Grounding the Beast

The lingering warmth of Kaelen’s lips on her cheekbone left Roxana entirely paralyzed, her heart thrashing wildly against her ribs as a deep, vibrant flush consumed her face. Kaelen’s incredibly deep, victorious chuckle still vibrated in the air between them, a low rumble that sent a secondary wave of electricity straight down her spine. The heavy tension that had previously gripped their side of the table had evaporated, replaced by a thick, magnetic intimacy that entirely isolated them from the chaotic hum of the surrounding dining hall. For a brief, suspended moment, the rest of the world simply ceased to exist. Roxana stared down at her plate, her fingers trembling slightly as she picked up her fork, acutely hyper-aware of the massive, radiating heat of the Lycan King sitting so intimately close beside her.

But the fragile peace was shattered almost as quickly as it had formed.

A sudden, suffocating shift in the air currents made Kaelen’s spine instantly lock. His dark eyes flicked upward, the warmth in his gaze vanishing in a violent instant, replaced by a cold, lethal calculation. Roxana felt his massive frame tense up beside her, the relaxed predator instantly coiled for war. Following his line of sight, she suppressed a heavy, exhausted sigh.

Minister Victor Croft was awkwardly navigating his way around the grand dining table, flanked closely by his son, Darius, and his daughter, Nadia. The sheer audacity of the trio was staggering. Victor moved with a forced, sheepish shuffle, a desperate attempt to appear non-threatening while practically ambushing the King’s private meal.

"Forgive our intrusion, your Highness," Victor Croft practically groveled, his voice coated in a thick, artificial layer of contrition. He stood before the table, his eyes darting nervously between Kaelen and the surrounding pack leaders. "May we sit with you? Perhaps we’ll take this opportune moment to make amends for my poor behavior earlier."

Kaelen didn't even bother to mask his utter disdain. A slow, chilling smirk carved its way across his striking features, though the expression didn't reach his eyes. "That’s entirely not for me to decide, I’m afraid." He deliberately shifted his gaze away from the minister, dismissing him completely, and looked toward Alpha Castor. "Alpha Castor, the discretion is entirely yours and your Luna’s. I have absolutely no qualms even if the minister’s presence is outright refused."

Victor visibly flinched at the King's blatant disregard. The power dynamic had been established with brutal efficiency.

Alpha Castor’s hardened features softened the moment he turned his attention to his mate. "What do you think, baby?"

Hearing the term of endearment, Kaelen felt a sharp, entirely involuntary twinge of raw envy strike his chest. His inner beast rumbled, a deep, restless sound confined to the walls of his mind. He watched the sweet, effortless connection between the Alpha and his Luna, desperately hoping for the day he would be allowed to casually call Roxana his 'baby.' He hadn't even earned the right to call her 'Roxy' yet. He was willing to take it as agonizingly slow as necessary, completely prioritizing her comfort, but the primal yearning was a constant, aching burn inside him.

Roxana watched Castor and Maura closely. Their eyes were locked in a silent, rapid exchange, clearly utilizing their pack mind-link. A moment later, Luna Maura offered a meek, highly diplomatic smile. "Perhaps we should take this opportunity to make amends."

"Thank you, Luna Maura," Victor Croft sighed in obvious relief, instantly dropping his weight into the empty, high-backed wooden chair directly next to Alpha Castor.

Darius and Nadia moved to fill the remaining spaces. Darius, however, completely ignored the seating arrangement protocol. He bypassed the empty chair next to his father, his frantic eyes sweeping the table until they locked onto a single target.

"Roxana?"

The deep, familiar voice came from directly behind her.

Roxana’s body went completely rigid. The air in her lungs stalled. Slowly, methodically, she placed her silverware down upon the crisp linen tablecloth. She turned around, her expression perfectly blank, completely devoid of a single trace of a smile.

"Darius Croft," Roxana greeted, her voice a flat, emotionless drone. "It’s a pleasure to see you again."

Darius stood frozen, staring down at her with a look of such profound, agonizing yearning that it made Roxana’s skin crawl. He looked entirely uneasy, his broad shoulders trembling slightly under his tailored suit jacket as he stumbled over his pathetic words. "Uhh... it’s... it’s really good to see you, too. H—How have you been? You... you look beautiful, by the way."

