2.3: You Again

The Alpha's manor was an extravagant building. A rolling estate that sat on a hilltop of the city, and I'm sure had a view of the city below from the panoramic windows Setia could see from the outside. They covered the grounds in marble statuary and fountains. They placed lights all around outside in the gardens to light the night.

People milled about the grounds, standing in groups and mingling with each other. Setia heard melodious laughter coming from various groups and knew that many this evening were drunk with the ethereal atmosphere the night presented. She sighed and stared up at the almost full moon, thinking back to Andruil's blue one.

A few heads turned to stare at her, as she walked by, mostly the male gazes that lingered on her exposed form. She shivered under their gazes, and put her shoulders back, walking confidently. She followed the line of people walking towards the main doors of the palatial sized building.

Setia made her way into the interior of the palace, working her way through the corridors until she reached a grand ballroom, with people spilling from the inside. She could hear music over the thrum of conversation. People tilted their noses up to sniff the air, filled with the scents of alphas and omegas and betas mingling together.

She snatched a glass of wine from the tray of a passing waiter and swirled the deep red liquid. She took a healthy sip and sighed as it went down her throat. Wasn't quite the ambrosia of Andruil, but it would do. She sipped to relax her nerves and stared about the room. She caught the eye of her father and mother, speaking to a group of alphas and their mates.

"Setia, come over here, darling." Her mother called. She plastered a smile on her face and made her way over, smiling politely at the group.

"Hello, everyone." Setia said with a smile. They smiled politely and nodded their heads. Some of them were younger men, who scanned her form hungrily.

"These are the newest council members, Setia. They form the council that assists our Alpha in governing Cantris." Her father explained. She nodded in understanding and gave a deep curtsy to the Alpha council members.

"Charmed to make your acquaintance, sirs." She said smoothly.

"We were discussing how a fine girl your age isn't mated yet." One man, a tall man with blonde hair, voiced. Setia flushed and felt the heat rising in her cheeks. It was common for some Omegas to mate young. As the daughter of an Alpha of high status in the world, they have assumed that her marriage would have been used to further her father's business. Yet she was a Beta, here.

"I am waiting, for the real thing," Setia said softly. Soem of the men looked intrigued, and she knew they'd be asking her to dance later. "Please excuse me, I'm going to find more refreshments." She said before extracting herself from the conversation that was heading in a business direction. The Alpha had yet to make an appearance, she noticed, and picked up another glass of wine from the refreshment table.

"What's a lovely lady like you doing by herself?" The blonde man from earlier appeared next to her. She plastered a polite smile on her face. He was a councilor, after all.

"Hello Councilor, I am just enjoying the atmosphere. I'm not the best at social events." She admitted with a blush. The blonde man chuckled and took a sip of his own drink.

"I'm glad you came this evening. We have heard tales of Trevor's lovely daughter." He said. Setia laughed good-naturedly.

"The tales are more than reality, I'm sure." She met his gaze levelly, unusual unless another Alpha. He placed his hand on her arm.

"Dance with me." He pleaded, leading her toward the dance floor. She sighed and fell into a steady rhythm while he lead the dance. She felt him close to her, and she could smell his alpha pheromones, but it was doing nothing for her. He placed his hands firmly on her back. They wandered a little low and pressed her firmly against him.

"You are beautiful, my flower." He said in her ear. She cringed. She pulled away from him slightly and tried to maintain a polite distance. As the song ended, Setia eagerly pushed away from the man.

"Excuse me, sir." She smiled politely and excused herself. She went to the other side of the room.

She gazed around at the people socializing and took in the exits to the room. There was a whole manor to explore. Surely she might find something useful in this place. She was supposed to get her hands on that research. I'm sure he doesn't keep it sitting out, but maybe she'd see something useful. She took her glass and slipped out the doorway down the hall. And started wandering down the elaborately decorated pillared hall.

She heard footsteps and ducked into a side room, pushing the handle and realizing it was unlocked, she slipped in. The people in the hallway paused outside the door.

"The Alpha should arrive shortly." One man said.

"Gotta love these balls, all the fine pieces of ass here for us to sort through." The other man laughed.

"Did you see Trevor's daughter? What a fox." The first man said. She cringed and scowled.

"We'd better get back to the main room. We don't want them to know we were in the war room."

The other man whispered. The footsteps receded down the hall. Hmm, so the war room was close-by.

Hands grabbed her from behind, arms wrapped around her, and a hand covered her mouth. She struggled and grunted against the vice-like grip. Pulled back against a hard chest, she felt a solid line of muscle. She inhaled the deep scent of cinnamon and cloves… She recognized that smell.

"Hello, princess." A voice rang in her ears. A voice she hadn't heard since she saw him dying on the floor in Andruil. She gasped and froze. General Elarion Liandris.