Chapter 60
Three servers went around the room and put a wine glass in the hands of every Alpha while another came up and poured the wine.
“Please hold out your glasses and toast with us,”
Elise served Darian first and then the Council members. They swirled the wine and sniffed the aroma which even I had to admit smelled like heaven.
Though I of course was not given a glass, nor was any of the Alpha’s mates.
We, apparently, hadn’t done anything to deserve being celebrated, except give up our lives and any speck of freedom but other than that…
“Don’t be bitter. At least we’re alive,” Trixy said.
“I can’t see that as a win right now,” I answered and let my eyes fall on Iliana and Emanuel for a split second.
All other guests were given wine as well but not the special, celebratory one, though each bottle still cost the same as a small house. The fanciest bottle was reserved for the king and the council members.
They all raised their glasses in a cheer and put their lips on the rim.
Darian took a drink, the red wine stained his lips and a small drop escaped the side of his mouth and fell in a crimson line down his chin leaving behind a faded mark.
He lowered the glass, turned to face me, and flashed me a smile before his eyes turned round and his fingers opened around the glass as it fell from his hand and broke against the floor.
The entire weight of the Lycan king was falling against me and I grabbed his arm to try and steady him while looking into his glossy eyes.
Something red was pooling in his mouth and at first glance it looked like the wine they were drinking. Cherry red with darker hints of chocolate brown. Everyone looked at the wine in their glasses like it was a pool of blood and set them down in a hurry, immediately spitting and coughing, wiping their tongues with their hands and the sigil-stamped napkins.
It took me a good minute to see what was happening. It wasn’t wine that was now spilling from his lips, it was blood that gathered in his mouth that he coughed on. Darian swayed on his feet and a unified gasp echoed in the ballroom reaching up to the high ceiling and shifting the air to that of a nightmare.
Panic ensued. The sound of heels clicking against the marble floor while the women frantically walked around to check on their men echoed in my ears. Still, I didn’t hear anyone else choking and I didn’t smell the metallic scent of blood from anywhere else but from the man I was holding.
I didn’t look around, I was watching him, seeing the life drain from his eyes and seeing the fear and panic spread on his face when he tried to draw a breath but it got stuck in the pool of blood gathered in his air pipe.
“Darian!” Gabriel came running up the stairs. He had rolled up the sleeves on his white dress shirt and the coat was on the floor several steps behind him, lying next to Nora’s feet. Her curls were messy and the pins undone but she fixed her dress and lifted his jacket, her shock-ridden face turned to Darian and everyone was suddenly watching the king fall to his knee.
He was still holding onto my arm where he stood on his knee. He was on the floor, kneeling in front of me, choking on his blood, and watching me- begging me silently to do something.
And I did, I stepped back, his hand slowly fell from my arm and I freed the space for his brother to run up and try to help. At least that was what it looked like to everyone else but in reality, I was giving Gabriel a chance to say goodbye to his brother.
1/2
The Alpha’s Hunt
