****
The Victory Ball gets off to a rousing start. Each Alpha takes his Luna onto the dance floor, and we perform a flawless waltz as the first dance of the evening. The Lunas all look stunning, yet I know that there is something going on with them. They insisted that they all get dressed together in the same suite, no alphas to be present. My suspicions were reinforced when Sloane, Ember and Jade got dressed in there, too. That was odd.
With the floor open to everyone now, we watch to see who asks who to dance. I glance over and Taria catches my eye. She nods to her right, and I see Ember standing close to Taria’s shoulder. As I watch a young male, an extremely fit and handsome young male walks towards Ember, but before he gets close enough to speak, Ember’s bat twitches.
I have difficulty stifling the laugh that wants to burst forth when I see the look of utter panic and abject fear on his face when it twitches. He turns and retreats as fast as he can respectably do so.
Signaling to Taria to meet me on the dance floor, I excuse myself from Fenya, and explain that I have a matchmaking mission to attend to. Once on the floor with Taria, I explain that if she orders Ember to dance with the next male that asks her, I’ll have a suitable candidate ready to ask.
As we turn to walk off the floor and execute our plan, Taria stops us and raises her eyebrows as she looks toward Ember. Ember is looking around the room, obviously searching for someone. When she sees them, we can’t tell who she is focused on. Watching her nod toward her feet, we are stumped.
She looks out across the floor once more. Opens her eyes wide and again nods at her feet. She is gritting her teeth so hard that we can see her jawline quiver.
We walk back to Taria’s place at the table, but only because we might be able to see who she is so focused on. As I hold the chair for Taria, we both see a young male, absolutely terrified, shaking his head at Ember. She is furious, and I can’t believe it when she stamps her foot and then points at the floor in front of her with her bat!
Clearly beaten into submission, he walks slowly through the throng on the dance floor and appears to get smaller and smaller as he approaches. Once in front of Ember, he looks into her eyes. She gives him the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on anyone, leans forward and states, “About damn time, Ezra.”
Shoving her bat into what can only be described as a sheath on her leg, she takes his hand and leads him to the dance floor. As she stands there, she takes his other hand and places it on her hip, then takes the classic dance pose. The other dancers immediately move away, and wherever Ember leads Ezra, they have ample space around them.
Taria shakes her head, and I have to ask, “Who was that poor male that Ember just forced onto the dance floor?”
“That my dear Lyle, is one of my gardeners. He is the sweetest, shyest male you could ever imagine. She’s going to eat him for breakfast.”
“I don’t think so, Taria. Have you seen the look in their eyes? She may have had to bully him into asking her to dance, but they are the most chosen mates I have ever seen. It may be their first dance, but I don’t believe that it is theirfirst dance,if you understand me.”
Watching them more closely, Taria claps her hands together and giggles happily. Bronze gives me a glare, and I grin. “I’ll let Tariaexplain, my friend.” Holding my hands up in mock surrender I go back to my Fenya.
Chapter 35
LYLE
The Victory Ball was a tremendous success and was enjoyed by everyone. It went on until the early hours, and the dining hall is only now starting to show signs of filling up with breakfast diners. I doubt that many will require lunch as it’s so late.
Gabe has arranged for a gathering of all the pack leaders and their guests for twelve noon, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a few had to be roused from their beds even at that time. Being the first to join Gabe and Tati, Fenya and I chat with them as diners arrive. It is clear to see that some have forged new friendships, and even relationships since they arrived or attended the ball.
Ember and Ezra are sitting at a quiet corner table, alone and looking very comfortable with each other. They are also sitting very close. As I watch, they clear their table and head out of the Hall. Smiling, I notice something amiss but can’t put my finger on it. Fenya nudges me, and as I tear my eyes away, shewhispers, “Are you jealous, Lyle? You haven’t taken your eyes off them since we walked in.”
“What? No, of course not. There’s something different though, and I can’t think what it is!” Listening to Fenya giggle, I frown.
“You males can be so dim-witted at times. If she were in the training area or going into battle, you would notice immediately. She doesn’t have her bat with her!”
“Ha! I knew there was something. Why wouldn’t she have her bat with her? I’ve never seen her without it.” That thing, in one form or another, has been with her since Bronze presented her with the first one all that time ago.
“Clearly, my dear, she wants Ezra to be comfortable with her as a female, and not as a Bat Warrior of the Luna Protection Detail.” Fenya looks at me with raised eyebrows and shakes her head.
“Why would she…Oh! OH!”
“And finally, the penny drops. Sometimes, Lyle, you can be sooo slow,” Fenya giggles again, and I don’t think I’ll ever tire of hearing that sound.
“Gabe, how many of your pack found mates last night?” I ask, knowing that three of mine did.
“Five in total. I’m pleased with that. They were obvious matches too. Not like Ember and Ezra? I’m happy for them, though. Taria will be over the moon.”
“Taria is ecstatic about that match!” A voice interrupts from behind us. Turning, we see Taria and Bronze, each holding a tray of breakfast food. Slipping into seats at the table, Taria glows with excitement. “We had three matings last night, and if there’d only been Ember and Ezra, I would be just as happy. They deserve each other.”
Watching Taria tuck into her food, I wonder where she puts it all. Bronze sees me and grins.
“We burned a lot of calories last night.” Smiling a salacious grin at me, he too tucks into his breakfast. It seems a good night was had by all.
