Chapter 17: Princess Sophia

The time I spent with Alexander in his private wing definitely did more harm than good, because I couldn’t shake him out of my mind or my heart. He was all I could think about. I wished I didn’t have to attend this stupid banquet tonight. I had zero interest in being anywhere near those men, because the Alphas here couldn’t seem to grasp how I became an Alpha as a woman, and they made sure to remind me every second. The Lunas were no better, making me feel like it was stupid for me to try to fit in with them. But of course, Alexander made the whole banquet compulsory, mostly because I was sure he just wanted me there. "Did you do what I asked you to do?" I asked Terence as we made our way down the hallway toward the banquet hall. "Of course I did," Terence whispered back with a smirk. "The Solstice Pack won't even know what hit them." "Good. I can’t wait to see Ezra’s reaction tomorrow" I murmured. Ge looked me up and down, a mischievous grin on his face. "You're putting a lot more effort into your appearance these days, Alpha." I knew this was just him trying to fish for information about me and the King. "Well, I certainly feel insulted that you think I don’t put in effort every time" I said, rolling my eyes. I was wearing something simple in my opinion a cream dress. Sure, my legs were out because of the high slit, and the neckline showed some cleavage, but I kept trying to convince myself that I wasn't dressing to impress Alexander. Even if that was exactly what my stupid wolf had in mind. And because of my stupid heart, he was the very first person my wolf sought out the second we stepped into the banquet hall. Alexander looked ridiculously handsome in his 3 piece suit but then again, he always does. The second his blue eyes locked on me, he completely ignored everyone else in the room and walked straight toward me. I was hoping to hide the fact that he was my mate from everybody, but he was hell-bent on everybody finding out. He was all over me and around me, and I couldn't seem to get rid of him. His eyes didn’t leave my face when he reached me. He didn’t ask for permission, instead, he put a heavy, possessive hand tightly around my waist, pulling me close right in front of everybody. "You look breathtaking, Alpha Maya," he said smoothly, leading me toward the center of the room. I tried to pull away from him without raising any scene or drawing attention, but I couldn’t because he had a rock-solid grip on me. He pulled me straight into a dance. I tried to keep my distance, but his grip on my waist stayed tight. Then, his hand slipped lower, resting right on the bare skin of my lower back because my dress was backless. Sparks flew like electricity through my whole body, and my wolf purred softly in my chest. Luckily, we were interrupted when the Royal Beta pulled Alexander away for an urgent matter. I took the opportunity to escape and made my way over to the bar, but before I could even order a drink, I was ambushed by Hope. "Well, well, look who decided to play dress up" she sneered. Ezra was standing right beside her, his eyes were roaming all over my body with pure lust, but I could also see the jealousy burning in his face. Alexander may be a pain in my ass, but he was definitely helping me get my revenge unknowingly. "I must say, Alpha Maya, you clean up well for a runt" Hope said loudly. A few people around us gasped. Terence stepped forward instantly, his eyes glowing with anger, but I raised my hand to stop him. "Kneel for the Alpha, Luna Hope," I said, dropping my voice into my heavy Alpha command. She tried her best to resist, her face turning red, but her knees gave out and she fell hard on the floor right in front of me. Her hand shook, spilling her glass of red wine all over her expensive white dress. "Hope! How dare you--" Ezra yelled, stepping forward furiously. But before he could raise his hand or get any closer to me, Alexander stepped up right behind me like a shadow. He leaned down and rested his chin right against the side of my neck before wrapping his hand over my waist. "Let the good Alpha here finish her drink before I break your other wrist" Alexander said, his voice booming like thunder across the hall. Ezra froze dead in his tracks. His face went completely pale, but he didn’t have the power to say a single word back because this right here was the King. "Choose your battles wisely, Luna Hope, because next time I won't be this kind," I said, looking down at her. A thoroughly humiliated Ezra grabbed Hope by her arms, pulled her up off the floor, and dragged her away with him into the crowd. The whole room stayed in shock, staring at us. I could already hear the quiet whispers starting up about what I was to the King, if I was sleeping with him, and if I was his mistress, which was exactly what I didn't want. Alexander lowered his head, his warm lips brushing my ear as he held me tight against his chest. "You handled that beautifully, my Queen," he whispered. "I told you I don't need your protection," I murmured back even though my heart was beating way too fast from how close he was. "I know you don't," he smirked, his thumb making a slow circle on my bare lower back, sending shivers down my spine. "But I like doing it anyway." I opened my mouth to tell him to let go of me, but suddenly, the doors opened again. The chatter in the room instantly died down as a drop-dead gorgeous woman stepped into the hall. Vampire. She walked with confidence, her eyes scanning the room until they landed directly on Alexander. A smile spread on her face as she ignored the crowd and walked straight towards us. She stopped right in front of Alexander, giving me a quick, disdainful look from head to toe before looking up at the King. "I apologize for arriving late, my King, It took longer than expected to travel here but I couldn't miss the summit my future husband is hosting." She turned her head slowly and looked at me with a triumphant smirk. "I'm Princess Sophia" she announced loudly to the entire room, taking Alexander's arm. "The future Queen of the Werewolves, and King Alexander's true betrothed mate."