Beside Roxana, Kaelen was practically vibrating with barely suppressed, homicidal rage. His jaw was clenched so tightly the muscles fluttered visibly beneath his skin. He was shooting absolute, lethal daggers at the man daring to speak to his mate with such blatant, sickening desire. His inner beast was clawing violently at his mind, screaming for blood, demanding he rip the man's throat out simply for daring to look at her. The only thing preventing Kaelen from flipping the heavy oak table and committing a highly public execution was the sheer, icy indifference radiating from Roxana. She looked utterly, completely uninterested.

"I’ve been doing perfectly well, thank you," Roxana responded, her tone so flat it could have cut glass. "Now, if you will excuse me, I would like to finish my meal."

She began to turn her body back toward the table, fully dismissing his existence.

Darius’s eyes widened in desperate panic. "No! Roxana, wait!"

He lunged forward, his hand snapping out, attempting to physically grab her bare arm to forcibly keep her attention.

Before Darius’s fingertips could even brush the fabric of her dress, the space between them violently exploded into motion. Roxana’s warrior instincts flared, her agility allowing her to instantly snap her body backward out of his trajectory. But she didn't even need to move.

A low, terrifying, earth-shaking growl ripped through the air.

Kaelen leaped out of his seat with terrifying, blinding Lycan speed. He was a massive, imposing wall of pure, unadulterated violence, instantly positioning his enormous frame directly in front of Roxana, physically shielding her entirely from Darius’s sight. His chest heaved, his massive shoulders squared, blocking any possible angle of approach.

The primal, highly territorial word 'mine' was a searing brand burning at the absolute tip of Kaelen’s tongue. His beast was thrashing, begging to scream the claim into the silent hall, to mark his territory so undeniably that no male would ever dare look at her again. But Kaelen violently swallowed the instinct back down his raw throat. He vividly remembered the agonizing reluctance in her eyes the previous night when she had hesitated to consider spending her life with him. He refused to strip her of her autonomy. He absolutely would not make her feel coerced, trapped, or forced into yielding to the overwhelming pull of their mate bond.

Instead, he remained entirely coiled, every single muscle in his body prepped for immediate, catastrophic violence, glaring down at Darius with a look that promised a slow, agonizing death.

"Your Highness, I—" Darius gasped, violently stumbling backward, his face draining of all color. He looked utterly terrified, his chest heaving in panic. He nervously peeped around Kaelen’s massive bicep, catching a brief glimpse of the entirely indifferent Roxana still seated calmly behind her violent shield. Swallowing hard, Darius immediately bowed his head in deep submission to the King. "I deeply apologize."

Kaelen didn't move a single inch until Darius frantically scrambled away, completely abandoning his attempt to stand near Roxana. Defeated and humiliated, Darius practically dragged himself over to sit in the cramped space between his sister, Nadia, and his father.

Nadia, unfortunately, had claimed the seat directly adjacent to Kaelen's empty chair.

Kaelen slowly, deliberately lowered himself back into his seat, his massive frame still rigid with residual adrenaline. He kept his shoulder angled slightly, maintaining a protective barrier between Roxana and the rest of the Crofts.

Nadia immediately leaned forward, entirely unfazed by the terrifying display of aggression the King had just exhibited. In fact, she looked completely thrilled by it. She was wearing an aggressively revealing, backless bright red dress that plunged dangerously low, strategically designed to flaunt a massive amount of cleavage. The moment Kaelen sat down, she practically threw herself into his peripheral vision, entirely directing her absolute attention to seducing the royal Lycan.

In Roxana’s head, she was aggressively rolling her eyes. The heavy, sickly sweet scent of Nadia's floral perfume was suffocating, completely clashing with the savory aroma of the roasted meats on the table. What some females would do to get the attention of the opposite sex, Roxana thought, masking her utter disdain behind a blank stare as she picked up her water glass.

An awkward, suffocating silence descended upon the table, thick enough to choke on. Darius, desperate to salvage his shattered pride, began mindlessly poking at the expensive food on his porcelain plate.

"So, Roxana," Darius asked, his voice wavering as he broke the heavy silence, completely failing to hide his lingering obsession. "What have you exactly been up to since last year?"

