Chapter 46 - Monster's Ball (Part 3)

*'So this is Matias, the crown prince,'* Adalyn thought. Being a public figure, she had seen pictures of him before. His mating ceremony with the new princess Elora was still fairly recent and photos had circled round most of the city in celebration of the event, but up close and in person Adalyn was taken aback by how much he resembled Kai. They both had the same cool blue eyes like the King, but there was something different behind his. He had an overwhelming presence that instantly made her feel conscious about how she moved and spoke in front of him. She could feel his eyes analysing her. Was this the true power of royal blood. Had Kai been holding back this kind of energy the whole time?

"I'm sorry your highness, please excuse me." Adalyn apologised again for bumping in to him then politely curtsied in front of him. She stared towards the ground and started to walk round him until she felt his hand loop around her arm.

"I'll gladly accept your apology with a dance." Matias responded coolly. It didn't feel like a question but more of a command.

Adalyn was still reeling from her fight with Kai and was desperate to get away, but she felt like she couldn't refuse. Matias slowly pulled her back to him then held his other hand firmly on her hip.

"I wouldn’t want to offend your wife by doing so." Adalyn tried to excuse herself.

"My wife has never been one for dancing. I really must insist." He whispered against her. "You wouldn't turn down a future king's polite offer, would you?"

Adalyn could feel a wave of his energy pressing down on her. It took her breath away. No was no longer an option. She took a deep breath to recompose herself before responding.

"Okay..." She replied reluctantly.

"Wonderful..." Matias responded with a bit more softness in his voice. He raised his free open hand in front of her and Adalyn placed her other hand in his.


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Kai was still pushing through the crowd to try and catch up with her when he spotted Matias holding on to her. Pax was instantly riled by the sight. Seeing his mate with him made him break out in a cold sweat and he could tell from her expression that she was not comfortable. If he knew who she was to him, he didn't doubt that he would use it as an opportunity to antagonise him. Secret or not, he couldn't hold back, he was going to have to step in and deal with the repercussions later.

A defensive growl escaped his throat just as he moved towards them until he was stopped abruptly. Kai turned aggressively to look at the person who had stopped him.

"That's her isn't it? Don’t go over there." Elias said with quiet assertion. He didn't need Kai to say anything to know what his intentions were. "We don’t need you making a scene right now."

"I couldn't give a fuck about making a scene." Kai's eyes flashed black again. "Let....go" he responded with a bit more hostility in his voice. Both he and Pax were desperate to get to their mate.

"If you go over there, you’ll just be adding fuel to the fire. Even if he doesn’t know that she’s your fated mate he'll know that she’s a pressure point for you if you suddenly act up. Don’t do it! I'm tired of saving your ass."

"Saving me? Don't suddenly act like you care now, you made it very clear the other night where your loyalties lay, and it's not with me. Stand aside." Kai was still hurt that Elias was refusing to tell him who was after his and Adalyn's life.

"Don't talk to me about loyalties, *everything* I do is for this family," Elias responded behind clenched teeth, trying his best not to raise his voice. "Listen to me. You will make things worse if you go over there now. Stay put."

Kai clenched his fist as he watched the two of them dance.

"He’s hardly going to do anything to her in front of this crowd Kai, they’re just... dancing. If he does anything..."

Kai turned and growled at Elias.

"Which he wont..." Elias quickly added. "Then I'll cut in."

Kai gritted his teeth but relaxed the tension in his arm. Elias was right. He wouldn't do anything to her in public, but watching them still made him feel really uncomfortable. Matias would use any opportunity to provoke him. He had to play it cool for now.

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"So, tell me...who are you? I don't think I've seen you before." Matias asked Adalyn coolly.

Something in her told her to lie. "I'm just a friend of Melody's."

"And does Melody's *friend* have a name...?"

"It's... It's Adalyn," she shared hesitantly. She didn't know if telling him her real name was a good idea or not but it just came out.

"Adalyn..." Matias repeated it back to himself as though he was trying to commit it to his memory.

"That's a beautiful name for a very beautiful woman." Matias spotted Kai across the ballroom and the intense look that he was throwing in their direction. "My baby brother seems to be quite captivated by you. He's doing a terrible job at trying to hide it though. Do you know each other?"

