A few moments later, Luna Alexandra announced that it was time to pay tribute to those who had sacrificed their lives for peace. The hall stood in silence as the lights dimmed and soft, mournful music filled the space. Luna Alexandra and a few other women, including Trish, stood in the center holding white lanterns and singing a song in honor of the fallen. The lyrics echoed through the hall:
From the sky, what do ye see
On a night so dark and a day so bright
Do ye feel the trees flourish with glee
Where I pray and the birds take flight
Should I blow out the candle and seek peace
When yer honest reply hangs from the leaves
In this moment of serenity, peace
Is what I'll find and release.
Under the trees where I oft do pray
The birds they fly so high in the sky
In the light of day and the night so gray
I'll seek my peace, and let my worries die
So I'll close my eyes and bid thee goodnight
With the birds in the sky and the wind so light
I'll find my peace and rest in delight
For I know that all will be alright.
The serene singing had a profound effect on many of the guests, and only the lights coming back on disrupted their reverie. Caelan was moved by the song, but he suppressed his feelings. In the North songs and dances were not well-received, as they were often associated with magic and believed to be used by witches to lure men. Although his mother may have sung lullabies to him when he was young, he couldn't remember, and he thought it might just be his imagination. Trish had a pensive expression while she sang, and it seemed like she was in a different world, her emotions and thoughts transporting her to another realm. Such transcendent experiences also allowed her to visualize her paintings before bringing them to life on canvas.
The official part of the celebration finally came to a close, and the young people were free to dance while the older generation sat at tables discussing a range of topics from politics to trade. The dancing began, and Trish finally had a glass of wine. She was full of energy and ran to the dance floor, eager for an adventure for the night. She danced with several young Alphas, including Bjorn from the South Raven pack and Josh from the Sun Moon pack, but Trish promised to be a good girl and not mess with Alphas too much.
"Olly," she greeted a young man who had let her into the territory earlier in the day, "what are you doing here?"
"My patrol has ended, and I decided to make an appearance here... with Beta Shaun's permission, of course," he laughed, pleased to be receiving attention from the Alpha's sister.
"Do you want me to proclaim you as a good boy, Olly?" Trish asked, teasing him. Of course Dean wouldn't mind if she had a little fun with one of his mid-rank warriors.
"I'm not sure I was aiming at that?" Olly asked suspiciously. Trish could tell that he was nervous. He was likely a year or two younger than her and was definitely a star student to be promoted to head of patrol so quickly.
Trish felt something was off, as if someone was watching her intently. She scanned the room, not answering Olly, making him wonder if he had said something wrong. She saw her mother and waved at her, but that wasn't the gaze she was searching for. Then she saw Dean also observing her conversation with Olly. She mouthed "What?" but he just laughed and turned away. The feeling persisted. She looked towards the Northerners table and saw Alpha Caelan standing in front of the chairs, talking to someone and staring at her.
Fair enough... This was becoming rude. Trish didn't mind being the center of attention, but she was too impatient to ignore the guy she had liked at first. It was also too good an opportunity to miss - he was basically devouring her with his gaze and doing nothing. He must be either a weirdo or a dangerous, maniacal person. She knew that his Alpha status made the latter more likely, but she still wanted to see for herself.
"Hey, Olly, you know what, I'll catch up with you later," Trish said suddenly. "Do you know the small fountain in the far left corridor from that door?"
"Yeah, no problem," Olly replied, taken aback by her abrupt change. Perhaps, he had done nothing wrong.
"Can you meet me there in half an hour?" Trish continued. "You can tell me all the naughty things you've been doing lately, so I don't think of you as a good guy, okay?"
"I... I guess," Olly stammered.
"Don't forget the wine!" Trish said as she walked away. She loved the effect she had on people. She also laughed, thinking how lucky Olly must feel.
Trish went directly to Caelan. She took her time, holding a glass and moving towards him slowly. He noticed her immediately and froze, his muscles tense under his clothes. She paused every now and then to make small talk, but almost always kept her eyes on him. Trish wanted him to know she was after him. She wanted Alpha Caelan to feel like prey.
Caelan felt it and found it amusing. She must have thought highly of herself to think she could play with an Alpha. Or she could be dumb, but that seemed unlikely. She was more like someone who loved a good challenge, and he was all for it. Caelan waited for her approach.
"I don't think we were introduced," Trish said politely.
"No, we weren't," his voice was deep, very calm and flowy. She was taken aback, as most Alphas sounded... well, like Alphas. All of them had a strong and unyielding tone, but this man's voice was more pleasant and soothing, like hot chocolate slipping down your throat.
"I'm Trish, Alpha Arne's daughter. Well, he's no longer an Alpha. My brother, Dean, is now. I was offering my congratulations to him just before you entered the hall," she said, smiling sweetly, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. Her gaze was fakely naive as she looked at him.
"Alpha Caelan of the Great North pack," he wouldn't take her bait, he wouldn't give her any details. He scanned the room and saw that they had caught the attention of a few guests, including Alpha Bjorn, Alpha Josh, and Alpha Dean. He didn't care much about her brother, and he didn't care an inch about the other two from the South. There were mere pups attempting to play in the realm of grown-ups. Had he lingered his gaze a moment longer, he would have noticed Luna Alexandra's piercing gaze fixed upon her daughter.
"How do you like it in the East? I see you're no longer in need of your fur coat," she said with a cheeky smile.
"Yes, people here don't seem to mind covering up less," Alpha Caelan replied coldly.
"Are you going to burn us for that, Alpha?" she asked defiantly, staring into his eyes.
He took a deep breath and just like that, Alpha Caelan finally caught her scent. It was unlike any he had smelled before and it was most notably not a common scent for the North. It was a light, almost impossible to identify fragrance that consisted of fresh mint, sweet basil, and a honeyed melon aftertaste. Despite its delicate nature, Alpha Caelan couldn't help but be drawn to it. He didn't drink much but he felt light-headed. His pupils had dilated and he wanted more, struggling to resist the urge to get closer and bury into Trish's neck, simply smelling her.
Although only a few seconds had passed, Trish thought she had lost Alpha Caelan's attention. She looked at him quizzically and then, without thinking, allowed herself a liberty of taking his hand with both of hers. She wasn't sure what had driven her to do so, but there was no going back now.
"Ground control to Alpha Caelan," she said with an apologetic smile. "Come on, Alpha Caelan, it was just a joke. Today is a Celebration of Peace. Let's not fight. I am inviting you to dance with me," she said, leading him towards the dance floor. But as she tried to push his hand further, she realized that he wasn't budging.
Dropping his hand, she shrugged her shoulders. This seemed to snap Alpha Caelan back to reality.
"It may be a celebration of peace, but you,it seems, chose violence today," he said with a smirk, approaching her. Ashe passed her, he took her hand. "Sure, let's dance. And then I'll decidewho gets burned for what."
YOU ARE READING
My magic is for you, Alpha
Werewolf"He remained silent as he gazed upon her. He awaited her to initiate the conversation. If he was taken aback, he didn't show it, though a flicker of emotion passed in his eyes. This girl who had plagued his dreams, who had insulted and rejected him...
