Chapter 459 - 459: Elric
Chapter 459 – 459: Elric
Liam's POV
He was at a loss for words. The murmurs continued as he lowered his gaze towards his plate. His face was red with embarrassment. How could he say that out loud in front of the pack? It was so unlike him, Liam thought, cursing the moment he let his guard down.
"S-sorry, alpha." A familiar voice came from his left. "But is the woman really from the border?"
The alpha's body tensed at the question. He turned towards the man with a stern gaze, the green in his eyes darkening with every passing moment. The room fell silent at the rising tension between the man and their alpha. Had he grown so lenient that a mere minister of the king's court was now daring to question him? He thought, narrowing his eyes at the only other human in the room.
Elric was not a bright man, but he had the manpower to fight the puny wars that he tempted the king to fight. But out of all the scheming pests at the court, he was the least annoying. Although he had the manpower and the money, it was obvious that he had not earned it with his own wits.
Liam had long wanted to invite him to his mansion if only to tease the truth out of him. But it seems like he had invited the guest at the wrong time, he thought irritatedly.
"Yes," He replied, his voice dropping to a dangerous low. "Do you doubt me?"
"No, Alpha!" The middle-aged man exclaimed, his heartbeat rising in fright. "It's just-"
Elric stopped his statement mid-way, gulping nervously, dreading to spill his mind. But Liam knew that he had to make his stance clear if he wanted the secret kept- at least until he could find a way to keep her permanently. He couldn't allow the minister to leave easily tonight, especially after seeing the way that his eyes were, again and again turning back to Luna.
If the man were to overstep his boundaries, he could kill him without a second thought. After all, he was the Commander-in-Chief of the King's army. Disrespecting him was like disrespecting the king. No one would question him for taking the action even if they wanted to, he thought, the perfect plan brewing in his mind.
"Just what?" The alpha asked, the threat in his tone obvious.
The minister opened his mouth as if to say something. But lucky for him, someone else cut in.
"She's too well mannered for a country bumpkin," Isaac said, raising his wine glass at Luna with a wide smile.
Liam turned towards his beta with narrowed eyes. The man just ruined the perfect opportunity. But as the pack started murmuring in agreement with the man, the alpha looked away, noticing the way the princess was glaring at Isaac before turning to the person in question. Luna kept her head low, picking on her food as she murmured something senselessly.
It was true that if one observed her, she was much more elegant than the princess herself in her every movement. It only made him more curious as to her origins which for some reason she was unwilling to disclose. Her attention to him seemed momentary at that moment.
'Not tonight, Liam. We can't do anything to Elric.' Isaac's voice pushed through their bond, pulling him out of his thoughts. 'The princess is here.'
'And whose fault is that?' The alpha retorted, turning to his friend with a raised brow.
Isaac shrugged, beaming at him innocently before he continued to gobble down the roast meat on his plate. Liam sighed, shaking his head in defeat. Although his beta was annoying at times, listening to him never hurt his plans. Isaac was not a fool and hence he was willing to let it go. He turned to the guards.
"Escort the Lord out of the hall." He said, nodding towards the minister. "He's done with his dinner."
In a den of wolves, as the only human, the minister was overpowered. If he had any complaints, Elric did not dare to express them. He stood up silently with his head down, leaving the half-eaten dinner at the table as the guards flashed to his side. The moment the enormous doors closed, the rest of his pack turned to him, their eyes reflecting a mixture of emotions.
"Alpha," Fenrin, the oldest member of his pack asked, "Shouldn't we be reporting this to the king?"
Liam didn't bother to look at the man. He understood what was going on in their minds. They were only worried about being branded as traitors like William once was. If it were anyone else, he wouldn't have hesitated before handing them over to the king. But this time, it was different, he thought, glancing at the beauty sitting beside him before finally turning to his plate.
"One word about her." He murmured, loud enough for all the wolves to hear, "and you're dead."
Isaac chuckled, shaking his head as the room suddenly fell silent at the alpha's words. Liam didn't fail to notice the sneaked glance between Fenrin and the princess. Alicia was fuming inside. That much he could decipher from the clenched teeth and the death grip on her fork that was twisting the roast meat in her plate grudgingly.
There was no way that she could have heard what he had said. Yet, there seems to be some sort of an understanding between the princess and his man. He glanced at his beta, who seemed to be munching on his food, blissfully ignorant of what was happening right beside him.
Suddenly, his body stiffened. The pain shot up his chest, quickly spreading towards the left side of his body. It wrenched him out of all thoughts that were passing through his mind only seconds ago. It took every bit of self-control in him to keep himself from screaming out loud.
Though it startled him, Liam was not a stranger to the feeling. Ever since that day, the pain had been a companion to him. He clenched his teeth, letting his growing canines push into his gums to ground himself. The alpha was so good at containing the discomfort that the pack barely noticed anything odd.
Everyone had their eyes glued to their food, consuming their dinner as fast as they could so that they could escape the deafening silence that filled the room. Liam kept his now glowing eyes down, hiding like always from the after-effects of something that the princess considered love.
The veins on his neck protruded, hidden under the high collar of his shirt. As the pain intensified to a burning degree, Liam winced, his eyes shifting to his left hand. He reached out to his left sleeve under the table, rolling it up till his elbows with shaky hands as he watched the familiar markings appear on his skin like runes burned into his very being.
They coiled around his forearm like a snake, spreading up his hand faster than the last time they appeared. They were bright green, like a clear emerald reflecting off the moon's light. As they spiraled up his arm, meeting the blinding pain spreading from his chest, he felt like every inch of his flesh was being torn apart.
The alpha closed his eyes for a second, preparing to resist the push of magic trying to make him bend once again. In the very next moment, his heart clenched as the curse pressed against it with all its force. But this time, it was much stronger than before- knocking his sense out of him in the blink of an eye.
Liam's eyes flew open, glowing a bright shade of green as his gaze focused on a figure sitting at the other end of the table.
Liam's eyes flew open, glowing a bright shade of green as his gaze focused on a figure sitting at the other end of the table. Alicia was glowing like a goddess. Her every movement was graceful like the soft wind. Everything about her was pulling him towards her like a moth drawn to the flame.
His gaze shifted down the contours of her small face, sliding down her silken skin to her slender neck. He couldn't stop himself. As his eyes traveled down her neck to her slightly exposed breasts, Liam felt himself harden.. He could smell the sweetness of her blood all the way from here, mixed with the scent of her skin.