Chapter 24
24
Third Person’s POV
“Wonderful! All our guests are gone. Just wonderful!” Ulrik snarled , his voice laced with sarcasm and fury.
Velda’s wolf fur prickled beneath her dress.
She strode to the Packhouse window, glanced at the deserted plaza, and asked innocently, “Why did they leave?”
“Not enough seats!” Ulrik exploded. “Why did you invite them without telling us? They don’t belong here!”
Velda’s pupils shrank, her belt clinking against her gown. “So they’re discriminating against wolf warriors?”
Her voice carried the chill of a blizzard. “ Those royal Lycans and council wolves–do they think our border guards aren’t worthy of respect? After we fight and die to protect them?”
“This isn’t about respect! You invited them without clearance! Did you even inform the base?”
He forced his roar down, his voice trembling with frustration. “Even if approved, you should’ve told Tamara! We set up 200 seats, but you added 150 warriors. Did you expect guests to stand and sip champagne?”
Velda’s ears twitched irritably beneath her headdress. “Now you’re quizzing me on military protocol?”
She grabbed the tequila bottle and drank straight from it. “I became your mate today–not to learn silverware etiquette.”
She sneered, “Besides, Bloodmoon doesn’t prepare extra seats? Tamara’s incompetence is shocking.”
Ulrik’s anger
deflated.
He softened. “Were they actually approved?“”
Velda dodged the question–she’d just sent a group message to Gamma, “All attend.” No formal request.
But she fixated on another grievance : “ This is your fault! My friends shouldn’t be left outside eating cold sandwiches!”
Ulrik felt a twinge of guilt.
Most packs reserved extra seats for such occasions .
He shifted his ire to Tamara , who’d organized the event.
com.” Ulrik said.
“Go to our room,
Seeing the guests gone, Velda conceded. No point in celebrating with soldiers who couldn’t see her shine.
She nodded. “But you should ask Tamara why the ceremony was so shabby .”
Ulrik agreed. “I’ll talk to her. Let me walk you home.”
1/3
+15 Bonus
Today’s humiliation stung–especially the royal guests‘ disdainful looks.
Velda was furious too. The event was supposed to be her moment in the spotlight, not a farce.
As the sole female Gamma praised by the Lycan King, she’d envisioned mingling with royalty and powerful Alphas. Instead, she’d
Gamma praised become a laughingstock
She blamed Rosemary and Tamara for the disaster.
Ever since Velda learned that Adelaide’s mating bond with Ulrik was null and void, and that she could join the Bloodmoon Pack as its Luna, she had been looking forward to this highly anticipated bonding ceremony.
She had envisioned the moment when all the guests would be seated , allowing her to mingle with the royal family and meet the Alphas and Lunas of powerful and reputable wolf packs.
Now, thanks to Tamara’s penny–pinching, it was ruined. Adelaide would revel in this , Velda thought bitterly.
In a fit of rage, she overturned the dessert table and champagne pyramid.
With guests gone and soldiers left to their revelry, Rosemary nearly shifted from fury.
Other Bloodmoon members exchanged uneasy glances.
Ulrik confronted Tamara, his temper flaring. “If you couldn’t manage the ceremony, why not say so? Now our guests are gone, and we’re the joke!”
Tamara, tearful, protested, “I followed the guest list! How was I to know so many would come unannounced? I wasn’t even managing the pack before! It was all Adelaide who did such things.”
“Don’t bring her up!” Ulrik snapped. “Even if you weren’t in charge before , for a bonding ceremony this big, wouldn’t you prepare extra seats?”
“I did–two extra tables,” Tamara said, looking to Simon for support.
Put simply, funds were limited.
Simon, protective of his mate, retorted, “If not for the sudden crowd, nothing would’ve gone wrong.
Rosemary gasped, clutching her chest. “ Enough !”
Ulrik, thinking of Velda’s chaotic behavior, felt a growing sense of helplessness.
He left without another word.
He refused to entertain regrets–not when he was waiting for Adelaide to regret everything