Chapter 306: A rendezvous

The three brothers converged at the primary Ravencourt head table, situated directly behind the main elevated table reserved for Yuki and Xavier, which sat adjacent to the Velmore family’s seating..

Alexander and Aevia were already seated at the centre, conversing with passing diplomats. Killian had arrived ahead of them, sitting back in his chair with a heavy, bored expression that plainly signalled he was only present out of absolute obligation.

As the evening progressed, the formal banquet got underway. Alexander stood to deliver a dignified toast, followed by a formal speech from Gamma Reed. Elaborate theatrical performances were put on near the front stage, but Kieran barely registered a single second of the entertainment.

His dark, intense focus was entirely locked onto the couple sitting at the main table directly in front of him.

Yuki was leaning close to Xavier, her head tilted as she laughed softly at something he had whispered to her. Xavier was attentive, hovering over her, gently resting his hand over hers on the linen tablecloth, pouring her sparkling juice, and tilting his head close to hear her every word. They looked dangerously intimate, completely wrapped up in their own world as they enjoyed the evening together.

It was a perfectly normal sight for a newly engaged couple—yet to Kieran, watching them sit so agonisingly close felt like a hot blade twisting in his gut. A bitter, venomous thought sneered deep inside his mind: The little vixen truly has an extraordinary talent for seducing men, doesn’t she?

“Come on, Kieran, have a little of this,” Eloise’s sweet voice suddenly interrupted his dark thoughts. She reached past him, placing a portion of delicate, seasoned crab meat directly onto his untouched plate. “You’ve barely eaten a single bite all night,” she whined softly, resting her chin on her hand.

Kieran forced a weak, polite smile, pulling his eyes away from the front table. “Thank you, Eloise,” he murmured, his voice tight. Truly, he hadn’t touched his food at all.

He lifted his fork to take a bite, but as his eyes swept the table, he suddenly paused. The seat to his left was completely empty.

“Where did Kaden go?” Kieran asked, his brow furrowing as he looked around.

Eloise frowned slightly, dabbing her lips with a cloth napkin. “He stepped outside for some fresh air a few minutes ago. Honestly, he was being so moody.”

Kieran’s eyes settled on the large, heavy tumbler left beside Kaden’s empty plate. It was entirely drained, smelling strongly of neat bourbon. He had drunk far too much in far too short a time.

A heavy, exhausted sigh escaped Kieran’s lips. A wave of genuine concern washed over him. “I should go check on him,” he muttered tightly, his dark gaze flicking sideways to meet Killian’s eyes.

Killian didn’t turn his head, his face remaining a picture of cool, noble composure, but his voice cut straight into Kieran’s mind via their private link. ‘ He is completely wasted, Kieran. But we cannot both vacate the head table right now without drawing the elders’ attention.’

Kieran gave a barely perceptible nod of acknowledgement. Killian had been abnormally quiet all evening—far too quiet, even for him—but with the pack council elders watching their every move, everyone had to maintain their absolute best behaviour.

Kieran shot one final, lingering glance toward Yuki’s table. Xavier was leaning in close again, whispering something right into the shell of her ear while she giggled softly at the ongoing stage performance.

Kieran’s throat went bone-dry, a sudden, suffocating wave of heat surging under his collar. I need to get out of this room.

“I’m going to go find Kaden,” Kieran announced aloud to the table, pushing his chair back.

Alexander glanced over, giving a short, stern nod. “Do not take long, Kieran. The council members are observing our table.”

“I understand, Father,” Kieran replied quietly.

As he turned to step away, Eloise reached out, her fingers catching the edge of his suit jacket. He froze mid-step, looking down at her. “Please be careful,” she murmured softly, her brows knit with worry. “I’m really worried about Kaden.”

Kieran let out a soft breath, leaning down to press a swift, gentle kiss against her forehead. “Don’t be. He’s fine,” he reassured her, gently slipping his jacket out of her grip.

He turned and strode briskly away from the banquet tables. The heavy, gilded double doors opened and shut behind him, instantly cutting off the deafening sound of the orchestra and the roaring chatter of the hall.

The wide marble corridor outside was drastically quieter, echoing only with the faint, muffled thrum of the bass vibrating through the walls.

Kieran immediately expanded his heightened wolf senses, casting his tracking aura across the hotel hallway to lock onto Kaden’s distinct scent signature—but he hit a solid, impenetrable wall.

His jaw clenched in sudden frustration. Kaden was masking his aura entirely. Kieran tried to reach into the mindlink to summon his younger brother’s wolf, but the connection was violently blocked.

“Damn it,” Kieran hissed under his breath, rubbing the bridge of his nose. This was turning into a massive headache.

He knew he ought to turn around and march straight back into the banquet hall before Alexander lost his patience, but his own suffocating restlessness demanded a temporary break.

Kieran began wandering aimlessly through the vast VIP wing of the hotel, navigating the quiet, carpeted hallways with no particular destination in mind. Eventually, he pushed through a set of glass doors, stepping out onto a high, secluded stone balcony that overlooked the hotel’s massive, illuminated outdoor swimming pool below.

Leaning his broad hands against the cool marble railings, he closed his eyes and inhaled a long, deep breath of the freezing night air, trying to flush the lingering heat from his lungs.

Suddenly, a faint current of wind shifted

Kieran’s eyes snapped open, his entire body going dead rigid.

A sharp, distinct fragrance hit his heightened senses—rich rosewood laced with sweet, warm vanilla.

Yuki’s scent.

What on earth is she doing out here?

Without a single second thought, Kieran cleared the stone railing, leaping gracefully down from the balcony onto the dark, manicured courtyard lawn below. He landed silently in a low crouch, his wolf instincts flaring as he followed the thick trail of her scent.

The fragrance grew stronger, heavier, and agonisingly dense with every stride he took toward the shadowed, isolated corners of the outer garden.

Then, he saw her.

It was a mere, fleeting glance caught beneath the dim ambient light of a secluded stone archway—a shadow tucked deep into the dark corner of the courtyard. But what froze the blood solid in Kieran’s veins wasn’t just the sight of her form; it was the soft, wet, aggressive sounds of desperate, bruised kissing echoing in the quiet night.

Kieran’s breath hitched violently, his feet glued to the stone path.

Before his eyes could adjust to the darkness to identify the figure pinning her against the wall, the heavy metal door of a nearby maintenance equipment room was yanked open, and Yuki was forcefully dragged inside, the door slamming shut with a heavy clack.

It was unmistakably her scent. And those desperate, breathy sounds bleeding through the air belonged to her—carrying the exact same thick, intoxicating aroma of intense arousal he had caught on her skin in the forest yesterday.

Who the hell is she in there with?!

His gut was telling him one thing: it wasn’t Xavier.

Kieran stood frozen in the dark, his hands clenching into violent, white-knuckled fists until his sharp claws pierced his palms, fresh crimson blood dripping silently onto the cold stone path.