Inside, the great hall had been transformed.
Long tables filled the space, laden with food... roasted meats, fresh bread, fruits, cheeses, and flagons of wine and mead. The torches were lit, casting everything in warm, flickering light. The Bloodfang banners hung proudly from the rafters, and the head table had been set with the finest dishes and silverware.
Selene navigated the controlled chaos of final preparations, ensuring everything was in place. Servers rushed back and forth from the kitchens, bringing more food, more drink. Marcus barked orders, his face red with stress.
"You." Kira appeared beside her, making Selene jump. "You'll be serving the head table. Specifically, our guest."
Selene's stomach dropped. "Beta Kira, I..."
"You'll pour his wine, bring his food, and attend to any request he makes." Kira's smile was poisonous. "It's an honour, really. Serving an Alpha. Try not to disappoint."
Selene gulped. This was the worst possible assignment. Close to Darius, close to Kira, and responsible for serving a visiting Alpha she'd never met. A thousand ways to make a mistake, and Kira would be watching for every single one.
"Yes, Beta Kira," she nodded.
"Good. Now take this." Kira shoved a silver pitcher into her hands. "That's for Alpha Lucian. Only the finest wine for our guests. And if you spill even a drop..."
She didn't finish the threat. She didn't need to.
Selene took the pitcher, its weight familiar in her hands. She'd served at feasts before, though never at the head table. Never where everyone could see her.
The pack began filing into the great hall, taking their places at the long tables. Conversation buzzed through the air, excited and energised. This was a special occasion... it wasn't every day they hosted another Alpha.
Darius entered with Lucian and his entourage. They'd both changed... Darius into formal attire bearing the Bloodfang crest, and Lucian into dark clothing marked with silver embroidery that caught the hall lights. The Nightfall crest, Selene assumed, was a black wolf beneath a waning moon.
"Please, sit." Darius gestured to the head table with exaggerated hospitality. "You're the guest of honour."
Lucian inclined his head gracefully and took his seat at Darius's right hand. His wolves arranged themselves nearby, alert and watchful despite the friendly atmosphere.
The feast began.
Selene moved forward with the wine pitcher, her heart hammering, her mind racing. "Just pour the wine. Don't spill. Don't draw attention. What could go wrong?"
She approached the head table, and Darius's eyes locked on her, cold and warning. Beside him, Kira watched with barely concealed anticipation.
Selene focused on the task. She stepped up to Lucian's side, careful to keep her movements smooth and controlled.
"Wine, my lord?" Her voice came out steadier than she felt.
"Yes. Thank you." Lucian didn't look at her, his attention on his brother as Darius launched into some story about a recent hunt.
Selene lifted the pitcher, angling it carefully over his goblet. The wine poured out in a perfect stream, deep red and rich. And just when she was almost done...
Someone bumped into her from behind. Hard.
The pitcher lurched in her hands. Wine sloshed over the rim of the goblet, splashing onto the table. A few drops hit Lucian's hand.
Selene's face paled. "No. No, no, no, no..."
"Clumsy!" Kira's voice rang out, silencing the nearest conversations. "Can't you do anything right?"
Selene's hands shook as she set the pitcher down, grabbing a cloth from her apron. "I'm so sorry, Alpha Lucian, I—"
"It's fine." His voice was quiet, calm. "No harm done."
But Selene saw Darius's expression darkening, saw Kira's triumphant smile. This was exactly what they'd wanted. A failure. A reason to humiliate her.
"It's not fine," Darius said coldly. "She's spilt wine on a guest. On an Alpha. This is unacceptable."
"Brother, really..." Lucian began.
"This is my pack, my hall, and my rules." Darius stood, and the entire hall quieted, every eye turning toward the head table. Toward Selene. "This slave has shown disrespect to our guest. To you, Lucian. I apologise for her incompetence."
Selene kept her head bowed, her face burning with humiliation. One hundred wolves were watching her. Judging her. It was a nightmare.
"She will be punished," Darius continued. "After the feast. Publicly. So everyone understands that Bloodfang does not tolerate such..."
"Wait!"
The single word from Lucian cut through Darius's speech like a blade. Selene risked a glance up and saw Lucian staring at her with an intensity that made her want to shrink into the floor.
Lucian held his gaze, staring deeply, not at her. But into her.
Those silver eyes locked onto hers, and the world... shifted.
Something inside Selene's chest pulled. No, not pulled... snapped. Like a rope being yanked taut, like a chain locking into place. A connection forming between her and this stranger, this Alpha, this...
"Oh gods," her mind raced as she finally understood what the feeling was. "No. It can't be. Not again."
Lucian's eyes widened, his hand gripping the edge of the table as his entire body went rigid. His breath hitched audibly, and when he spoke, his voice was rough, stunned, and barely above a whisper.
"Mate?"
As the words came out of his mouth, everyone froze, and the entire hall went silent.