Chapter 106

THIRD PERSON POV

Victoria stared wide-eyed at the grand interior of the building she was currently sitting inside, brimming with unsettled nerves.

Earlier that morning, she’d received a call from a man she didn’t know—who turned out to be Kenneth’s beta—and was briskly informed of the details of her impromptu meeting with the alpha.

‘Come to the Howling Chophouse on Main Street in the capital,’ he’d said. ‘Be there by noon, and not a minute later.’

Before she could ask anything or get even one word out in response, he hung up, leaving her hanging.

So, here she was. Sitting inside of the capital’s most profitable—and exclusive—steakhouse, wearing a lovely long-sleeved peplum dress, made of the finest black velvet she owned, accessorized with champagne stilettos. There was no way she’d skimp out on attire, not in a place like this and not with the company she’d be keeping.

Not when she was seated directly across from one of the most prominent alphas in the entire kingdom, who looked stunningly calm, considering everything.

Of course he was calm—he was a renowned regular of the Howling Chophouse, and that was not something that could be said of many.

She’d only ever been to this restaurant once, shortly after returning from her honeymoon with Burton twenty years ago. It wasn’t like she never wanted to return—the prime steak and potatoes she’d ordered left a lasting impression on her refined tastebuds that nothing could ever quite match up to.

The ambiance was just as she remembered it. Candlelit tables with lavish red tablecloths that looked exquisite to the touch, complementing the sturdy brick walls surrounding her. Above the dining room was a massive chandelier made entirely of glass, glittering beautifully in the air. Amid gentle murmurs, the delicate sound of china and silverware clinked as guests ate and drank to their hearts’ content.

But what made this restaurant stand out above all others in the capital was the grill in the center of the dining room, where three chefs were busy at work, preparing and cooking meat for the diners to watch as they so pleased.

This was the sort of place that only accepted reservations weeks and even months in advance, and only from those they deemed worthy enough to serve.

And it seemed Kenneth managed to snag a private table in only a matter of hours.

This was a mere glimpse of the power he held—having privileges even she, as a luna, did not have.

And now, she was only here because of him. Because of what she’d done last night.

Last night…

An opportunity had presented itself to her… one that she might never have gotten again… and she greedily took it, like a starved animal latching its jaws onto a chunk of meat. Ordinarily, she never would have been so bold with an alpha well above her station, considering he had close ties with the palace that she only ever dreamed of having.

If she played her hand wrong, she could lose… everything.

No. She couldn’t think like that. There was too much on the line for her to even consider backing out.

A waiter then approached the table, turning to address Victoria with his hands clasped politely in front of his black apron. “Is there anything I can get started for you?”

She motioned to dismiss him. “No—”

“Nonsense,” Kenneth swiftly interjected, prompting Victoria to swivel her gaze to him, her hand dropping ever so slightly. The burning intensity in his expression had since faded away, giving way to light and charm—the side of the alpha she was normally accustomed to. “You needn’t be shy. Order anything you’d like. It’s the least I can do with you as my guest.”

The way he spoke to her… it almost gave the impression that she was here at his behest. Not the other way around.

It was unnerving.

Should she be doing this—?

Don’t back down—she reminded herself. You are here for a reason.

Victoria smiled. “If you insist.” She turned back to the waiter and ordered a glass of chardonnay and a small appetizer of steak bites, seasoned with garlic butter and finely chopped parsley. She hadn’t come here to eat a nice meal, but if it was offered to her, how could she refuse?

“And for you, Alpha?”

Kenneth, however, responded with a brisk shake of his head and waved his hand to dismiss the young man, who retreated to the kitchen.

It wasn’t until the two were completely alone that Kenneth decided to speak up again.

“So… you came, after all,” he remarked, sounding almost surprised. “You must truly be serious about this.”

Victoria smoothed out the wrinkles from her lap. “Of course I am. I’ve wanted to meet with you for some time now.”

“Well, you’ve got me right where you want me.” He reclined against the back of his chair with an ease that suggested otherwise, crossing his arms as he stared expectantly at the luna. “I must say, in all the years I’ve held power, no one has ever dared to threaten me the way you did last night.”

“I do hope you won’t hold that against me. I needed something to get your attention.”

His gaze bore into her. “So you did.”

The conversation came to a brief standstill when the waiter returned with drinks, promising to serve Victoria’s steak shortly before once again leaving the pair alone.

Kenneth cleared his throat. “So,” he drawled, “what exactly is it that you want from me? Money? Influence? Connections?” He listed them off as if they were mere words on a list. Something mindless and meaningless he could simply hand out at his leisure.

And to him, they were.

Victoria lifted her glass of wine to her cherry lips. “Nothing so base as that,” she dismissed him before taking a sip.

