Chapter 13: The Banquet

I couldn’t breathe. Walking down the steps into the lobby of Dorian’s home to the three alphas had the air leaving my body.

Especially with the elixir making me feel everything. I could sense them, how they felt seeing me too, and it only added to everything going on inside me.

I was hot and flushed in an instant.

“Wow. You three look…” I didn’t even finish my sentence, just took in another much-needed breath.

Dorian wore brown leather pants, a brown leather vest with a tree as an emblem carved into it. His shirt was a cream muslin and accentuated the V of his chest. He had on a twisted branch crown that looked similar to the headpiece I wore.

Zach was in black, which wasn’t all that surprising. Black leather pants. Black vest with swirling vines into it. His black shirt underneath was trimmed in gold and matched the cloak he wore.

Atticus wore brown leather pants and a muslin shirt with no vest or cloak.

And somehow all three of them looked delicious, stirring my core in nonsensical ways. I should be starving, desperate to do anything other than fuck. But thanks to the elixir and probably my own deprived libido, the idea of skipping dinner to enjoy my alphas was much more intriguing.

“You look like a true luna in that dress, Sweet Siren,” Dorian whispered, coming over and pressing a kiss to the back of my hand. It was like little sparks on my skin.

I smiled wide, and Zachariah came over to press his lips to my forehead, putting his arm through mine.

“Let’s go make an appearance so we can pretend we’d rather be there for a moment, hmm?”

I grinned and nodded, not worried that he had read my thoughts on my expression.

My stomach knotted in all the delicious ways as Atticus abandoned formalities and pulled my lips to his.

He had to pull me up so I could reach him, and having his body against mine only further heightened the elixir’s effects. It was going to be a long banquet if I couldn’t control my need for them.

“We should go,” Dorian interrupted. Atticus reluctantly put me down, and Zach put his arm back through mine. Dorian opened the door for me, and I went through with Atticus behind to watch our backs. They seemed to watch it that little bit closer after Silas finding me.

We went inside the huge building that was hosting the banquet. It was so warm and inviting. Music played, people were laughing, and tables were filled with smiling faces.

It was much lighter than it had been before at the vine swinging.

Food was laid out over the tables, rich in color and scents. I took a deep breath in, and my mouth watered. The smell of roast pork, gravy, ale, and smoke permeated the air.

Dorian led us to the front table where there was a large chair at the middle of the table, directly in front of the large slain elk carcass.

I tried not to grimace, but I had to admit, I wasn’t as hungry in that moment.

Not for food at least.

I sat down in the seat next to Dorian. Atticus sat next to me, his hair shaved at the sides with the longer top that was usually messy, braided down his back.

Zach had slicked back his black hair, or at least attempted to, but it always had an unkempt look about it that I found quietly alluring.

Dorian had the neatest hair. And the softest. It was a rich brown, long to his pecs with curls at the ends. He had it in a half-up half-down style tonight, and I grinned thinking about pulling it free and having it dangle over me as he entered me.

I sucked in a breath at the power in my wayward thoughts. I clamped my thighs shut and cleared my throat, looking down at my lap as my pulse raced. My heart thumped in my ribcage.

Damn that elixir.

Dorian stood, Zachariah on the other side of him. “Wolves of Forest Pack. We feast in honor of the Blood Moon ritual and the great hunt. Let us eat, fuck, and drink until we cannot,” Dorian announced.

Well, it was straight to the point.

The pack cheered and banged their ale cups on the table before chugging. Then they started in on the food, carving at cooked chickens, pigs, and serving massive helpings of potatoes and vegetables.

I wasn’t even sure where to start.

I looked around the room, impressed by what they had done. Lanterns hung on the beams, vines too. The walls had elk antlers all over them.

The band in the corner played guitars and ukuleles, beating leather over a barrel—the drumming beat so loud I felt like it was a part of my body.

But it was just the elixir at work.

I peered over at Dorian. He was putting things on my plate, murmuring to Zachariah about the pack.

I tuned out, my body still burning. And it was getting worse.

“Eat, Fox. You’ll need your strength for what I plan to do to you later,” Atticus grinned, winking as he ate.

“Later?” I questioned slyly, not meaning for it to come out as an invitation—but it did, and it was too late.

