Chapter 48: _A Blessing

Chapter 48: _A Blessing "Excuse me?" I turned my gaze to the spiritual leader, arching an eyebrow. Meanwhile, my wolf was already growling inside me and I was certain I wouldn’t be having this reaction if it weren’t for his influence. "Pardon, but isn’t that what she is? A bruja? A witch?" The spiritual leader asked, his gaze still on Odessa who had finally come down the flight of stairs. It wasn’t about the words he said. Oh, no... It was about the tone. Anyway, she wore a necklace with a ruby-red gemstone... The same necklace I wore around her neck during our rushed wedding. For some reason, seeing that necklace made my heart flutter with a warmth that I wasn’t quite used to feeling. "Elder Rafael, please." Alpha King Leonardo muttered with a plastered smile on his face, causing his spiritual leader to finally relax. "I hope the rumors of her good nature are true." Hehe... ’Good nature’. It depends on their definition of the term. Anyway, Odessa had her maid walking behind her and the both of them finally got in front of our group. She stood beside me, glancing briefly at me before she bowed in front of the South American Alpha King. "Welcome to our pack, Alpha King." ’Our’? That sounded... Off. When she finally raised her head, Leonardo had a stoic but calm expression on his face as he scrutinized her. He sniffed her, his nose scrunching up and his eyes glinting with curiosity. ’Why the heck is the creepy old man sniffing our mate?’ Damon asked in my head but unfortunately, I didn’t know why either and just had to stand there silently. Eventually, Leonardo finally stopped sniffing Odessa and squinted his eyes, seeming to be in thought. "You smell like a witch, all right. But there’s something... Different." I noticed Odessa glancing at me from the corner of my eyes but didn’t say anything to her, instead plastering a smile on my face as I stared at the South American Alpha King. The air was ripe with tension after his words, causing me to ponder them. What did he mean Odessa was ’different’? Could he somehow decipher that she was a powerless witch? Or was he talking about her human blood? Whatever the reason was, my mind was still going through so many possibilities, especially since I couldn’t let him or anyone else know that Odessa was my fated mate. That would be overly dramatic. Anyway, Leonardo finally cleared his throat and wrapped his hands firmly in front of his body with a smile on his face, his stoic mask dropping. "Well, enough standing. I’m famished." He remarked, causing his wife to chuckle beside him. I glanced at Odessa who seemed to relax now. With that, I gestured at the mansion with a smile still on my face. "Where are my manners? Please, you all come in." Everyone proceeded to follow me in walking into the mansion, with Alpha King Leonardo walking beside me. We navigated our way from the grand foyer of the mansion until we got to the dining room where a few maids were waiting. The maids bowed to us before they placed the finishing touches on the dining table which was already filled with an assortment of food. "So, how about your wife, Kaelos?" Luna Queen Reina asked when everyone had finally settled down. I sat at the end of the table with Odessa sitting to my right while Alpha King Leonardo and his wife did the same in the opposite direction. Anyway, I picked up a fork, glancing at Odessa who had a plain expression as she gently picked out some potato chips. Drawing in a deep breath, I responded to the Luna Queen’s question. "I’m guessing you’re talking about Celine Greyheart. Well, she’s all right. But we’re divorced now." Alpha King Leonardo dropped his glass of wine just then, seeming surprised. I couldn’t blame them... Most of the continent still thought that Celine was my wife because I didn’t bother making the divorce public. I didn’t expect these people from South America to know anything. "Why?" Leonardo asked with genuine curiosity, but his question left an unspoken tension at the dining table. Luckily, Celine wasn’t there. If not, I was certain she wouldn’t let this slide without some drama. "She couldn’t bear me children, and that was the only reason I married her, so I had to let go of her," I said with a sigh before I picked at a piece of fried fish and ate it with my fork. Once again, there was nothing but silence after my words. I could feel the silent judgment of Leonardo and his delegates and even from my uncle. But I ignored them and continued eating as if nothing happened. "Pardon me for asking, but how then do you hope to have children, Kaelos?" Luna Queen Reina asked, her gaze fixed on Odessa with curiosity. "Do you plan on finding your mate? The clock is ticking and you aren’t getting any younger." Yeah... No shit. But alas, I couldn’t tell them that my mate was sitting right beside me. I couldn’t let them know that the moon goddess had ’blessed’ me with a witch as a mate. So I smiled wryly instead, glancing briefly at Odessa who tensed up. I moved my right leg discreetly under the table and tapped her gently, signaling her to get her act on. "Yes, I do, Luna Queen Reina. I plan to find my mate if the moon goddess wills it." I muttered, my tone resolute. "And if, for some reason, I’m never able to find her, I’ll just pick a fair maiden from my pack or perhaps take one of your daughter’s hand in marriage to give me children." Luna Queen Reina and her husband chuckled lightly at my response, causing me to smirk. Suddenly, Odessa, who had been drinking some wine, almost choked on it, causing her to cough erratically. She placed her right hand on her chest as she dropped the glass while waving her left hand apologetically. "Pardon me. I drank too fast." I arched an eyebrow at her, noticing how her countenance changed. She didn’t even try hiding the way she clenched her jaw as she continued eating like nothing happened. ’It seems like you two will be having a conversation really soon.’ Damon said with a chuckle in my head, causing me to roll my eyes discreetly. With that, we continued eating and no one brought up any personal questions. Tonight we’d be set for the welcoming ball. (A/N: Hello, gentle reader. This author has been feeling really burned out recently but updates are back on track. Please, continue supporting with your powerstones and golden tickets and leave your thoughts in the comments. Thank you and happy reading!<3)