Caught by the Mad Alpha King-Chapter 363: A night to remember (3) [Win-Win]

Chapter 363: Chapter 363: A night to remember (3) [Win-Win]

Mia stepped forward on instinct, like she always did, and Ethan felt a reflexive soften in his chest before he could stop it. Mia had been loud and sharp long before she’d been royal-adjacent. The palace hadn’t changed her; it had just given her better knives.

Then Lucius moved, calm and seamless, and wrapped an arm around her waist before she could close the distance.

"You can greet him from here," Lucius said softly, but firm enough that it wasn’t negotiable. "There’s no need to hug him in an official setting."

Mia blinked once, then settled back against him with exaggerated innocence. "Protective much?"

"Always," Lucius replied, and it wasn’t possessive so much as practical. "Especially when people are watching."

Ethan gave Lucius a mild look. "I wasn’t going to bite her."

"That’s not the point," Lucius said, still polite. "This crowd doesn’t understand boundaries unless they’re printed on banners and enforced with guards."

Ethan didn’t argue. He’d been in a palace long enough to know Lucius wasn’t being dramatic. Palatine nobles treated privacy like a rumor.

Chris, because Chris could never resist, tilted his glass at Ethan. "They also think you and Sirius might co-father an heir, so really, you’re the least scandalous person here."

Ethan’s stomach did a small, tired flip. "I heard. I almost turned around."

Mia pointed at him immediately. "You promised dessert."

"I did," Ethan said, resigning himself. "Which is how I know this is blackmail."

Lucius’s mouth twitched. "She blackmails everyone."

Mia smiled sweetly. "Only the people I like."

Cressida leaned in slightly, eyes bright with amusement. "Too late, Ethan. You’re ours now."

Lucas, who looked like he’d been laughing for ten minutes straight and was only surviving out of spite, grinned at Ethan. "Do you want a title? We could invent one."

Trevor added, like this was normal conversation, "Royal Advisor of Reasonable Decisions."

"Or," Lucas continued, delighted, "Beta Emeritus of Sanity and Structural Integrity."

Ethan stared at them. "I’m an omega now."

Trevor nodded once. "Yes. That makes it funnier."

Ethan’s mouth twitched despite himself. "You’re all insufferable."

Chris’s gaze swept him once, quick and assessing, like he was confirming Ethan hadn’t combusted since the last time they spoke. "You look alive," Chris said.

Ethan deadpanned. "High praise."

Sirius had been quiet through most of it, watching in that detached way he did when he didn’t feel like performing. Then he lifted his glass slightly at Ethan.

"You’re the only person in this circle who hasn’t threatened arson tonight," Sirius said. "That’s rare."

Dax’s voice stayed smooth. "You’re the engineer."

Ethan nodded once. "Yes."

Dax’s gaze slid briefly to Chris, then back. "You speak to my mate very casually."

Ethan didn’t look away. That had never been his talent. "I speak to Chris the way I’ve always spoken to Chris."

Chris sighed like he was about to develop a headache. "Gentlemen—"

"King," Dax corrected without looking away from Ethan.

Ethan didn’t hesitate. "Engineer."

Chris stared at Ethan like he wanted to shake him. "Why are you like this?"

Ethan shrugged. "I build bridges. I don’t bow to them."

Dax’s smile sharpened slightly. "Careful."

Ethan’s brows lifted. "Is that a threat?"

"It’s advice," Dax said.

Chris pressed his fingers to his temple. "Okay. No posturing. We’re at an engagement party. Mia is allowed one evening without international incidents."

Mia smiled sweetly. "I’m enjoying them."

Lucius muttered, "You would."

Ethan glanced at Mia, then at Lucius. "Congratulations," he said, quieter now. "For what it’s worth."

Mia’s expression softened. "Thanks."

Lucius gave Ethan a small nod, approval, or at least acknowledgement. "He means it."

Ethan gave him a look. "I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t."

"And someone has to keep Chris from committing arson," Ethan added, because his mouth couldn’t help itself, "and the King isn’t exactly reliable."

Dax’s head turned a fraction. "Why would I contain my mate’s creativity?"

Ethan stared. "Because some of us live in those wings."

Dax didn’t blink. "Then choose better real estate."

Chris groaned. "This is why I can’t take you anywhere."

Trevor coughed into his glass, clearly laughing.

Lucas looked like he was seconds from choking again. "Please continue, this is excellent."

Cressida’s eyes gleamed. "This is better than dessert."

Sirius watched Ethan for a long moment, and Ethan felt it, not dominance like Dax’s, not warmth like Trevor’s, something colder and more observant. A man deciding whether you were useful or annoying.

Then Sirius spoke, voice neutral. "You’ve got nerve."

Ethan met his eyes. "I work construction. I’ve had rebar through my shoulder. Royal drama doesn’t scare me."

Something shifted on Sirius’s face interest slipping in through a crack.

Chris went very still. "Oh no."

Cressida whispered, delighted, "Oh yes."

Sirius studied Ethan another beat, then said, "Come walk with me."

Ethan frowned. "Why?"

Sirius shrugged like it was nothing. "Private discussion."

Chris opened his mouth like he was about to intervene on instinct alone.

Cressida’s eyes gleamed. Mia’s smile went sharp and delighted, the way it did when she smelled chaos.

Lucius... Lucius didn’t smile, but his hand tightened at Mia’s waist in that subtle warning way, like he was reminding her to keep her enthusiasm inside her face.

Ethan, meanwhile, looked between them like they’d all started speaking a language he hadn’t learned.

"What," Ethan asked, slow, "is happening?"

"Nothing," Chris said too quickly.

"Everything," Mia corrected with no shame at all.

Sirius ignored them and kept his gaze on Ethan, calm and flat. "I’m asking once."

Ethan blinked. "Is this... an interrogation?"

"It’s a conversation," Sirius replied. "Unless you make it difficult."

Ethan exhaled through his nose. "That’s reassuring."

Chris rubbed his temple. "Sirius..."

"Five minutes," Sirius said, as if Chris hadn’t spoken. He tilted his head slightly, eyes still on Ethan.

Ethan sighed deeply and straightened his jacket like he could iron out the situation with fabric alone. "Sure," he said. "Let’s talk before everyone combusts."

Mia’s eyes lit up like she’d just been handed a front-row ticket to chaos. Lucius tightened his arm around her waist in quiet warning.

Cressida’s smile turned sharp with satisfaction. Lucas looked like he was going to choke again. Trevor took a careful sip of his drink like he’d seen this coming and was choosing peace.

Chris pointed at Ethan with the kind of calm that promised consequences later. "If he recruits you into something, say no."

Ethan gave him a flat look. "I’m not recruitable."

Dax finally looked up from his glass, violet eyes lazy and dangerous. "He is," Dax said, as if he were commenting on the weather. "He just doesn’t know it."

Ethan stared at him. "That’s not ominous at all."

Sirius turned without waiting for permission and started walking. Ethan followed, because he’d already agreed and because backing down in front of this crowd would haunt him for the rest of his life.