“Ember, prepare yourself for the worst,” he declared in a chilling tone that sent a shiver down my spine. Let me just die already.
“I…” Harriet started, but Alpha Valtor interrupted her.
“Let’s set aside what Ember will face later. You did slap my woman, my mate and there is punishment for that,” he stated, his words ringing with authority.
“B…”
"Shhh!" He cut her off, placing a finger to his lips.
“Ember, my love,” he called, his tone insincere and revealing as it transported me into a whirlwind of thoughts about what awaited me in his territory.
“I’m all ears,” I managed to reply after a two-to-three-second delay.
“What punishment should I give her?” he asked, leaving me stunned. Why was he putting this on me? He could impose any punishment he wanted.
“Decide it,” I replied sharply.
“My decision is death,” he answered without hesitation, as if his words held no weight, and I was shocked.
"Forgive her," I blurted out, despite the depth of her hurtful actions. Compared to her younger sister, who had treated her servant like a slave, Harriet had at least been somewhat humane until recently. For that reason alone, I didn’t want her dead.
He snapped his fingers, and a nearby guard forced Harriet to her knees, the sound of her knees hitting the bare ground of the ballroom echoing painfully. He snapped his fingers again, and her head was forced lower.
“Alpha Valtor,” Alpha Jack protested. “This will destroy the essence of the treaty.”
“I don’t care,” Valtor replied coldly. “I would have to kill you all anyway. But since my woman pleaded that I spare your disrespectful daughter, I will. With that, he walked away, signaling to me, and I found my legs moving of their own accord, following him as if tied by invisible strings.
“Have a seat, our Queen,” urged a huge man built like a warrior, a scar running down the side of his face from near his eye across his nose to his cheek. He was as intimidating as the Faceless King.
Alpha Valtor took his seat, and I awkwardly settled beside him.
“Pour the new couple a glass filled with wine. Let them give it to each other,” The old cranky man said, appearing from behind as he took a seat.
“I don’t do strong drinks,” I declared, thinking this would be a perfect excuse to avoid something so mortifying, I was nervous to the core.
“I figured you’d say that,” The old cranky man replied. “So I have a better preparation.”
A maid placed a bottle of wine on the table, as if he had ordered it beforehand. Good grief, I was feeling shy already.
“This is wine with no alcoholic content,” he explained, holding the bottle up for everyone to see. The name “Eva” was emblazoned boldly on it. He opened the bottle and poured its contents into two glasses.
“Don’t delay us. We’re waiting,” he commanded as soon as he finished pouring. The Faceless King seemed to buy into the idea. He grabbed one of the cups and said, “Come on, my one and only baby girl. Open your mouth for your husband.”
And I could sense a nasty smile spreading across his face. Embarrassment flooded me, and my cheeks flushed as I turned away, red with shame. Laughter erupted around me, amplifying my shyness, making it harder to raise my head.
“She’s shy,” the old cranky man declared.
“Why should you be shy?” a woman’s voice rang out.
Valtor lifted my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. “Either by force or willingly, I must give you this wine,” he stated, smirking.
I opened my mouth as he raised the glass to my lips, allowing the wine to spill in. He withdrew his hand from my chin, a hint of satisfaction visible in his expression.
“What a lovey-dovey view!” another woman chimed in, eliciting a flutter of embarrassment within me.
“Now it’s your turn, Ember,” Alpha Valtor declared once I finished the drink.
“What? I can’t do that!” I protested, feeling overwhelmed by the stares of the audience. In this moment, I had almost forgotten the danger the Faceless King represented; I was lost in a conversation with him as if he were merely an ordinary man.
“We’re waiting,” the well built man with the scar grunted.
I reluctantly complied, lifting the glass of wine to his lips, which he stubbornly refused to open. “Open your mouth!” I joked, earning a round of laughter as he remained stubbornly silent.
"I see, you're already having gust," he replied, and the moment he spoke, I playfully shut him up by pouring the wine from the glass into his mouth, and the crowd erupted into laughter once again.
“I can see clearly death lurking around your head,” He declared, deadpan serious, and for a moment, I almost took him seriously, until the crowd's laughter snapped me back to reality.
