Chapter 30

The Alpha King gave me his hand as we stepped out of the car, and Kinsley was right there to greet us. I wondered if she had been mindlinked or if she had been informed of our arrival another way.

Kinsley looked very much the same as I had left her. She was dressed to the nines. Her dress was just below knee length, and it hugged her figure in all the right places. Her hair was in an updo, held in with a claw clip. She looked so stunning that I almost forgot I was dressed beautifully too. I was not the girl who had left here, and being this close to Kinsley sent a weird sensation through me that I didn’t know what to do with.

“My dear Alpha King and Grace,” Kinsley should have bowed, but she remained righted much to Alpha King Rhy’s dismay. “To what do we owe this unexpected visit? I am so excited to see you both. Grace, you have been missed.”

The Alpha King’s hand tightened around mine, and I had to remind myself that I would not shrink around the people who made my life a living hell for all those years. She meant that they missed abusing me, and I would not be granting that any of my conscious thought.

“According to our alliance agreement, I am within my rights to visit the pack periodically to see project updates and see that things are running to my standards.”

Kinsley wasn’t looking at us as she walked beside me, leading the way to the pack house. But I saw her swallow and noticed her unease. I was surprised at how the same everything looked and yet it was all so different. This was no longer home.

“Of course, your majesty,” Kinsley backtracked. “I just wish we could have had more time to prepare. We would have loved to supply you with a feast and had rooms drawn up for you and your men.”

“And Grace.” The Alpha King added coolly.

“Yes, of course Grace is included in that.” Kinsley stammered. She wasn’t used to being kind to me, and she had thought I would be useless to the Alpha King. She never expected that I would eventually be his bride. At least that’s what he kept telling me.

To my surprise, Alpha Adrian didn’t come running to greet us, and I wondered where he could be. He would have never missed an opportunity to suck up to the Alpha King.

“Where is Alpha Adrian?” Alpha King Rhys asked coldly, seemingly noting the same thing I had. “I had unresolved issues and things to discuss with him, hence the visit.”

I noticed Kinsley’s eye twitched, and I knew that meant that she was trying to stay calm about something even though she wasn’t.

“Come on,” She forced a smile. “We can wait in the lounge for my husband and the Beta. They are out right now, but they should be home soon. I’m sure after such a long travel day you must be exhausted and a little hungry.”

Being in the packhouse was even weirder than just being back in the pack. I had hardly spent any time on pack grounds, but I had spent nearly every moment of my entire life in this house. The memories of all the torment I had to endure came flashing back with every step. Kinsley once hit me with that umbrella by the door simply because it was raining, and I couldn’t make it stop. I had my head bashed into that sink in the bathroom for having the nerve to pee during working hours. I had more burns and little knife marks covering my hands from every second I had to work in that kitchen. Kinsley and Adrian had thrown me down these steps more times than I could even count.

“Please, sit.” She wasn’t even directly addressing me, but the words still seemed difficult for her to even say.

The Alpha King led us to the couch he had been sitting on the first time we met. He gestured for me to sit first, and then took his place next to me.

Kinsley grabbed a bell from the side table near the door and rang it loudly. A servant immediately appeared, and Kinsley ordered them to return with snacks and tea, stating again how hungry we must be after our long travels. The servant didn’t so much as spare us a glance before bolting from the room to get what Kinsley had asked for.

“So, Luna Kinsley, where is your husband?” Alpha King Rhys asked once the servants had brought in the tea and snacks.

“Oh, he’ll be back soon,” Kinsley tried to play it off. “He’s out on business right now You know how it is. I can hardly keep up with my own schedule, let alone his.”

I tried not to laugh because we both knew that Kinsley had no schedule to keep. She pawned everything off on others.

“I hope he’ll be back soon; we have important business to discuss.” Alpha King Rhys stated coolly.

“Please, while you wait, just enjoy the refreshments to ease your fatigue. I know how hard it is to travel so far.”

I snuck a glance at the Alpha King. He appeared to be irritated, but he lifted the offered cup, and my unease only intensified as I stared at the cup. What the heck? I couldn't help the feeling. It was overwhelming. I almost couldn't breathe as I just stared at his cup. What was the deal with this cup? He started to raise it to his lips and before I even knew what I was doing, I knocked it out of his hand, startling everyone including myself, but especially Kinsley.

The Alpha King’s eyes met mine in surprise, and I looked at him with pleading eyes, begging him to understand. I had no idea how to explain the feeling I had about the drink; I just knew he couldn’t drink it.

He seemed to get what I was telling him because the next thing I knew, he stood up and grabbed Kinsley by the neck, lifting her off the ground.

A small gasp escaped my lips, and I tried to keep my emotions in check as fear threatened to take control.

“WHAT DID YOU DO?” He demanded.