Beside her, Kaelen instantly tensed up all over again, a low, menacing vibration humming in his chest. But Roxana simply shrugged, expertly avoiding Darius’s disgustingly soft, pleading gaze.

"The usual," Roxana responded, her voice completely detached. "Training. Fighting. Teaching my pack."

Nadia immediately seized the opportunity to insert herself into the conversation, her voice pitched artificially high as she started speaking with overly animated, theatrical gestures. "Oh, it must be simply awful to have to learn all of that brutal, dirty combat! It takes away so much precious energy and time! I could never."

Roxana slowly blinked at Nadia’s incredibly ignorant comment. She cocked her head slightly to one side, her dark eyes studying the woman as if she were a particularly slow, uninteresting insect. "I genuinely can’t think of a better, more productive way to spend my time and energy," Roxana stated, her tone dripping with calm, calculated logic. "But I do acknowledge that everyone has a very different set of priorities."

Kaelen felt his lips twitch. He smiled softly at his mate’s perfectly diplomatic, yet entirely lethal response.

"Oh yeah. I totally know all about that," Nadia continued, entirely ignorant of the massive insult that had just been lobbed at her. She giggled, leaning even further forward to emphasize her chest. "Being the daughter of the Defense Minister, I can’t really escape the boring importance of combat strategy. But given the choice, I’d much rather just settle down with a strong mate and have his babies. Not having to constantly worry about safety and all of those tedious, stressful things."

Roxana offered a flat, entirely deadpan smile. "Yes. Not having to worry about your own safety is a very viable priority, I suppose."

Across the table, Alpha Castor had to violently cover his mouth with his large hand to physically hide his massive grin. He and Luna Maura had known Roxana for far too long. They could recognize her lethal, biting sarcasm from a mile away.

In fact, Nadia seemed to be the only single person sitting at the massive table who was completely oblivious to the fact that she was being openly mocked.

"I know, right?" Nadia agreed enthusiastically, tossing her hair over her bare shoulder. She then turned her gaze toward Roxana, a condescending smirk playing on her glossy lips. "And I simply must say, you are so incredibly brave to sit right next to our King! I mean, most tiny wolves I know would violently shun away from Lycans, and for what? I don’t know. But here you are, a small wolf, sitting right next to the absolute strongest Lycan in the world. Tell me, don’t you feel terribly, insignificantly small?"

Before Roxana could even open her mouth to deliver a devastating retort, the temperature at the table instantly plummeted to sub-zero.

"Why exactly should she feel that way?" Kaelen’s voice sliced through the air like a frozen, jagged blade. The absolute, icy disdain in his tone was devastating.

Nadia’s eyes brightened, completely misinterpreting Kaelen's lethal interruption as genuine interest. She met his cold, murderous gaze and actually chuckled lightly, batting her eyelashes. "Well, your Highness. Not to brag, of course, but we Lycans are a vastly superior species, so..."

"Superiority in sheer physical size and brute strength is absolutely no match for a superiority in character," Kaelen stated smoothly, his deep voice carrying a terrifying, absolute finality that left no room for debate.

Nadia paused, blinking in mild confusion, completely undeterred by the massive, public insult to her entire existence. "Oh, such incredibly wise words from our handsome King," she laughed coquettishly, entirely leaning her exposed back toward him.

Roxana took a long, slow sip of her ice water, her dark eyes entirely focused on the far wall. She was desperately wondering whether there was any socially acceptable way she could immediately escape this incredibly unwanted, agonizingly painful exchange. The familiar, sickeningly heavy feelings of rejection were beginning to slowly creep up the back of her throat. She only hoped that her Alpha and Luna would not abandon her and leave her entirely alone with these insufferable Lycans.

As if on cue, Luna Maura’s gentle, soothing voice echoed directly inside Roxana’s mind through the pack link. 'Don’t worry, Roxy. We’ll be sitting right here for as long as you need us.'

'Thank you, Luna,' Roxana replied internally, feeling a small fraction of the heavy tension bleed out of her rigid shoulders.

Ignored once again, Nadia decided to escalate her tactics. She leaned over the armrest of her chair, twisting her body in a highly calculated way to entirely display her cleavage right in Kaelen’s direct line of sight. "So, what have you been up to lately, your Highness?" she purred.

