The Alpha's Fated Outcast: Rise Of The Moonsinger. - Chapter 254

Chapter 254: The announcement!
Neriah

“First, I’d like to thank the beautiful people of the Northern Forests for your warm welcome. It’s truly a pleasure to be here. I love everything from the food, the drinks, the weather and the conversation…” he paused slightly, as his gaze returned to me.

Then he looked away. “It is truly a privilege to stand before you all. This is just me saying thank you for everything. I want to invite my father – the Lycan Leader to address us. Thank you.”

He gave a short bow before he went back to where his father was sitting and escorted him back to the platform before retreating to his seat. His eyes met mine briefly again and he smiled.

I stood among the crowd, the plate of half-eaten food forgotten in my hands. My heart was still unsteady from the strange encounter with Rian earlier, but I pushed the feeling aside, forcing myself to focus on the speech.

I watched Rian – he still had the same lazy confidence to him even as his father spoke. Watching the two of them – father and son – mirror each other in ways that made my stomach churn. There was something about Rian that unsettled me, though I couldn’t quite name it.

And now, the Lycan Leader’s words only made that unease grow.

“This gathering tonight is more than a mere formality,” he began. “It is merely an excuse to bring everyone into one place.”

A few polite chuckles sounded from the Alphas, but the room quickly fell silent again. I frowned. What did he mean? An excuse?

The Lycan Leader’s eyes scanned the crowd, his gaze making everyone stand a little straighter. Even the Alphas, seated with him on the platform seemed to lean forward.

“Something evil has made its way into our world,” he continued with a grave tone. “A darkness that doesn’t discriminate… but it has begun targeting one race in particular and we have gathered that should it get this race as it wants, the White Moon Throne would no longer be as we want.”

Unease swept through the crowd. Immediately, I thought about Corvus but shook my head immediately, dispelling the thought. I’m sure it was nothing related to him. But, werewolf and Lycan gatherings were rarely this serious. Typically, they were celebrations of strength, displays of pack unity, and opportunities for potential mates to meet. But this felt different.

I felt there was more meaning to his words than how he sounded casual. My palms began to sweat, my heart pounding harder in my chest. What was he talking about?

“I do not have the luxury of time to explain every detail,” the Lycan Leader continued. “But after much consultations with your Alphas and Alphas from various territories, we’ve concluded that the only way to fight against this coming evil is to tackle it head-on by using the powers of the White Moon Throne which it is seeking so badly to control. And to do that, we have to create a marriage bond between the people who can control this power…”

He paused as if to let the words sink in. Everyone was staring at him intently.

“So, the solution is a marriage bond between a Lycan and an Aurean.”

My heart skipped a beat.

I heard the gasps ripple through the crowd, the quick exchange of whispers. My fingers clutched my plat tighter, my nails biting into the delicate porcelain.

It could only mean one thing; the confirmation of what my father had told me earlier.

The Lycan Leader seemed to wait for everyone to absorb the information before he continued further.

“I am here to officially announce the marriage between my son, Rian and the Alpha of the Northern Forest’s daughter…”

The crowd – mostly our pack members exploded before he could finish. Clapping, hooting, and crowding filled the space. To my people, any marriage outside our pack was a great alliance but with a Lycan and not just any Lycan, the Lycan Leader himself, I could tell why why were happy.

Perhaps, now we would matter in the food chain. Maybe we would be needed and have other perks that come with being a werewolf. Relief washed over me as I turned to where Maya stood at the far end of the gathering.

Her olive skin had turned ashen, and all the colour had drained from her face. First, Maya had no plans of ever finding her mate or getting married. With my help, she had severed the mate instinct and that was because she wanted more out of life than just marriage.

Her hands were shaking. Her eyes were wide and her pupils had dilated. She looked like a deer caught in ahunter’ss crosshairs. I wanted to go to her immediately and tell her that the marriage wasn’t for her.

