Chapter 11: Pre wedding hunt
The great hall of House Veyne stood draped in silks the color of stormclouds and dusk—a ceremonial tribute to the joining of two ancient bloodlines. Dawn's pale light filtered through the arched windows, warming the stone floor, though it did little to ease the taut air, stretched thin with anticipation.
The hall had been cleared for the pre-wedding hunt assembly.
Then came the sound: a heavy horn deep and raw, echoing from beyond the outer gates.
They had arrived.
Moments later, the great doors creaked and groaned open under their own weight.
They entered like a storm.
The first sound was of boots—thick-soled, dust-caked, and reeking faintly of pine and blood. Kael's wolves. Rawboned, broad-shouldered, clad in weatherworn leathers, many with their hair tied back with strips of hide. They moved like a pack, not men. A dozen of them, silent and unceremonious, carrying the presence of beasts that had lived through snow, war, and long silences.
No fanfare. No pageantry. Just raw presence.
At the helm strode Dagon, Kael's Beta. Tall, heavyset, with a streak of silver cutting through his dark beard. The furs across his shoulders were damp with morning dew. His eyes—icy gray—swept the room, calm and appraising.
At his flank was Varek, the Gamma. Leaner, sharp-featured, with a permanent sneer and a kind of grim humor that made his eyes too alive. The rest followed, all imposing, all unbowed, and decidedly unwashed.
Queen Elenys stepped forward, poised and unflinching.
"Beta Dagon. House Veyne welcomes you," she said with a graceful nod.
Dagon dipped his head, the bare minimum required. "On behalf of Alpha Kael, we accept your hospitality."
But before civility could root itself, Varek's voice cut through the air—low, edged, and nearly insolent.
"Is the False King so proud he cannot greet his daughter's future pack?"
Silence fell like a guillotine.
Myra inhaled sharply, her lips parting—but Elenys spoke first, her voice smooth and glacial.
"Watch your tongue, wolf," she said. "You stand in Veyne's hall. Know where you are—and who you're speaking to."
Varek took a step forward, his grin crooked and unconcerned. "And you stand at the edge of your daughter's new reality, my lady. Best teach her how to stand among wolves... before they tear her to bone."
He gave a shallow nod, mocking. "I know exactly where I am. But pride tends to trickle down, doesn't it?"
The insult cut sharper than his words. But Elenys didn't rise to it.
Myra did.
"The King is attending to matters of state," she said, voice steady. "His absence is not a slight."
"A curious coincidence, then," Varek murmured, "that matters of state seem to align so neatly with his daughter's wedding, your husband is truly a man of priorities.."
Dagon extended an arm without looking, stopping him with a simple motion—sharp, final.
"That's enough."
Varek held his gaze a beat longer, then clicked his tongue and stepped back into line.
Dagon turned to Elenys, his calm more dangerous than Varek's barbs.
"We are here as Kael commands. We'll join the hunt, as agreed."
"At my command," Elenys corrected coolly. "Since your Alpha is not present, I speak in his stead. Within these walls, my word governs."
A flicker passed over Dagon's face. Barely a reaction. Then:
"Your men will rest in the East Wing, as arranged. The hunt begins at noon."
His tone was flat steel. "We do not take orders from this house, my Queen. The Alpha set the hour, and so it will be."
He did not bow this time. Just turned.
"My men will remain in the East Wing until the wedding concludes."
The wolves moved as one, their boots thudding across the stone, leaving behind the sharp scent of pine, sweat, and dominance.
The heavy doors of the great hall groaned shut behind the wolves of Kael's court.
Elenys's fingers clenched at her side, her regal mask unbroken. "Let them stew in the east wing," she murmured under her breath, eyes narrowing in the direction they had gone. "Dogs, the lot of them."
Myra glanced sideways at the queen consort. "Should I inform the guard to accompany them?"
Elenys shook her head. "No. Let them think they're welcome. Let them feel secure. Kael's betas are all pride and teeth. We'll handle them at the hunt."
"Should we allow them to lead the hunt, Mother?"
Elenys didn't answer immediately. She stared at the space where Dagon had stood moments ago, the air still humming with tension.
"Yes," she said finally. "This is still my house. And Kael, for all his pride, is still bound to our word—until the vows are spoken."
She stepped forward, her voice rising just enough for the nearby attendants.
"But we are trying for peace, and if the price is to house those mongrels then we shall let them have their false sense of power."
She turned to myra.
"Your idiot sister is still fast asleep, she just cannot help but remind me of the utter disappointment she is." Her irritation wasn't hidden in her tone.
"Perhaps we should give her a break mother, she is willingly helping the family and..
Elenys cut her off her tone sharp and icy "Which is the least she can do after bring shame to us by failing to have the one thing that makes anyone worthy.
She stalked towards myra, placed her hands on myra's cheek tightened it, and looked into her blue eyes.
"And you would do well to treat her as the disappointment that she is, or am i mistaken in giving you leeway myra?. she asked her
"of course not mother, i apologise for my mistake." she said holding her mother's gaze to disspell any doubts from her.
"Good." she stepped back.
She gestured to the nearby attendants "Wake nyrielle up and inform her her in laws are here and please make her presentable for the hunt."
"Yes my lady." the attendant responded timidly and hurried off before incurring the queen consort's wrath.