"Work," Kaelen replied completely flatly. He didn't even grant her a fraction of a glance, keeping his dark eyes entirely locked onto the blank wall straight ahead as he lifted his crystal glass to his mouth.

"Oh, you work so incredibly hard for us," Nadia cooed, her voice dripping with fake sympathy. "It almost makes me feel terribly bad as one of your loyal subjects. What exactly do you do for rest?"

"Sleep," Kaelen said, his tone equally dead and uninterested.

Roxana had to aggressively bite the inside of her cheek. She almost let out a very loud, very ungraceful snort at his beautifully emotionless, utterly robotic responses.

"Hmm…" Nadia practically purred, leaning even closer until her shoulder brushed the fabric of Kaelen's suit. She lowered her voice into a husky whisper, clearly meant to be seductive. "Want some company for tonight?"

Roxana violently bit her bottom lip. Under the heavy tablecloth, she intertwined her fingers, gripping her own hands so tightly her knuckles turned stark white. She hid her hands firmly on her lap, desperately trying to cope with the sudden, agonizing surge of familiar rejection threatening to drown her. It was a visceral reaction, a ghost from her past that she couldn't entirely shake off.

But Kaelen didn't even hesitate for a microsecond.

"No, I absolutely do not," Kaelen stated loudly, his voice echoing with extreme, undeniable firmness. He slowly turned his head to finally look at Nadia, his eyes black with pure disgust. "And even if I did want company, it would never, under any circumstance, be with you."

The rejection was absolute, brutal, and utterly humiliating. Nadia’s face instantly flushed a violent shade of crimson, her mouth dropping open in sheer, silent shock as she scrambled backward into her seat.

Despite his incredibly firm, protective tone, Roxana still felt an overwhelming wave of uncomfortable heat creeping up her neck. Her body was rigid. Kaelen immediately noticed the subtle, anxious shift in her posture. The intoxicating scent of her distress hit his nose, and his inner animal let out a pathetic, heartbreaking whimper. Seeing their mate sad or uncomfortable was utter torture.

With deep, profound pain swirling in his lilac eyes, Kaelen completely ignored the humiliated Nadia and leaned heavily toward Roxana. He opened his mouth, desperate to whisper a reassurance, desperate to touch her.

But Darius, entirely missing the lethal warning signs, chose that exact moment to speak to Roxana again.

"Would you like to take a quiet stroll in the royal park later, Roxana?" Darius asked, his voice practically begging. "The Irrelises are in full bloom this specific time of year. It’s an incredibly beautiful scene."

"No, thank you, Mr. Croft," Roxana replied instantly, her voice clipped. "I’ve already seen them."

Darius looked physically defeated, his shoulders slumping, but his obsession compelled him to persist. "Well, then... would you like to sit with us during the grand ceremony later this morning?"

"No, thank you. I’ll be sitting with Alpha Castor and Luna Maura."

"We can easily make room for a few more," Darius pushed, offering a small, pathetic smile. "Our family's seats are located much nearer to the front stage, so you would all have a vastly better view of the proceedings."

Before Roxana could shut him down for the final time, Kaelen swiftly intervened. He was entirely done allowing this pathetic excuse for a Lycan to breathe the same air as his mate.

"You need not worry about their view," Kaelen’s deep voice boomed, completely disregarding the existence of the Crofts. He turned his body entirely toward Roxana, his hardened features instantly melting into an incredibly warm, devastatingly charming smile. The sheer tenderness in his eyes was blinding. "I have already formally invited Roxana and her pack leaders to sit with me in the royal front row. They were just about to respond to my private invitation right before your father showed up and interrupted our table."

It was, of course, an absolute, fabricated lie.

Kaelen ignored the massive, stunned gasps coming from the three Crofts. He kept his soft, entirely focused gaze locked exclusively on his mate. "What do you say, Roxana? Would you do me the profound honor of joining me at the ceremony?"

Roxana felt the heavy tension in her chest completely unravel. The sheer, protective warmth radiating from Kaelen was highly intoxicating. She easily managed a small, genuine smile, nodding slightly as she casually uttered, "Sure, Kaelen."

The table erupted.

"What did you just call His Highness?!" Nadia hissed, her voice a violently outraged screech of absolute disbelief. Her face was contorted in sheer anger at the informal disrespect.

