CHAPTER 206: BIRTHDAY PARTY

Bright lights. Garlands of flowers decorating the venue. Light instrumental music in the background. Countless eyes starting straight at them. Glasses filled with champagne, bubbles rising to the surface. And...

"Entering Kade Blackstone, Felix Embermane, and their daughter, Vivian Blackstone!"

...Huh?

What?

Vivian Blackstone who?

Felix glanced at Kade and gritted his teeth, but he still forced his lips to bend in a smile. There were so many eyes on him, after all, he couldn’t afford to make a misstep now.

And arguing with Kade, or even showing displeasure, would have been seen as a misstep, a very big one, at least by most of the members of the pack. And if they thought that Felix was ungrateful for being granted the oh-so-amazing position by Kade’s side that he didn’t deserve, they would most likely make things even more difficult for him.

Besides... He really should have expected that. Since Kade was claiming paternity over Vivi - which was something Felix had explicitly agreed to, so he had no right to complain now - it was only natural that Vivi would assume his surname... It’s just that hearing it out loud for the first time came as a bit of a shock, that’s all.

But the show had to go on. Holding onto Kade’s arm, he let himself be led to their seats at the central table.

Vivi was carried by Kade. A bit odd choice, since as the mother of the pup, Felix should have been the one to hold her, at least as far as he was concerned... But Kade insisted. If Felix were to carry Vivi, he wouldn’t be able to hold onto Kade, and Kade wanted them to walk in arm in arm, the way partners would normally enter... And after a short argument at the door, Felix finally surrendered.

He didn’t want to delay their entrance because of such a minor issue. It’s not like he couldn’t trust Kade to hold Vivi well, and the girl was comfortable in the Alpha’s arms (too comfortable for Felix’s liking), so it truly wasn’t worth arguing about.

As the stars of the evening, they were the last ones to arrive. Even Einar and Lorelei, the leader and the Luna of the pack, were already there. They had entered literally a few minutes before Kade, Felix, and Vivi - the assistant at the door monitored the banquet hall, and announced the trio as soon as Einar and Lorelei took their seats - but it was still odd to Felix.

Perhaps that’s how it was done, though - he didn’t have much experience with parties like that, so he wouldn’t know. Back at the Moonhill Pack, they never had any parties this formal, and while Felix had attended a few bigger parties at other packs, that had been years ago. His father had taken him to a few, since Felix was his only child, but he didn’t remember much.

Once they sat down, the party finally officially started. Einar Blackstone gave a speech, then Lorelei did, presenting Vivi, and finally Kade made his own speech as well...

Felix didn’t. He had been offered the opportunity, but he rejected it after giving it some consideration. Whether he did it or not, people would still find a way to find fault with him. He wasn’t used to making speeches like that, so he was likely to make mistakes. Even if he prepared a speech beforehand, and had it checked by someone trustworthy to ensure that everything was fine, he could come up as too unnatural, too scripted... And if not that, then even making the speech itself could be interpreted as trying to elevate his own position, since only the leader, the Luna, and the heir made their speeches. If he didn’t, then it could be said that he didn’t care about his pup enough...

But Vivi was way too young to understand what was going on anyway. If she were older, then Felix would make a speech for her sake, but if she wouldn’t get what he was saying anyway, then what was the point? Trying to do it for the sake of public opinion felt pointless.

The initial toasts were raised.

"To Vivian Blackstone!"

"Happy seven-month birthday!"

"May she grow up in health and peace!"

"Congratulations, Young Master Kade!"

...Felix, naturally, wasn’t mentioned in any of the toasts. It was only Cael who raised his glass,

"To Felix Embermane!"

The response... was far less cheery. It wasn’t only the young Omegas and female Betas that were against Felix. Any families who had members potentially eligible for the position of Kade’s mate were also not pleased with his existence. After all, they were hoping that if Kade doesn’t find his fated mate, their son/daughter/sister/brother/cousin might be chosen, which would elevate the status of the whole family... It was already displeasing enough to celebrate Kade’s illegitimate child, who might get in the way of their family member’s potential future offspring, should they get mated with Kade...

But celebrating the very Omega that was the root of the problem? They had to force themselves to join the toast, but there was no spirit in their voices.

Well, not like Felix cared. The members of the Bloodmoon Pack might not have been aware, but he had no intentions of contending with them or their families. Once the time came, he would quietly remove himself from the game... He just needed this status for now, until he figured out what to do next.

After the toasts were over, the official part was over, and everyone was free to enjoy themselves. Food was served, and people started moving between tables, chatting, eating, and drinking...

Felix remained on his seat, nibbling on savory cheese cupcakes, and sipping champagne. Very slowly, of course, as it was already his second glass - the first he had finished during all the initial toasts. He still didn’t know his tolerance, after all. He had barely come of age not long before running away from the pack, and after that, he had been pregnant, so naturally, he couldn’t drink...

He was lost in thought, reminiscing about the past, when all of a sudden, he noticed that someone had stopped right in front of him.

"Young Master Felix. Would it be alright for us to join you?"