CHAPTER 93: MOON WINE

💠Dmitri

And in doing so, he’d started something that wouldn’t end tonight. Lilith was just the marked hybrid before, but now she was more than that.

She was the High Alpha’s betrothed.

The object of his desire.

Lilith’s place was solidified, but she had a target the size of the Umbra Realm on her back.

I was about to slip toward the exit when I caught it.

A shift in the air. Subtle at first, then unmistakable.

Vladimir’s scent.

It had been cold and controlled all night—sharp like winter frost, clean and distant. But now it was changing, warming into something darker. Richer. More primal.

Rut.

My anticipation stirred uneasily. This wasn’t good.

Vladimir still had Lilith pressed against him, his mouth at her throat, and that growl hadn’t stopped. If anything, it was deepening, becoming more possessive, more feral.

His control was slipping.

And in a room full of Alphas, with his mate bleeding pheromones and vulnerability, if he lost it completely—

I moved before I could second-guess myself.

Not rushed. That would draw too much attention, make it seem like an emergency. Instead, I cut through the crowd with deliberate casualness, angling toward them like I was just passing by.

When I reached them, I stepped directly into Vladimir’s line of sight, close enough that he had to acknowledge me but not so close that it would seem like a challenge.

"Vladimir," I said quietly, my voice pitched low enough that only he could hear over the applause. "The council wants a word. Something about the northern border dispute."

It was a lie. A thin one. But it gave him an out.

For a moment, he didn’t react. His eyes were still locked on Lilith’s throat, pupils blown wide, his grip on her waist possessive enough to leave marks.

Then, slowly, his gaze lifted to mine.

The hunger in his eyes made my wolf flatten in submission.

But I held his stare, kept my expression neutral. You promised me you wouldn’t lose control. I’m keeping you to that.

Something flickered across his face—recognition, maybe awareness—and the fog of instinct cleared just enough.

He pulled back from Lilith’s throat with visible effort, his jaw tight, a muscle jumping beneath his skin.

The moment he released her, several things happened at once.

Lilith swayed, clearly disoriented, her hand going to where he’d bitten her.

And three Alphas materialized from the crowd like sharks scenting blood in the water.

The first, Kavriel arrived, his broad frame imposing but his expression warm. "Miss Lilith, that was quite the performance. You held your own admirably."

Alpha Asken was next. "Indeed. Most impressive for someone so new to our circles."

Then Alpha Tommil, younger added "A toast is in order, I think. To new alliances and... unexpected displays of strength."

Vladimir’s hand was still on Lilith’s waist, but his grip had loosened. He was breathing deliberately now, forcing his control back into place, his scent gradually cooling.

I stayed close, a silent anchor.

The Alphas were already herding Lilith toward one of the side tables where servants had arranged the after-party refreshments. Vladimir moved with her automatically, but I could see the strain in his posture, the way his bionic hand kept flexing.

He’d pulled himself back from the edge.

Barely.

Someone pressed a glass into Lilith’s hand—moon wine, shimmering with that characteristic iridescent quality, colors shifting from silver to pale blue to violet as it caught the light.

The traditional toast for significant social moments. Engagements. Alliances. Claims.

And not for anyone who could not hold their alchol. It took a lot to get our kind drunk.

Lilith looked down at the glass, clearly still trying to orient herself after whatever had just happened between her and Vladimir.

Then she lifted it to her lips.

"Just a sip—" Kavriel guided but she did not hear him, her mind still muddled.

She drank.

In one go.

We all gasped.

That would be disaster later. It made It worse that she was an hybrid.

Vladimir went absolutely still beside me.

His scent spiked again—not rut this time, but something equally intense. Possessive. Obsessed.

His eyes tracked every movement as she swallowed, the way her throat worked, the slight part of her lips as she lowered the glass.

When she licked a stray drop of wine from her bottom lip—completely unconscious, just a natural gesture—

Vladimir’s pupils dilated again.

"Fuck," he breathed, so quietly I almost didn’t catch it.

I shifted slightly, blocking him from full view of the other Alphas. "Breathe," I murmured. "You’re still here. Still in control."

His hand clenched into a fist. "I need to leave. Now."

I nodded.

The other Alphas were still talking to Lilith, praising her performance, asking subtle questions about her background and training. She was handling it well—better than expected—her carefully constructed veneer of contro back in place despite the exhaustion I could see in the set of her shoulders.

Vladimir took a breath. Then another.

Then he stepped forward, his hand sliding possessively around Lilith’s waist again as he smoothly interrupted the conversation. "Gentlemen. Ladies. You’ll have to excuse us. It’s been a long evening, and my fiancée needs rest."

It wasn’t a request.

The Alphas smiled knowingly, offering polite farewells, but their eyes were calculating. They’d seen everything—the bite, the loss of control, the obsessive way Vladimir was looking at Lilith now.

They’d remember.

Vladimir guided Lilith toward the exit with that same deliberate authority from before, but I could see the tension thrumming through him, the barely restrained need to get her alone, away from all these watching eyes.

I followed at a distance, keeping an eye on the room.

Caesar was still watching them leave, his expression dark.

Veronique had gone very still, her glass of wine forgotten in her hand.

I watched them go, that familiar yearning stirring awake. I thought of her then, and the visions that I had seen, the promises I had made.

And how much of her he had taken away, and what I had to do to get her back, my gaze shifted to Kustav. Only to find him already watching me.

A smile on his lips.