{Third Person}

Not far from them, a small cluster stood watching. Their voices were low, but edged enough to carry.

"They are too comfortable with her."

"She doesn’t belong here."

"This isn’t some gathering for entertainment."

Amara heard all of it, but didn’t bother turning. The ease she had just settled into didn’t disappear, but something shifted quietly beneath it. A reminder—a line she could not cross, no matter how natural things felt in this moment.

Kael noticed the change in her expression, and so did one of the others.

"If you have something to say, you might as well say it properly," he called out, his tone light but carrying just enough weight."

The murmuring stopped. No one stepped forward or tried to repeat it louder. The tension lingered for only a second before dissolving, like something no one wanted to fully claim.

Elowen didn’t even spare them a glance. She nudged Amara lightly. "Ignore them. They have always had too much time to think and not enough sense to use it."

"Mmm." Amara nodded. She didn’t respond to the comments, but she didn’t let them settle on her either.

Just then, a deep horn sounded across the grounds. It cut cleanly through the air, drawing everyone’s attention at once.

The Hunt was about to begin.

The entire field shifted almost immediately—movement, voices lowering, people beginning to organize themselves toward their positions.

Elowen said, "We should go." Without hesitation, she reached for Amara’s hand again and turned back to her friends. "We are going to get seated first."

They waved them off easily.

"Don’t get bored watching!"

"Try to keep up from the sidelines!"

"Come find us after!"

Kael stepped forward slightly, his instinct immediate. "I will come with—"

Elowen turned to him with a bright, effortless smile that didn’t quite hide the firmness underneath. "Don’t even think about it."

He paused, then let out a small breath before stepping back, a faint, resigned smile pulling at his lips. "Alright."

Elowen didn’t linger. She pulled Amara along with her, weaving them back through the shifting crowd as the Hunt prepared to begin.

Not far off, Julia stood beside Zarek. Her gaze followed Amara’s retreating figure without disguise.

Her lips pressed together, her expression tightening as she watched her leave with Elowen, surrounded by ease she clearly did not approve of.

There was no warmth in her stare, only a quiet, simmering disdain.

---

Elowen did not slow down as she guided Amara back toward the section reserved for the royal family. The atmosphere there was noticeably more structured, with guards stationed at careful intervals and attendants moving quietly.

Ahead, the arrangement became clear.

Tables had been set under a large canopy, each one placed with deliberate spacing. Every royal had their own table, seated with their mates, creating a formation that subtly reinforced both status and order.

"Come," Elowen said, already steering Amara in another direction. "You haven’t greeted Father yet."

Amara followed without protest.

King Sebastian was already seated, speaking briefly with an official when they approached. Elowen slowed, releasing Amara’s hand just enough for her to step forward properly.

Amara curtsied. "Your Majesty."

Sebastian’s gaze shifted to her, and almost immediately, his expression eased into something warmer.

"Ah, the young lady," he said, clearly in good spirits. "You made it."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

He studied her briefly with a quiet awareness, then nodded. "Good. Enjoy the Hunt. Even from where you sit, it is not something easily forgotten."

Amara inclined her head. "Thank you, Majesty."

Elowen gave a quick, satisfied smile, then reached for Amara again. "Now, come."

Within moments, she had guided Amara to where Alexander was already seated. His presence was enough to keep unnecessary attention at bay.

Yet as Amara approached, a few nearby nobles subtly turned their heads, their curiosity sharpening.

Elowen stopped beside him, her expression bright as ever.

"I’m returning your bride safely," she said lightly, gesturing toward Amara. Then, with a playful tilt of her head, she added, "I will come back for her later."

Alexander’s gaze lifted briefly to meet hers. She didn’t wait for a response. She smiled, satisfied with herself, and turned, already moving away with the same effortless energy she carried everywhere.

Amara then took her seat beside Alexander. And that was when the recognition happened. It spread quietly, but quickly.

The nobles who had been whispering earlier, the ones who had watched her from a distance with careless judgment, now looked again, this time with sharper eyes. The realization settled in, one after the other.

The human woman... was seated beside the Alpha Prince. She was the political bride.

A brief stillness passed through that section of the gathering, subtle but undeniable. No one spoke it aloud, but the shift in perception was immediate.

Some of them hadn’t attended the Welcome Banquet, hence, the reason they didn’t know what the Political bride looked like until she sat next to Alexander.

At the table, Alexander said nothing at first after Amara sat next to him. He allowed a moment to pass, his gaze forward, as though the movement around them did not concern him.

Then, without turning fully to her, he asked, "Who was that tall wolf that kept talking to you?"

Amara blinked a few times, momentarily caught off guard. "The tall one?" she repeated, her brows knitting slightly. "Which one?"

Then, she turned toward him just a little. "I only spoke to Elowen’s friends."

His unreadable gaze shifted to her. ’Is she trying to play dumb with me?’

He held her gaze for a while longer before looking away. He chose not to make another comment.

Amara’s gaze settled on his side profile, confusion settling plainly on her face.

She waited, thinking he would explain what he meant. But after a while, seeing there was nothing, she simply exhaled softly and faced forward again, her expression easing into quiet puzzlement as she tried and failed to make sense of what he meant.

Not far from the royal section, Elowen’s group had also noticed. The shift in their attention was immediate the moment Amara took her seat.

"...Wait," one of them said under his breath. "Why is she sitting with His Highness?"

The others followed his gaze. Their expressions changed, one by one.

"That’s not just sitting... that’s his table," another murmured.

A brief silence followed. None of them spoke the conclusion out loud, but it was already forming.

Kael stood still among them, his gaze fixed on Amara. The ease from earlier had vanished from his expression, replaced by something more restrained.

He said nothing, but the change in his demeanour was clear enough for the others to notice.

No one pushed him, though.

—

Back at the royal section, Alexander’s gaze shifted again. His eyes briefly fell on the group she had just left, then on Kael.

The look was brief and measured. But something in it sharpened just slightly before he looked away.