"The Moonbond hunt is already over?" Eve asked, arching a questionable brow at the maid who just stood there. To Eve, the whole thing was suspiciously quick.
Normally, the Moonbond hunt usually dragged on until dawn, and Alpha Gareth wasn't the type to abandon traditions unless something– or someone– got in the way of the completion, perhaps?
Traditions dictated that once a mate was found during the Moonbond hunt, the pair must hunt a creature together, sealing their newfound bond through blood, instincts and cooperation.
It was all very poetic. And messy. And inconvenient. The entire thing was also the reason behind why the ritual tends to last for the night till dawn.
For someone like Gareth, who was meticulous and old-fashioned, it was practically a religious experience, since this is his first Moonbond hunt as a true Alpha. If Gareth had truly completed the entire ritual on such short notice, he'd be exhausted, or at the very least, otherwise occupied. This has never happened before since her stay in the Evernight pack.
Did he not find a mate?
The possibility of that happening sank into Eve's gut like a stone dropped into a still pond. If Gareth hadn't bonded with any omega tonight, that meant she was still fair game in his eyes. His questionable interest in her was like a wolf circling a wounded hare, and she didn't particularly enjoy being cornered. Whatever he claimed to feel for her couldn't possibly be genuine, even though she tried to make herself believe otherwise.
Aside from that, she already promised her omega sisters she'd wait for them to return.
Sighing to herself, Eve acknowledged the maid's words and shut the door with a quiet click, already resigning herself to the next turn of her life. Slipping across the room, she pulled a drawer and took out a piece of parchment from within. Returning to the table, she dipped her quill in black ink and began to write, her strokes neat and efficient.
Her sisters had taught her well.
When she was done writing down the reasons why she had to leave so abruptly, she folded the note and tucked it somewhere obvious. Then, after a quick glance around to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything important, including her perfume, she slipped out of the chamber.
On her way down the stairs, Eve kept her gaze forward, deliberately ignoring the lecherous greetings from old men lounging about as she made it to the main hall. Her expression was unreadable, her gaze bored even, though a part of her itched to count how many teeth each of them here had left. Some probably had none at all— likely from chasing girls half their age.
Shameless.
If she were any less younger, she could've been their granddaughter.
Stepping outside, Eve exhaled slowly through her nose, having escaped that uncomfortable atmosphere. She adjusted the sleeves of her silk gown with precision, and she had almost managed to resettle into her indifference when someone bumped into her shoulder.
Eve stumbled a step, then blinked. She lowered her gaze, but not to secretly steal glances at the person. Instead, her eyes were fixed on the faint scuff that now dirtied the hem of her gown. In her mind, whoever bumped into her had to be some drunk male specie who wouldn't watch his path.
"Tch!" With annoyance, she brushed it with a flick of her hand, muttering something about people with the spatial awareness of overturned chamber pots.
More annoying than the bump was the small thud that followed. Her eyes immediately locked on the candied plum she had carefully wrapped in a cloth and hidden in her sleeve, watching as it rolled sadly on the dusty floor. She thought about picking it up until the cloth opened, and her candied plums met the dust.
Her plums!
Eve stared at it for a second, and a little flicker of emotion crossed her face at the sight of good food wasted. Stooping to pick it up would certainly draw unnecessary attention her way, and attention was the last thing she needed. Instead, she hurried away before someone could recognize her as a servant and accuse her of stealing from the brothel. She'd have to make sure the head omega was sound asleep before she goes into the kitchen tonight.
She would hate to be chased by that woman with a broom again.
Unbeknownst to Eve, what she didn't know was that the man who had bumped into her hadn't left yet. He simply watched her as she debated to herself concerning the candied plum, and his green eyes sparkled with newfound amusement.
"Prince Dorian," the voice of his coachman drew his attention back to the present. "I just spoke to the high-tier courtesans, and they've accepted the invitation."
"Of course they would," Prince Dorian murmured, though his tone lacked any sign of satisfaction. Rather than focusing on the brothel doors, his gaze drifted to the direction the strange young woman had disappeared to, pondering on her audacity.
Not only had she bumped into him— scratch that– she didn't even bother to look at him. No quick apology came his way, whatsoever. Instead, she'd dusted off her silk gown with a flick of her hand, as though he had somehow tainted her with his presence when he should be the one feeling disgusted.
It should have been an insult to him, and it was. But his intrigue overshadowed the mild irritation she had roused in him.
"Is she a courtesan too?" he asked aloud, making his coachman wonder who he was busy referring to. He said nothing else and simply stepped into the carriage.
Meanwhile, Eve had already made it to the main lobby in the pack house estate. As she paused beyond the threshold, her eyes lazily scanned the room until they landed on Gareth, who was busy leaning in far too close to whisper into Annex's ear, like an intimate gesture. But when he noticed Eve standing there, his lips snapped shut.
Eve's typically bored gaze shifted to Annex, and a flicker of irritation resurfaced at the sight of her. Why was that omega brat here too? She wondered, but stepped forward anyway.
To her notice, the pair looked like something out of a painting. They were both draped in ivory and gold, like they had something to prove to everyone, and Eve could already guess what that might be. Gareth's hair had been meticulously slicked back, which only made his forced elegance more painfully obvious. His tunic and coat had fit him too perfectly, making Eve want to praise the dresser for styling him up so well.
Annex on the other hand stood beside him like a mannequin, all prim and proper with a fake grace. Her ivory silk gown glittered with gold thread and gemstones, looking excessive and desperate. From Eve's point of view, she looked like a walking chandelier in a room that didn't need lighting.
Unimpressed, Eve muttered to herself, "overcompensation can be contagious," before stepping closer.
Before she could say anything, the air around them shifted, and there was a familiar, suffocating aura that Eve recognized too well.
"Is she here?" Uttered Alpha Gabriel as he came down from the stairs, his commanding tone reverberating in the main parlor of the estate.
Eve's eyes flicked beneath her lashes. Something about this place didn't sit right with her, and it annoyed her that she couldn't grasp the reason behind it. Still, she straightened her back and dipped her head in a graceful bow. This was after all, the Alpha who had shown her mercy and let her stay in his pack, regardless of the poor treatment she got.
"Greetings, Alpha," She said smoothly. The Alpha's aura was practically choking her at this point, but she refused to quiver. She didn't lift her hand until he gave her the signal.
His gaze swept over her, almost gauging. "How could I possibly forget you?"
"Hm?" that word earned the faintest twitch of her brow. She couldn't tell if that was meant to be flattering or unsettling.
He suddenly turned to his son. "Is she the one you said you wanted as your personal courtesan?"
Eve blinked at the Alpha's question, unable to comprehend what he meant by that. Surely that word didn't mean what it meant. Right?
Turning to Alpha Gareth for further clarification, she hoped for a laugh, a smirk, a quick reminder that his father was mistaken. But he simply nodded, looking calm and confident.
"Yes, Father. I've already discussed it with my mate. She has no objections."
Eve smiled politely. But internally, she was screaming.