Chapter 344: _Murder Mode Already
The next morning, I sat in front of my vanity, brushing my hair after freshening up.
In the mirror, I spotted Kaelos’ reflection as he adjusted the cufflinks of a silver suit, his shoulder-length black hair falling on either side of his face.
His expression was grim... And so was mine.
Today was the day we’d know where the loyalties of each Alpha in North America lay.
It would be the first convergence of North American Alphas in centuries according to Kaelos. To say I was nervous was an understatement—but I was also ready.
"You ready?" I drew in a deep breath, rising from the seat after taking one last look at my reflection.
I clutched the hem of the light cream-sleeved gown I wore, feeling like a queen.
’That’s because you are, girl.’ Sirena chimed in my mind at the same moment that Kaelos cleared his throat.
"Goddess, I love and hate how you always look ravishing in events like this." Kaelos stretched his hands forward, walking toward me with that lovey-dovey smile I was so used to seeing.
I blushed, trying to play off his words with an eye roll. "Can you be serious for once? Today’s going to be tense. I can feel it."
"Doesn’t mean we should be tense with it now, does it?" Kaelos grinned, grabbing my shoulders and pulling me closer to himself.
My body stiffened when I caught a whiff of his intoxicating perfume, my eyes narrowing on his.
He pressed a kiss on my forehead, closing his eyes before whispering. "I’m trying the best I can to stay level-headed enough. You don’t want me ripping out someone’s head, right?"
I let out a heavy sigh, wrapping my hands around his arms. "At this rate, I just might join you in doing that."
He chuckled while my lips twisted into the faintest smirk.
Just then, a knock sounded on the door, forcing us to turn our heads to it.
"Come in," I called out.
The door swung open and a maid walked in, bowing respectfully.
"Your majesties. Elder Yune sent me to tell you that all the expected Alphas are present and waiting for you at the event hall."
Dear gods. This is it.
I glanced at Kaelos who nodded at the maid, placing his hand on my back.
"Very well. We’ll be there shortly."
The maid bowed again before walking out, closing the door behind her.
Kaelos and I exchanged one last glance, before walking out of the room hand in hand, ready to face what could possibly be the first step in securing a united front.
.
.
When Kaelos and I arrived at the event hall, my forehead was already sweaty, my nerves wracking.
Tens and possibly hundreds of cars were packed right outside the event hall, pack soldiers littered all around the pack grounds.
People threw glances, many whispered and a solemn air filled the Blood oak pack like a miasma.
Kaelos and I slowly ascended the steps, my heart thudding heavily in my chest, when I picked up the murmuring of hundreds of people within the event hall.
There were over two hundred Alphas in North America, from the lush forest reserves here in North Carolina to the snowy mountains in Canada and the Aztec ruins in Mexico.
Meaning several different cultures and traditions.
At the entrance of the event hall, Elder Yune stood waiting for us with a calm expression, her staff clutched tightly in her hand.
She bowed before giving us a subtle nod, her eyes trailing to the event hall itself.
When Kaelos and I got in, I subconsciously held my breath.
Even though it wasn’t as filled up as the Blood Moon festival, the event hall literally brimmed with power and affluence.
Alphas, their consorts and their Betas sat on round tables, conversing amongst themselves in hushed tones.
They were all lavishly dressed and many had proud looks on their faces... Until their heads turned to Kaelos and me one by one.
"Hold your horses... Look." A woman whispered with what sounded like reverence and judgment all at once. "It’s them."
"The Luna Queen is coming out after her miscarriage?" Another, a man, chimed with exasperation.
"Not just the miscarriage. She was allegedly kidnapped by the lord of the North himself."
"Goddess... Who knows what he’s done to her?"
"I heard the blackening of the moon all around North America that night was her doing."
My jaw tightened but before I could lower my head and pretend like I wasn’t hearing their whispers, a sudden whoosh of air caused my hair to blow around me.
I gasped at the emptiness I felt after, realising in the next second that Kaelos was no longer by my side. My eyes turned to a nearby pillar where he had waltzed to with his enhanced speed.
He held a man by the neck, raising him into the air with his back facing me. The hall erupted into pandemonium as everyone gasped and pointed.
’You two literally just stepped in.’ Sirena remarked in my head, although she didn’t sound like she cared.
If anything, she sounded excited that our mate was already in murder mode barely a few seconds after we stepped in.
"Alpha king!" A woman sitting on the same table as the man Kaelos held by the neck gasped.
She was most definitely his wife and Luna.
"P–Please. I... I beg of you. What did my husband do?" She pleaded with a cracked voice, getting on her feet and raising her hands in front of Kaelos. "Have mercy. He—"
"Shut the heck up!" Kaelos sneered, his voice thundering through the hall, brimming with power from his Alpha king aura.
Just when I was about to reach out to him through the mind link, he said something that instantly made me realise the cause of his reaction.
"Are you all really so stupid? So dumb that you forget each time that I’m a fucking Alpha King?" He queried with a voice that boomed through the hall. "I hear all your gossip. The whispers. And I keep asking myself when will it fucking end?"
Silence.
Everyone was dead silent, so much so that I could barely pick up most of them breathing.
But Kaelos wasn’t done.
"The first line of business in this damn convergence is getting one thing clear in case I haven’t been clear enough these past few months... Odessa Pierce is my Luna Queen. Your Luna Queen. She rules by my side and isn’t merely the Alpha king’s witch bride."
A sudden surge of pride made my body tremble.
I didn’t realise my eyes had started stinging with tears until a tear drop fell on my collarbone. I clenched my fists before wiping my face with my arm, my breath shuddering.
"This whole meeting should be done within nothing more than an hour." Kaelos continued still, finally releasing the Alpha from his grip.
The poor guy plopped to the ground and held his throat, coughing erratically while fighting to catch his breath. His face was pale. He looked at Kaelos with terror even when his wife tried helping him up.
Meanwhile, Kaelos ignored him entirely, glancing at me briefly. "If I hear as much as a wrong sneeze at my wife’s direction, I’ll claw out your tongue, so pleading for death will be impossible. Don’t fucking play with me."