Chapter 8: A Forgiving Mood

One moment he was standing at the altar. The next, he was in front of Alpha Rowan, his hand wrapped around the older Alpha’s throat.

Hazel didn’t even see him move.

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd, and several guests shot to their feet in panic. Guards poured in from every direction, their weapons drawn, surrounding the scene.

But Conan paid them no mind.

"What was that?" Conan whispered, eerily titling his head. "I didn’t quite hear you. Could you speak louder?"

Alpha Rowan’s face had gone beet red, his hands clawing uselessly at Conan’s grip. "You—you—"

"I suggest you choose your next words very carefully, Rowan," Conan continued. "Because although I am in a forgiving mood today, my patience—" he tightened his grip, and Rowan let out a strangled gasp, "—has limits."

Hazel’s bouquet nearly slipped from her trembling fingers. She wanted to look away. She wanted to close her eyes.

But she couldn’t.

She watched as Conan’s eyes flickered red. Watched as Alpha Rowan’s face shifted from defiance to something else entirely.

Fear.

Xavier was there in a flash, placing a hand on Conan’s shoulder. "Conan, calm down and drop him. Please," he breathed, his eyes slowly filling with anxiety. Doing this in front of basically all the pack representatives wasn’t a good thing, and Xavier knew it could come back to bite them in the behind if Conan did something drastic.

Conan considered his Beta’s pleas for a moment, before releasing the Alpha.

Rowan collapsed to his knees, gasping for air, and clutching his throat.

"I’m sorry," Rowan wheezed, his earlier bravado completely shattered. "I’m sorry, my king—please—"

Conan stared down at him, his eyes flashing red again.

"You should be."

He tore his gaze from the terrified Alpha, and cast it upon the rest of his guests. The guards of the Cancer celestial line still brandished their weapons at him, even though they were shaking.

"This need not become violent," he said quietly, rubbing his wrist. "I will pardon your Alpha for his treasonous words and frankly act of war against Bloodmoon, and the royal house of Lycans. It is a wedding afterall." An unsettling smile crept onto his face. "Let us enjoy it."

Becky groaned from behind Hazel. Conan didn’t forgive insults so easily. She could only pray he kept to his claim about letting Alpha Rowan go scot-free.

Conan turned his back on the kneeling Alpha, walked back to the altar, and resumed his place in front of Hazel as if nothing had happened. Xavier followed suit, standing a few feet behind him.

Hazel stared at him, her heart hammering.

She didn’t know whether to feel terrified.....or relieved.

Conan caught her gaze, his eyes slowly falling to her lips before they snapped back to the officiant.

"Continue," he said to the officiant, his voice flat.

The officiant blinked, clearly shaken by what had just happened. "A-are you sure, my King? Perhaps we should—"

"I said continue."

And so, with Alpha Rowan Hawthorne still kneeling in the aisle from crippling fear, his face pale and his hands shaking, the ceremony resumed.

~

"Will it be painful? I have never....mated with someone before."

Hazel asked after Becky peeled off her wedding gown, already preparing for the consummation ceremony.

Becky’s eyes widened, and she let out a nervous laugh. "Of course not!" She coughed. "It’s...err...the king is very...."

"Very what?"

Becky felt her face heat up, and she shook her head hard, as if the action would make the thoughts in her mind dissipate.

"He’ll be gentle. I believe he will, so there’s nothing to worry about," she stated, slipping on a vibrant red night robe onto Hazel. Hazel felt the material, noticing it’s silkiness. It was very soft on her skin, and smelt like roses.

"Is the king always like that? Violent?" She blurted out, finally putting shape to a question that had been circling her mind since the wedding.

Becky blinked twice. "Oh, you’re referring to the way he threatened Alpha Rowan." Becky moved to Hazel’s front, knotting the ropes of the robe. Hazel observed she had a sad smile on her face.

"No, I think he also killed my father for daring to slap me in his presence, and also whipping me. But—"

Becky grabbed Hazel’s shoulders. "Conan did what?!"

Hazel shrugged. "I don’t mind it, I was just wondering if he’s always prone to violence."

Becky’s warm chestnut eyes stared at Hazel like she had some screws loose. But it didn’t take long to figure why she wouldn’t mind a man killing her father. As a markless, Hazel would have been subjected to all manner of torture.

Sigh.

"No," she breathed quietly. "Conan is not always violent. He can be very gentle, until he’s provoked. If you’re worried about him perhaps taking his anger out on you, you need not be. Anyways, that’s enough." A smile graced her lips. "Your husband awaits."