*'Lie'* her inner voice told her. "No, your highness."

"Interesting.... Perhaps I'm just imagining it but I'm pretty I sure can feel his eyes burning a hole in to my back of my head as we speak, as though he’s displeased about me dancing with you. I wonder why that might be?" He hummed against her. He shifted his hand on her back to hold her a bit more firmly.

Adalyn couldn't help but feel as though she was under a microscope. Like he was looking for an opportunity for her to slip up or say something that she shouldn't even though she had no idea why. "I couldn’t think why, I’m nobody special."

Her comment made Matias laugh to himself. "Don't undersell yourself. You've garnered the attention of many people here tonight, not just Kaiden."

Matias pulled Adalyn closer in to his arms.

"I’m usually pretty astute when it comes to picking up on what's beneath the surface and Kaiden is particularly easy to read. He has never been one to 'share the toys in his collection', shall we say, and I must admit it would bring me great pleasure to test if this presumption of mine is correct and work out if he plans to make you a new addition to his 'said collection.'"

Adalyn tensed in his arms hearing his words. This couldn't be true, could it? After learning that this ball was effectively a wife speed dating event, she didn't know what or who to believe anymore and all the male posturing was stifling.

"As my mother kindly mentioned," Matias continued. He was picking up on the irritation in her. "Kai is often surrounded by very beautiful and prestigious women. If he's not interested in you, as you claim, I’m sure he’ll have his eye on one of them instead. I wouldn’t want you to go home disappointed though. You could always pay me a visit and have something to remember the night by. This would allow me to test my theory and you'd have a pleasurable end to your evening."

Adalyn had had enough. This guy had just gotten married, albeit to a chosen mate, but was now coming on to her just to mess with Kai. She straightened her back as she felt a newfound boldness surging forward in her. "What Kaiden does with anybody else is his choice. I couldn't care less." Her face said otherwise, but prince or no prince she wasn't about to be intimidated by this man, or any man for that matter. She could feel Tara bubbling below the surface in irritation at both his words and proposition.

Matias could feel the change in her immediately. Was this dominant energy that he was starting to sense from her? Aimed at him? He pulled back a little from their hold to look at her. When he caught her face again, he saw something that he didn't see before originally. Her eyes flashed black and Matias blinked in surprise. *'How is she doing that?'* Matias asked himself. She didn't seem phased by his energy at all. The stern stoic mask slipped from his face for a moment as he recalled something familiar in her. "Why do I feel like I know you?" he spoke to himself but said it out loud as he looked at her in awe.

Adalyn looked at him confused as she caught what he said. His words were no more than a whisper. His whole demeanour had changed in an instant and the dominant pressure he was emitting evaporated in to thin air as he looked at her.

The song ended before he got his answer. Sensing an opportunity to escape, Adalyn released herself from his embrace, gathered the bottom of her dress in one of her hands then rounded him and left. Matias turned to watch her leave. He was completely transfixed.

Adalyn pushed opened one of the large heavy doors at the back of the ballroom and nearly sprinted down the large hallway. Following her argument with Kai, her encounter with Matias and the heavy atmosphere in the ballroom she was desperate for air. Tara was pacing back and forth in her mind like a caged animal.

She had no idea where she was going, so she trusted her senses to find the nearest exit. As she reached the end of the hallway, she could feel a draft coming from the door at the end. *'Freedom.'* She pushed it open and the breeze whipped through violently as it opened out on to a little stone courtyard. The relief was instant as the cool air fanned her heated skin. She let go of the hem of her dress and walked towards the stone railings that lined the courtyard and overlooked another larger garden directly in front of it. It was dark out now but some dimly lit lanterns and a small amount of moonlight peaking behind the clouds offered some light to her surroundings.

This place was huge. She couldn't figure out how to leave even if she wanted to. She couldn't help but ask herself if this is what palace life with Kai would be like. Surrounded by inflated egos and all this pompous pageantry. This was a million miles away from her current life. As she finally started to settle and gather her thoughts she gasped suddenly as a hand reached for her and pulled her into the shadows.