Madeline's POV
My usual boisterous personality was shadowed after I met Demetrius, the warmth that spread through me when our hands touched overwhelmed me in a way that had me cowering, how could one person emit so much body heat?
Demetrius was a perfect image of masculinity, and this intimidated me to my core. How old was the Werewolf king? I wondered as I remember studying his features.
I spent the rest of the night avoiding any further altercations with the Werewolf king, afraid of the outburst that would occur if we crossed paths once again. My father wasn't pleased, he wore a sourpuss expression for the rest of the duration of the ball, obviously disappointed in the circumstances that previously transpired, that were my fault.
It was close to eleven in the night when there was a clang of glass against glass and in unison the chatting amongst leaders and their relatives died to a close as we turned to face the High Priestess standing on box by the entryway of the ballroom.
"This has been a wonderful evening and I am so pleased you all could join me tonight on such short notice." She greeted, there were smiles all around as everyone watched Cressida say her speech.
The Divine Coven has no enemies, no species that resented them and no species that they resented, aside from fairies, that was why they were so well respected in our society and why the High Priestess herself was regarded as the leader of leaders, the big bad bitch herself.
"It's not often I call a meeting, as you know. But there was some rather extraordinary news that I would like to share with you all and although this was supposed to be declared over a dinner, I will have to make due now with what we have. I'm retiring."
All too quickly there were gasps resounding the walls of the ballroom, the shock flew through the air and I stood next to my father, confused. The High Priestess giggled and took a sip of her drink, I think it was some expensive wine, not like the kind Mika had be downing all night long. "I've been in office for the last eight centuries, I've watched leader after leader sit at my table, bare children to replace them and the cycle repeats and now I think it's my turn."
"You're a bit old to have kids don't you think Cressida?" The Vampire leader, Zaros, called out. The group laughed, including Cressida and I couldn't help but join in with a light giggle. He wasn't wrong, Cressida wasn't exactly in the perfect shape to be knocked up.
"Yes you're correct Zaros, but my heir has already been chosen and could unfortunately not make it tonight for ball, but will be attending the dinner tomorrow night. This is a momentous occasion and one that will not occur again until your great great GREAT grandchildren are probably old and frail like me. So drink, dance and celebrate because I know that I will." She finished, calling an end to her speech as she tipped back her glass and downed the rest of the soft yellow alcoholic beverage.
The crowd cheered for her before going back to discussing separately with one another to fawn over the news, music started playing softly in the background and the lights dimmed ever so slightly to get an atmosphere perfect for the occasion.
I watched as Zaros approached his wife and held out his hand for her to take, she gave him her hand and he kissed her knuckle lightly before pulling her into his embrace to began swaying slowly to the music, it made my heart flutter to see a love so passionate.
"I heard you tripped over your own feet." Mika came up to my side and rested her arm on my shoulder for support. Mika was much taller than I was and could rest her arm comfortably much to my disliking. "Way to embarrass the family." She added.
"You don't think getting drunk at one of the most important events of our time is embarrassing?" I bit back, I didn't move away from her, knowing all too well that she would lose her balance without the support from my shoulder.
She leant down next to my head, her breath laced with alcohol fanned my face and I winced. "Listen to me kitten, you being here makes a mockery of our people. You make us look weak, you made dad look weak in front of our worst enemy before, I saw the look on his face when you put him in that position, it's shameful."
I bit my lip. I knew she was only saying this because of the alcohol but the pain it sent through my body didn't consider that factor, my feelings had been hurt. I sighed. "The only thing that's shameful here is you for thinking your drunken stupor is the kind of representation appropriate for the next leader of our clan, you've been at the bar all night but I have to socialise with the leaders? That's not my responsibility, it's yours. Stop blaming me for everything that happens." I spat back, this time I stepped forward and Mika's arm slung off my shoulder which caught her off guard. I said what needed to be said.
"You're a bitch." She hissed before pushing me with her shoulder as she walked away from me and out of view, I sighed once again but this time it was as if I were letting my guard back down, I could relax with her gone.
"Would you care to dance?"
I gasped, not expecting anyone to be within earshot of me, I followed the voice to my right where Demetrius stood before me, his tall frame that towered over me within our close proximity. He must be at-least six foot five.
I felt my cheeks burn slightly under his gaze. "My father would kill me." I joked, smiling slightly to give off a friendly intent.
We were natural enemies, everyone knew of this. But looking at Demetrius I didn't feel as though he could be the backwards savage our people plastered his kind to be, I didn't feel threatened standing in front of him despite the aura that clouded him. But my father would never think the same way as I do.
