Chapter 61

Ava

Chris tightened his grip around my waist and began leading me over to the food table. “All this socializing is making me hungry,” he said, leaning in close so I could hear. “Let’s get something to eat.”

I nodded, still a bit dazed after my dance with the man known as Dedrick. Something about him made me just a little bit uneasy, although I wasn’t entirely sure why.

Chris, noticing that I was still being quiet, gave me a nudge. “Cat got your tongue?”

I quickly shook my head. “No. Just… taking it all in.” I gestured around at the party. “It’s a lot.”

He chuckled. “Tell me about it. The Elders have been practically glued to my side all night.”

Pausing at the buffet table, I glanced over at where the Elders were seated at the long banquet table by the front of the gathering. All five of them were sitting in a row, quietly talking amongst themselves and sipping their wine. But I knew them well enough to know that they were watching everyone, particularly Chris and me, like hawks. They never missed a beat. Especially not Elise.

Gently extricating myself from Chris’s grasp, I decided to change the subject. I looked over the table of fragrant food, then gestured to a plate of lemon tarts by the other dessert options. “I made those lemon tarts, you know.”

Chris glanced over his shoulder at the sugary treats, his lips quirking up in a smirk. “Is that so? I’lll have to try one then.” Without so much as hesitating, he scooped one up and took an exaggerated bite, humming in appreciation. “Mmm, not bad, Ava. Not bad at all.”

“Not bad?” I teased. “That’s all you have to say?”

Chris swallowed, then licked the powdered sugar off of his fingers with a flourish. “Mm, yes… the flavor of the lemons is perfectly balanced by… is that a hint of cyanide I taste?”

I rolled my eyes, fighting back a grin as I swatted at his arm. “You’re insufferable. And drunk.”

“Guilty as charged.” Chris grinned widely, already pouring himself another glass of wine. “And you’re avoiding the matter at hand.” He waved another lemon tart lazily in front of my face. “If you made these, then you should feed one to me.”

A blush crept up my neck at the suggestive gleam in his eye. I felt my fingers itch to feed him the tart, but this wasn’t like it was when we were alone in my cottage—we could raise suspicions, and right now, we didn’t need an extra headache.

“Chris, don’t be ridiculous,” I said with a giggle and a wave of my hand, trying to sound nonchalant. Then, lowering my voice, I said, “Not in front of the Elders.”

He simply arched a brow, his green-eyed gaze sliding over to where the Elders and Olivia sat watching the festivities with hawk-like scrutiny. Only four Elders remained at the moment—Elder Bradley had apparently stepped away, although I couldn’t spot him in the crowd.

Olivia, in particular, was making no moves to hide the fact that she was staring. In fact, she sat like a queen overlooking her subjects, one hand swirling her glass of red wine and the other tucked under her chin. Her eyes, though roving across the crowd, returned to the two of us on more than one occasion.

Chris, however, seemed too drunk to care.

“And why not?” he challenged, snatching my hand up and holding it tightly between his warm fingers. “We shouldn’t have to hide, Ava. Not from them. And besides, it’s just a lemon tart, isn’t it?”

My breath caught at the intensity smoldering in his emerald eyes. From this close, they almost appeared to glow like the vibrant lichen back in the cave where we had gone swimming together.

“You know why,” I murmured, trying to tug my hand free. “I won’t have them accusing me of seducing you or scheming my way into becoming Luna again.”

He scoffed at that, his grip only tightening. “I won’t be Alpha forever, you know. Soon, this will all be over and we can—”

“Enjoying the party?”

The sound of the voice behind me made me jump, and I whipped around to find Elder Bradley standing there with a chocolate muffin in his hands. His red hair was a bit mussed and there was a slightly pink tinge across his cheeks, indicating that he had been enjoying his wine just as much as the rest of us.

“Elder Bradley,” I said with a polite incline of my head, quickly smoothing down my skirt. “Yes, we are.”

Bradley’s eyes caught mine, and I swore I saw a knowing glint in them. Had he seen everything? Heard everything? Bradley was typically one of the more jovial Elders, but he was also the most anxious out of all of them, and known for not being able to keep his mouth shut.

Cautiously, I glanced behind him at the other Elders. They didn’t appear to be looking, and thankfully, Olivia herself had stepped away.

But I still needed some air.

“Please excuse me,” I said quickly.

Without waiting for a response, I turned on my heel and hurried away, ignoring Chris’s amused chuckle behind me.

The further I got from the bustling village square, the calmer my breathing became. I slowed to a stop beside one of the larger oak trees lining the outskirts of the square, leaning my forehead against the cool bark as I closed my eyes.

That was when I heard it—the soft tread of approaching footsteps, accompanied by hushed voices further up ahead. Peering around the trunk, I froze at the sight of that strange man, Dedrick, emerging from the shadows.

He seemed to be alone at first. But then a slender feminine silhouette followed close behind, her features obscured by the darkness. My brows furrowed as I watched Dedrick halt and turn to face her, his expression grave.

“...tomorrow,” I heard his rumbling voice say. “Then we’ll… you’ll see…”

I furrowed my brow, creeping further behind the tree as I caught snippets of whatever he was saying. It didn’t make sense. Was he talking about the competition tomorrow?

Before I could make sense of the odd scene unfolding in front of me, a warm hand landed on my shoulder, making me jolt.

“Woah. Easy there,” Chris murmured with a soft smirk, steadying me with a firm grip. “It’s just me.”

I exhaled shakily, pressing a hand over my hammering heart. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!” I hissed.

He simply chuckled, squeezing my shoulder before allowing his hand to drop. “You disappeared so quickly, I wanted to make sure everything was alright.”

Swallowing hard, I glanced back toward the area I had seen Dedrick and the mystery woman, only to find it deserted. I pursed my lips for a moment, then shook my head; perhaps I had just seen him chatting with a friend, or maybe a lover, and my anxious state was making it seem like more than it really was.

With a weary sigh, I turned back to face Chris. “I’m fine,” I assured him.

He cocked an eyebrow at me. “No you’re not.”

I paused, biting the inside of my cheek before continuing. “I just… I know why you’re so eager to go public with our relationship, but—”

“Ava.” Chris cupped my face in his palms. “You don’t need to explain. I know how much this all means to you, and how hard you’ve worked for the Elders’ respect and acceptance. I was out of line before, and I never want to put you in a difficult position. I’m… sorry.”

Relief washed over me at his words. “Thank you for understanding,” I whispered, finally allowing myself to drink in the sight of his handsome features bathed in pale moonlight now that we were alone. “You know how I feel about being with you, but I just… I need to wait until the timing is right.”

Chris simply smiled and took a step closer. I felt my back press into the knotted bark of the tree behind me, and my heart began to hammer in my chest.

“Until that day comes, then,” he murmured, leaning down so that his lips were only inches from mine. “May I at least—”

I didn’t wait for him to finish. I grabbed the collar of his shirt and yanked him close so that he stumbled, having to press his palms into the tree to keep himself from crushing me.

I kissed him there, in the shadows, beneath the light of the full moon filtering through the canopy of leaves.