Chapter 8: The Prince's Hostility

By the time Damian had managed to soothe Isabelle and feign ignorance of his earlier embarrassment during the gift-giving, the banquet was already underway.

He had missed the grand entrance of Gabriel and Lucas, and he was secretly furious.

He quickly snatched a cocktail from a passing server's tray and began searching for me.

At this hour, guests were circulating across the hall's expensive marble floors, driven by various motives: seeking favors, establishing new connections, maintaining social ties, or discreetly passing on information—all seeking the person they needed to socialize with.

It took Damian some effort to find me. I was standing alone in a secluded corner by the dessert station, looking pale and panicked, completely unnerved, as if I had suffered a massive blow. The face that had been so bright and captivating this morning, capable of infuriating others with its confidence, was now colorless and distraught.

Glass after glass of wine was being relentlessly poured down my throat.

Just as Damian watched me reach for a fifth glass from a server, he intervened, stopping my hand.

“If you have a problem, you can drink at home. What is the meaning of this behavior here?”

My fingers hooked around Damian's tie, pulling him slightly toward me in a deliberate provocation. "Why, are you concerned about me? Do you suddenly find me more attractive than Isabelle?"

Damian worried about the surrounding glances and leaned in close to my ear. "I'm worried you'll disgrace our pack and the Voss Family here!"

"You and Isabelle were allowed to cause a scene squabbling loudly in the hall earlier, but I'm not allowed to be heartbroken and vent my lovesickness after being wounded by a man?"

Damian was momentarily stunned, and a slight tremor went through his heart as he noticed the flush on my cheeks.

His commotion with Isabelle had been quite public. Moreover, Damian arrived with Isabelle, while I, the pack's Luna and his nominal wife, arrived alone. No matter how nonchalant I appeared in front of everyone, I must surely care in my heart.

Damian suddenly recalled the wedding a year ago. The scene he made for Isabelle was far grander than this. He hadn't noticed my expression back then—was I also hiding in a corner, drinking away my sorrow after the wedding?

But then Damian saw more people starting to approach Clara and Lucas to offer toasts, and his face hardened. He chided me:

“Lila, cut the drama. My true love is only Isabelle. No matter how miserable you make yourself, I won't spare an ounce of pity.”

I remained silent, pulling my wrist from his grasp and swiftly downing the wine that Damian had prevented me from drinking a moment before.

My eyes drifted past Damian to the many influential people from other packs now gathered around Lucas.

I still couldn't fathom how the lover who was always so sweet-tempered with me, so dutiful in bed, had suddenly transformed into the Prince.

Did Lucas know I was Damian's wife?

He had spent a year by my side. Even if I hadn't explicitly said it, I had treated him as a penniless student many times, and he never offered a single word of explanation.

What was Lucas's goal?

Seeing that I remained unresponsive and continued to drink, Damian gritted his teeth. He grabbed two more glasses of wine from a tray—one for himself, one for me—and with an imperative pull, dragged me toward Lucas.

“Your heartbroken act is more useful when played in front of my parents. Now, don’t forget the purpose of our visit: to get information about the relic of the Wolf King's authority for the Moon Trial.”

I followed Damian's momentum, then smoothly slipped out of his grasp, rolling my eyes behind his back without hesitation.

Did this fool think he had to remind me?

Why else would I be drinking so much in the corner? Of course, it was to steel my nerves to approach Lucas.

We quickly arrived at the most crowded part of the hall.

Clara and Gabriel had left the banquet early, handing the reins to Lucas. Now, Lucas stood alone, representing the Royal Family, gracefully holding court.

A large number of people wanted a few words with him, but Lucas showed no sign of fatigue or boredom. He was gentlemanly, polite, and carried the high nobility of a superior, engaging in measured conversation with every guest.

Seeing an opportune gap in the crowd surrounding Lucas, Damian immediately squeezed forward.

“Your Royal Highness, I am Damian, the Alpha of the Thornridge Pack. I have long heard of your reputation and hold you in high regard.”

Lucas took a sip of the wine in his hand, his eyes scanning Damian's face, but he offered no response to Damian's greeting.

The atmosphere instantly cooled. Damian's heart jumped, as he had observed that Lucas was polite, if not warm, to everyone who approached him.

But now, Lucas said nothing, and Damian's forced smile stiffened on his face. The surrounding guests began to whisper, and an intense awkwardness permeated the space.

Damian’s heart sank lower and lower. He had never found a single second so agonizingly long. He mentally reviewed his entire life, desperately trying to figure out if he had ever offended the Prince, when Lucas finally spoke.

“Is that so?” Lucas said flatly, his expression much colder than before. “I didn't realize the Alpha of the Thornridge Pack was still so well-informed even after leaving for the human lands.”

The moment that sentence landed, everyone paused. Then, some people immediately turned away, covering their mouths and stifling irrepressible laughter.

Damian’s highly public announcement of his departure from the pack at his wedding was no secret, but no one expected Lucas to bring it up now. Clearly, Damian’s scandal had reached the Royal Family’s ears, and Lucas’s impression of Damian was evidently poor.

Damian panicked and immediately began to defend himself to Lucas, “My impulsive departure was indeed an offense to everyone in my pack, but this year, I plan to participate in the Moon Trial with my Luna to reclaim glory for our pack…”

He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but as he said the phrases "my Luna" and "Moon Trial," Lucas's expression seemed to soften slightly.

Damian's heart leaped with delight. He had been worried about how to ask Lucas about the Trial in front of so many people, but Lucas's hostility had inadvertently given him the perfect opportunity to bring up the subject.

However, Damian certainly didn't want Lucas to disclose any information about the Moon Trial right now, in front of so many potential rivals.

This Trial was a once-every-five-years opportunity that determined whether a pack would receive significant development and honor for the next half-decade.

If Lucas said anything about the Trial here, the information would be useless, as an advantage based on information parity is no advantage at all.

Lucas swirled the wine in his glass, raising an eyebrow with what seemed like interest. “So you came to me hoping to gain an early advantage in the Moon Trial’s tasks?”

“I believe everyone from the other packs here shares the same motive.”

Lucas nodded. “I understand everyone’s intentions. But while I might consider revealing information if other packs’ champions asked me, I will absolutely not tell anything to the Thornridge Pack.”

Hearing this, the surrounding guests were all startled.

Many of them were the selected champions for the upcoming Trial and had gone to great lengths to secure an invitation to Clara’s banquet just to meet Lucas.

They had briefly envied Damian when he first brought up the Trial.

After all, werewolves admired brave warriors. Damian was the first person to mention the Moon Trial to Lucas, and they thought Lucas might remember, even appreciate, him.

But now, all the envious expressions were replaced by schadenfreude.

They were all curious how the Thornridge Pack had managed to offend Lucas, the future Prince.

Even Damian was surprised. He had thought through the matter when Lucas first challenged him and was certain that he and his family had no prior contact with Lucas or the Royal Family, let alone ever meeting the Prince.

Why would Lucas repeatedly target the Thornridge Pack?

Damian took a deep breath and asked Lucas directly, "Did the Thornridge Pack offend you in some way, Your Highness?"

As Damian asked the question, Lucas's gaze moved past Damian's body to my face behind him.

Lucas’s expression was indifferent, his bronzed skin slightly exposed where it wasn't covered by the suit fabric, giving him the air of a true King of the Jungle amidst the crowded elite.

His voice, low and smooth, was like a commanding horn—serious and tense.

“You’ll have to ask your Luna, Lila.”