"I wouldn't let that happen." He responded.
It was then I noticed the hand that was outstretched for me to take when I was ready. I thought for a moment, it was just a dance and maybe, just maybe I could make my father proud, be a beacon of hope that our species could put the gruesome past behind us and be allies, willingly.
That was my answer, we were allies because of the treaty, there was no reason I shouldn't accept the offer to dance if we were only enemies in our heads.
Cautiously I placed my hand in his, the warmth that transpired before happened once again and I felt his hand twitch under mine in response. He led me to the middle of the ball room that wasn't so crowded and turn to face his body with mine. There was a momentary pause as if he was unsure of whether to place his arm behind me, but he did, and as I edged closer to him to position myself to dance I felt myself grow warmer with every inch of his body that touched mine.
"You let off a lot of body heat." I mentioned as we began to sway slowly, I couldn't see over his shoulder but I was certain there were people staring. I heard a slight huff as if what I said had amused him but not enough to allow a laugh to leave his lips.
I glanced around the room briefly and caught sight of a few bewildered eyes watching us. "There are people staring, this was a bad idea." I said before pulling back, but I didn't go anywhere as his arm behind me held me in place as though he didn't want me to leave.
"I'm not your enemy, princess." He spoke lowly.
Princess? The title was fitting because my father's role as the prides leader but I'd never been called a princess before. "But you're my father's." I argued.
"Tell me, do you always live in your father's shadow? Or is this just while you're visiting?" He questioned, my face heated and I chose to look in any direction but his face.
"I'm supposed to be on my best behaviour." I clarified. This was the comment that made him laugh momentarily, it was a deep chuckle and not one he wanted many ears to listen in on. "Do you have a wife?" I blurted before I could stop myself. Deep down I wanted him to say no, a part of me felt as though the tension between us wasn't coincidence and that meeting him was something that was meant to happen. Like fate. I sounded silly, foolish of me to assume that the werewolf king was interested in me for any other reason than the fact I was my father's daughter.
"No, I have a mate." He confirmed and I felt my heart sink. She must be somewhere in this ballroom and he was dancing with me. I felt ashamed, and then I felt scared. What if it rubbed her the wrong way to see her werewolf mate slow dancing with a Werecat?
"Is she here?" I looked up at him and met his piercing blue eyes.
"Yes."
I stopped swaying and he followed suit, I dropped my hands down and pulled back away from him the slightest, this time he allowed me to do so. "Where is she?" I asked, turning to survey the room for a face that wasn't familiar, the thought of his mate watching the sight of us dancing must be so upsetting for her to witness. Mate bonding was strong and passionate across all species, but the werewolf in particular was almost dominating in comparison, they loved hard and would throw caution to the wind for the sake of the bond, to a werewolf nothing else mattered than a mate, not even another life.
"She's right in front of me." He confirmed in a low tone. My body froze and then I heated, despite my shock I felt the flustered heat creep up my cheeks as the words hit me.
What did he mean right in front of him, was it me? I was the only person in front of him. What would my father think? This was insane I'm a Werecat, interspecies soulmates didn't exist, how could it? It was barbaric.
"I don't want to alarm you princess, I know soulmates work differently in your species." He spoke once again. He was right, soul mates were chosen by us, not decided by our goddess, it made no sense to me that his goddess picked someone outside of his species. "But I know what I'm feeling right now is not just an attraction based on your beauty."
I leant in closer, my jaw clenched as the weight of what he was telling me finally settled in my stomach. "This is against the rules of the treaty, Alpha Renwick. If just one rule is broken the treaty will cease to exist and without a treaty out there is nothing stopping my father from declaring another war." I hissed.
"You are my soulmate, no rules are being broken." He tried to argue, his tone was calm and collected despite my frantic posture.
I felt as though I could collapse into his arms with the way he spoke to me, calm despite my attitude towards the situation. A gentle nature I never received from any other than my mother. But I pushed the desire to do so from my mind as I turned on my heel away from him and uttered the words I knew I would regret instantly before walking away.
"I will not have a mutt as a soulmate."
****
After my last encounter with Demetrius I departed from the celebration all together, thanking Cressida on my way out in courtesy before climbing the large staircase of her home and went to my designated guest bedroom.
That was where I spent the rest of my night, lost in thought over the events that transpired.
Meeting Demetrius, the sensations I felt when he was close, the way his demeanour brought out a shyness in me that I didn't know existed. And the announcement he made when he declared me as his soulmate. Did I believe him? Of course I did. Even deep down I knew the way I felt after meeting him was not to blame on my hormones but that of something a lot deeper, a part of me I didn't know existed, my ability to be a suitable mate for another.
