Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 863: Tense Dinners ()

Neveah sat on the edge of her bed, glancing through a book she had found on the shelf. It recounted great feats of Alphas in conquering rogues and territories. Mostly fables, tales and such.

Alessio arrived then. First came the knock and then he turned the knob and strode in. His eyes found Neveah, but she didn’t acknowledge his arrival.

He said nothing, shutting the door. He ventured in and Neveah paid him no attention, even as he took off his outer robe, draping it over the back of the chair by the bed.

He watched her while he undid his cuffs, and then sat to unlace his boots. He headed into the washroom and emerged sometime later.

"It is already past mealtime. We will be joining Lado and the Eclipse Alphas for dinner." Alessio finally broke the silence.

"A good number of minor Alphas and a few major Alphas have already arrived for the ceremony. The rest will arrive over the next two days so it is to be a full house."

Neveah glanced up at him. He stood by the door of the washroom, clad in nothing else but a loose pair of linen pants, while he dried his hair.

He revealed a small smile when her eyes met his. "I know you don’t prefer to socialise, but you skipped lunch. You should eat."

Neveah returned her attention to the book. "For the baby?" She asked in disinterest.

Alessio’s smile dropped. "There was...a baby." He murmured.

Neveah hummed, a cold ache pulsed in her heart. "Yours?"

He didn’t respond. He didn’t have to. She already knew this was another one of the questions he couldn’t answer.

A moment passed in silence thick with bitterness.

Finally, Neveah asked. "Must I be present?"

"Yes." Alessio replied. "You are my Queen. You will stand by my side."

The title struck a deep sense of displeasure within her, but she didn’t let it show.

Instead, Neveah nodded slowly. "Very well."

__________

The moon ceremony was an annual event that brought together all the Alphas of the Eclipse Domain, regardless of rank of pack size. It was one of the few events where every Eclipse Alpha would be in the same room, sharing stories and experiences as well as building connections and alliances.

The ceremony was to last for three days and would end with a joint celebratory hunt. It was a ritual that had stood for centuries.

In the past decade, the ceremony was commonly hosted in the Eclipse Fang territory, with the royal pack serving as host. This was the first time it would be hosted by a subordinate pack.

The Eclipse Claw Pack was prestigious enough to successfully host the event, hence it was not a decision to be met by protest from the other packs, even if it meant some packs would have to travel a greater distance to get to the Eclipse Claw territory compared to the palace.

An important ritual during this ceremony was the shared dinner between the Eclipse Alphas to foster camaraderie. While the ceremony lasted, the Eclipse Alphas would mandatorily share meals and light conversation to ease the burdens of leadership.

Tonight was the first of many tense and awkward dinners to come.

The dining hall was silent, save for the light conversation exchanged between Alessio, Lado and a few other Alphas.

The long dinner table accommodated just about a dozen Eclipse Alphas. But there was a very clear divide that Neveah did not fail to notice.

This division was not by the obvious major or minor pack rank. It was different. It was based on loyalties.

Most of the Eclipse Alphas had been silent since the dinner began, unless they were directly spoken to by Alessio or Lado.

On the other hand, there were a few chatting away and laughing with reckless abandon and no restraints whatsoever.

It was obvious quite a good number of Alphas still walked on egg shells around Alessio for fear of being on the receiving end of his wrath. Neveah guessed these Alphas, if not directly incriminated by it, had been involved in the rebellion in one way or the other.

Or they had chosen neutrality and watched from the sidelines, earning themselves neither wrath nor praise. Either way, even if they had been spared, they were on Alessio’s blacklist and didn’t dare draw attention to themselves.

These Alphas didn’t contribute to the conversations, and they didn’t share their stories like the others eagerly did. They were instead in much the same situation as Neveah.

The other group, Neveah supposed, were a mix of Alessio’s devoted subordinates and those Eclipse Fang warriors he had elevated to the status of Alpha, despite them having neither right nor claim to their respective packs.

Neveah sat in silence, slowly stirring the bowl of soup. She’d taken a few bites of it when it’d been served, but now it was more of a means to pass time than it was a meal.

Alessio had asked a few times if she would rather have something else. She’d declined but he’d insisted and a variety of dishes joined the table ever so often.

Neveah took a few bites here or there but never lingered on anything. The table was piled with rich delicacies, the scent of flavor and spices lingered. But the dishes all tasted the same to her.

She’d hoped dinner wouldn’t last for too long and she’d be excused soon enough to return to her room. Scott would try to visit tonight, she needed to find a way to let him know to stay away.

If Alessio’s Palace was too heavily guarded to trespass, then the Eclipse Claw palace fell short by only a measure.

Eclipse Alphas were constantly arriving from their respective territories with skilled shifters escorting them, adding to a consistently growing number of warriors in Eclipse Claw territory.

Lado had taken every necessary measure, especially with the rogue attack they’d faced just outside the border of his pack.

Even within the halls of the pack house, there were guards everywhere. Every wing was guarded round the clock. Skilled as Scott was, she would have to warn him off his nightly check-ins.

Particularly now that it seemed Alessio had decided they would be sharing a room. He hadn’t expressly stated it, but Neveah had deduced.

The Eclipse Claw pack house would accommodate over a dozen Alphas and their companions, most of whom held deep seated grudges against Alessio.

There were more than enough opportunities for Neveah to be approached by any one of the strangers displeased with Alessio’s rule.

Alessio wouldn’t take any chances. He also wouldn’t allow it be known that Neveah was not receptive of him as her mate.

As much as it left a bitter taste in the back of her throat, she predicted he would be joined to her at the hip.

It was one thing to get around Lado’s guards and infiltrate a pack house teeming with enemy Alphas that wouldn’t hesitate to kill a winter wolf on sight. But even if Scott could somehow manage all of that, he wouldn’t get past Alessio.

Now that she was stuck here, she hoped Scott would consider the situation carefully and retreat until further notice.

"Your Grace." Lado drew Neveah out of her thoughts.

He’d stolen more than a few glances at her since dinner began. Neveah had tried to ignore his constant stares but she couldn’t help finding it unsettling.

If Alessio took notice of it, he didn’t comment.

But this was the first time Lado addressed her directly. Neveah’s stomach knotted in unease.

Whatever Lado was about to say. It couldn’t be good. She could just tell from the sinister look in his eyes and that sly grin that she would not be getting along with this subordinate of Alessio’s.

Even less than she got along with Alessio himself.

"The Luna dance performed by the highest ranked Lady of the domain is the highlight of the ceremony and more than a few of us look forward to it each year."

"If I recall correctly, Your Grace has performed the dance on every moon ceremony since Queen Vilma retired from participation. I believe we can all agree that Your Grace’s Luna dance is exceptional and unmatched. Shall we expect to be graced with it again?"

Neveah frowned slightly. She didn’t have any idea what Lado was hinting at, but she was not naive enough to believe it was done without ulterior motives.

Neveah glanced over at Alessio. She had made it clear to him she would not be compelled to play the doting wife and revered queen. He’d equally agreed he held no expectations of her.

Lado’s words sounded very much like an expectation.

Alessio cleared his throat lightly. "The Luna of Eclipse Fur Pack performed the dance last year. She is suitable and will be more than willing to do it again."

Neveah returned her attention to her meal. That was enough to end the conversation and shut Lado up, she hoped.

It wasn’t.

"This is however the first Moon Ceremony you will be joining us after a long while. Wouldn’t it be that more meaningful?"