I sat boneless on his lap, my heart fluttering like a hummingbird's wings as he murmured his gratitude against the skin of my neck, his slightly chapped lips catching on the sensitive skin and I shivered.

My head was still spinning from what had just happened, one moment I had been eating and trying to fight down the lingering blush on my cheeks, next thing I know I'd been transported into something akin to the Matrix. A world once filled with colour dulled to monochrome shades of grey, everything slowed down around me, almost frozen.

My wolf was present and pushing against my conscious, my instincts and senses in overdrive. Something was wrong, danger tinged the air with metallic iron, turning the air thick and I struggled to breathe. The hair on the back of my neck stood up and deafening ringing filled my ears, white noise blurring out any and all sounds from around me.

My heart thundered in my chest like a stampedes hooves and my body urged me to act, rushing with adrenaline, my flight or fight response going haywire.

Dread sank deep into my bones, trepidation and fear turning my stomach, the sour stench of impending death almost making me gag.

My nose sought out the source, gasping at the dangerous beauty of Satish's glass of water. The liquid seemed to glitter, red particles dancing and swirling around, the colour so startling compared to the monochrome around me.

I watched as Satish picked up the glass in slow motion, the base of the glass clinking distortedly, but somehow getting louder rather than quieter with each dizzying echo.

Every fibre in my being screamed something was wrong, a terrible sense of foreboding raged through my connection with my wolf, red fur flashed behind my eyes as I blinked, staring at that slowly rising glass.

The glittering red particles were hypnotising... red... the only colour I could see was red. I blinked and saw a flash of my wolf's red fur once again... red... red wolf.

Was this what it meant to be a red wolf?

The stench of death coming from that glass, the red particles in what should be clear water.

Was I able to sense danger?

I didn't know, but I did know that something was wrong with that glass of water... I couldn't let Satish drink it.

I reached out at normal speed for the slowly raising glass of water in Satish's hand, what should be cool glass burned my skin and I almost recoiled from the red hot pain.

My head swam but suddenly the world went back to normal, one blink and everything was as it was before. The surrounding sounds rushed back to me, the brightness and dazzling colour like turning the light on in a once dark room.

My brain lagged as everything went back to normal speed and for a moment my eyes struggled to follow or focus on anything, but my eyes adjusted and I stared down at the glass in our touching hands, I could feel the condensation against my fingers, it cold as it should be.

My body sagged with relief when he took the glass that I offered him in my free hand and I snatched his as soon as he set it down, tempted to throw it as far as I could, watch the glass shatter and the glass spill onto the marble floor but I refrained. The glass intact would tell us more than if it was in pieces all over the floor.

After Satish had hurriedly gulped down the water, the pained expression on his face easing, he stared at his drink in my hands, no doubt wondering why I'd stopped him from drinking it, but allowed him to drink from my own.

I hadn't drunk from his glass, nor had I drank from mine before giving it to him, but I was going to be his Luna anyway, if I had it wouldn't be a problem, although it's customary to drink from each other's glasses during the Luna Ceremony and after we're mated, not before.

Werewolves had the... I didn't even know what to call it, whatever it was, drinking from an alpha's cup was like declaring yourself the Luna. It was some old worldly tradition we'd never got rid of, like the lack of footwear I guess. Like that, I didn't quite understand why, maybe something about the Alpha providing for his Luna?

"May I Alpha?" I asked, hesitantly taking the offending glass, my suspicions verified when I swirled the glass, white deposits stirring at the bottom of the glass, turning the clear water cloudy.

It also stirred the same sour smell and I heard Satish's growl of fury as his senses gave him his answer as to why I'd prevented him from drinking from it. Good thing too since he'd downed all of mine, he would have swallowed all of that powder that had settled at the bottom of the glass.

