After Obliteration

■Chapter 5■

  I had just finished getting ready when I heard a knock on my door. Glancing at myself in the mirror one last time to make sure I was presentable, my eyes caught on the tiny piece of paper wedged in the corner. I mouthed the words I knew by heart, a silent warning to myself, sighed, and opened the door.  

   Xacian was waiting on the other side. He had come to pick me up, so that we could arrive to the dining room at the same time to present ourselves. Upon seeing me, his mouth parted slightly and he gaped. Being an Alpha, he wasn't speechless for long. " You look...amazing." He smiled sweetly. 

The red of my dress matched the ruby that represented my pack. Three-quarter length sleeves sat just below my elbows, while the curved neckline showed little cleavage, but enough to make me semiconscious. The form-fitting dress gently let loose low around my hips and ended just below my knees. I had done my hair with wide, relaxed curls and my makeup was natural. Only the red lipstick was obvious. 

I was about to meet people that Father had kept me hidden from my entire life. I should at least look presentable. 

  I'd never admit that wasn't the only reason I was dressed up just for this occasion.

"Thank you, Alpha." It was customary to address an Alpha by his title, unless you're a member of his family, until you become a married couple. It's a sign of respect.

Holding out his arm, Xacian led me down the hall, "Let's get this over with."

I could only nod.

We were fashionably late, as we were the couple being celebrated, and the food had already been laid out. Venison and other delicacies lined the table. My fiancè pulled out my chair and we sat down.

Looking up and down the table, I wasn't surprised to find not only my mother missing, but her doctor was as well. I'll have to visit her tomorrow.

The woman in front of me spoke," Azula, dear girl. You probably don't remember me, do you? You and your sister were only a couple of years old."

   I tried to smile gently, but it felt forced. "I'm sorry. Are you one of Mother's friends?"

"Why, yes. I'm Luna Percellin of the Topaz Pack."

Ah, so she was the Luna of my mother's old pack, the one right below ours. Her mate was my uncle. Her sons, my cousins.

"How's your mother ?" Her eyes were worried.

"I believe she's recovering. The doctors say she has stopped getting worse."

To my right, Xacian put his hand on my knee and squeezed without pausing in his conversation with my uncle and a few other Alphas. They were talking about rising tensions in the lower ranked packs and a possible break in the war between us and the Obliterators.

There was a slight hitch in my breath when I continued speaking, and I saw the man next to me smile. "She will be attending the wedding, so you'll be able to visit with her."

"Oh, that would be lovely," Luna Percellin sighed. She smiled and placed her hand over mine. "You look fantastic, by the way."

"Thank you," I automatically responded.

"You wouldn't happen to be dressed up for someone, oh... let's say, other than the guests?" She threw a quick glance at Xacian and waggled her eyebrows at me.

Smiling, I tried to hide my blush at being caught by taking a sip of my water, but Xacian had already saw it and smirked.

Luna Percellin coughed to regain my attention and began grilling me on the wedding arrangements. She asked me about everything from my dress to the decorations. All while the Alphas next to me began getting aggravated by the opinions of the others. Their suggestions more forceful.

I answered the best I could, but Xacian's mother held no love for me and thought I was inept. She had been making all of the arrangements and refused my help or opinions on the colors or designs. I was embarrassed by the fact that I could barely answer her questions due to my lack of involvement. I sighed. She'd probably scold me for that later.

At the thought of Xacian's mother, I glanced down the table to see a group of older ladies surrounding her. Probably asking her about the wedding.

"What would you love in a wedding cake?" Luna Percellin didn't let up.

"I don't actually love the taste of cake. But I would prefer an ice cream one. They taste the best."

"An ice cream cake at a wedding?" Mrs. Mendel sounded angry.

"No worries. I would never intrude on your ability to plan my wedding Mrs. Mendel." I gave her a light smile to lessen the insult. Xacian chuckled.

My groom's mother raised her eyebrows at me. "How ungrate-." She was cut off by a man's raising voice.

"Maybe we're losing the war because, even after the Obliteration, we aren't realizing that our tactics are flawed. When we send men to flank our enemy from every side, our troops are spread thin, and we basically sacrifice anyone we send into enemy lines." One Alpha remarked.

"Would you rather we attacked full-on, with no battle strategy?" Alpha Siler asked.

That's not what I meant," the first Alpha, Xacian whispered his name to me, Kenly, began to explain.

"What are you trying to get across then?" Said Alpha Siler.

Alpha Kenly mimicked Siler's challenging tone. "I meant, that maybe we should try flanking our enemies from only two sides and send reinforcements while they're fighting to boost morale."

"Then you'd still be spreading soldiers thin. You're not really solving anything." Alpha Siler sneered.

Kenly stood, slamming his fist on the table, eyes blazing. "But it wouldn't be sending as many to a coffin!"

The reverberations from Kenly's fist knocked my water glass into my lap, dousing me.

Xacian tensed and started growling at the other Alpha.

Using one hand to attempt to hold him down, I knew that if he wanted to stand I could never stop him, and the other to turn his face towards me, I tried to get my betrothed's attention.

"Xacian," I murmured. "It's alright. It was an accident. Alpha Kenly didn't mean to spill water on me, and it's just water. It'll dry."

He stopped growling.

Xacian then excused us and grabbed my hand, leading me out of the dining room.

He lead me down the hall to the door outside. At the door he turned to me. "Let's go for a walk."

I shook my head and pulled my hand out of his, backing away. "You know I can't."

A shadow ran over his face. "When we're mated, you can go outside whenever you like."

A bright smile lit up my face.

"Thank you, Alpha."

"Xacian."

"Xacian."

A/N Just in case anyone was confused, corundum is just a fancy name for a ruby.