Everyone turned to watch Faris sauntering over with a cheeky grin. He plopped himself on the empty seat right beside Lotus, as she was occupying his place today.
"Bless-o, you are Lotus. My sister-in-law’s sister. I am Faris." He winked at her, trying to charm her too.
Lotus fully turned to face him and cast him a curious glance and realised.
"Faris! The one who acted as the imposter Alpha for his brother."
"The exact same one but more charming, handsome and conversation-maker than my grumpy brother," Faris leaned in and whispered with rapid blinking of his eyes.
Razial who was watching this interaction with his food forgotten and small creases erupting on his forehead, cleared his throat rather loudly.
Siroos also intervened while Cassandra watched her brother-in-law with an amused expression.
"Faris! Stop hassling Princess Lotus. She is our guest."
"I am just making polite conversation with a pretty lady. I would never hassle someone so beautiful as her," Faris countered and then focused all his attention on Lotus and spoke. "Your name reminds me of spring and meadows and your beauty, the beautiful ballad of a poet." His voice dropped a few notches and became silky smooth.
Razial’s eyes dangerously flashed and his
"Ahm!" Grew louder.
It was blatantly ignored by Lotus but was picked up by everyone else.
"Really? Pray tell more, Faris with fiery eyes." Lotus feigned interest, propping her delicate elbow on the hard wooden table and placing her chin on her spread hand. She offered all of her attention to Faris.
Siroos glanced at his mate and asked with his eye movements, ’What was going on?’.
Haylia had the same questions but Cassandra could only shrug while trying not to laugh.
But it was Razial who seemed to have turned into a tomato while trying to snub the bubbling anger inside of him. Any second and he could burst like a volcano.
"Princess Lotus! If I may?" Razial tried to interject before Faris could blurt out flirtatious remarks any further.
"You may not," Lotus impassively answered, shutting him up without breaking her eye contact with Faris and fluttering her lashes.
Razial’s powers danced under his fingertips; his magic was seconds away from bursting out and hitting Faris, who was sitting only a heartbeat away from the girl of his dreams, openly flirting, and she was letting him.
Faris side-glanced at a fuming Razial and smirked, he enjoyed getting under people’s skin. Turning back, he continued to speak with Lotus.
"Fiery eyes and a golden heart you will discover, once you get to know me. Fancy a walk later," he casually asked.
"Of course! I would love to explore the pack with you. Thank you for the generosity," Lotus sweetly answered and tried to reach for the wine.
"Oh! Let me. I heard the wine becomes sweeter when my hand touches it." Faris picked up her golden goblet before she could and tilted it towards her rosy lips.
Her heartbeat was extremely steady and Faris knew she was not affected by his charms but was playing along.
But why?
Did she enjoy flirting too?
Or was it because of the man sitting opposite her, who looked like a jilted bird that had been rejected by the female he had been pursuing?
Wasn’t he the same man who was previously engaged to Cassandra and didn’t even bat an eye when she was taken away by Siroos?
But right now he seemed like a bull ready to skewer him.
Others had returned to their food, knowing Faris had a habit of doing this, and Lotus was handling him quite well.
Lotus appreciatively took a small sip from Faris’s hands and flashed him the sweetest of her smiles.
"You were right, its taste turned quite exquisite."
Faris beamed, his chest swelling while the goblet suddenly turned extremely cold and the very wine in it froze over. Faris almost dropped it in astonishment when Lotus turned her attention to Razial. His very eyes had ice in them, and his hands were turning icy blue.
"Take a walk, Commander Razial," she casually instructed, and he pushed his chair back with rage and stood up.
"Princess, please, be careful. I am only looking out for you," he said sarcastically with an icy stare towards Faris before leaving the common area in a huff.
Faris watched his receding figure and mindlinked Siroos who was busy devouring a glazed rib.
’Our Luna’s ex-fiancé likes Lotus. I am going to enjoy vexing him.’ His sinister laugh reached Siroos through mindlink and he knew his brother was being wicked.
’Makes sense why he never cared for Cassandra. I guess he had always been infatuated with Lotus, and Cassandra was just a burden he couldn’t wait to get rid of,’ Siroos answered. His actions made sense to Siroos, the very reason he never even kissed Cassandra.
Lotus returned to eating seeing Razial had left.
"So you flirt with all the ladies or you have a thing for older women," Lotus inquired, elegantly plucking a piece of meat with her fork and placing it in her mouth. The special cutlery had been arranged for the guests.
"He will flirt with anyone and everyone. If he would invest half the effort in looking for his mate, we would have found her by now and all my duties would be done." It was Haylia who said it in a rather disappointed fashion.
"Ma! I told you, I have no interest in these deteriorated mate traditions. I want to be free and open, so I can talk to as many pretty girls as I wish." He waved his hand in the air.
"Oh! Believe me, he is going to be biting his words so hard, so very soon," Lotus grinned knowingly at Haylia, leaving Faris baffled.
"I second that." Siroos picked up his goblet and raised it. Lotus did the same, and both of them took a sip.
"I have been deceived by the pretty lady," Faris blubbered.
Cassandra tittered with her hand on her lips seeing Faris’s bafflement.
"It’s alright, brother-in-law I am still by your side. Your SIL will always support you."
Faris pumped the air.
"That’s what I am talking about. You are the best SIL in the world."
Lotus’s heart eased seeing what a friendly and jovial relationship Cassandra and Faris shared. He was funny and smart and kept the laughs going.