Kaelen snapped his head toward Nadia, his lilac eyes flashing with pure, highly concentrated malice. "It is my name," he growled, his voice a low, terrifying rumble that shook the crystal glasses on the table. "Do we have a serious problem, Ms. Croft?"

"Since when were ordinary wolves ever allowed to address royals by their given name so casually?!" Nadia sputtered indignantly, puffing out her chest. "Especially the King! As one of your closer political associates, your Highness, it is my absolute duty to advise you that such disrespect—"

"You are in absolutely no position to advise me on anything," Kaelen’s cold, violent voice sliced through the air, entirely cutting Nadia off before she could finish her arrogant sentence. His aura flared, heavy and suffocating, completely forcing her to snap her mouth shut.

Completely ignoring the trembling Nadia, Kaelen smoothly turned his attention back to Alpha Castor, his demeanor shifting back to polite royalty. "I deeply hope you and Luna Maura can join us as well?"

"It would be our absolute honor, your Highness," Alpha Castor accepted graciously, bowing his head slightly, an amused glint in his eye.

Minister Victor Croft, sensing the catastrophic, highly dangerous political tension practically suffocating his children, desperately attempted to smooth things over by feigning total, absolute ignorance. He leaned forward, squinting his eyes at Roxana as if trying to study her features.

"Fascinating," Victor murmured rubbing his chin. "Young lady, I honestly don’t believe we’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting before."

Roxana didn't miss a single beat. Her dark eyes locked onto the minister's face, cold, entirely unblinking, and methodically calculating.

"We have met, Minister," Roxana responded coolly, her voice ringing out with crystal clear precision. She leaned slightly forward, entirely dismantling his pathetic lie with ruthless accuracy. "We first met exactly three years ago, at the primary defense meeting held in New York when we were actively revising the territorial laws to mediate with the rogue hunters."

Victor’s forced smile instantly faltered, a bead of cold sweat forming on his brow.

"Two years ago," Roxana continued relentlessly, her voice rising slightly, demanding the attention of everyone at the table, "I directly asked you about the highly credible rumors actively circulating among the northern packs regarding violent, unchecked rogue Lycan attacks. A situation I was desperately concerned about. To which you blatantly responded by cruelly advising me to simply worry about my own species instead."

Kaelen’s entire body went rigid. The air around him suddenly dropped ten degrees.

"And last year," Roxana pressed on, her gaze completely pinning Victor to his chair like a butterfly on a board, "I was formally introduced to you again by your son, Darius Croft, at this exact same event. When I specifically asked you which wolf packs were currently the most vulnerable to these escalating rogue attacks at that time, you arrogantly told me to go walk around the hall on my own to find out which of them might need our help, effectively dismissing my desperate concerns entirely."

Victor Croft swallowed audibly. He nervously glanced at Kaelen.

The King’s face was rapidly darkening with every single damning syllable that left Roxana’s lips. The muscles in Kaelen's massive jaw were bulging.

Victor quickly cleared his dry throat, desperately trying to backtrack. "Perhaps... perhaps you have severely mistaken me for someone else, miss. I really don’t think—"

"My Gamma is absolutely not mistaken, Minister," Alpha Castor’s deep, highly authoritative voice boomed across the table, completely confirming her account with undeniable confidence. "I was in direct attendance during those specific conversations as well."

Victor Croft opened his mouth, fully prepared to argue further, but his defense was entirely obliterated from within his own ranks.

"Dad," Darius spoke up meekly from his side, his voice weak and trembling. He refused to look his father in the eye. "You... you have met her. She’s definitely not mistaken."

Victor’s face contorted in absolute displeasure at his son’s express, public betrayal. Darius could have easily just mind-linked him the warning, but he actively chose to embarrass his own father right in front of the King and these pesky wolves. Desperate to save face, Victor forced a tight, highly uncomfortable smile and addressed Roxana.

"Well then, I simply must deeply apologize for not remembering you," Victor chuckled nervously, waving a dismissive hand. "Old age heavily does not serve the memory well, I’m afraid."

Kaelen didn't laugh. He didn't smile. His thick eyebrows were deeply furrowed with such profound, unadulterated disgust that it made Victor physically recoil.