Pack members already swarmed around her, congratulating her, touching her shoulder and pulling her into embraces. But Maya remained still. A fine sheen of sweat had appeared on her forehead and her lips were moving soundlessly – whether in prayer or protest, I couldn’t tell.

The Lycan Leader finished speaking after asking my father to tell his daughter to come on stage and my father stood up immediately. As they passed by, I noticed a subtle nod pass between them. My father then moved on and approached the platform. Our eyes met and I felt my entire body betray me.

Sweat began to pool at the base of my spine, trickling down my back.

“Please, don’t do this…” I mouthed as his eyes were still on me.

My breath caught in my throat as my father averted his gaze. I knew what he was going to say already. No. This couldn’t be happening.

I thought of Thames, standing next to me, doing his duty as tonight’s aide to the Lycan Leader’s son. I thought of the promises we’ve made to ourselves. Of the future, we had planned. I thought of my mother, sick and vulnerable and the political machinations that might save her. I thought of Ria and his mysterious charm.

And then of me. What did I truly want? I was attracted to Corvus – a runaway misfit of some sort. Rian intrigued me so much that I couldn’t help what I felt towards him and then there was Thames. The man to whom I had promised my heart, my love and total submission.

“Neriah,” he called out. The sound of my name carried through the crowd. For a moment I thought I’d imagined it, just like how I’ve imagined everything that has happened so far.

I saw the crowd turn. Everyone was looking at me.

“Neriah,” he said again, louder this time. “Come on stage.”

My heart slammed into my ribs. Beside me, I could feel the Thames staring at me. I dare not meet his gaze. His hand had instinctively tightened around mine. I could feel his confusion through our bond. My vision blurred at the edges, my knees were knocking beneath my dress.

My feet felt like lead. My lungs were struggling to draw breath. Everything – the glittering lights, the shocked expression on most of our pack members faces and the murmurings that followed seemed to fade.

My father waited. The Lycan Leader was watching me while Rian’s gaze burned into me from across the room. Thames was saying something but I couldn’t hear him.

“Neriah,” my father barked again, his voice had a steely edge this time around. “I said, come forward.”

I slowly, took my hands from Thames’s grip, still afraid to look up at him and continued toward the stage. The crowd had parted as I walked through them, my head was hung low. When I went to stand next to my father, I noticed the Lycan Leader and his son Rian were already standing.

Rian had a welcoming smile on his face and his hands were outstretched towards me as if beckoning me to come. I wanted to ignore him and his outstretched hand but as soon as I stood next to my father, he reached out to me, practically dragging me to come to stand next to him.

From where I stood, I saw Thames staring… there was confusion on his face.

“This bond between our pack and the White Mountains is the solution to our imminent problem. This might come as a shock to a lot of people but I hope we can learn to…”

“Come as a shock?” Ferida, Thames mother huffed interrupting my father. Her voice was so loud that everyone could hear. “Your daughter Neriah is mated to marry my son. Why are you giving her to another man right in his presence? Don’t you have any sense of dignity?”

“Ferida!” my father growled. “Not now!”

“Then when?” Ferida yelled. “You had the guts to break my baby’s heart, you and your half-baked daughter. We all know she doesn’t deserve him, yet he chooses to love her like that. Why did you have to humiliate my son like this? Why? Is it her idea?” she pointed an accusing finger at me. “Surely, it must have been…”

“Ferida!” my dad growled out a warning again.

“I don’t care anymore. I don’t care for you or for…”

Suddenly, Thames was by her side. “It’s okay Mom!” he said quietly “You cannot speak out of turn in the presence of the Lycan Leader.”

Then Thames turned to my father and bowed, he didn’t bother looking at me. “May I be excused, Alpha?”

My father nodded.

He bowed one last time reached for his mother’s hand and began to drag him with her. I wanted to run after him, to explain that I had no idea this happened but as I wanted to move, Rian tugged me back to himself.

“Stay!” he said.