_Author’s POV_
Alaric found out about the banquet on Tuesday.
Reid put the report on his desk with his morning briefing, sandwiched between a territorial update from the northern border and a trade dispute filing from two mid-tier packs. Alaric read it, set it down, picked it back up, and read it again.
Noble families. Unmarried men. Under twenty-eight. Fifth rank and above.
A formal selection in three days.
For his Rowena.
He put the report down a second time and stared at the wall for a moment.
“She doesn’t know about it yet,” Reid said, from across the room. He had been watching Alaric’s face and had apparently decided to offer what useful information he had.
“Who organized this?”
“Seraphine Ashthorne primarily. There’s some indication Alice had a hand in pl