I licked my lips and picked a carrot from my plate, nibbling the end, avoiding his hungry stare.

Dorian leaned in closer. “Your scent is very strong. What about this banquet is making you damp, Sweet Siren?”

I choked on my carrot, then put it down, wiping my mouth clear—then my forehead because it was starting to dampen as much as my pussy.

I swallowed hard, not wanting to tell on Dawn for what she gave me. I looked for some kind of excuse to get out of telling him.

“Shall we dance, Little Red?” Zachariah came to my rescue, standing and holding his hand out to me.

I grinned and jumped up, grabbing his hand in mine.

I followed him to where there was a dancing space in front of the band. A few other wolves had already started dancing, so it wasn’t awkward at all.

Zachariah pulled me against him, one hand in mine, the other on my waist. His body against mine had me tensing. My thighs throbbed at the center, and I leaned my head on his chest.

“What did you take, Little Red?” he whispered, his lips by my ear making me shiver.

I bit my lip, refusing to answer. He chuckled and moved us easily to the music. “I won’t tell. But I do know you have had something.”

“It was green,” I murmured against him.

He chuckled. “Oh, Little Red, what a dangerous game to play with three alphas lusting after you. Were you told what it would do?”

I nodded. “Heighten my senses. Make me in control of my scent and lust. Although I don’t feel very in control right now.”

I shivered as if to prove my point. Zachariah chuckled again. “You are going to be wet for hours.” His voice was husky as he spoke. He lowered his hand down my waist, resting it on my backside. “And you will feel everything we do to you, everything we feel for you.” He was still using that seductive tone that was like an electric shock on my clit.

“Can you fix it?” I panted against him.

He pulled my mouth to his, kissing me softly. “I can. By making you come until it burns through the elixir. But I might have some fun too, Little Red, and let you feel the effects for a while.” He kissed my cheek.

I almost whimpered. I leaned into him, pressing myself against him, feeling his hardness on my stomach even between our clothes.

“Distract me,” I cleared my throat, even just the feel of our hands clasped starting to feel like it was too much. Especially since Atticus had started to notice us together and probably sensed exactly how I felt.

“How would you like me to do that?” He spun me, twirling me away before bringing me back in with a harsh tug against his length. I bit my lip, stopping the moan from escaping.

“Tell me what you thought when you first saw me. What made you pick me? Was it just my scent?”

Zachariah shook his head. “Your scent is different, I won’t deny that. But as I told you before, Little Red, that defiance and fire in your eyes is something I have been looking for. My pack is not like this one. They are slightly more docile. They don’t care about much and enjoy the simple life. They know how to have fun. The problem is they have no fight because nothing matters enough to fight for it. They live for what they are feeling in the moment.”

“And that’s a bad thing?”

Zachariah shrugged, turning us again as more of the pack joined the dance floor.

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“No. Not really. Unless you want to build something that has anything of value. I have found that commitment isn’t something they honor very well. I’ve tried to maintain monogamous relationships, but it does not work in my pack. Not when they don’t see it as an important status to uphold. Their loyalty goes as far as trusting me to lead the pack and fight for it on behalf of them.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, not sure what else to say.

“Don’t be. I’m not. But that fight for what you want, for a future, that is what lured me in, Little Red. Your scent was just a bonus. Something I’m sure you will explain to us when you are ready.”

I tensed. I wasn’t sure I would ever be ready. It was something I wasn’t sure could be explained. I wasn’t sure how I was what I was or why I had gotten my whole family killed over a dumb song.

But it was my truth and one I was happy to let stay hidden for a while at least.

“My turn with Fox,” Atticus came over, grumbling as he stopped Zachariah from moving me away.

Zachariah kissed me softly but deeply, and my breath caught. He pulled away and chuckled, “Enjoy the effects, Little Red, they’re only going to get worse.” He walked off then, and Atticus pulled me into him. He was much bigger and moved nowhere near as gracefully.

I grinned as he just moved us from side to side, knocking people out of the way if they got too close.

“There is no dancing where you are from?” I asked as we stumbled against each other again.

He shrugged, his eyes shifting away from me like I had hit a nerve—one I hadn’t known existed.

“Not really. Music isn’t as accepted in my pack.”

