The Dinner

Astrid's POV

The Dinner

Before we could reach the hall, the royal guard in the fortress opened the doors and announced the prince, causing everyone to look up. As soon as Ragnar and I entered the room, I quickly moved away from him; I didn't want to give my father the satisfaction of seeing me cling to him.

Seeing me withdraw, Ragnar gave me a challenging look, but I avoided his gaze. I refused to conform to societal expectations. It amused me to make him look ridiculous in front of the other Alphas. None would dare laugh openly, but I noticed a few stifling giggles as I distanced myself from him, and that motivated me to continue.

As we approached our seats, Ragnar tried to be a gentleman by moving my chair for me. I brusquely pushed his hand away.

"I can do it myself," I said defiantly, testing his patience.

"Sit down," he growled, and when I defied him, he grabbed my shoulder and forced me into the chair.

My son Bjorn noticed the commotion and made a gesture to intervene, though he clearly did not want to confront Ragnar. Still, he felt the need to defend his mother.

The situation didn't escalate, perhaps because I saw Bjorn's readiness to act. I stopped challenging Ragnar and took my seat. I couldn't risk a physical altercation between Ragnar and my son over me.

Once settled, my father, King Harald, gave a speech about his brother's recent victory in battle, praising him and receiving applause from everyone—except me, of course. Freydis glanced at me, pleading for me to stop. I couldn't understand why Freydis was so submissive; she wasn't the only Omega, but she acted as if she relished being in a servile role despite her status as Luna.

King Harald spoke of how his brother, Prince Ragnar, would lead his troops to conquer wild lands in the north, and I couldn't help but smile.

"The farther away he is, the better," I murmured, drawing gasps from the crowd, shocked by the Omega princess's audacity.

"Astrid," my father growled, his gaze fixed on me. Kara, present at the gathering, attempted to intervene.

"The princess didn't mean what was heard," Kara said, her eyes pleading with her cousin. My father's irritation was evident as he continued to glare at me.

"Could you clarify your words, daughter?" he asked. Freydis was visibly praying to all gods, hoping I wouldn't worsen my situation. I could see her silent pleas for me to heed her inner voice.

I noticed the annoyance in my father's eyes and avoided looking at Ragnar, who would undoubtedly be very displeased. My gaze settled on my children, especially Bjorn, who seemed prepared to defend me. Freydis and Kara both showed concern, the latter using her eyes to urge me not to provoke further trouble.

Kara had always been a supportive figure, always protecting me despite my rebellious nature. Seeing her command me with her eyes, I complied and adjusted my statement.

"I meant that the farther our kingdom can expand, the better. The conquest must continue," I said, correcting myself. Aemond, observing his mother's distress, raised his glass and toasted.

"A toast to my sister's words coming true; the conquest must continue," Aemond declared. Bjorn quickly raised his glass in agreement.

Freydis, Kara, Eirik, and others raised their glasses, followed by the rest of the guests when the king and Prince Ragnar did the same.

I sighed and started to rise to leave as the guests began to eat and converse. Before I could exit, Ragnar, whom I hadn't expected to notice my departure, grabbed my arm and guided me back to my seat, his actions discreetly preventing anyone from seeing.

"Enough," he growled, and I sat back down, grumbling as I began to eat.

"Astrid," Helaena said soothingly, trying to distract me, "Have you seen the new fabrics that arrived at the palace? Do you think we can have matching dresses made for us?" I nodded, understanding her intent to divert my attention from the evening's tension.

"Of course, sister," I said, letting myself be absorbed in Helaena's conversation. Freydis sighed in relief.

Freydis later instructed her children to keep an eye on me, though Aegon was as likely to stir trouble as I was. He seemed to enjoy my rebellious actions, despite not always approving of them.

I'd say Aegon was a fan of mine—a super fan, even. While he didn't always like my defiance, he took pleasure in it, revealing our shared rebellious streak.

---

Hakon's POV

Time for a Test

I sat alone at the table, feasting while keeping a close watch on Prince Ragnar. My goal was to find the perfect moment to execute my plan. My suspicions about Ragnar Lodbrok were mounting, and I was determined to uncover the truth about him—specifically, whether he was truly an Enigma Alpha. My strategy was clear: to see him lose control, as that would reveal his true nature.

But how could I provoke him without causing too much chaos? If my suspicions were correct, provoking him might be dangerous. Still, I needed to confirm my theories. The only way to achieve this was to test his limits.

I decided to go ahead with my plan. I paid some foreign Alphas from other packs to challenge Prince Ragnar—not directly, but enough to provoke his anger. These Alphas were to stir up trouble without crossing the line into direct confrontation, as I feared they might if left to their own devices.

Despite my warnings, I wasn't confident they would follow the plan perfectly. I had only given them a vague idea of the situation, and their own egos might lead them to challenge Ragnar directly. I tried to clarify the risks, but their greed for the promised money made them reckless.

Fortuitously, Princess Astrid was already in a mood to provoke her husband that day, which played perfectly into my plan. There was no need for the Alphas to seek trouble; it was already present.

I watched the banquet unfold and signaled the foreign Alphas to begin their provocations. As the dance started, I observed Ragnar dancing with his wife. I marveled at how Astrid had agreed to dance with him. His grip on her hip and his fixed gaze suggested he had pressured her into it. I had to admit, I found a certain twisted pleasure in watching Astrid, wishing my daughter Freydis had even a fraction of Astrid's defiance, rather than being the obsequious queen she was.

Freydis seemed utterly inadequate compared to Astrid. Despite being Luna, Freydis was overly submissive, lacking the pride I expected her to have, even if it wasn't in her nature as an Omega.

After a while, Ragnar switched partners and chose my daughter, Freydis, to dance with. As Freydis danced with Ragnar, she looked down like a frightened child. Though she was an Omega, she didn't need to be so subservient. She had bowed to every Alpha present, a display I had taught her but now found excessively humiliating. A bit of defiance would have been acceptable, but Freydis was incapable of such rebellion.

"Stop trembling like that, I only interrogated you once," I heard Ragnar say as they danced. This only highlighted how pathetic Freydis appeared; even Ragnar found her behavior pitiful. I wondered how many others noticed her shameful display.

"I'm s-sorry, my lord, my prince," she stammered, on the verge of tears. Ragnar ended the dance abruptly and left her with Bjorn, who tried to comfort her.

Observing Freydis's red, distressed face made me wonder how the Alpha King must feel seeing his Luna acting in such a manner.

Tired of the formalities, Ragnar moved to his seat next to his brother, King Harald, and they both drank while observing the celebration.

With Ragnar settled, I pointed out Astrid to the foreign Alphas. One of them stood up and walked straight to where Astrid was dancing with her brother Thorstein. I noted how Astrid looked at the Alpha with a condescending expression—something my daughter would never dare to do, even if she had the right.