Wolf Princess Sold to the Dragon King

The Greyhall end of the chain had been verbal. Insults. Comebacks. A roast so thorough Grimscar had to cover his face.

Nobody in that chamber came prepared for what happened after.

The next seven dominoes fell in under six minutes, which was impressive considering it started with a girl informing an Alpha King that he was fucking stupid.

DOMINO 38: SOMEBODY DIDN’T GET HIS NAP TODAY

GREYHALL CROSSING - COUNCIL CHAMBER - 8:06 PM

Tharos looked like a kettle three seconds past the whistle.

”I don’t tolerate disrespect. I have NEVER tolerated disrespect. Every Alpha at this table knows what happens when someone disrespects Stonehowl. You WILL fall in line and you WILL show respect.”

Every pair of eyes in the room flicked to Guinevere. Most of them were not bothering to hide that they were enjoying the fuck out of this.

”Oh, believe me. We know. You’ve demanded it six times tonight,” she said, voice dry as sand. ”Has it worked yet?”

That did it.

Whoops.

At full Alpha speed, Tharos closed the distance so fast the blade was already at her throat by the time anyone registered he’d moved.

Gavyn’s blade was out in a flash, alongside the other Lunaris warriors. Stonehowl’s men immediately matched.

”You are a nobody bitch,” Tharos gritted, eyes flaring molten. ”Give me one reason to keep you alive. Clock is ticking.”

DOMINO 39: EMOTIONAL SUPPORT PACKS

GREYHALL CROSSING - COUNCIL CHAMBER - 8:07 PM

Before she could get a word out, three packs drew blades in perfect sync, backing Stonehowl like they’d rehearsed this shit for weeks.

When Guinevere spoke, her voice was calm and carried no malice. ”You lose your composure in a chamber full of kings over me. Why?”

Tharos blinked, clearly taken aback that she wasn’t even slightly rattled.

”Apologize, girl. Or we let him open you,” Alpha Darwin Blackmoor growled.

Blade at Gavyn’s throat, one of the three packs in Stonehowl’s corner, and clearly not in the mood for a debate.

DOMINO 40: THANKSGIVING AT THE BLACKMOORS

GREYHALL CROSSING - COUNCIL CHAMBER - 8:08 PM

To her absolute bewilderment, steel rang from the opposite side of the chamber. The other Blackmoor twin and his men had drawn. On Stonehowl.

Two brothers going against one another. She’d known them a combined total of zero minutes outside of being in this chamber and was fairly confident neither had ever been particularly close to her father.

”She apologizes over my dead body,” Alpha Benjamin Blackmoor stated. ”You can apologize to her, Darwin.”

Darwin stared at his brother with the specific fury of a man who had been contradicted by the same face his entire life. ”You don’t even KNOW this girl. She insulted an Alpha.”

”I don’t need to know her. I need to know you’re wrong. And you are,” Benjamin replied lightly.

”Brother.” Darwin looked ready to combust. ”We AGREED to not do this today.”

”We did. I lied. I do that. You should know by now.”

DOMINO 41: INCEPTION BUT WITH SWORDS

GREYHALL CROSSING - COUNCIL CHAMBER - 8:09 PM

A wolf in the back of the room pulled out his blade and sighed. ”I gave up a hunting trip for this.”

The man next to him nodded, also drawing his weapon. ”I left a warm bed and a willing woman.”

They looked at each other.

”Totally worth it though.”

”Oh absolutely. Wouldn’t have missed this shit for the world.”

”For fuck’s sake.” Alpha Veilcross’s voice boomed through the chamber. His entire group drew and locked blades on Guinevere.

Half a second later, Alpha Thornback and his men had their blades out and aimed at Veilcross.

”Drop them, Veilcross,” Thornback said.

”Stay out of this, Thornback.”

”Too late.”

A young warrior on Thornback’s flank glanced at Guinevere, then at the man beside him. ”When this is over, I’m buying her a drink.”

His packmate stared at him. ”You’re pointing a blade at the man pointing a blade at her.”

”I’m aware. I can do both.”

The room cracked open like a dam. Every wolf who had been holding their tongue for the last ten minutes decided this was the moment to share.

”Why did Veilcross draw on the girl?”

”Because Veilcross is an idiot.”

”And why did Thornback draw on Veilcross?”

”Because Thornback hates idiots.”

”Checks out.”

”So just to be clear, nobody in this room is fighting over territory, resources, or a treaty.”

”Correct.”

”They’re fighting because a little girl hurt a man’s feelings.”

”Also correct.”

DOMINO 42: THE OLD BOYS CLUB DREW STEEL

GREYHALL CROSSING - COUNCIL CHAMBER - 8:10 PM

In the middle of the whispering, Ashfang, Duskwin, Nightclaw, Redmoon, and Grimscar’s men had their blades out and pointed at Stonehowl.

Guinevere was surprised by this development.

Yes, all of them were friends with her father. But all of them were the exact men she’d assumed would stay the hell out of something like this.

DOMINO 43: THE SUMMIT IS OFFICIALLY FUCKED

GREYHALL CROSSING - COUNCIL CHAMBER - 8:11 PM

In the span of three seconds, every single blade in the chamber was out.

”How did we get here?” an Alpha muttered.

His Beta shot him a sideways glance. ”She called him dumb.”

”That’s it?”

”Yes.”

”Then why are we—”

”Because Tharos is a prick. Keep up.”

Guinevere was standing in a sea of blades and the ONLY goddamn person in the entire chamber who didn’t bring one. In hindsight, she should have brought Cassian’s because this was just embarrassing now.

It would have been funny if she and Gavyn didn’t have actual steel touching their throats. They were the only two people in that situation. Everyone else was just being pointed at.

One wolf in the back drew his blade and pointed it at the man next to him. The man next to him gently redirected it with two fingers. The wolf nodded. Right. Wrong guy.

A warrior muttered to the man beside him, ”This is the worst summit I’ve ever attended.”

The man beside him adjusted his grip. ”This is the best summit I’ve ever attended.”

”I came here to discuss Dark Fae,” an Alpha said loud enough for the chamber to hear. ”And instead, I’m pointing a blade at a man I’ve never spoken to because a princess I’ve never met called an Alpha King I don’t like a name he deserved.”

DOMINO 44: SOMEONE OWES HIS WOLF AN APOLOGY

GREYHALL CROSSING - COUNCIL CHAMBER - 8:12 PM

Two wolves crammed into the same corner exchanged a look.

”Can this get worse?”

”Don’t say that.”

”Why?”

”Because every time someone says that in this room, it gets worse.”

At the opposite end of the chamber, the doors opened.

The Shadowfell pack entered, then collectively hit the brakes.