Free Web NovelChapter 175: Episode 175.
Rain still lingered over the Ashmere territory by the time Mabel and Alpha Rowanfall arrived.
It was not storming anymore, but it remained steady enough to darken stone pathways, silver the gardens, and leave the air smelling cold and clean beneath the moonlight.
Even the guards stationed near the gates carried themselves differently from Rowanfall wolves.
Mabel stepped from the carriage slowly with one gloved hand resting lightly against the side rail.
Her dark gown brushed against the wet stone beneath her feet.
Alpha Rowanfall exited behind her moments later.
Neither of them spoke immediately.
Mabel lifted her eyes toward the towering estate ahead while servants approached carefully to escort them inside.
The atmosphere here always felt strange to her.
It had always felt like every corridor inside the Ashmere territory had already decided exactly what secrets it intended to keep.
The servant bowed respectfully. "Alpha Ashmere is expecting you."
"Clearly," Alpha Rowanfall muttered.
Mabel ignored him.
She followed the servants quietly through the massive entrance halls instead.
The interior of the estate was warmer than expected today. Gold candlelight flickered against the dark polished walls while long silver drapes framed towering windows overlooking the cliffs.
Mabel walked slowly beside her father while servants guided them deeper inside the estate.
Finally, music made with soft instruments reached her ears faintly.
The large dining chamber doors opened moments later, and warm light spilled outward immediately.
Mabel stepped inside calmly. For the first time in a very long time, even she paused slightly.
Alpha Ashmere sat near the far end of the long dining table dressed entirely in black tonight.
His silver eyes remained sharp, while his hair rested neatly behind his shoulders with one hand turned lazily around the stem of a wine glass.
Beside him sat Lady Clementine, beautiful, composed, and dangerously elegant as always.
Her pale gold dress shimmered softly beneath candlelight while diamonds rested against the smooth skin of her throat.
Stephen sat several seats away from her. He failed to notice Mabel and her father who just walked in, as he noticed Clementine more.
Mabel saw it instantly in the slight pause behind his expression the moment Clementine lifted her head.
The human king looked toward her.
She could say that he was charming. He was beautiful in the sort of way dangerous men sometimes were.
His dark brown hair rested neatly behind his ears while faint silver threaded subtly near his temples. His features were sharp without seeming cruel, and his eyes... His eyes looked thoughtful and soulful.
That unsettled Mabel more than outright hatred would have.
The king rose immediately once she entered.
A genuinely warm smile crossed his face. "Lady Rowanfall."
His voice was smooth, educated, and pleasant. Nothing about him felt monstrous. Which somehow made this entire situation worse.
Mabel bowed her head politely. "Your Majesty."
The king stepped around the table slightly. "I’ve heard much about you."
Mabel smiled faintly. "Hopefully nothing too damaging." She replied, dead serious. What could he have heard?
That earned a soft laugh from him.
"No," he replied honestly. "Mostly admiration."
Alpha Rowanfall watched the interaction quietly from beside her.
Ashmere did too.
Mabel felt both men observing every shift in the room already, and she wondered why, while she tried to stay six steps away.
Lady Clementine rose gracefully next.
"Lady Mabel," she greeted softly.
Mabel looked toward her.
Clementine truly was stunning up close. To Mabel, she looked like a woman who had mastered silence so thoroughly that people mistook it for gentleness and Mabel liked her immediately.
"You look beautiful tonight," Clementine added warmly.
Mabel smiled slightly. "As do you."
Stephen nearly looked offended he hadn’t been acknowledged yet.
Alpha Ashmere finally rose slowly afterward.
The room shifted faintly the moment he moved. He carried power quietly enough that people only realized its weight after standing near him too long.
"Sit," he instructed calmly.
Everyone obeyed almost immediately.
Mabel took her seat beside her father while servants began moving carefully around the table with wine and food.
The human king sat directly across from her. That felt intentional. She couldn’t tell what was going on, but she remained calculated.
Stephen spoke first.
"I must admit," he drawled lightly while reaching for his wine, "wolves host significantly better dinners than human courts." freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
Clementine looked faintly amused. "That sounds like a dangerous thing to say before your king."
The human king smiled calmly. "I allow occasional honesty."
Stephen grinned immediately.
Ashmere watched him lazily from across the table.
Mabel noticed the exact moment Stephen’s attention drifted toward Clementine again. It was a subtle shift, but noticeable.