"How could you possibly give such an utterly dismissive answer to our heavily vulnerable people?" Kaelen’s voice was a low, highly dangerous rasp.

Seemingly unperturbed by the incredibly lethal warning signs radiating off the King, Victor waved his hand again. "Your Highness, please, in my defense, I meet absolutely thousands of frantic people daily, so—"

"That wasn’t what I meant," Kaelen spat violently, his restraint snapping like a fragile twig. The sheer volume of his booming voice caused a massive hush to fall over the adjacent tables. "Excuse my language, but why the hell did you arrogantly tell our subjects to just worry about their own species?! Do you actually think they would be remotely safe if massive, violently unhinged Lycans went rogue in their territory?! Do you genuinely believe they were just asking questions to bad-mouth our kind, and not because they are desperately, deeply concerned for their own packs’ safety and survival?!"

Victor shrank back into his chair, his face entirely pale.

Kaelen leaned aggressively forward, his massive hands gripping the edge of the heavy wooden table so tightly the thick oak began to splinter under his raw strength. "And the absolute, sheer audacity of telling them to find out which packs needed desperate help entirely by themselves!" Kaelen shook his head, his chest heaving with violent, uncontrolled breaths. "Honestly, Croft. Why the fuck would we possibly need you in this administration?"

The King let out a highly frustrated, completely ragged sigh, aggressively running his large fingers through his dark hair. The revelation of the Croft family's deep corruption and lethal negligence was a massive, unforgivable betrayal.

Kaelen’s fury violently ignited into an absolute, uncontrollable inferno. His bright, beautiful lilac eyes instantly darkened, bleeding rapidly into pure, terrifying onyx black. His inner beast was violently surging to the absolute surface. The physiological changes were already beginning—his bones aching, his muscles rapidly expanding beneath his suit. He was completely on the precipice of fully shifting right there in the middle of the crowded dining hall, utterly consumed by the primal, homicidal urge to violently tear the arrogant minister apart limb from limb for his blatant, lethal disregard for their subjects' safety. The heavy, suffocating killing intent flooding from Kaelen's body was physically crushing the air out of the room. He was entirely on the verge of entirely losing his sanity.

Sensing the highly dangerously escalating, world-ending rage practically vibrating off the massive Lycan beside her, Roxana didn't hesitate.

She quietly, smoothly reached her hand down beneath the long tablecloth. In the hidden shadows, she sought out Kaelen’s massive, trembling hand resting on his thigh. His fist was entirely clenched, his knuckles stark white, his veins violently popping beneath his tanned skin.

Roxana gently, firmly grasped his tightly clenched fist with her small hand.

The exact second her soft skin made contact with his, a highly concentrated, violent trail of pure, electric sparks rushed entirely through his body. It was a massive jolt of raw energy, hotter than fire, but utterly, profoundly soothing. The absolute chaos roaring inside Kaelen's skull hit a massive, impenetrable wall of peace.

Kaelen jerked slightly. His pure onyx eyes, swirling with lethal violence, immediately snapped to the side, meeting Roxana’s deep, comforting, incredibly calm black orbs.

She didn't look scared. She didn't look intimidated. She held his gaze with total, absolute grounding stability. Slowly, deliberately, she mouthed two simple words to him: ‘Calm down.’

At the same time, she began slowly, rhythmically stroking the tense back of his clenched fist with the pad of her soft thumb.

The effect was absolutely instantaneous and entirely overwhelming. Under the gentle, highly intimate pressure of her physical touch, Kaelen's violent inner animal let out a deep, contented purr. The simmering, highly homicidal anger that had been violently threatening to consume his absolute sanity instantly evaporated, washed away by the overwhelming, stabilizing power of their raw mate bond.

He let out a long, shuddering exhale. His massive fist slowly loosened, unfolding beneath the table until his large fingers could gently intertwine with hers. He held onto Roxana’s incredibly soft hand tightly, entirely grounded by her secret intimacy.

Restored to total sanity, Kaelen sat back in his chair. He pondered in total silence for a long, heavy moment. When he finally spoke, his voice was no longer a booming roar of rage, but a low, terrifyingly calm whisper that echoed loudly around the absolutely silent table.

