T  H   E       F  E   A   S   T     1/3

Alpha Hugo's POV

The RSVPs came quickly after the invitations were sent. And I'll wager the majority of packs simply accepted it out of curiosity. While some packs, like the Shadow Pack, humbly turned down the invitation, the others were not invited out of courtesy to our fellow pack members, such as Rhea's pack. Alpha Theodore's pride must have been wounded when I chose to abandon his daughter on the day of the mating ceremony, I thought to myself.

Nonetheless, I didn't let that detract from the fact that the Shaws will be introduced to the outside world in just a few minutes. There was a lot that went into making this feast possible. Talia, despite being confined to the mansion for the majority of her life, decided to become the ultimate host. Not only was she in control of the décor, but she also wanted a certain theme and handpicked the centrepieces herself.

My optimism must have rubbed off on her, and it felt wonderful to listen to her having fun doing something she enjoyed. Talia commanded me to remain locked in the bedroom till the night of the feast and since her terms were non-negotiable, I decided not to fight it. Everyone was assigned a specific task for the feast, but mine was to simply relax until I was capable of regaining my strength. Rhea was in charge of conducting background checks for each pack that had agreed to attend and Frieda was in charge of the catering. We were all ready to welcome every wolf under our roof but we weren't naïve enough to be unprepared.

I gazed in the mirror at my reflection. Despite the fact that I looked the same, I felt different. The past month felt as though I had been living in a dream. And if it was all a dream, I intended to implore to the gods to keep me from waking up since I had at last found my mate. I quickly dressed up and adjusted my tie, but as I approached the door, a wave of exhaustion nearly brought me to my knees.

"Hugo, do we have to do this tonight?" Wolfie's muffled words spoke in my mind.

"We have to" I whispered, trying to muster up energy to stand up.

"Our powers are unpredictable due to the constant fluctuations of the energy surge. If the other packs decide to attack, we can't protect our mate let alone ourselves" Wolfie groaned.

"The weakness is temporary and it'll pass soon." I reminded him.

"Yeah but if I feel dizzy and nauseated, I don't know if we'll be able to manage it until the end of the feast. You have to tell our mate to postpone this feast." Wolfie groaned again.

"We are having this feast tonight. I just have to . . catch my breath first" I whispered.

"I can already foresee Winter icing me out once she knows we've been masking our weakness" Wolfie muttered.

The stakes were high, but I made a conscious effort to maintain my composure by visualizing the bright future I could perhaps establish by hosting this feast.

Knowing Talia as I do, it was evident that she would be furious to learn that I had been suppressing the severe strain the hybrid transition was inflicting on my body. I stayed on the ground, waiting for the vertigo to completely pass.

"Alpha, Luna asked if . . . ohh shit, are you okay?" I had been too absorbed with the distortion in the room to notice Rhea walk in. To my ringing ears, Rhea's voice appeared muddled. However despite the tremendous amount of energy draining from my body, I finally managed to pull myself together.

"I'm fine. I just slipped" I murmured. Tonight, I didn't want anyone to be concerned about my wellbeing. Not when the fates of all of us depended so heavily on this feast. For a little while, Rhea stared at me as if she didn't believe what I had just said. She appeared to be deep in thought, but she quickly shrugged it off.

"There's no need to lie, Alpha. I think I know what's actually going on" Rhea stated with a grin on her face. I gazed at her in confusion. If Rhea had already worked out how bad my condition was, it was only a matter of time until Talia forced her to spill the beans. And I couldn't risk the feast being cancelled or delayed as a result of my frailty.

"I'm fine, I swear. Please just don't say anything to anyone" I pleaded.

"Don't worry, I can keep a secret or two" Rhea snickered and we both exchanged a nod of agreement.

As I walked out of the room, I noticed the dazzling white and gold decorations. Nothing, however, compared to my mate who was standing at the bottom of the stairway. Talia's eyes lingered on my suit while I inspected the ruched red dress with one shoulder that she was donning. Her dress tightly hugged her body, and her gold shoes sparkled as she ascended the steps.

"Grrrr . ." I let out a growl while my eyes glowed crimson. As she got closer, my mouth watered seeing her magnificent body. No amount of fatigue will stop me from devouring her tonight.

"Hi, my handsome" Talia's lips curled into a devious smile as though she was fully aware of the effect she had on me.