Satish's angry voice faded into the background as I stared at the glass. Tilting my head this way and that, wondering what exactly the powder was, and who'd put it there, by an amateur since the poison hadn't dissolved in the water, and had instead settled at the bottom of the glass. They also hadn't taken into account the poison's smell, water wouldn't mask it. In Satish's haste, he might not have noticed until it was too late, but the culprit couldn't have known that Satish would get food stuck in his throat.

The glass was suddenly taken from my grasp and I squeaked as I was lifted from my seat by strong arms, a rush of Satish's scent hitting me as I was dropped onto his lap and I scrambled as my legs slid, unable to find purchase, my knees not stopping until they hit the seat of the large wooden chair either side of Satish's large and solid thighs, leaving my own wide open I straddled his lap.

My hands braced against his chest, or I would have gone face first into it, the tops of my cheeks warming from how close we were, and in front of so many people. His proximity and scent made my wolf whine and I struggled not to go limp in his lap from my need to submit.

I stared up at him in bewilderment, at a loss for what to do, totally unprepared on how to react, and a little afraid, he'd try and 'dominate' me as my parents had called it if I let my wolf do what it so desperately wanted to.

My next breath stuttered out of my lungs as he leaned down, his near presence and strong masculine and woodland smell blanketed me, pinning me down, my nose almost tingling from it.

His lips grazed mine in a feather-like brush before gently nosing and nuzzling my cheek with his. Even the small touch was overwhelming, I gasped in surprise at his unexpected affection and how strongly it affected me.

My body felt so tight, but seconds from being a puddle at the same time. I worried that my wolf would try and break free again.

His scent grew a little stronger and muskier, I could barely hold myself back from sagging against him with a submissive whine.

I heard Jan speak again, Satish grunting back and pressing his face against my neck.

I whimpered noiselessly and tilted my head back a little to accommodate his head and to show that I accepted his face in such a vulnerable stop, my wolf further pushing me to submit from Satish's dominant position. My body was almost trembling from the need to submit but I forced myself to keep still.

A low growl rumbled in the chest against mine and his arms tightened around me.

"Thank you Carnet," he murmured against the skin of my neck, placing a kiss on the arch of my throat and nosing my skin.

I didn't know what was going to happen now, Satish seemed to have delegated the responsibility onto Jan and although I could smell some anger in Satish's scent it didn't seem like he was going to do anything about it at this moment. I gather no guests will be leaving until the wannabe poisoner is found but the knowledge of the incident hadn't been announced to the crowd, dinner seemed to be continuing as usual.

Speaking of dinner, Satish seemed to be no longer interested in his meal, the gusto he'd eaten from the laden plate was gone, his mouth much more interested in my neck.

I hadn't been that hungry due to nerves but had put more on my plate as Satish had asked. His words had made me worry, what was so physically exerting it required a larger helping of food? I understood the principle of what would happen, he'd take me to his bed and put his... he'll do his duty and I'll try and do mine and become pregnant with his pups.

With that thought, I softly asked "shouldn't we get back to eating?"

He seemed to almost grumble at my words but pressed a firmer kiss to my jaw before gently setting me down on the chair beside him, where my body had touched his felt incredibly warm, leaving me feeling cold all of a sudden.

He lifted one of my hands to his lips and tenderly kissed my knuckles, my whole face flaming and no doubt turning lobster red. I shyly watched him through my lashes as he smiled against my fingers, gently nuzzling his cheek.

His smile turned into a grin, and I gasped sharply as he nipped one of my fingers. "You better clear that plate my Luna, we can't have you tiring out too soon." he winked and I dipped my head to hide from his teasing grin and intense silver eyes, something animalistic swirling in the molten metal.

I really wish my parents had told me a little bit more about what was happening tonight so I wasn't so in the dark but I knew my naivety on such subjects was intended. It was part of the allure for the Alpha, he was the one to open my eyes, to show me what happened between Luna and Alpha on the night of our mating.

All I could do was tuck in despite my nervous stomach and do my best to clear my plate, I would have to leave everything else in Satish's hands.