I hadn't wanted a banquet.
But appearances mattered, apparently. So here I was—draped in a deep crimson wrap dress, wearing the Supreme Leader's signet ring like it didn't still smell faintly of his blood—seated at the head of a long obsidian table, sipping wine while trying not to grind my teeth.
The other bosses were already halfway drunk. A few new power-hungry hopefuls had been invited too—minor nobility from fringe territories looking to curry favor. I recognized the look in their eyes. None of them really believed I'd hold this throne for long. They were here to see who would take it next.
Nine sat beside me.
Well, he was supposed to sit beside me.
Instead, he'd quietly migrated to my chair sometime after the third toast and was now perched on the armrest like he belonged there, long legs folded against mine, one hand resting lightly on my shoulder.
I didn't move him.
If anything, I leaned closer.
"…which is why I believe our union would be of mutual benefit," a voice said from further down the table.
I turned slightly, realizing—belatedly—that the man speaking was Lord Cael, one of the older bosses who'd survived the last purge by groveling fast enough.
He gestured lazily to the young man seated beside him—broad-shouldered, blandly handsome, eyes dull like river silt.
"My son, Tharen. Strong, loyal, fertile. A symbol of alliance, if you will. A strategic match."
I stared at him.
Nyx let out a flat bark of laughter in my head. Did he just try to sell you a man like a prized ox?
"You're offering your son to me," I said, just to confirm the absurdity.
Cael gave a bow of his head. "Of course. You'll need a consort, and Tharen is—"
"I'm not interested."
That should've been the end of it.
But apparently, Cael had been emboldened by the wine. "I understand you're fond of your… companion," he said, glancing at Nine like he was a piece of décor. "But appearances, Supreme. We all must make sacrifices. Surely you don't intend to keep a breeding omega as your sole—"
He didn't get to finish the sentence.
Because Nine—my quiet, obedient Nine—suddenly slid off the armrest.
He didn't look at Lord Cael. He didn't say a word.
He just stepped between me and the table, turned toward me—and sat down directly in my lap, folding his limbs across mine like it was the most natural thing in the world.
The entire room went silent.
His arms wrapped around my shoulders. His head pressed against my neck, right over the fading scar of the mating bite. And then—softly, purposefully—he nuzzled it.
My breath caught.
A faint glow shimmered under the collar of his shirt. The mark. Alive again. Undeniable.
Mine.
Mine, Nyx purred in satisfaction.
I tilted my head, just slightly, to give him more space. My hand came up instinctively to cradle the back of his head.
"I think that answers your question," I said coolly, meeting Cael's stunned expression.
Someone choked on their wine.
Nine's fingers curled in the fabric at my side like he'd meant to do this. Like the boy who once flinched from touch had chosen, fully and freely, to let them all see where he stood.
On my lap. In my arms.
Not as a tool. Not as a weapon. But as something harder to name and more impossible to touch.
Cael didn't speak again.
The rest of the banquet passed in a hushed, uneasy blur. No one else brought up marriage.
Nine stayed where he was the whole time, content and silent, his body tucked close to mine.
And I—
I felt something deep in my chest unclench.
Author's note: Sorry, I'm super late - so the thing is - I'm kinda experimenting with having 2 endings and I got caught up writing that so yeah- there will be two endings, one is of course the sad ending that I had originally planned, but now I might go for a more happy end to things too so yeah....