The banquet for the Alphas and King Hati was not held in the austere Great Hall, but in the Royal Pack's Sunken Court—a private, decadent chamber reserved for the ruler's pleasures.
Here, the air was thick with the cloying scent of exotic incense and roasted game. Low tables formed a wide circle around a sunken mosaic floor of entwined wolves and moons, now cleared for the evening's true entertainment.
This was King Hati's domain of indulgence.
At the head of the circle, reclining on a mountain of silk cushions, was Hati himself. The terrifying mask was still on; only his crimson eyes, reflecting the firelight and the swirl of colorful silks from the dancers in the center, were visible. To his immediate right, close enough to hear the king's every murmur over the sound of lutes and drums, was Alpha Zephyr.