I could feel the pull between us that I initially rubbed off as being tension. But I knew no one from my Pride could understand the place I come from if I spoke about this. Bonds don't appear until after two werecats have mated, that's the point. It wasn't like with werewolves where the bond appears from the moment they cross paths, that sounded like a forceful way to develop a relationship.
It still relatively early when I woke up, half expecting my father to act as an alarm for me but I was pleasantly surprised to have awoken by the sounds the birds outside chirping.
My small window had been opened when we first arrived and I hadn't closed it in the entire twenty four hours we had been here, and because of this fact I now had a small blue bird perched on my windowsill, peering into my room curiously. The bird reminded me of myself, being somewhere it shouldn't be.
I shouldn't have gone with my father on this trip, maybe then I wouldn't have doomed myself as the bride of a werewolf. I snickered you myself as I thought of that, frightening the bird enough for it to fly back out my window.
That's when I knew, I needed to go home.
"Madi?" My sister called from the other side of my bedroom door, she knocked quietly before cracking it open enough to peak her head through. "Dad would like to talk to you."
"About?" I inquired, unsure of whether she meant you as in the both of us or you as in I was going in alone.
"He didn't say, but I wouldn't keep him waiting long." She sent me a knowing look, almost like a warning not to allow my streak of tardiness to show.
Once she shut the door I swung my legs off my bed and stood up, it wasn't freezing but it wasn't all that warm in this building either. There was a slight chill in the air but that was expected as our rooms were situated inside a rock.
Lifting the lid to my yellow suitcase I managed to pick out just a basic pair of black jeans a long sleeve shirt, if I showed up still in my pyjamas my father wouldn't be impressed. Image was everything to that old man.
It was a mere ten minutes before I was strolling my way through the building towards the only place my father would be, with the High Priestess and she was always situated in her private office adjacent to the living room. When I entered I was surprised to see the two of them sitting by her coffee table, although it looked a lot cleaner than it had yesterday when we were given the tour.
"Good morning, dear." Cressida greeted, she smiled tightly. "There's something we would like to discuss with you."
"Okay." I trailed off, the atmosphere in the room was thick with tension, it didn't go unnoticed the watchful gaze my father gave me as I sat in the arm chair available to me. "Have I done something wrong?"
Cressida giggled and placed her cup of coffee on the coffee table. "No you're not dear, we just want to ask you abo-"
"Alpha Renwick threw a fit like a crazed dog when you left the ball room last night, what did you say to set him off." My father interrupted. "I know you did something, you always do." He spat. As I looked him in the eye I watched the sense of defeat flash through them, my father was tired of constantly stressing over my behaviour like I was still a cub.
I will not have a mutt as a soulmate, resounded in my head and I froze, I wanted to hurt his feelings not push him over the edge.
"What did he do?" I questioned.
"He smashed a few chairs and left a nasty looking cut on Sir Eldon." Cressida explained, a solemn expression on her face as she spoke. I felt terrible, I ruined the night and I wasn't even there.
"I called him a mutt." I admitted, I was quick to catch the small smile that lit my fathers face, but it dispersed all too quickly. "I called him a mutt and he didn't smash furniture, Madeline. It must have been something else." He pushed further. My father was right, when he said it Demetrius remained calm, it didn't make sense why he responded so differently in this occasion.
"I didn't say anything else." I defended, my tone raised an octave as I grew more defensive over my situation in this room.
"What made you call him a mutt?" Cressida asked, her tone was softer, almost as if she was aware of my erratic feelings and wanted to calm my nerves, it helped a little bit.
Cressida was a lot smarter than my father, she knew my nature wouldn't have allowed to me to call him that as easily as my father could have, she knew there was something behind the insult. Cressida gave me a knowing expression when I looked at her, she knew what I was too ashamed to say in front of my father. My eyes pleaded with her not to make me utter the words that was sure to have my father disown me then and there but she merely cocked and eyebrow and leant back against the chair.
I sighed, the goddess had already forsaken me when she allowed me to be tied to a werewolf, it couldn't much worse from where I was now. "I called him a mutt because he called me his soulmate." I admitted, bowing my head in shame so I didn't witness the looks of disapproval.
There was a quick movement before I saw the coffee table lift in front of me and be tossed to the left of us, the glass top smashing to pieces before my eyes as it collided against Cressida's office desk.
"That good for nothing dog." My father snarled.
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