Chapter 6: Banquet

Haliyah’s POV.

“Raven planned it…”

When Cassandra said those words, it felt like the ground vanished beneath my feet. My father’s death wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t fate. It was a deliberate murder.

I stared at her, my mind struggling to accept the truth she had just thrown at me. My father was strong, respected, feared even. He was the best warrior in the Mooncrest Pack. He had survived countless battles. Even three Alphas together couldn’t easily defeat him. Everyone knew that.

“You said Raven planned it,” I began, forcing the words out. “Tell me everything you know.”

She blinked, then smiled in satisfaction. “Oh? You want details?”

“Yes,” I replied firmly.

I had nothing left to lose anymore. And a woman with nothing left to lose was the most dangerous creature of all.

“If you’re lying, I swear I’ll—”

Before I could finish, footsteps echoed down the corridor. Cassandra straightened instantly. Her expression changed in a blink.

Raven appeared at the end of the hallway. He was wearing a black formal suit. His hair was neatly combed back. His eyes flicked to me, then away, like I wasn’t even worth his attention.

“What’s going on?” he asked Cassandra. “What are you doing here?”

Cassandra immediately walked toward him. “Nothing,” she said sweetly. “Haliyah isn’t feeling well. I was just trying to comfort her.”

Raven frowned in annoyance. “We’re late. The banquet is starting. We should leave now.”

Cassandra nodded obediently and held his arm naturally. She turned to me with fake concern.

“Haliyah, you should go rest. Your body can’t handle too much stress.”

I forced myself to speak. “Raven,” I said hoarsely.

He paused, obviously displeased. His gaze finally landed on me. I was still leaning against the wall, pale and shaking. I searched his face, hoping to find even a little guilt. There was nothing. His eyes were emotionless.

“I want to go to the Elder Council banquet,” I said.

He stared at me directly like I had just said something ridiculous. “That’s not happening,” he replied without hesitation. “Don’t start trouble today. You’re not in the condition to attend the banquet anyway. Stay in your room. Don’t embarrass me.”

I flinched. Those words crushed the last bit of warmth I still had for him.

“I’m the Luna,” I said through clenched teeth.

He scoffed. “Luna? Do you still think that title means anything?”

His words cut deep, as if I were nothing more than a burden he didn’t want to deal with. Even my existence didn’t matter. Only his reputation did.

Cassandra leaned against him and smiled at me, full of mockery and triumph. “Haliyah, rest well, okay? Don’t think too much.”

Raven didn’t say another word. He didn’t even spare me another glance. He simply turned around and walked away with Cassandra by his side. Their figures matched perfectly, as if they were the rightful pair. I stood there frozen, watching their backs disappear.

When the sound of their footsteps finally faded, silence filled the hallway. I pressed my palm against my heart, but the pain only intensified. My father’s face flashed before my eyes. I had cried for him before. I had mourned him until my tears dried up. But this pain was different. It was worse than the grief I felt when he first died because now I knew the truth.

I took a long, shaky breath and wiped my face. Crying wouldn’t bring my father back. Breaking down would only make their Raveny sweeter. I wouldn’t give them that satisfaction.

If I wanted justice, I had to act. If I wanted revenge, I had to fight. Tonight was my only chance, and I couldn’t waste it. I had to seize the moment to meet the Elder Council. I needed power on my side. And first, I needed to escape this place.

By the time the moon climbed high above the pack grounds, I was already dressed. Not in the pale, dull clothes Raven preferred me to wear when he wanted me invisible. Tonight, I chose red. A deep crimson dress that hugged my waist and fell smoothly to my ankles. The color was bold.

If I was going to walk into that convention, I wouldn’t go like a discarded wife. I would go like a Luna even if they no longer acknowledged me as one.

I stood in front of the mirror and tied my hair half up, letting the rest fall over my shoulders. I looked at my reflection carefully. The woman staring back at me looked different. Her eyes were cold. It scared me a little. I didn’t look heartbroken anymore. I didn’t look weak.

Out of nowhere, a memory surfaced from deep in my mind. It was the night my father was dying. Before he took his last breath, he had handed me a small object wrapped in cloth and told me to keep it safe.

It was a relic. A guardian totem fragment passed down through our family. He had warned me that it could only be used three times and that I should never use it lightly unless it was urgent. Or else… He never finished that sentence. The next moment, he was gone.

My eyes went wide, and my throat went parched as I realized I still had the totem.

Father, if you left this for me… then, today must be the day.

