Chapter 41
Later that evening, I found myself sitting at the head banquette table in the main dining hall. After a whirlwind of being escorted around the reception hall by both Lorenzo and the Lycan Luna, I was happy to finally allow my feet to rest. However, I couldn’t quite say the same for my poor nerves.
Even though the Luna, herself, was currently in the middle of making her annual speech amongst the clans, it felt like everyone in the room was staring at me.
“As many, if not all, of you know the famous tale as to how his majesty and I came together under the same Luna Moon that we celebrate every year...”
The reception hour was filled with nothing but ongoing praise for either my apparel or regarding my fierce performance. Thankfully, I hadn’t managed to catch a single sight of Cate since our encounter backstage.
I kept my gaze low, but it wasn’t enough to ignore the ongoing looks. Good God, even the Royal Prince was stealing glances at me from across the table. I shifted in my seat with unease.
Lorenzo reached over my lap to place a calming hand over my fidgeting fingers. “What’s wrong?” he asked quietly.
“Everyone is staring at me,” I whispered back.
Lorenzo stole a quick glance around before leaning back down to speak. “They’re staring at you because they cannot believe how beautiful you are.”
I forced myself to ignore the uncomfortable looks and focused on the speech from our Lycan Luna.
The Lycan Luna had finished her speech by requesting that each Alpha from their own pack present their offerings to the royal family. Many of the alphas presented items such as hand-crafted jewelry to represent inner wealth, while others gave over barrels of freshly harvested fruit.
Once the exchanges were made, the servers proceeded to bring out several gourmet dishes of food from various regions around the world.
As the night rolled on, and the meal had concluded, the Luna stood up from her chair once more and spoke out with a jovial tone. “It is now time for us to take part in one of the most ancient traditions we hold. The hunt.”
Many people in the crowd gave out cheers and roars of excitement. I’d admit to feeling a bit intrigued, considering I had never taken part in a hunt before.
As everyone began to make their way outside, the Lycan Luna turned to rest a hand on my shoulder.
“Now, Eleanor. Because you’ve been officially recognized as Lorenzo’s Luna, you too are expected to join in on the festivities tonight,” she told me with a grin.
My brows lifted in surprise while Lorenzon moved to my side. “Don’t worry, you’re not expected to chase after that wild boar like most of the others enjoy doing. The hunt is mainly about letting your wolf out of its cage and allowing it to run free for a short time.”
It actually sounded quite therapeutic, to be honest. After my intense wave of emotions earlier on stage, my wolf could surely use that bit of escapism.
I’d made it a point to quickly change back into my normal clothing and not risk damaging the gorgeous dress Lorenzo had stitched together for me. Outside, the air was crisp and clean with the luscious scent of pine and earth.
Many of the others were already rushing off to chase after the wild animal they’d set free.
I felt the heat of Lorenzo’s breath brush against my inner neck. “I’ll give you a head start, love,” he purred.
Normally I wouldn’t feed into Lorenzo’s flirtations and simply ignore him. But something about the way he looked under the ethereal glow of the full moon, caused my blood to sizzle with longing and excitement.
“Bring it on, Sterling,” I said.
Without wasting another second, I took off like a bat out of hell. The exhilaration of having the wind breeze through my hair and brush against my body, made me feel more alive than I have in months.
I’d placed a decent amount of distance between Lorenzo and me that when I finally stopped to catch my own breath, there was no one else around. Well, at least I thought there wasn’t.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted something moving amongst the tall trees. At first, I thought it was Lorenzo...But no. Whoever this was, possessed a malicious energy that caused me to feel like I was the one being hunted now.
A dark figure, whose eyes peered alarmingly through the shadows which caused my whole body to freeze.
“Who are you?” I called out.
The wolf didn’t answer. Instead, the unknown man started to stalk closer to me, causing my heart to leap into my throat.
‘We need to leave. We need to leave now!’ My wolf was frantic and maddeningly insistent on us getting away.
I turned to make my getaway but immediately felt a powerful, blood-curdling force strike against my side. The pads of my feet were no longer connected to the ground. I was utterly airborne. Having been instantly thrown off my feet, I came crashing down against a rotting tree trunk and numerous broken-down branches.
Oh God. I could sense that whoever it was was heading straight for me once more. As I struggled to get away again I was met with a brutal shove and lethal claws slicing through the air.
“Stay away from me!”
My intention was to trace back to the camping grounds where I first started. But whoever this was had chased me further into the woods on purpose. Right when I thought I was making a clean break from them, they snatched me by the back of my shirt and threw me against one of the trees.
They curled a strong hand around my neck and dug their nails roughly into my skin.
I’d let out a terrified shriek, hoping that someone would hear my distress.
“Somebody...HELP ME!!” I cried out.