Caught in this moment of levity, I suddenly shifted my thoughts to the heartbreak leaving the one person I loved Harry would cause me. I looked around the crowd, my gaze zeroing in on him. Our eyes locked, and in that instant, I expected to see a man unbothered by the chaos around him. Instead, I was met with a chilling sight: his eyes were red, as if he were crying blood within him. In that moment, he clasped his hands together, as if pleading with me. If there was any chance for me to return to him, I could tell he would seize it.
“I love you, for real,” He mouthed silently, contemplation taking hold as I began to consider begging the Faceless King.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t ask,” he said before I even had a chance, as though he could read my mind.
“Well, unless you want me to start by first taking his life,” he remarked, glancing over at Harry. “Followed by yours and the rest of the clan.”
Was I that foolish? I scolded myself angrily. This man had slept with my mistress for an entire year, and all I could think about was forgiving him and trying to get back together? Even if I wanted to forgive him now, it wouldn’t be wise after he had gotten another woman pregnant.
“Alpha....”
“Just call me by my name.”
“Valtor, as a king, it is only proper you have a mate of high birth, a powerful partner capable of producing a strong heir. I’m weaker than the weakest here. I’m afraid you’re making a grave mistake by choosing me as your mate. I would just be a disappointment to you,”I spoke sincerely, taking advantage of the moment when attention was diverted away from us.
“Are you done?” he asked, his tone bordering on offensive.
“How about the groom and bride give us a dance to entertain us?” the old cranky man suggested, shifting the attention back.
Suddenly, the background music began to swell, a subtle cue that the sound engineer or DJ was on high alert.
"Mr. Smith, you know dancing to me is like trying to force a horse to a river and then compelling it to drink water, which is impossible. So forget about it" Valtor declared and I felt an unexpected wave of relief wash over me. There was no way I would be dancing in front of this audience, assuming I even knew how to dance.
“What about you, Ember?” the old cranky man pressed.
"Valtor has already read both of our thoughts - none of us are interested in dancing.” I replied.
“It is nighttime. I will be retiring to my room with my mate. And everyone who came with me will be leaving at three on the dot,” he declared with finality.
“You should make your first love count. Make sure it leads to pregnancy!” Mr. Smith said, a nasty smile plastered across his face. Holy moly, I hadn’t even thought about that! What will I do to avoid mating with him? I am not ready, I am a virgin. My mind raced with panic.
“Make sure by the time I come to wake you, you’ve spent the entire night without sleeping!” Mr. Smith added, and I felt my cheeks burn with humiliation.
“There are a lot of nasty thoughts running through your mind, Mr. Man. You need to cleanse your mind,” Valtor replied, and after regaining my composure, I declared, “You are truly an old cranky man.”
“What?” he exclaimed in a comedic way, and the surrounding werewolves erupted in laughter. Even the Faceless King chuckled.
“I’m sorry, but I’ve been calling you that in my head almost since the beginning of our encounter,” I admitted, laughter lingering in the air.
“I’ll spare you this time; it’s your big day,” he replied, half-joking.
The Faceless King suddenly held my hand, intertwining his fingers with mine. “Let’s go to the quarter prepared for us,” he said. The moment he spoke, I felt as though I had stopped breathing, my mind racing with thoughts of what awaited me in the quarter. Would he let me prepare myself before proceeding by cancelling today's intimacy? But then again, who was I to object? He would undoubtedly have his way.
Despite the fact that I did not support this union, despite loving Harry and the betrayal I felt from him, I still wanted to cling to my feelings for him. I was powerless. In some twisted way, I was relieved that the Faceless King was marrying my naïve self, the self that had been hurt, yet longed for more pain. There was no guarantee that returning to Harry would spare me further hurt because embracing the union with Harry could only lead to one thing: becoming a concubine and feeling perpetual unhappiness as Harriet will take her place as his true mate. Perhaps it was better this way; I needed to distance myself from Harry or risk falling into his trap again, allowing me some freedom from both my blinded feelings and granting me my desire to escape with the faceless king and also go wherever I want without restraining. But would Valtor allow me that freedom? What if he made my life even harder, considering what he had told Harriet earlier?
“What are you thinking?” he asked, breaking into my thoughts as we reached the large door of the quarters.
“Nothing,” I replied hastily.
“I don’t believe you,” he said, pushing the door open. Instantly, nerves flooded my body as I felt transfixed in place. Oh no…