“Then kindly spit it out,” he demanded. “Contrary to what you might believe of an old wolf like myself, I am still Alpha of one of the largest and most prestigious packs in the kingdom. There are more important things I could be doing with my time.”

The following pause in their odd, mostly one-sided conversation would have been her chance to take back the words she’d practically hurled at Kenneth’s broad back last night.

But, instead…

The luna lowered her glass to the table with a cool nonchalance, leveling with him dead-on.

“I know you want Maeve, and I want you to take her.”

And that, admittedly, took Kenneth for a whirl. She was… willingly offering Maeve to him?

He was not so ignorant to believe she was close with Maeve—no, he could only begin to imagine how much she might’ve loathed raising her mate’s bastard daughter. But surely she knew better than to demand things of an alpha as esteemed as himself.

Especially when it regarded a daughter that the rest of the world perceived to be her own flesh and blood.

Surely she was smarter than this. So, he pressed again: “Excuse me?”

However, as her gaze locked with his, burning with intent and something fierce, he realized she meant every word with her heart and soul.

“I want you—” she repeated with deadly ease, “to take Maeve away. Far, far away, where no one would be able to find her again, and where she’d never say a word to a single soul for the rest of her life.”

Kenneth was stunned. She truly meant it.

“She’s your daughter.” He leaned forward against the table and stared her down… testing her. “Not only that, but you’re doing this—saying these things—behind your husband’s back. Do you have even the faintest idea what you’re asking?”

She laughed darkly, the sound bitter and pained. “She’s nothing to me. It’s because of her that everything in my life has fallen apart.”

For the next twenty-odd minutes, she spun the most dramatic sob story Kenneth had ever heard.

If he were to take the luna’s words at face value, then he was to believe that the quiet, demure girl he’d watched from afar for two decades was some devious, sexual mastermind who had managed to snag herself a prince outside the capital’s most famous brothel. A dirty devil who used this newfound power to imprison her younger sister, who merely wanted a perfect birthday with the alpha of her dreams.

She spoke, fully believing he was clinging to her every word, learning what a monster Maeve supposedly was. Unbeknownst to her, however, he’d already learned the gist of the truth from Burton.

“If she’s what you want, you can have her,” Victoria eventually said, “free of repercussions. All I ask in return is you give me the one thing I want.”

“And what would that be?”

Her lips pressed together in a tense line. “My daughter, Sarah,” she said, sullen and so unlike the fierce persona she’d worn mere minutes earlier. “I want her freed and her name cleared.”

Huh… so she’s doing this out of revenge for her daughter. That weasel Burton was telling the truth, after all.

For this luna to give up such intimate, valuable information to a man she scarcely knew, not knowing his true intentions or just blindly believing she held power over him… she must have been desperate.

How fortunate for Kenneth, then, that he thrived on handling desperation.

He let out a long, drawn-out breath. “I can’t be certain, but it sounds to me like you’re expecting me to do all the dirty work, while you reap all the benefits,” he said, knowing that he meant the opposite. “What exactly would I have to gain from this?”

“Oh—you’d receive the greatest reward of all,” she exclaimed, leaning forward with a fire burning in her eyes. “Glory.”

He raised a brow. “Glory?”

“Glory,” she enunciated fervently. “Once it becomes known that you saved a beloved prince and the entire royal family from the plot of a wicked, deceitful girl, you’d be hailed as the kingdom’s savior. Not only will you get to keep Maeve for whatever reason you desire, but yours will be a name passed down for generations to come.”

Kenneth didn’t need this.

Glory, this attempt at blackmail… any of it.

Not to mention, he was perfectly capable of luring and obtaining Maeve on his own. He only forced his hand with Burton to show him his place—who the true superior alpha was of the two—and it worked. Bringing this overly ambitious luna along for the ride would only hinder his efforts.

And yet…

How could he refuse such a generous offer? Killing two birds with one stone wasn’t an opportunity so freely given.

“That—” he said with a biting smirk, “sounds like my sort of deal.” He held out his hand to the stunned luna, who could only stare. “I look forward to working with you, Luna Victoria.”

It took almost everything in Victoria for her to maintain her composure, but the thought of Sarah managed to calm her tremors enough to shake his waiting hand.

“And I, you, Alpha Kenneth.”

With immaculate timing, the waiter showed up with Victoria’s appetizer in hand, steaming from being freshly cooked and looking utterly mouthwatering. She could smell the seasoning… every single speck of garlic coating those bites of steak tickled her nose in the most delightful way, and suddenly, she was ravenous for more than just revenge.

The moment her plate touched the table, Kenneth rose to his feet with a clear of his throat. “And this is where we part ways.”

She blinked. “Where are you—”

“I’ve gotten what I came for,” he said, swarmed with waves of satisfaction that he hadn’t felt in years. He smoothed a hand over the front of his blazer before glancing down at her. “Enjoy your feast.”

And with that, he left the restaurant without looking back.