They showed Fin to his room just long enough for him to pretend to freshen up, then dragged him and Jax straight to dinner. Predictably, it was a mistake.
The Ashbane formal dining room was long dining table, lit by rows of trembling candles that made everything look colder rather than warm. Velora sat at the head of the table, spine straight enough to be carved from marble. Riven lounged beside her.
Meredith was already in her seat, smiling at Fin as he walked in.
In fact, she wouldn't look away. As though her face might crack if she stopped.
Fin did his best to be polite. There was always a chance she had simply been nervous earlier and spoken out of turn. Gods, he hoped that was what happened. The alternative was that this was her natural state, and that was far too bleak a thought for dinner.
The first course arrived. It was soup.
Well—broth with hot water added in. The faintest suggestion of vegetables lingered somewhere in the distance, perhaps in spirit.
Fin and Jax ate politely. It did not taste bad. They exchanged a glance that silently said: Ashbane cuisine must be different.
"I asked the cooks to prepare something simple," Meredith announced proudly, as though unveiling a masterpiece. "I was told Shadowclaw men prefer uncomplicated meals."
Fin stared at the soup.
Jax stared at her.
Aeron would have set her on fire if he'd been invited.
Velora swooped in before more damage could spread. "What my daughter means is that hearty, straightforward dishes suit warriors. She wished to honor your tastes."
"Yes," Meredith agreed instantly. "Exactly what I meant."
She had meant none of that.
A servant approached from behind to refill a goblet. Meredith recoiled delicately, like his presence was an insult.
"Do not hover near the Alpha," she whispered sharply. "You distract him when you breathe."
The servant froze mid-step.
Riven let out a slow exhale. Clearly mindlinking Meredith at that moment.
Velora's smile tightened like a noose. "Finric, perhaps you would tell us about your journey?"
Fin opened his mouth, but Meredith rushed in like a carriage with no brakes.
"Oh, I already know everything about the journey," she said cheerfully. "I had scouts report every hour as soon as you entered our territory. I needed to ensure your arrival aligned with my hair preparations."
Jax made a strangled noise, somewhere between laughter and a desperate plea for rescue.
Fin blinked once.
Very slowly.
It was, tragically, the most emotion he had shown all evening.
Riven gripped the table hard enough the wood protested. "Meredith."
"What? Presentation matters."
Velora stepped in again with the grace of someone trying to redirect a wildfire with a bucket.
"She only wishes to make a good impression."
"Yes," Meredith said brightly. "A queen must be prepared. And punctual. Unlike omegas, who lose track of the simplest tasks—"
Fin didn't move, but his mind brushed Jax's with the dry amusement of a man observing a natural disaster he'd predicted hours ago.
Fin: There it is.
Jax: I give it ten seconds before she offends gravity itself.
Riven clapped his hands together with the desperation of a drowning man. "Dessert!"
There was no dessert. A servant panicked and sprinted toward the kitchens. The hall fell into a silence so heavy it might as well have been carved from stone. Meredith smiled serenely, pleased with herself.
Velora raised her goblet, smile trembling at the edges. "To new alliances," she said.
Jax lifted his cup with a smile. "To surviving dinner."
Fin lifted his last, the cold gleam of his eyes giving nothing, offering nothing. His wolf retreated so far back into his mind that Fin wasn't sure the creature hadn't simply left the castle altogether.