“Any ruler knows that in order to continue moving forward, sometimes you must look back. Right now, I would like to propose a toast to the lost family, Sova.”
A heavy weight settled over the room, one filled with grief, sadness, and respect. Glasses were passed out as every person in the room rose to their feet.
Ero cleared his throat and lifted his glass. “To the Sova family! We will never forget!”
“We will never forget!” the entire room answered as we waited for Ero to take his drink.
“I miss you, old friend,” he said somberly, speaking as though King Sova could hear him, before taking a deep pull of scotch from the crystal glass that was etched with the Volos crest.
I followed suit, relishing in the way the alcohol both burned and warmed my throat. My brother clapped his hand on our father’s shoulder as they both downed their glasses. That was the thing about growing up the way we all did—we were all friends. Our fathers were the same. Despite the fact that it had been over twenty years since the fall of the Sova family, our fathers were all still very affected by the loss.
“Now I’d like those partaking in The Hunt to pay close attention to what I’m about to say. There are some simple guidelines for the event and also how the choosing order will be determined afterward.”
I looked at my best friend to see if he was paying attention and was taken aback when I found him staring at me with a very serious expression. His jaw was clenched hard enough to crack a tooth. I lifted a dark brow at him in question.Are you good?He seemed to break away from his thoughts and remember where we were because his expression morphed and a small dimple popped on the right side of his face as he fought his smirk.
“This hunt will be observed by ravens. Participation and performance will count toward your overall score at the end. A raven will be assigned to each man to keep track of the prey you bring down. This hunt is not only about killing. It’s also about how you conduct yourself and every decision you make could either help or hinder you.”
There was a shift in mood in the room. It was becoming full of excitement and anticipation. With our animals being so close to finally being set free, mentioning killing, prey, or hunting was like striking a match in a hay loft.
“The entire purpose of this event is to ensure our bloodlines continue, and in order for that to happen you must shift and kill. Then, you must also choose a wife to breed. Choose wisely. Trust your animals to guide you to the right choice. It won’t be guaranteed that you’ll get your top pick, but anything could happen.”
The testosterone in the room was at a boiling point without adding women to the mix. I watched Torin roll his shoulders, and every male in the room could see the gleam in his eyes. Beside me, my brother was incessantly itching his arms and my right eye twitched as an image popped into my brain. Me, claiming a woman. Marking her as mine for eternity. I’d rip off the heads of any who would attempt to take her from me. A loud rumble snapped me out of the unwelcome daydream, and I looked around to see what the hell it was.
“Son,” my father said, placing his hand on my shoulder. “You’re growling.” I don’t think I’d ever seen him smile like he was at that moment, full of pride.
I cleared my throat, unsure how I felt. I’d been waiting my whole life for this night, and the closer the time came, the more I was realizing that I might not be the one in control.
King Ero laughed loudly. “Look at you all! Desperate to claim, fuck, and hunt! I cannot wait to watch the hunt, gentlemen. My sorcerer, Corvus, will be relaying the events back to myself and your fathers. The ravens will see everything, and every action you take will be scored. Each of you will list the women in order of your most desired to the least immediately prior to The Choosing Ceremony. We will calculate the scores and then tally the selections. Remember that when you’re out there.”
A few cheers went up as excitement built, and I found my own heart racing. I needed to get the fuck out of here and get my head back on straight.
“Let’s head to the ballroom. Your futures are waiting!” Ero said, leading the way with Torin right behind him.
Whatever was happening within me, there was no stopping it. My skin crawled as we approached the ballroom. Nobody spoke as we moved fluidly as a pack of beasts parading as men. I didn’t want a wife, no matter what my inner beast wanted. The only thing I wanted was to be the best ruler I could for my people. For my kingdom.
And yet, the second the soft scents of vanilla, lavender, brown sugar, peonies, and everything else feminine hit my nose… nothing else mattered. I had to get to them. I needed to see…
“Easy there, Dair,” Torin said with a chuckle that I didn’t appreciate.
I spun around and stepped up to him, putting the two of us nose to nose.
Torin took a step back. “Whoa, what are you doing?”
My chest heaved and I shook my head, flinging away whatever demon was trying to possess me. “Sorry, Torin. I’m feeling… not myself.”
“You’re not the only one. Every male here is ready to pounce,” he whispered, scanning our group as we reached the mezzanine level. With a clear view down into the room, we drank in our first look at the women that were waiting in two neat rows in the center of the room. My first thought was that there were far more women than men. Tables decorated with the different kingdoms’ colors were arranged around the large dance floor.
The women began whispering as more and more of them noticed our presence above them. Thanks to the string quartet, a slow tune started, providing a dark and ambient atmosphere. Torches were lit, and servants were weaving their way through the tables like mice in a maze.
“Follow me down to the middle of the dance floor, I will make a couple of announcements, and then dinner can commence,” King Ero instructed, and not a single male objected to the order. In fact, I was confident we would’ve done whatever was required just to get down there. Closer tothem. Once it was noticed that we were moving, every person in the room stood.
“There are more of them than I thought,” Torin whispered as we descended the grand staircase.
I nodded, not bothering to speak as I continued to scan the room.
“How are we ever going to choose with so many options?” Alden murmured.
“I’m going to have fun figuring that out,” Evander boasted, straightening the cuffs of his jacket.
