Chapter 5
1054 Words
CADEN'S POV
She actually came. And she was stunning. The blue of her dress brought out the gold tones of her hair and the blue of her eyes. Everyone knew who she was, so everyone froze and stared at her when she entered.
You could see the shock and nervousness on her face. I stepped forward as I was the gracious host. "Welcome to Blackwood."
Aria looked me up and down, and her friend, Vivian, did the same. They were assessing me as I held out my arms in a perfectly welcoming way. I was doing exactly as a host would do in this situation. I was being friendly and amicable. It was everyone else that was making this weird.
I turned back towards the crowd of my pack, shooting them glares and a silent plea to act normal. They understood my silent command and resumed their conversations, glaring at our new guests. I lowered my arms, walking towards my mate and her friend, still set on being the gracious host.
Aria was nervous; I'd need to make her feel at ease. "I'm so glad you were able to make it, Aria. I’m Caden. And I'm so glad you brought your friend. Leo told me you probably would. Veronica, right?"
Vivian pursed her lips. "Vivian."
Leo had told me to do that. He wanted to ruffle her feathers, which was a Leo thing. I bowed. "My apologies."
Vivian looked around me. "Where is Ludwig? I'd like to have a word with him."
Aria shot a glance at her friend. "What?"
"I'll just be a second."
I nodded towards the front of the banquet hall. "He should be near the music stand."
Vivian hugged her friend. "I'll be right back."
Aria nodded; the fear on her face was palpable. Vivian ducked through the crowd, the look on her face determined, leaving me alone with Aria. I stared down at Aria, who looked like she'd just be left to drift out to sea. "Would you like to dance?"
"I don't dance."
I held out my hand. "Neither do I."
She slipped her hand in mine. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
She was nervous and didn't know what else to do. I led her out on the dance floor, gripping her hand tightly, afraid I'd lose her. I couldn't believe how well this was going already.
Once we got to the dance floor, I glanced at the DJ, who changed the song to slow. Perfect.
Placing my hands on Aria's hips, I began to sway back and forth with her while she avoided my gaze. "I'm glad you decided to come."
"I was curious about where Grandma Jo spent her time."
"She was here quite often. I'd love to show you around."
She looked up at me, peering at me through her eyelashes. "I'd appreciate that."
"I'm sure you've heard rumors about Blackwood, though. I'm surprised you decided to come at all."
She laughed. "Not really, actually. But you do sound kind of like a cult."
I leaned in, whispering in her ear. "No cult, but we have our own set of rules here. And I happen to be the king."
Her touch was like fire against my skin, and I wanted so badly to lick her, taste her. Whispering in her ear brought me so close, and I kicked myself for tempting myself so severely. I just got myself so close to temptation.
She giggled. "If you're the king, where is your queen?"
"I'm still looking for one."
"I hope you find one."
I cleared my throat. I didn't need to scare her off and tell her I already had and she was my queen. My mate, my other half, my queen, my Luna.
"So your grandmother never mentioned Blackwood to you at all?"
She shook her head. "Not a word."
Damn Jo. That means she probably didn't know anything about her lineage. This would all fall on me then. Maybe Jo didn't think her granddaughter would be mated to a werewolf or come into contact with her mate to find out about it.
"She was an important part of our community."
"What did she do exactly?"
"She was a healer of sorts. She helped us with medicinal herbs."
Aria arched an eyebrow at me. "Don't you have a doctor, or just go to a hospital?"
"We're a close-knit community and don't always make it to the hospital. And some of us have...special needs that require a special touch that modern medicine can't assist with."
"Like what?"
The song ended. Just then, Vivian came walking up to us. "Mr. Lance is a tool. He's the grumpiest grump grump I've ever met. He refuses to dance with me. Yet. But by the end of tonight, I'm sure I can get him to. I see you two are having fun, however. What kind of alcohol do you guys have?"
I nodded towards the bar. "Most of what you can imagine."
Vivian grabbed her friend's hand. "Let's go check this out."
I followed close behind. I needed to monitor Vivian's alcohol intake closely.
I watched as Vivian fixed their drinks and how she politely declined anything heavy. Good girl. I needed her sober. When they both had their drinks in hand, they went to the crowd's edge, staring at the other partygoers. I inched back towards them.
Aria smiled. "Hey again."
"I thought you might want to continue our conversation outside in the gardens."
She cast a glance over at her friend. "Do you mind?"
Vivian waved a hand at her, taking her friend's drink. "Go ahead, I'll be here nursing our drinks."
I held out a hand to Aria, eager to get her alone. Finally. A moment of silence and peace.
Leading her outside, I wondered if it was the mate bond she felt and how she was so trusting of me to be alone with her. Did she feel it, too? Could she feel it, too, if she wasn't in line with her heritage? I'd need to ask our elder about this.
Once outside, I turned towards Aria, staring into her eyes. She was silent, looking up at me.
"I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."
Looking into her eyes, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace. "You have."
I lowered my mouth to hers.
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