Her Men Of Ruin
Chapter 7
Wolf
Kingdom.
Tribalan
Pack.
They
say the Tribalan tribe of the wolf kingdom flourishes in all things.
But one most exceptionally notable is their beauty.
Their
ethereal appearances crawl from meager maids to the Alpha. From kids
to adults. From a males to females. All skin types. All genetic
inheritances. All body shapes.
Even
now, the banquet hall screams of beauty as several maids in satin
robes swiftly move about to set the table.
Through
the large, open door, a man steps into the hall, clad in a
neatly-pressed brown suit, his polished black shoes complementing the
glimmers of the diamond signet ring on his left index finger.
Without
knowing it, he fists his fingers, his hands stiff at his sides and
his chin held high as his gray eyes scan the hall.
The
maids, who once graced the hall with their elegant movements, quickly
lose their composure on the sight of him.
They
giggle and point fingers. Some whisper among themselves.
The
man notices these gestures, but never meets gazes with any of them.
Instead, he focuses his attention on the long, rectangular banquet
table ahead, and on the smell of delicious food, even as his name
flies about the air. A name that forces necks to turn once it’s
mentioned.
“Ambassador
Zeedar, you are an hour early,” a voice whispers behind him. A male
voice with a bland tone.
Zeedar
acts unaware of the person, so the voice owner slides into his line
of view, forcing an eye contact with him while standing a few inches
taller than him.
Zeedar’s
stoic expression doesn’t change as his eyes carefully analyze the
man in his front.
Brawny.
Chocolate, glowing skin. Short and shaped beards.
Those
fit the description of Tribalan pack’s Beta.
“I
am Beta Reamer of Tribalan. I represent Alpha Frail of Tribalan
pack,” the man says while extending a handshake to Zeedar, who
silently takes it. “From what I heard, when Moon’s Wrath pack’s
ambassador goes on errands for his Alpha, Moon’s Wrath’s delight
travels with him. They are quite inseparable, people say. But from
what I’m seeing now, I do not think that is true.”
Zeedar
diverts his eyes from Reamer without blinking. “This is not the
Alpha’s errand,” he mutters before walking past the Beta, heading
to the table and taking a seat without permission.
After
studying Zeedar for a while, Reamer sits down as well.
Since
Zeedar sat at the
right side of the head seat,
he expected Reamer to sit opposite him.
Seeing
the man seated at the head
seat
meant for the Alpha is quite the eyesore he didn’t expect to come
across. But even as the itch to drag the man out of the seat bubbles
within him, he holds it down, suppressing it with a huge exhale of
breath.
“Wine?”
Reamer offers while gesturing to a maid to pour them both a champagne
of wine each. Zeedar shakes his head in refusal when it gets to his
turn. “How about alcohol?” the beta asks again, this time taking
his own champagne glass by its stem and gently swirling the drink
inside. Zeedar refuses again. “Do you prefer soda, then?”
“Milk,”
Zeedar responds curtly, “with zero sugar.”
Confused,
Reamer squints his eyes at the ambassador. Valiant men alike Zeedar
Father prefer wine and alcohol. But here he is talking of milk. A
DRINK FOR BABIES.
“Give
the man his milk, then,” Reamer tells the maid, then proceeds to
sip his wine, sniffing in its aroma before starting another speech.
“I often confused you and your brothers as triplets. You look
almost the same, and your characters don’t tell your age. For
example, people know your Alpha is the oldest among you, but you act
like the oldest instead. Could you please clarify the age differences
so I would know how to address all three of you when we come together
in the future…” Reamer jerks his wine glass toward Zeedar, “…in
peace, of course.”
Zeedar
locks his stare on the man. Is he trying to anger him by asking about
age so bluntly?
In
the werewolf kingdom, it’s an offense to ask one their age,
especially since they age slowly and one can barely tell who is a
hundred. But this man going as far as asking about Moon’s Wrath
Alpha’s age tells just how fearless he is.
“My
Alpha is twenty-nine. I’m twenty-seven. Freck is twenty-six,”
Zeedar responds anyway, in a flat tone.
“I
heard that before your Alpha, there was a first,” Reamer presses
on.
“He’s
dead,” Zeedar replies curtly, “but wasn’t he part of your pack?
You should have known that.”
“He
rarely showed himself. But the day my Alpha killed him, he saw his
face. My Alpha keeps professing how beautiful the man was.”
Zeedar
nods about three times while looking away, his jaws clenching without
his control.
Reamer
notices that and asks, “Was that offensive?”
Zeedar’s
lips twitch a little, forming a tight smile. “Not at all.”
“Well,
I just thought since he was ‘part
of our pack’, you
wouldn’t mind.”
Zeedar
noted how Reamer put emphasis on the ‘part
of our park’,
probably as a sarcastic reply to his question.
Now
he knows that the beta was certainly trying to annoy him while acting
casual. It’s not like the man didn’t know what was offensive or
not.
“As
you may have heard, I have an intimate interest in men,” Reamer
continues. “Your last brother, for example, pleases my heart. I
would have loved it if he were here as well.”
Zeedar
squints his eyes. He didn’t know anyone would be particularly
interested in THAT brother, most especially a Beta of an enemy pack.
Of all people to be attracted to, it’s Freck?
“My
brother is not the best candidate for an escort on a peace mission.
He acts on instinct.”
“Hm.”
Reamer nods, sipping his drink again while never breaking eye contact
with Zeedar. “I hear you’ve been busy with the pack’s company.”
He lets that sentence sink in before proceeding. “You have spent
these past years in the human world, only going on errands assigned
by your Alpha. Why go out of your way now to come here outside your
Alpha’s orders?”
Zeedar
doesn’t respond as he diverts his focus to the food before him.
Usually, he would struggle to not eat a food given to him for fear of
poison.
But
he doesn’t struggle on this one. He won’t eat it unless convinced
it isn’t poisoned.
After
all, if Tribalan pack can kill an Alpha of Moon’s Wrath pack,
what’s there to kill an ambassador?
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