Claimed By The King(s) Of Kings

Aina

It was the night of the Iron Fang Bash.

During the entire day, not a single student had bothered attending their classes. Most of the campus had spent the afternoon frantically getting ready, curling hair, lacing up corsets, and adjusting tuxedos. The rest, the unlucky majority who hadn’t scored a coveted gold-sealed invitation, were either sulking in their dorm rooms or being dragged around to help their luckier friends prepare.

Under obvious circumstances, a party of this magnitude couldn’t be hosted in the main academy buildings; the professors would have thrown a collective fit. So, following tradition, the bash was being held in the sprawling three-story cabin hidden deep in the ancient woods surrounding the campus.

The walk to the cabin was long for anyone who wasn’t a vampire. Normal students had to trudge through the dark, winding forest paths step by step. Shifting into their wolf forms to run through the trees wasn’t an option unless they wanted to completely shred their expensive formal gowns and custom suits before even reaching the front door.

”We are here!” Molly squealed happily, holding her sweeping skirt up with one hand as she gestured toward the clearing.

Aina lifted her head, catching her breath as the massive structure came into view. The cabin was a domineering masterpiece of dark mahogany wood and floor-to-ceiling tinted glass. Warm, golden light poured out through the massive windows, setting the surrounding dark forest ablaze. Loud, bass-heavy music blared from inside, making the damp forest floor vibrate under their shoes.

A long, winding line of students stood outside, laughing and talking nervously as they waited for their turn to enter the bash of the year. Positioned right at the massive double-door entrance were two brooding, broad-shouldered wolf shifters acting as bouncers. They held large whiteboards, ticking off names and checking invitations with severe, unblinking eyes.

”This is way grander than my sister ever said it was,” Delilah mumbled under her breath, staring up at the three-story glass facade in total awe.

”Seriously,” Beatrice added, matching Delilah’s wide-eyed expression. ”It’s hard to believe the princes own a whole freaking cabin in the woods that they literally only use for parties. I would literally stay in a place like this permanently.”

Their moment of awe was abruptly shattered by the sound of heavy, dragging footsteps and ragged, pathetic gasping.

The girls turned around in unison to see Aina bent completely double, her hands clutched tightly over her knees. She looked like someone who had just been forced to run a bare-foot marathon across the jagged peaks of the underworld. Her chest heaved, her face was flushed beet-red under her mask, and her lungs felt as if they were filled with crushed glass.

”Travis, are you okay?” Molly asked, stepping over and resting a slow, concerned hand on her back.

No! I am NOT okay! I feel like I am literally going to drop dead right here on the pine needles! Aina screamed in her own head, her thoughts a chaotic, breathless mess. That walk was a targeted assassination attempt! Why do you guys walk so damn fast?!

Forcing herself to straighten her spine, Aina plastered a tight, utterly fake smile onto her face and nodded at Molly. ”I’m fine... just a bit tired from the walk,” she gasped out, trying her absolute best to sound cool, calm, and collected. Beatrice and Delilah exchanged a slow, skeptical look behind Molly’s back.

Beatrice raised an eyebrow, eyeing Aina’s trembling knees. ”Are you sure you’re an Alpha, Travis? Because this is genuinely the first time in my entire life I’ve ever seen an Alpha get tired from a short walk.” Aina’s heart did a violent, panicked flip inside her chest.

”Beatrice!” Molly scolded softly, giving her friend a sharp nudge.

”What? It’s true!” Beatrice defended, waving a hand toward Aina. ”He has the stamina of an omega right now. Even a low-tier Beta wouldn’t be huffing like this after a fifteen-minute stroll!”

Aina bit the inside of her lip so hard she nearly drew blood, inwardly cursing her weak, pathetic mortal lungs. There was literally nothing she could say to defend herself without sounding even more suspicious, so she opted for the safest strategy available: keeping her mouth shut and playing the quiet, brooding type.

Luckily, Cleo’s high-pitched squeal broke through the tense atmosphere before Beatrice could grill her any further.

”Guys, stop picking on him and let’s get inside already!” Cleo urged, grabbing Molly’s arm and tugging her forward. ”We are at the freaking Iron Fang Bash! Move!”

Thank you, Cleo, I will literally love you forever, Aina prayed silently, practically sobbing with relief as the attention shifted away from her pathetic stamina.

Because Molly was a literal princess, they didn’t have to stand at the back of the absurdly long line with the other students. Molly casually bypassed the entire queue, leading her group straight to the front doors. Aina walked stiffly beside her, feeling painfully awkward as Molly kept her hand securely linked with hers. Walking hand in hand with a girl who towered a full foot over her in a tux that was still a tiny bit too broad in the shoulders was not how she had envisioned her Saturday night.

As they reached the threshold, the two hulking bouncers at the door barely gave Molly, Cleo, Delilah, or Beatrice a second glance. They didn’t even ask to see their formal invitations, simply stepping aside to grant the princess and her friends free passage.

However, as Aina tried to slip inside behind Molly, a heavy, rock-hard hand clamped firmly onto her shoulder, bringing her to a dead stop.

Aina froze, her breath hitching in her throat. She turned her head slowly to look at the massive shifter blocking her path. He stared down at her through a leather mask, his voice a low, gravelly rumble.

”Are you Travis Whitelock?” Aina swallowed hard, a nervous gulp dropping like a stone into her stomach. She forced a rigid nod.

”...Yeah. That’s me.”

The bouncer stared at her for two agonizing seconds before releasing her shoulder and stepping back. ”Enjoy the bash.”

Aina didn’t need to be told twice. She darted inside, quickly catching up to Molly’s side as the massive double doors slammed shut behind them, sealing out the cold forest air. The moment they stepped into the main hall, the sheer scale of the party hit them hard. Aina’s jaw dropped slightly beneath her mask.

Okay... I hate the royals, but I have to give credit where credit is due, she thought, her eyes darting frantically around the room. This is actually how you throw a masquerade.

The three-story cabin opened up into a massive, vaulted atrium wrapped in dark oak balconies and glowing crystal chandeliers. Suspended high above the crowd, performers dressed in sheer, sparkling silk swung gracefully from silk ropes tied to the rafters, dancing through the air like mythic spirits. Long banquet tables stretched along the back walls, overflowing with silver platters of roasted meats, glowing fruits, chocolate fountains, and endless rows of crystal flutes filled with champagne.

However, amidst the dazzling lights and pounding music, a strange, uneasy prickle washed over the back of Aina’s neck. Feeling an odd gut instinct that something was deeply wrong, Aina glanced back over her shoulder toward the entrance.

Through the crowded hallway, she saw the broad-shouldered bouncer who had stopped her. He was holding a small black walkie-talkie to his mouth, his eyes scanning the room as he spoke clearly into the receiver: ”Travis Whitelock has arrived. He is entering the building now.”