Hmm. Mine either, really.

“I can’t dance either,” I laughed. He grinned and picked me up, holding me with his forearm around my waist and our hands clasped together. He started swinging me around the dance floor with no rhythm, grinning as we did.

I laughed until he set me down again and kissed me harshly. He pulled back and met my eyes, “The Moon Goddess is either very mean or very kind for putting you in our path, Fox.”

His murmur filled me with warmth, and I smiled up at him, swaying to the melody that filled the banquet hall.

“Kind. If I hadn’t been put here, Silas would have caught me.” I shivered at the thought.

“You’ve really known no other life than a vamp prison?” he asked quietly.

“I remember bits from when I was little. The mountain we lived in and my family. But it feels surreal now, and sometimes I wonder whether those memories are memories at all,” I admitted.

Atticus moved with me against him, “We’ll show you everything, Fox. Whether it is to make your choice or not. We’re going to give you everything you should have had.”

I leaned back to look at him, “Why? I just met you all. Why are you making such binding promises?”

Atticus smirked and cupped my face, “Because I fuck, Fox. On the full moon, on the blood moon, on every other day of our lunar cycle, I fuck, and I can’t for the life of me remember who they were or what they looked like when I bedded them. But your face, as soon as I saw it, was carved into my memory and wouldn’t leave. Like you were meant to be there, I was meant to save you.”

“But we fuck. How do you know you’ll remember me if I choose another? Won’t I just be like the others then?”

He chuckled and shook his head, “Not possible. I remember your scent in my sleep, your face in my dreams. The thought of you getting hurt makes me murderous, and every time I share you, I want to rip their throats out. But after they have pleasured you, of course.” I laughed at that, “Fox. It is what is meant to be. I think all three of us were meant to be there that night.”

I held his hand as it cupped my face, “I think the same thing. Which is why I have no idea how I am meant to choose.” I sighed and leaned against him, swaying to the music with him.

Atticus kissed the top of my head but said nothing.

Dorian came over next. Atticus didn’t argue—just let him have me. I felt his anger and jealousy as if it were my own thanks to the elixir. I also felt Dorian’s need to have me close.

He pulled me in, dancing with me in memorized steps that moved us easily and elegantly across the dance floor.

“Sorry I took so long to rescue you from the others,” Dorian smiled, “I had to talk to the pack about why there were other alphas dancing with you. And kissing you.”

I grimaced, “Sorry. I didn’t even think how that would look for you.”

“Don’t be sorry, Sweet Siren. You can kiss any of us whenever you like. We are yours.”

I smiled and held him tighter. His hand on my waist was warm as we moved, and the tingling beneath my skin got worse.

“Dorian…” I started, not sure how to ask, “Would you be seen as weaker or get in trouble with the pack if I were to choose you? Because I’m human?”

He shook his head, his lips pursed, “No. The opposite. Your scent makes mine stronger. Our fates are linked, and essentially I am competing with two other alphas—a competition handed down by the Moon Goddess herself. If anything, it’d be worse if you didn’t. I would be seen as weaker.”

“Oh.” I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

“Don’t let that play on your mind though. You are free to make your decision, Sweet Siren. I will deal with my pack accordingly.” He kissed the top of my head, and his hand lowered.

“Can you explain it to me? So I understand the competition side of things,” I whispered.

Dorian tensed, then nodded, “Nothing was given to me. I had to earn my birthright. Yes, my family has carried the alpha lineage for years, but they made sure every generation earned it. To be an alpha is to be stronger than the others, to be able to protect everyone in the pack. If I am not the strongest, how could I do that?”

“But to have to constantly prove that is harsh.”

“It is. Proving myself at every step is a relentless duty, but one I must honor.”

I looked up at him, pulling him in for a kiss, “You are the most hardworking, sincere, loyal person I’ve met, Dorian. You deserve to be alpha—whether they believe it or not.”

He grinned down at me and kissed me again.

It tipped me over the edge and I moaned against him. He pulled me in, deepening the kiss. We came to a stop on the dance floor, his arms around me, mine around his shoulders.

I kissed him fully then leaned in by his ear, “Would it be unlike an alpha to find somewhere for some alone time?” I asked.

