Twisted Bonds

Chapter 6

~~Bree’s PoV~~

The party is just like all of the others I have attended during my time with Dalton, full of men in suits and women in dresses, glittering jewelry and expensive perfume. Waiters circulate with trays of food and drinks and a live band plays softly in the background, filling the air with mouth-watering smells and music that mixes with the murmurs of polite conversation.

It is the picture of elegance, and the one time my parents came to visit, Dalton threw a reception just like it in their honor. They were just as impressed as Dalton meant them to be, which helped smooth the way for his explanation of what was happening between us.

“Brianna is struggling with adjusting to the demands of her new position,” he told them, lying right in front of me as he gave me an indulgent, condescending smile. “Being in the public eye is a strain for her. My personal physician is helping with her anxiety, but unfortunately, she sometimes tells people things that aren’t true in a bid for attention. If she says anything to you that seems unreasonable, please let me know.”

“That must be terribly frustrating for you,” my mother sympathized while shooting me a dirty look, as if I had embarrassed her by being unhappy with the way I was being treated. I hadn’t even had a chance to tell her any of the details yet, and now she wouldn’t believe a word I said anyway.

Dalton shrugged, somehow looking put-upon and sympathetic at the same time. “She is my mate and I will support her as well as I can. There’s no question of that. I will never let her go.”

What sounded like support to them was clearly a threat to me. My parents left believing I was an attention-seeking lunatic and that Dalton was a saint for putting up with me, just as he planned it. Any letters or emails I sent were censored, and sometimes he even wrote them for me, telling them I was too unwell to communicate myself. Those who were supposed to care for me most took the word of a man they barely knew over their own flesh and blood, simply because he was wealthy and well-mannered. They all believed I was crazy.

Perhaps they are right. What I’m going to attempt tonight is a little crazy, but with no other options, I’m going to try it anyway.

Dalton keeps a tight grip on my arm as we circulate through the arriving guests. He doesn’t trust me, but it feels like more than that too. He’s in a bad mood and I don’t know why. Hopefully, when King Carter arrives, Dalton will loosen my leash a little. I need him to give me a bit of breathing space if my plan is going to work.

“Good evening, Dalton.”

Prince Henrik’s voice sends a shiver down my spine, as usual. There are several men in Dalton’s inner circle who give me the creeps, and the prince is one of them. Although his title is Prince, he actually runs the kingdom. The King has not been seen in years. Officially, he is ill, but many suspect he is dead. Whatever the case, Henrik, Dalton and a few others are in charge.

After greeting my mate, the prince turns to me with his usual cold smile. “Brianna. It’s good to see you’re well enough to join us this evening.”

Though I don’t know for sure if the prince knows about the true nature of the situation between me and Dalton, I suspect he does. He has made enough thinly veiled comments over the last three years to suggest that not only does he know how Dalton treats me, he knows it is not Dalton he is speaking to at all.

Tonight, I need to convince them all that I am harmless and compliant, so I bow politely to the prince. “Good evening, Your Highness. It’s a pleasure to see you.”

My greeting meets his approval and he gives Dalton a nod. My mate’s iron grip on my arm loosens, just a little.

“And here is the guest of honor,” the prince announces, stepping aside to allow the handsome man next to him to come forward. “Dalton, Brianna, this is King Carter of the northern empire. Your Majesty, my foreign advisor who is hosting tonight’s event, Dalton Bancroft.”

The prince doesn’t introduce me, I notice, but I smile warmly at the king anyway. It is my first time meeting Carter in person, though I heard a lot about him growing up. There wasn’t a female wolf my age who didn’t dream about being mated to him, both for the prestige of his position and also simply for his charm and good looks. The drama around his eventual mating, with him announcing to the entire empire he had found his mate and then taking it back soon afterwards to say that he had a different mate instead, had been all anyone talked about for days.

I haven’t heard much about him or his mate since I came here, but he is just as handsome in person as I expected. His manner is assured and confident, polite without being too formal as he shakes my mate’s hand.

“Your home is beautiful, thank you for your hospitality.”

“It is my privilege to welcome you, Your Majesty.” Dalton bows stiffly, his usual charm seeming stilted next to Carter’s natural behavior.

“And who is this stunning woman?” Carter turns his warm smile on me, and for a moment, I remember what it feels like to be seen, even if him calling me ‘stunning’ is obviously an exaggeration. I was never a beauty, my mother’s catalog of my flaws made that clear, and after my treatment here, I am even less of one.

Dalton has to hide his sneer at the compliment. “This is my mate, Brianna, Your Majesty. She is actually a former citizen of your empire. We met at the party to celebrate your own mating, in fact, at your own palace.”

“Really? I had no idea.” Carter looks genuinely delighted by the connection. “I’m so glad that my own happiness could spark a happy occasion for others as well. Who is your family, Brianna?”

“My father is Joseph Berkeley, Your Majesty, with Berkeley Industries.” It is surreal to be making small talk like this, beneath the glittering chandeliers, as if nothing at all is wrong. The illusion of normality is so complete, I can almost believe in it myself.

“I don’t know him very well personally, but I know him by reputation, of course,” Carter assures me. “I will be sure to mention that I’ve seen you when we meet again.”

That couldn’t concern me less, but I nod and thank him politely. After a few more minutes of pleasantries, the prince invites Dalton and Carter to join him in the study next door to discuss a few things, and Dalton leans over to whisper in my ear. To anyone watching, it would look like a gesture of affection, but I know better even before he hisses the words in my ear.

“Behave while I’m gone. There are people watching you. Don’t try anything foolish.”

He truly has no idea.

When I assure him I will be good, he finally lets me go and follows the other men into the next room where they will talk business over cigars and brandy before rejoining the party. A woman in my position would normally be expected to continue to circulate amongst the guests, ensuring everyone is happy, but no one expects that of me, and I slip away through the back door instead.

“Do you need something, Mrs Bancroft?” the guard at the door asks, straightening up in case he needs to act.

“No, thank you. I’m just getting a breath of fresh air. Will you let me know if my mate returns and needs me?”

My calm reply seems to reassure him and he lets me pass. The garden is surrounded by a tall hedge concealing an iron fence, so there is nowhere I could go anyway. Letting me out this door is foolproof, or so he believes. What he doesn’t know is that I have been scouting the grounds every time I’ve been allowed outside, and there is one place I am certain I can get through the fence, in my wolf form.

I will only get one chance at this, so I need to make the most of it.

But as I step out into the garden, I am stopped in my tracks by the last voice I would ever expect to hear in this place.

“Bree? Is that you?”