"Croft," Kaelen’s voice was completely devoid of emotion. "I am actively giving you one final, singular chance. And I am only doing this in the name of my late father, who foolishly trusted you to the absolute bone when he was alive. You will take your extremely vital job entirely seriously moving forward. You will prioritize the safety of every single pack. Or you can completely forget about holding this prestigious position for a single second longer than you already have. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

Victor swallowed heavily, his throat visibly bobbing. He was gripping the armrests of his chair to keep his hands from shaking. He forced himself to nod. "I... I will absolutely do my very best to make massive amends and properly serve our people, your Highness." Victor said, actively restraining himself from glaring violently at the entirely smug members of the Azure Crescent Pack.

Roxana slowly, reluctantly retracted her warm hand from Kaelen’s grasp beneath the table.

Kaelen’s eyes instantly shot up to her face, a sharp pang of profound loss hitting his chest the exact second the physical skin contact with his mate was broken. His inner animal was already letting out a soft, pathetic whimper inside his head, desperately craving the return of her grounding heat.

Before Kaelen could say anything, Roxana calmly stood up from her chair, perfectly smoothing down the front of her dress. She looked down at him, her dark eyes completely unreadable. "The grand ceremony officially starts in exactly fifteen minutes. I actively need to use the restroom first. I deeply hope you don’t mind that I kindly excuse myself right now?"

Luna Maura gasped, abruptly snapping out of the intense tension. "Oh gosh! I entirely didn’t realize the time! I desperately need to use it as well!"

Alpha Castor immediately stood up from his seat, casually checking his heavy silver watch.

Kaelen followed suit, rising to his full, towering height. He completely ignored the existence of the three Crofts still cowering at the table. He gazed entirely dreamily down at Roxana, his voice dropping an octave, sounding incredibly soft and highly intimate. "I will be waiting for you in the royal front row. Please, absolutely don’t take too long."

"Okay," Roxana replied, easily returning his soft smile.

She then smoothly turned her body to fully face the completely silent, entirely humiliated Croft family. Her expression was utterly perfectly blank. "It has been... extremely interesting to actively speak to the three of you today. Please, allow us to formally excuse ourselves."

Without waiting for a single response, Roxana confidently turned on her heel and casually left the dining hall, flanked entirely by her highly protective pack leaders, completely before any of the stunned Crofts could even open their mouths to speak.

Kaelen watched her walk away, utterly captivated. He entirely wouldn’t have minded if she had simply walked away without uttering a single polite word to the three pathetic wolves. In fact, he would have been completely, profoundly happy if she had entirely ignored their existence after the lethal incompetence Victor Croft had just openly displayed.

But the highly calculated, biting sarcasm in her smooth tone when she deliberately used the word ‘interesting’ made Kaelen's lips curl upward into a massive, deeply amused smirk.

'Thank you, Moon Goddess,' Kaelen thought deeply to himself, utterly obsessed with her sharp mind.

Without sparing a single, minuscule glance at any of the terrified Crofts still sitting frozen at the table, Kaelen smoothly turned and walked out from the complete opposite direction. He easily navigated his massive frame through the parting crowds, highly savoring the intense, lingering warmth of her soft touch still burning directly onto his right hand.

He entered the grand, heavily decorated auditorium at the far end of the hall. He politely, yet completely distractedly, greeted several of his high-ranking ministers on his direct path toward his reserved seating. The King casually dropped his large frame right into the massive, velvet chair positioned entirely in the absolute middle of the VIP front row. As he patiently waited for Roxana to finally return to his side, he leaned back, completely shutting out the noise of the filling room. He continuously reminisced on the sheer, profound, highly addictive pleasure he had entirely felt when her small hand had bravely touched his beneath the table. He honestly hadn't expected her to ever make the first physical move. But he had been terrifyingly close to absolute, violent instability at that exact moment. If she hadn't bravely reached out and entirely calmed him down, he knew for an absolute fact he would have violently shifted right there in the direct middle of the crowded dining hall.

Meanwhile, on the complete opposite side of the massive facility, Roxana slowly pushed open the heavy wooden door, finally exiting the quiet, marble-tiled restroom. She took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for the massive ceremony ahead.

However, the exact second she stepped out into the completely empty, highly isolated hallway, her boots came to an abrupt, screeching halt.

She came entirely face-to-face with Darius Croft.