The Alpha King's Hunt

Chapter 11

Valarie

I had found my way back to the kitchens that evening and was sitting on the edge of a counter, legs crossed at the ankles, eating an apple.

Ana was cutting a whole pile of them next to me.

The smell reminded me of home; sharp and sweet. Like the orchards at the edge of John's family's home.
"So nothing happened?" Ana asked dubiously, pausing her chopping to brush seeds off of the board.

I shook my head, sucking the juice from the fruit in my mouth. I was frowning.

"No. Honestly, considering the rumors, I would have thought if he was after me he would be more blatant. Or forceful."
Ana shook her head. "King Gabriel is a lot of things, but he's not that. More...persuasive."

The match had ended after a few hours, Sophia placing third, Morgan of the Blue Pack placing second, Daniele of the Hickory Pack first. The King seemed to find the whole thing amusing and his mother, Raquel, mostly ignored him as she congratulated the top three contenders.
Many of the other princesses had been sore losers. Iris especially was quickly losing respect among not only the Alpha Pack of the Kingdom, but casual observers who had made their way to the Hunt.

Word would get back to the various territories and she'd be known as a vain, weak, sore loser. I wondered how my parents would feel when they heard.

"But he was coming after Sophia that night?" Ana continued, dumping apple slices into a large bowl.

"Yes. At least, that's what he told me – that she had invited him!"
"Did you ask her? Did she confirm that?"

I shook my head.

"I didn't get the chance to ask her. We were only notified of the match this morning, and had to prepare immediately." I put down the rest of the apple with a sigh, watching the juice rise to the surface of the white meat. "I don't know what she's thinking."

"She's probably thinking what every other princess is thinking – that they can seduce him."
"Really? Is that the plan?"

Ana nodded. "Not just of the princesses. Gabriel has always had his fun, and more than a few women in the pack – betas of course – have thought they could tame him. But as interested as he is in sex, it isn't anything that will tie him down."
I was frowning. "I'll have to tell Sophia that. I really hope that wasn't her idea – honestly, between you and I, I don't even think she'd know what to do if she got him in bed."

Ana laughed and covered the apples, putting them into a large refrigerator to marinate in a sugar and lemon juice mixture. Tomorrow she'd be making a dozen apple pies for a late brunch before the Hunt really began.

"So what's next?" I asked, pushing myself off of the counter and standing. I was happy to have made a friend not only in the Kingdom, but in the castle. Ana had insider knowledge of what was coming, since meals would be prepared around certain events.
"Well they'll have a hunt," the girl replied, cleaning up her area. "And a sort of triathlon, in human form though. No shifting allowed."

A triathlon? Sophia wasn't prepared for that – we'd never trained for anything remotely like a triathlon.

"Running, swimming, small obstacle courses," Ana explained, seeing the expression on my face. "Can I offer you some advice?" She put the towel aside and faced me abruptly.

"Of course."

"About Gabriel. Not the Hunt." Ana sighed. "Honestly, Val, it might be better to just get it out of the way. Let him have you. Putting it off will only attract him more, and the King is no use if he's distracted."