Andor.
I looked at king quizzically. He smiled and responded. "I have spies in your kingdom, and they told me that you are some sort of demon wolf."
I laughed.
"They also tell me that you can transform at will."
"Yes, my lord," I answered.
"That is quite impressive." King Isaac replied. "Are you sure that you did not come to bite my head off?"
"No, my lord. I thought it was wise to some pay homage to the leader of the werewolf committee in person."
"Yes. I see that."
"Are you going to be a problem?" He inquired.
"No, my lord. I am here to swear my allegiance to you." I explained.
"Very well then." King Isaac jumped down from his throne and crept towards me.
I kept my head bowed down. Since I entered his halls, he had been looking for a way to provoke me. Whatever impression his spies gave him about me rattled him; I intended to leave his kingdom without making an enemy out of him.
"You can stand up." He replied. "My guards will lead you to your cabins. I want you to stay the night. We have celebrations going on, and I want you to partake."
"Thank you, my Lord. Your hospitality is very welcome. These are the gifts that I have brought for you."
Edmund stood towards me, and I handed the bags to the guard closest to me. He emptied the contents, and king Isaac smiled.
"I am very grateful for your gifts. You must rest now or visit my taverns, and I also hear that the women there are excellent."
"Thank you, my lord. I'll stop there for some drinks."
Then, we walked behind his guards, who led us to our cabins, which coincidentally were at a tavern. The guards left us as soon as they showed us our rooms.
"I'm going back out there to get drunk," I said.
"Me too," Edmund replied.
"I feel like the gods decided that I deserve to relax," Ivar answered.
I laughed. " I suspect King Isaac has more planned for us tonight than celebrations. I would prefer that you two do not get drunk."
"Yes. He does not like you." Edmund said.
"I do not need him to like me," I replied. "I just need him to accept my allegiance so I can return home."
"To Iris?"
"Yes."
"My lord, I do not think king Isaac would attack you without provocation," Ivar said.
"You are right." I agreed.
"Does this mean that we can get drunk?" Edmund asked.
I laughed. "Yes. And I would join you. Someone must pick you up when you start falling on your feet."
They cheered in excitement, and we all went to drink.
"I have a joke," Edmund said in between stutters. He was drunk and could barely sit on his own.
Usually, werewolves could not get drunk, and our super-fast healing meant that our kidneys would metabolize the alcohol quickly, and we wouldn't feel the pleasant drowsy sensations.
But, in this case, long Isaac gave an order that a small amount of wolfsbane be mixed with alcohol in other for his people to celebrate. His elder daughter was getting married; it was a special occasion.
"Your jokes are not funny," Ivar replied.
"Maybe you are not drunk enough to understand them, and you just haven't accessed the parts of your mind that can comprehend the complexities of my jokes."
Ivar laughed. "It's the opposite. You are too drunk to understand that your jokes lack any meaning."
"A couple more cups, and you would understand the wisdom of my words."
I couldn't help but laugh. I did not drink as much as either of them. The air felt uneasy, and I wanted to stay sharp as things happened.
A guard walked to our table and addressed the three of us.
"The king would like you to join his celebrations in the great hall."
"Just when I thought the night could not get any better," Edmund exclaimed.
"Come, let us go," I said as we followed the guard to the great hall. The hall was filled with people to the brim. The guard led us to the king's table, an empty chair waiting for me at his side. Edmund and Ivar were asked to join the others in the main hall area.
"My Lord." I bowed to him.
"Please join me." He gestured at the empty chair by his side.
I pulled the chair out and sat down.
"I trust that you have been having fun. My guards tell me that you have been at the tavern."
"You had them watching me?" I asked.
He nodded.
"Wouldn't you do the same?" He replied.
"I just became Alpha. I have never been in this situation." I said.
"Very well. I can't sit here and pretend I trust you. I don't know you; I only know your father." King Isaac explained.
I kept quiet while he spoke.
"The first news I hear of your reign involves you biting someone's head off at the slightest provocation."
I laughed. "The provocation was not slight. Erling challenged me for my birthright, and the fight was to the death. What would you have done in my position?"
He chuckled. "I would have had his head cut off. But that is the problem, and there can only be one me. I have a problem with the idea that there is another powerful werewolf."
I lifted an eyebrow.
"You might wield a different kind of power. But it does not mean that you are not powerful. I wield total administrative power, and you bite the head of anyone that challenges you, including me."
My eyes narrowed. My mother and Ivar were right to be wary about him, but they had the wrong reasons. He is a small man, so they assumed pride was an issue, but I was more worried about his paranoia. He had only met me once and had already concluded that I was his enemy.
"My lord, I can assure you I am not a threat," I said.
"Marry my daughter and make me an ally. Put my heart at rest so that we might coexist as laws instead, and maybe that amazing power in your blood can be passed on to my grandchildren."
"I'm afraid that is not possible," I replied. "I already have someone."
"No one told me that you are married." He replied.
"I was going to do that, but I felt paying homage to you is more important," I said in a flatter tone.
It worked because he was grinning ear to ear. I took the opportunity to further my cause.
"My lord. I know that you do not trust me, and neither do you have any good reason to. But, my visit here is to show you that I am loyal to your leadership. I plan to protect my pack and marry the woman I hold affection for."
He shut his eyes. "Very well. I have not given you the benefit of the doubt, and I see that. I accept your allegiance, and the red siren pack may remain under the protection of the werewolf council."
I smiled.
"Thank you, my Lord. I will not let you down."
A tall slim girl walked toward the table and greeted the king. She had stunning blue eyes.
"This is my daughter, Jenniffer." He said. "The one I intended you to marry."
She frowned. "You intended to give me out without my permission?"
He shook his head. "Not like that."
I kept quiet and pretended that I could not hear their banter. A few hours into the feast, I noticed that Edmund was sleeping off on the table. So, I excused myself and took him and Ivar back to the tavern.
Edmund fell asleep immediately after we got into the room. Ivar stayed up a little bit and talked with me.
"What did king Isaac want?" He asked.
I sighed.
"He wanted me to marry his daughter because he did not feel comfortable with how powerful he heard I was."
"And what did you say?"
"I told him that I already had someone," I replied.
"King Isaac already knows about iris?" Ivar laughed.
"That Is not even what worries me," I said.
"What worries you?"
"He has spies in my pack. Someone is sending him information about us almost immediately to king Isaac."
Ivar shook his head in disbelief.
"It has barely been a day, and he knows everything that happened with Erling. I want to find that person and rip them apart." I snarled.
"We will set a trap for the person. It would be easy, my lord."
I nodded.
"My lord, by any chance, did you get to see the daughter he wanted you to marry?"
"Yes," I replied. "She was beautiful, and I have no idea how king Isaac produced such a beautiful progeny."
Ivar laughed.
"I did not know it was capable of missing someone the way I miss Iris."
"Then, we better hurry back to her." He replied.