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A little, she conceded grudgingly.
Greg gave me a kiss that made my head spin. ‘I believe in you, Lucy Barrett,’ he murmured for my ears alone. ‘And I believe in you, Esme. You’ve got this.’
Of course we do, Esme snorted. We were born ready.
I looked at the others. ‘Everyone ready to rock and roll?’
‘Can’t you tell?’ Archie asked, brushing invisible lint from his shoulder. ‘We’re all at our finest, just for our Queen.’ Greg let out a low growl and he blanched.
‘Flirt at the ball, if you must,’ Greg snarled. ‘But not here.’
‘Right you are.’ Archie gave his beta a mock salute.
‘Time to go,’ David said to defuse the rising tension. He was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt; Greg had asked him to stay in our rooms to make sure Amber’s runes weren’t interfered with.
‘Liam,’ I called, ‘you escort me. Let’s leave Greg’s hands free to kill anyone at the drop of a hat.’
I hope there’s a gust of wind, Esme said hopefully.
What?
You said that hats come off when the wind blows. If Greg gets to kill when hats fall, I want it to be really windy. Maybe we can open a window.
I smacked a hand on my forehead. I despaired of ever teaching my wolf the niceties of human society. I held out my arm to Liam, and he took it gallantly, careful to touch only my gloved flesh; he didn’t want Greg out for his blood. Wise man.
There was a knock on the door. When I nodded, Archie opened it to reveal Andrew Kearns, the speaker of the Werewolf Council. ‘My Queen,’ his eyes sparkled with admiration. ‘The room is ready to receive you.’
‘And the plan this evening?’
He blinked then frowned. ‘Aitken has not explained this evening's events?’
‘Evidently not,’ I drawled. ‘I gather there is to be a ball.’
‘Of course. You will be presented to those who have gathered then the ball will commence. You will have three dances before you travel alone to the seat of power. If you return, your coronation will follow.’
‘If she returns?’ Greg growled darkly.
Kearns grimaced. ‘The seat of power must successfully commune with the Queen.’
‘And what will an unsuccessful communion lead to?’
Kearns looked at his toes for a moment before answering. ‘Over the centuries, there have been many wolves that have sought to rule. None have ever returned from the seat of power.’ He looked at me optimistically. ‘But I’m sure it will be different for you, my Queen. You restored the Great Pack, and my wolf Kai tells me that they recognise your rule. Your encounter with the seat of power is bound to be a technicality, nothing more.’
‘Of course,’ I said with a confidence I didn’t feel.
I had an inkling about what the seat of power was and I’d seen it kill. It was out for blood – would mine be next?
Chapter 28
Kearns introduced me with all of the ceremony of an eighteenth-century herald. ‘Lucy Barrett, breaker of curses, alpha of the Home Counties and Devon packs, and ruler of the British Werewolves.’
The room fell completely silent so we all heard Jimmy Rain’s loud snort. ‘Proclaimed ruler of the British Werewolves. I see no crown on her head.’
I smiled. ‘Not yet.’ I did my best to exude smug confidence, like my crowning was a foregone conclusion. In my head it was, because the alternative was death and for obvious reasons I wasn’t thrilled about that option.
What followed was an hour of introductions that made my head spin. All the Werewolf Council were in attendance together with their spouses. Not only that, the room was crammed with alphas and betas from the various packs; it was so full of testosterone that I almost choked on it. Every eye was on me and hardly any of them were friendly; even the women were staring at me disdainfully.
Thomas Elliott, my hosting alpha, was as handsome as he was charming. Greg’s jaw tightened as Elliott found yet another excuse to brush his hand along my skin. In another life, I might have found the attention flattering but today it was just annoying. A string quartet started playing. ‘May I have this dance?’ Elliott asked.