He chuckled and led me out of the banquet hall to the forest outside. On the way out, I indicated for the other two to follow with a beckoning of my finger.

Atticus moved faster than I had ever seen him move. Zachariah was much more graceful and followed in his own time.

Dorian lifted me onto his shoulder, smacking my ass as he carried me far enough away from the main building that we had some privacy but close enough that our spot was still dimly lit by celebratory lanterns.

Dorian was on me as soon as we got to whatever spot he was aiming for. His kiss crushed me into the tree and I sighed against him. He lifted my leg against his hip and sighed as his lips trailed down my neck.

I clawed at his clothes, taking them off with rushed, desperate movements. My body was on fire and I couldn’t escape it. I needed them like it was the heat again.

Atticus came over, already stripping off his shirt. Zachariah just smirked and met my eyes knowingly.

He knew I’d had the elixir. He knew I would get this desperate.

It didn’t take long for all of our clothes to be forgotten and me to be riding Dorian. I pushed him onto the ground and sunk onto him, desperate and chasing a finish line that kept getting further away.

I was damp with sweat, the pleasure tight and coiled in my veins—but my body refused to release.

Dorian reached down and played with my clit, sending me further into the depths of ecstasy. Atticus came over and stroked his cock in front of me, teasing my mouth with it until I opened wide for him.

I hadn’t sucked a cock so big before—the feeling unnatural until I got a rhythm going. And still my body stayed locked and loaded, refusing to release.

I groaned irritably as heat made my skin sticky.

Zachariah came over then, finally after watching for so long—and kissed me. There was something minty in his mouth, and I moaned the instant it touched my tongue.

My body snapped, and I cried out against the kiss, riding Dorian harder, pumping Atticus with my fist as well as I could.

I reached down with my other hand and took over Zachariah’s strokes of his own cock too.

He smirked at me, giving me another kiss.

“Mint. Deactivates the elixir, Little Red. Better?” he asked as I shuddered, my pussy clamping down, the orgasm of a lifetime suffocating me in flame.

I nodded, the heat and effects rolling through me until the alphas let go too, their cum shooting over me. Atticus aimed at my chest, Zachariah, still mostly clothed, with his cloak on, filling my hand. Dorian claimed my pussy, emptying himself inside, burying deep with a loud growl.

My body sagged forward, and I let out a sigh.

“I may have taken an elixir, and it may have been too much for me to handle,” I gave a slight chuckle, standing on shaky legs from Dorian.

He frowned and did himself up. I righted my skirts, which were still on, and looked away, edging closer to Zachariah, who had already known.

“You shouldn’t take anything from the wolves. You’re human. Or something close to one. Our elixirs are not meant for humans.”

I frowned, but had I been given it?

Atticus handed me a cloth that he had ripped off his shirt. I wiped the cum from my hand and chest.

“Your scent isn’t as human as you think, Fox. It may have confused a friendly face,” Atticus said, somehow knowing what I was thinking.

So did Dorian—“Because I have had to earn my reputation, the pack will do as they’re told. They won’t harm you, Sweet Siren. Not willingly.”

I nodded and slowly started heading back to the banquet hall, mainly so I could wash my hands and chest.

The alphas followed, and the leftover embers of the elixir and the pleasure the alphas gave me hummed beneath my skin. It felt damn good.

I went back inside with them, washed my hands and chest, then sat back down in the hall.

The festivities were still thriving. More of the pack were dancing and laughing.

Some were even singing along to the music of the band.

I couldn’t help the tension in my muscles return at that.

Dorian excused himself to go to the pack, joining them in their celebrating. Zachariah hung back at the table. But I needed a moment. I went to the river outside, splashing water on my face. I could hear the singing even from where I was.

I took a few deep breaths, then went back inside. Everyone had joined in, singing, laughing, smiling. It was what singing did. It brought joy.

My throat clogged, my breath hitching as my eyes stung with unshed tears. I wanted to use my voice so damn badly. But it was not something I could risk. Not when I had gotten my family killed because of it.

I wouldn’t get the alphas killed because of it too.

I leaned against the wooden door frame, not ready to immerse myself fully in the crowd yet, not sure I could hold back the tears when I heard my name.

“Kassie.” It was Atticus. He was striding toward me, and he looked like he was about to cry too.

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