Page 49 of The Wolf King's Chosen

They floated around, conversing with different people as they went. They shared a few dances before falling back to talking with the guests. The time seemed to tick by quickly.

Lexi relaxed as they wandered, but he could tell she was still tense from earlier. He was lucky that Harper had been with her to scent the different odor to her drink.

He held Lexi close as she talked to a couple. He didn’t know what the conversation was about. He looked around, surveying the room. He wanted to know who the person was that was trying to hurt Lexi. He just wished he could figure it out.

He looked at the time. It was getting close to the time for them to make the announcement to the room. It wasn’t like everyone didn’t know they were engaged because they did. But they didn’t know Lexi was his fated mate.

Even Lexi didn’t know. He wanted to tell her in private, but he didn’t think he could. Nor did he want to waste any more time with her not knowing.

He had wanted to sit with her after a long day and hold her hand. He wanted to look deep into her eyes and tell her he knew she was made for him the moment he saw her.

I had wanted to tell her I loved her. I wanted to let her know that the contract meant nothing to me.

He didn’t want to do it in a room full of people, including at least one person who was out for her head. But he could look for a different reaction. Maybe someone would be extra stunned. Extra angry.

As the couple finished the conversation, Lexi looked at him. “I’m getting a little parched.”

He knew that was her way of asking for something to drink. He had to sniff it. So, he found a server and grabbed a glass.

He gave it a sniff, finding it was just champagne, and gave it to her. He kissed her forehead as she sipped on it.

“Are you ready to talk to everyone?” he asked, looking around the room.

“You mean to announce it?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

He nodded. While he would do all the talking, he wanted her to be prepared for all eyes to turn on them. Not that they weren’t already.

“I guess. I’m nervous, though.”

“It will be over soon, and after all of this, we can curl up in bed and put this behind us.” He gave her another kiss while she took another sip of her drink. He eyed up every guard, preparing them for the next moments.

He wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but he wanted everyone to be ready. He even noticed that Harper was more than ready if she needed to hurt someone.

He had prepared a speech because there was a lot of confusion going around. Everyone had been under the impression that he was going to marry Lexi because of a contract. No one knew they were made for each other.

And he was going to make damn sure everyone knew that if they harmed her, they were dead. She was his.

He took her hand as he guided them toward the front of the ballroom. Everyone grew quiet since they knew he was about to speak.

Lexi stood next to him, waiting. He cleared his throat and put on a bright smile.

“We would love to thank everyone for coming tonight. It means a lot for all of you to be here and witness our engagement party. I hope everyone has gotten enough to drink and eat. We know we have.”

Everyone chuckled, and Lexi took another sip of her drink.

“While we’re all here, I want to make one thing very clear. I did indeed sign a contract to have Lexi’s hand in marriage. It’s one reason why we’re here today, but it isn’t the main reason.”

Everyone stilled, and it was like time itself had stopped. He looked at Lexi, who looked at him confused.

“Lexi is my true mate. I knew the moment I saw her and agreeing to the contract was just part of it.”

Everyone gasped at the news. He noted some people had mixed feelings and looked at Lexi. People judged her because she was unable to shift. They were confused as to how an alpha was to mate with someone who couldn’t even connect to her wolf. They wouldn’t understand.

He saw some smile, and most seemed to rejoice at the news. He knew it would lessen some of the tension. Everyone was under the assumption he was marrying her because he had to.

Lexi looked at him with a crazed, pale expression. Her mouth dropped open, and she seemed unable to speak.

He heard everyone returning back to the party, and Lexi seemed frozen. Harper came up, pulling at her arm. “Isn’t that wonderful?”

---