fanqie novel
Chapter 13
“People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who
do.” 2
Isaac Asimov
“Clark, is it?”
I’d watched almost everyone deal with the brunt of the Alpha King’s stare, but now that I was the one feeling it, I understood just how crushing it was. It made me feel like I was on stage in front of a hundred people trying to deliver a speech, only I had no idea what th speech was about. 1
I almost felt a little sympathetic for Ezra almost.
“Yes, Your Majesty.” The honorific felt foreign on my tongue, but the last thing I wanted to do was go back home in pieces because I used the wrong title.
“Tell me,” the Alpha King leaned back in his chair, sipping his wine, “How does it feel to be so fragile?”
“I’m sorry?”
–
I’ve spent enough time
“Fragile. Breakable. Delicate. Whatever word you fancy around humans to know weak your kind is,” the Alpha King said.
Glad to know he thinks so highly of us. 1
I felt like I was treading on thin ice. Judging from the way the King had talked to Angel and my general knowledge of male werewolves, I knew they didn’t think highly of humans – let alone human women. We had even less to offer than a female werewolf did, and no matter what, I couldn’t allow my distaste for the werewolf world to show. I didn’t know much about the Alpha King, but I was pretty sure badmouthing werewolves was a one-way ticket to the dungeons.
With my heart thumping in my chest, I finally said, “I don’t know if I can answer your question accurately, Your Majesty. I’ve only ever been human, but I have witnessed the immense strength that werewolves do. It’s amazing what your kind is capable of.”@
The Alpha King hummed thoughtfully but he didn’t look displeased with my answer. “Yes, I suppose you’ve had plenty of time to see how incapable humans are. How long have you lived with your father?”
“About six years.’
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“You know,” the Alpha King chuckled, looking at Beta Williams, “This story has always fascinated me. There were plenty of rumors floating around about Marcus Bellevue’s affair with a human woman and their human child. A powerful Alpha cheating on his destinated mate with a human of all things? It’s almost unbelievable.”
“It is quite unusual,” Beta Williams replied, “I can’t say I’ve ever heard of that happening. I’ve known werewolves that have had affairs with human women and gotten them pregnant – but never a powerful Alpha and never a mated one.” (2
I tried not to squirm in my seat at the direction the conversation had taken. If the Alpha King’s goal was to make me as uncomfortable as possible, he was definitely exceeding. 3
“Why did he cheat on his mate?” The Alpha King turned back at me. He was genuinely asking me as if I had some sort of secret insight into my father’s psyche.
“Uh, I’m not sure,” I stumbled out, trying to keep my composure, “I know it wasn’t a long-term thing, but he’s never told me much about it.”
“Ah, I see. A one-night-stand left him saddled with a child?” The King laughed,
“How unfortunate.” He took another long sip of his wine glass and I prayed that my
part of the interrogation was done. I hated feeling everyone’s eyes on me, waiting
to see if I’d keep my cool or sl*p up and say the wrong thing.
“There’s something else I’m curious about, Clark,” the King continued and my
stomach dropped. “Humans do not have mates, do they?”
“No, Your Majesty.”
He looked thoughtful for a moment. “I’ve always wondered what that must be like,” he said, “To not have the pull of a soulmate like us wolves do. You don’t even understand what you’re missing, I suppose.”
I held my tongue – although a part of me wanted to tell him that I had seen how their supposed soulmates treated each other and the last thing I wanted was to have some flesh-and-blood anchor weighing me down.
“Then again,” the King mused, “I suppose you’ll never have to experience the crippling loss of a mate either. I lost my own over twenty-five years ago and the pain feels as fresh as yesterday. My own son has never met his mate and I see how it weighs on him – it’s like missing a limb you’ve never had.”
“You almost sound poetic, Alaric. Your love for the late Queen is inspiring to all mated couples,” Beta Williams said, “Where is Prince Griffin tonight?”
Yes, let’s direct this conversation to someone else’s family.
The Alpha King sighed deeply. “Who knows?” He said, “My sons less and less time around the castle these days. He prefers to go settle pack disputes in person, he likes to get his hands bloody. That’s at least one trait he’s picked up from his father.”