"Bend over" I stated, grabbing her by the waist. She let out a gasp followed by a smirk. I titled my head leaning in close, my lips itching to meet hers.

"The guests are coming, Alpha Hugo. Behave" Talia whispered retracting from my grasps. She wanted to tease me, but I wanted to taste her. The significance of the feast briefly slipped my mind as I fixated only on getting some alone time with her.

"It's a crime to look that hot, Talia. If looks could undress, you'd be naked right now" I muttered, grabbing her ass and squeezing them tight. However our moment was cut short when Frieda interrupted us with a reminder.

"There'll be plenty of time for you both to flirt later. Get ready to welcome the first pack. It's the Nightshades." Frieda announced. Call it being selfish or being a bad host, I couldn't care less about what anyone thought. I wanted her and I was going to have her.

"Actually, why don't you welcome the packs and get them refreshments? We'll be right back" Rhea was standing next to Frieda by the door when I turned to face her. Once Rhea assured me with a smile that she could accommodate my request, and I shifted my eyes to Talia, who had no clue what was about to happen to her. The gates of the Shaw mansion opened wide, ready to welcome the invited guests, while soft music echoed in the living room. I took Talia's hand in mine and led her inside the master bedroom.

"Hugo, there is a time and place . ." She began to speak but I pressed her up against the wall and crouched down in front of her. My fingers moved up her dress and gently brushed against her legs. I continued to run my fingers until I reached her thigh. A frown appeared on my face when I lifted up her dress and discovered that she was sporting a thigh holster with two attached sharp blades.

"Why is violence always the first thing on your mind?" I sighed.

"I just wanted to be prepared to slit a throat or two in case my mana ran out fighting all the packs in Falcon Valley" She reasoned.

"We agreed on no violence" I reminded her.

"There will be no violence if everyone behaves tonight" She stated. She rested her gold heel on my shoulder. My fingertips traveled over her legs one more before I loosened the holster wrapped over her thigh and tossed it to the bed.

"Where's the third blade?" I asked.

"There's no . . . Why would you even think that there would be . . . ugh fine. Here" With a sour expression on her face, she rolled her eyes as she removed the third blade from between her breasts and handed it to me. A grin crept over my face as I realized she remained the beast that had captured me a while ago.

"Now, where was I?" I whispered, placing small trails of kisses between her thighs.

Murmuring and hushed conversations among several packs could be heard flooding the living area. It was fortunate that the master bedroom was absolutely soundproof. Once we moved into the Shaw residence, Frieda and Rhea made the request to always keep the master bedroom soundproofed since our activities tended to get a bit too noisy at times.

Despite her annoyance, Talia bit her lips and parted her legs, allowing me to bury my face between them. I slid her panties to the side and hummed a little giving her a small vibration kissing her folds stimulating her before engulfing my tongue inside. She pulled me by the hair and moaned loudly as she spread her legs farther apart and rested her back against the wall. Given the short amount of time, I started right where I knew she liked it and repeatedly stimulated her pussy.

"Ahhhh mmhm Hugo . . . getting close" Talia murmured. I look up to face her, staring at her gorgeous face while she bites her lips. She rocked against my mouth back and forth arching her hips and legs as I continued licking her aggressively until she reached a powerful climax.

I rose up after wiping my lips, which was smeared with her fluids. She hastily adjusted her dress and her panties. I tightened my arms around her and gave her a hug before lifting her and spinning her in the air.

"Can you promise not to murder anyone tonight, my little assassin?" I whispered in her ear.

"I can't promise, but I'll try, for you" Talia replied with a huge grin. "Now can we go and greet our guests?"

"Yes" I murmured, then took her hand and headed outside. Multiple eyes were on us, but Rhea's hurried pace diverted my focus. She approached us holding two glasses in each hand.

"Here, Alpha" She gestured a drink towards me.

"What's this?" I questioned.

"It's going to be a long night. This will keep your strength" Rhea whispered. When Talia was about to interrogate me, Rhea offered her the other glass and escorted her down the stairs. I took a moment to examine over the glass before drinking it. Despite sipping the drink, I felt the same as though it had no effects.

As I stood at the top of the stair railing and viewed all of the packs, the murmurs and whispers filled the air. Many eyes turned in my direction. I peered through the crowd once more as my eyes locked to Talia who was nonchalantly snacking on grapes standing at the corner. She was too preoccupied with the feast to notice Izzy's presence in the room, as well as her mate and the Delta Hunters pack.