Stephen asked Clementine something quietly moments later.
Ashmere’s fingers paused once against his wine glass.
Clementine answered Stephen politely enough, though distance remained beneath her tone.
Stephen either ignored it or enjoyed the challenge. Possibly both.
The human king looked toward Mabel again afterward.
"I’m disappointed," he admitted conversationally.
Mabel tilted her head slightly. "Why?"
"I expected someone colder."
That nearly made Alpha Rowanfall laugh aloud.
Mabel smiled faintly instead. "Perhaps you’ve been misinformed."
"Perhaps," the king agreed easily.
Servants began placing the main courses carefully across the table. For several minutes, the conversation remained surprisingly normal.
That unsettled Mabel more than direct threats would have. Everyone here understood exactly what sat beneath this dinner table already, except her. She doesn’t know everything.
The human king cut carefully into his meal before speaking again.
"You know," he said thoughtfully, "I spent most of my childhood believing wolves were monsters."
Silence softened faintly around the table. Everyone listened.
The king continued calmly. "My tutors described wolves as creatures ruled entirely by instinct."
Ashmere remained unreadable beside Clementine.
Mabel watched the king carefully now.
"But then I met Ambassador Stephen." The king smiled slightly. "Which complicated that belief significantly with everything he learnt dealing closely with wolves."
Stephen lifted his glass lightly. "My condolences."
That earned another quiet laugh from Clementine.
Ashmere’s eyes flicked toward her immediately.
Mabel almost smiled into her wine.
The king leaned back slightly afterward. "Still," he admitted calmly, "I cannot entirely blame humans for fearing wolves."
The atmosphere shifted slightly colder now.
Mabel rested one arm lightly against the chair. "Fear usually comes from misunderstanding." She reminded.
"Yes," the king agreed softly. "But not always."
Ashmere finally looked toward him fully.
The human king met his gaze without hesitation. Very few humans could survive eye contact with dominant Alphas comfortably.
This one could.
"Tell me honestly, Lady Rowanfall," the king continued politely. "Do wolves not consider humans physically inferior?"
Mabel answered carefully. "Physically? Yes."
The king nodded once. He appreciated honesty.
"And yet," he said mildly, "wolves seem consistently surprised humans retaliate against that imbalance."
Stephen looked deeply interested now.
Mabel studied the king quietly.
The king folded his hands loosely before continuing. "You must understand something about humanity." His voice remained calm. "When humans fear extinction, morality becomes flexible."
Ashmere finally spoke. "Extinction?"
The king looked toward him smoothly. "Your kind can overpower ours physically in almost every measurable way."
Stephen’s jaw tightened slightly.
The king continued anyway. "You heal faster. Age slower. Hunt better. Fight better." He smiled faintly. "Humans fear what they cannot control."
"And so they build dosages." Ashmere replied evenly.
The king held his gaze calmly. "And wolves build armies."
The room quieted fully now.
Clementine lowered her wine glass softly.
Mabel watched everyone carefully.
Nobody here was stupid and nobody here was innocent either. That was what made this conversation fascinating.
The king looked toward Mabel again moments later.
"But I did not invite tension tonight." He smiled lightly. "I wished to finally meet the woman clever enough to unsettle half a kingdom."
Mabel blinked once in visible surprise. She smiled faintly. "You overestimate me."
"No," the king replied softly.
Ashmere looked mildly thoughtful afterward.
Stephen leaned slightly toward Clementine again. "Am I the only one who thinks this dinner feels dangerously staged?"
Clementine smiled.
Ashmere noticed even that tiny shift instantly.
Stephen was becoming reckless without realizing it. He enjoyed Clementine’s attention too naturally.
The king looked toward Mabel again. "You’ve gone quiet." He noticed.
Mabel tilted her head slightly. "I’m just observing, being the youngest in the room." Her eyes found Ashmere after those words. wondering why his daughter wasn’t here, and she was.
"That sounds threatening."
"I’m a sheep. Believe me."
That finally earned genuine laughter from him.
Mabel suddenly understood why diplomacy with humans became complicated. This man was likable, and that made war infinitely uglier.
The king rested one arm against the chair afterward while studying her carefully.
"You love your people," he observed quietly.
Mabel’s gaze sharpened faintly. "That shouldn’t be a question."
"No," he agreed softly. "It wasn’t."
Stephen looked between them carefully.
The king smiled faintly afterward.
