"Holy Goddess." Ryn stared at the man in front of her and almost forgot how to breathe. This was him. The one all the stories spoke of. The God of Slaughter. The warrior who had cut down rogue after rogue without hesitation, only to disappear later into isolation after losing his mate and child.
She had expected someone terrifying. Cold. Harsh. Instead, the man standing in the center of the chamber was beautiful. As beautiful as their princes actually. But inexplicably, Ryn felt a certain resemblance in him. He looked... familiar. Had she seen him when she was a child? That could be the only explanation because it was a known fact that the Councilman Aldren had never really come out of the forest for the past many years...
His eyes lifted and landed on her. Ryn froze. Those eyes were definitely terrifying.
"Are you done staring, omega?" His tone held nothing warm. Only disdain. His voice snapped her back to herself so quickly that she physically flinched.
"I—Forgive me, sir! I was just..." Her mind went blank. She could not say admiring you. She bowed her head instead and took a step back, "I hope the chambers are to your liking. If you need anything, you may let me know, and I will make the arrangements. My name is Ryn."
She spoke too fast and felt her face heat up, so she quickly moved toward the door, eager to escape before she embarrassed herself further.
She had just reached the doorway when his voice came again.
"Ryn. Wait."
She stopped. Her name sounded different when he said it. Her heart gave a ridiculous jump. She turned back and looked at the man again, "Yes, sir?"
He looked at her more directly this time and asked, "You are responsible for all the Ceremony preparations this time?"
Ryn nodded. "Yes, sir. Everything from the arrangements to the decorations and scheduling."
"And the invitations. Did you handle those as well?" His fingers tapped lightly on the table beside him, almost as though he was thinking.
Ryn paused for half a second. That question made her nervous for reasons she couldn’t quite name. "The future Luna chose the design herself," she answered carefully. "I only oversaw the sending process to ensure they reached the right packs on time."
His gaze did not move from her. "And the personal message written inside each invitation. Was that the future Luna’s doing as well?"
Ryn’s brows drew together. Emira had written those messages. Had something gone wrong? She needed to go and ask her. Looking at the man staring at her, she know though that she would have to answer truthfully, "It was her idea indeed. But the person who wrote the personal messages was..."
Before she could finish, there was a knock at the door and she hurriedly stepped back.
"Prince Kael greets Councilman Aldren."
"Your Highness. I didn’t expect you to welcome me." Councilman Aldren spoke as he took a seat and gestured Prince Kael to take a seat opposite him.
Kael stepped inside and took the seat opposite the councilman as Ryn lowered her head quickly, realising it was her cue to leave. She bowed lightly to both men and exited the room. First thing she needed to do was go and warn Emira about Councilman Aldren’s interest. If she’d made a mistake, at least she would know.
Councilman Aldren shifted slightly in his seat and fixed his gaze on Kael. "What brings Your Highness here?"
Kael offered him a small nod. "I came to welcome Uncle Aldren myself."
"Uncle." The faintest hint of a smile appeared on Aldren’s lips. "I am honored that the prince would do so."
Kael returned the smile. "It is only right. You are someone we respect. Always have been. And you know it."
For a moment there was silence as the two men stared at each other, as if testing something. Then suddenly, Councilman Aldren stiffened and narrowed his eyes.
"It is not polite to try and enter a place that does not belong to you."
Kael stopped breathing for a moment. His expression did not change, but his shoulders stiffened. He realized instantly what Aldren meant. He had been trying to read him. Not deeply, not forcefully, but enough to test something. And Aldren had noticed.
Kael exhaled slowly. Then he smiled. "Forgive me," he said. "I just needed to make sure of something."
Aldren leaned back slightly and folded his arms. "What did you need to make sure of that you felt the need to try and read my thoughts?"
"It has something to do with the Dark Master, of course." Kael responded and watched the man freeze.
"What are you trying to say, Prince Kael? If you have questions, ask me directly. I will answer to the best of my ability."
"You said you would answer my questions, so tell me this. What brings you here now? You once vowed that you would only return when it was time to take revenge against those who killed your mate and daughter. You said you would not step foot outside the forest until then. So why come back for a Ceremony?"
Aldren’s eyes narrowed slightly. His expression did not change much, but something behind it sharpened. "And you think my presence here means I consider the Stormhold Pack responsible?" he asked quietly. "You believed that is why I came? That I blame your people for what happened to my family?"
Kael did not look away. "It was possible. You have never said who you suspect. You cut yourself off from everyone. So yes, I need to make sure. After all, at the time, she was with the Stromhold Pack..."
Aldren clenched his hands and looked away," The only one I blame for it is the Dark Master. And he is the only reason I have come here."
"What does the dark master have to do with the Mating Ceremony?"
Did Councilman Aldren know that the dark master was after Emira and that she was probably his bride while she was also their mate?
Councilman Aldren, on the other hand did not have any such thoughts, and instead placed the invitation on the table, "This. The writing in this is tinged with strong black magic."