When the noise calmed, I cleared my throat and pondered about how I would introduce myself to the werewolves that resided in Falcon Valley. Initially, I'd intended Talia to stay right here next to me, but she graciously declined, saying she'd rather not become the subject of discussion if others found out she was true-blood and that it would defeat the purpose of our mission to persuade the other packs to accept our existence.

"Welcome to the Shaw Residence, everyone. Now I'm sure most of you are here merely out of curiosity or maybe you personally knew The Shaws. If you knew my father Alpha Derek or The Shaws in general, you would know that we protected the city, helped other packs seek refuge during heavy storms, did patrol runs around Falcon Valley to keep it safe. I think it's safe to assume that we were one of the reasons why Falcon Valley remained safe for such a long time" I stated.

It was hard to gauge how the crowd was reacting because everyone was staring at me as though they were waiting for me to make a war declaration. I took a deep breath and continued,

"But ever since the tragedy, when I ended up becoming a lone wolf, I couldn't find one pack that offered me a hand when I needed it. And I get it, it's every pack and every wolf for themselves. We live in a world that is brutal to our kind, isn't it?" I let out a small chuckle.

"What a hypocrite! How can you call yourself one of us, when you are a hybrid? An abomination!" From among the masses, an elderly man with a shaved head shouted. He gazed at me with anger filled eyes. The crowd instantly fell silent. Talia's eyes flashed crimson, but as they met mine, she calmed down.

"That is Noel Hades, the Alpha of the Nightshades" Rhea mind-linked me immediately.

"Alpha Noel, I understand hybrids hasn't been a favourite amongst the werewolves, but don't you think it's time we change that?" I asked. While I knew many would oppose to the idea of hybrids, I knew I had to address the ones who disliked the breed first.

"Are you asking us to accept the Vampire Hybrids as well then? Weren't The Shaws protecting us from the Vampire Hybrids to begin with? What makes you any different than those night leeches?" The beta of the Nightshades yelled through the crowd. Nothing was more terrifying than Talia's glare at the Nightshades pack. But before I could mind-link her to not do anything hasty, she moved her attention back to me and settled down again.

Vampire Hybrids were part vampire and half werewolf. They exclusively hunted at night and were a threat to the cities until territories were constituted. It was true that The Shaws kept watch over the city to make sure that those creatures stayed within their designated areas. My eyes scanned the crowd for Talia, but this time she was nowhere to be seen. Despite feeling the weight of several hostile stares, I continued to hold my poise.

"With all due respect Alpha Hugo, our ancestors died and fought every Hybrid for a reason. The Vampire hybrids have steered clear of our territories but it still doesn't mean that they aren't monsters. They are stronger, faster and they make sure to torture its victims before they are fully done with them. It was because of the Vampire Hybrids, the witch covens vowed that they will not allow any werewolves/vampires to merge with their kind. At the time, I believe getting rid of the half witch-half werewolves was a great idea and the verdict still stands the same today" Alpha Prescott from the Southern Woodland Pack emerged from the crowd and stated.

"I agree with Alpha Prescott, the Vampire hybrids are a menace to deal with. While we do have an understanding about the territories, they still might refuse to comply and strike. And living on that anxiousness keeps me up at night. Whatever decision we make today will impact the future of our pups. If we agree to accept a new kind of hybrid tonight, we are allowing impending wars that our future generational will have to face" Beta of the Southern Woodland Pack retorted to the crowd.

"I understand all your concerns . . ." I started to speak in an effort to calm the crowd.

But a shiny, pointy tip of an arrow grabbed my focus as it swiftly whistled through the air directly at me. My powers were completely drained to stop them. My eyes briefly drifted off before opening back up. Talia emerged next to me out of thin air and froze the arrow mid-air. She was raising her hand in the direction of the arrow. As everyone stood looking at her, the crowd became even wilder.

She forced the arrow to grow double its size before setting it ablaze. She then aimed the burning arrow in the opposite direction while beaming her crimson eyes towards the crowd. The packs let out loud gasps as they contemplated her next move.

"Tal, you promised" I mind-linked her but her glare was fixated on her target, the Nightshades' omega who fired the arrow.

"I said I'll try. I tried" She muttered before releasing the arrow.