Leah
The banquet had ended well past midnight, but the gathering was far from over.
Tonight had been the introductions. The feast. The spectacle of it all. But Darien had planned this as a multi-day event, and I understood why. You didn't earn the trust of the alphas over wine and roasted venison. That took time. It took sitting across from them in smaller rooms, hearing their grievances, learning the names of their officers and the borders of their lands. It took proving that the king on the throne wasn't just a title but someone with strength and wisdom. The first night was the show. Tomorrow was when the real work began.
I'd spent the last stretch of the evening with Anton, catching up on everything that had happened since I left. He'd stayed close, his arm slung around me like he wa
