls and the soft crackle of the fire.

Then Emrich set down his spoon and leaned back in his chair.

"The king tells me you are making progress with the queen," he said. "That her legs are responding to your treatments."

I nodded, dabbing my mouth with a napkin. "It is slow. But she is improving. The dark magic in her body is receding."

"Dark magic?" Emrich's brow furrowed. "I thought her condition was caused by the king's outburst."

"It is more complicated than that. The outburst triggered something that was already there. A curse, perhaps. Or a poison." I chose my words carefully. "I am treating it as best I can."

Emrich exchanged a glance with Ysabella, but neither of them pressed further.

The main course was roasted meat with root vegetables, the gravy rich and savory, the bread fresh from the oven. Ysabella had outdone herself. I told her so, and she blushed with pleasure.

"Wait until you try the dessert," she said. "Lemon tart. My grandmother's recipe."

I laughed. "By the Goddess, you know exactly how to please a humble witch."

They laughed with me, and for a moment, the weight on my shoulders felt lighter. This was what I had missed. This was what I had not realized I needed. A simple meal with people who cared about me. No masks. No secrets. Just warmth and wine and the quiet contentment of belonging.

Emrich told us about his trip to the eastern border. The roads were bad, the snow deeper than expected, but the villages were holding up. The new Alpha of Blackthorn Pack, he said, was doing excellent work. The pack was thriving.

I kept my expression neutral, but my thoughts drifted to Carmen.

After Finnick had been banished from the seven packs, King Maddox had appointed a new Alpha to rule Blackthorn. Carmen had not wasted any time. Within months, she had married him, securing her position as Luna. The same position she had schemed for with Finnick.

I wondered how easy it was for women like Carmen and Odette to marry without love, to bind themselves to men they did not cherish, simply for power. For status. For the security of a crown.

It must be easy, I thought. Easier than loving someone and losing them.

But I did not say that aloud. I smiled and nodded and drank my wine.

Dessert was everything Ysabella had promised. The lemon tart was bright and sweet, the crust buttery and flakey, the custard smooth as silk. I ate two slices and considered a third.

"I am going to need the recipe," I said, licking custard from my spoon.

Ysabella laughed. "It is a family secret. I would have to kill you if I told you."

"Worth it."

Aileen had fallen asleep in her chair, her head resting on her folded arms, her small mouth slightly open. Ysabella rose to carry her to bed, but Emrich waved her back down.

"I will take her," he said, lifting the child gently into his arms. She stirred but did not wake, curling against his chest like a kitten.

Ysabella watched them go, her expression soft. "He is such a good father."

"Yes," I said. "He is."

The room felt quieter without Emrich's presence. Ysabella poured us each another glass of wine and leaned back in her chair, her eyes studying me over the rim of her glass.

"You seem sad tonight," she said. "Is it Odette? The things she said?"

I shrugged. "I am used to her."

"Then what is it?"

I swirled the wine in my glass, watching the candlelight catch the amber liquid. "I was thinking about Blackthorn. About my past. About how easy it is for some women to marry for power instead of love."

Ysabella was quiet for a moment. "You mean Carmen."

"I mean all of them. Carmen. Odette. Women who see marriage as a transaction. A way to climb higher."

"And you?" Ysabella asked. "What do you see marriage as?"

I looked at her. "I used to see it as a dream. Something beautiful and pure. Something worth waiting for." I took a sip of wine. "Now I am not so sure."

Ysabella reached across the table and took my hand. "You deserve something beautiful, Samantha."

I flinched at the name, glancing toward the door where Emrich had disappeared. But he was still in the nursery, putting Aileen to bed.

"Not that name," I whispered. "Not here."

Ysabella squeezed my hand. "Sorry. I forgot."

We sat in silence for a moment, the fire crackling, the candles burning low.

Then the door opened.

But it was not Emrich.

Maddox stood in the doorway, his golden eyes sweeping across the room, taking in the table, the wine, the two women sitting in the candlelight. He was dressed simply, a dark shirt and trousers, his hair still damp from a bath. He looked comfortable. Relaxed. Out of place.

"So," he said, a teasing lilt in his voice. "I am being left out of the dinner party?"

Ysabella rose quickly, her chair scraping against the floor. "Your Majesty. We did not think you would want to"

"Dine with my Beta and his family?" Maddox stepped into the room, his gaze finding mine. "And with the woman who saved a child's life? Why would I not want that?"

Emrich emerged from the nursery, a sleeping Aileen still in his arms. He blinked at the king. "Maddox. I did not hear you knock."

"I did not knock. I am the king. I do not knock." Maddox smiled, but his eyes stayed on me. "I hope there is still wine left."

Ysabella hurried to pour him a glass, her hands trembling slightly. Emrich carried Aileen to her room and returned, his expression wary.

Maddox settled into the chair beside me, closer than was proper, his knee brushing against mine beneath the table.

"My healer did not tell me she would be here tonight," he said, taking a sip of wine. "I had to hear it from a servant."

His healer. The words sent a flush of heat up my neck.

"I did not realize I needed to report my whereabouts to you, my king."

"Everything that happens in my castle is my business."

"Even dinners?"

"Especially dinners." He set down his glass and turned to face me fully, his golden eyes burning. "You are full of secrets, Hecate. I intend to learn every one of them."

The room seemed to shrink around us. Emrich and Ysabella exchanged a glance, and Ysabella cleared her throat.

"Would you like something to eat, Your Majesty?" she asked. "There is plenty left."

Maddox did not look away from me. "I am not hungry."

His knee pressed against mine beneath the table. I did not move it.

"Then why are you here?" I asked.

He smiled, slow and dangerous. "I think you already know the answer to that."