I quickly locked the door and pulled the curtains closed. I knelt beside my bed, opening the hidden compartment underneath. The cloth was still there, untouched. My hands trembled as I unwrapped it, revealing a dark stone fragment carved with silver runes. The moment my fingers touched it, warmth spread through my palm as if it recognized me.

“This is it…” I murmured in wonder. “Father, this is urgent.”

I closed my eyes and held the fragment tightly. I tried to recall the strange words he had taught me long ago. Slowly, I recited the runic incantation.

The air in the room shifted. A cold wind brushed past my face even though the windows were shut. The lights flickered as if responding to something unseen. The runes on the totem began to glow faintly.

Suddenly, an ancient voice echoed inside my mind. “Blood of the guardian line… you have awakened the totem.”

I gasped. “Please, answer me…”

“Speak your request,” the voice commanded.

My fear faded, replaced by resolve. If I stayed here, Raven would destroy me before I could even fight back. I was alone inside his territory, surrounded by people who wanted me silent, obedient, or gone. Power meant nothing if I never lived long enough to use it.

I breathed deeply and tightened my grip on the totem. I opened my mouth and spoke clearly, “Take me out of this place. Take me to the Elder Council convention. Just once, help me get there.”

There was a fleeting silence. Then, the voice spoke again. “One use will be consumed. But remember— only two uses will remain. Choose carefully.”

The runes on the totem glowed brighter, and the stone became hot in my palm. A sharp pain shot up my arm, like a blade carving something new into me. Darkness rushed over my vision. I felt like I was falling through empty space with nothing to hold onto. Then suddenly, my feet hit solid ground.

I stumbled forward, barely keeping my balance. I opened my eyes in shock. The next thing I knew, I was somewhere completely different. I wasn’t locked up inside my room anymore. Carriages were lined along a wide path. Torches and stone walls surrounded the area, and ahead was the grand estate where the convention was being held.

Relief flooded my chest. I made it! Quickly, I tucked the totem fragment into a small pouch and tied it around my neck, hiding it under my dress. The stone rested against my skin, faintly pulsing like a living heart.

I adjusted my dress and prepared to walk toward the venue entrance. But before I could even take two steps, two patrolling guards spotted me immediately.

“Hey! Who’s there?!”

I was immobilized, not knowing what to do next. This stupid totem. It granted wishes, but never perfectly. Instead of placing me somewhere safe, it dropped me right outside patrol range.

“Stop right there!”

I cursed under my breath and lifted my skirt, running. It was the only thing I could think of. The guards chased after me instantly.

“Catch her!”

Damn it! If they caught me now, Raven would know immediately. I couldn’t let that happen. Not before I even entered the banquet.

My chest heaved as I darted between carriages, slipping past servants and guests. People gasped and shouted as I brushed past them.

“Sorry! Excuse me!” I shouted breathlessly.

The guards were still behind me. Werewolves were naturally faster than humans, but tonight, adrenaline pushed me forward like fire in my veins.

I cut through the garden, jumped over a low hedge, and slipped between two supply carts. One guard crashed into a table behind me with a loud curse. I kept moving until the footsteps behind me finally faded.

When I was sure they were gone, I ducked behind a pillar and pressed my back against the wall, panting hard. My heart felt like it was going to explode.

“I’m not that easy to catch,” I muttered between breaths.

Once my breathing steadied, I smoothed my hair, straightened my dress, and lifted my chin. I needed to act normal. I needed to act like the Luna I was.

I walked toward the grand entrance. Music flowed out from inside the ballroom. Crystal lights sparkled through the tall windows. It was elegant.

But just as I reached the stairs, two guards crossed their spears in front of me, blocking my path.

“Invitation,” one demanded firmly.

My steps immediately halted. Right. This was an Elder Council event. Only invited guests could enter.

“Your name?” the other guard asked.

My mind raced. If I said Haliyah Mooncrest, Raven Crimson’s wife, they’d report it right away. If I lied, they’d ask for proof. Either way, I was trapped.

Then, the ballroom doors opened. A tall man stepped out, and the light from inside fell across him. He was wearing a perfectly tailored black suit. His shoulders were broad, his jawline was sharp, with calm, lazy eyes that somehow looked both dangerous and amused at the same time. He was ridiculously handsome… and clearly important because the guards abruptly straightened and bowed their heads slightly.

“Alpha Damon.”

Alpha? My eyes widened a little. So this was Damon— the rumored untouchable Alpha from the northern territory. I hid a grin. The timing couldn’t have been better.

Before my brain could second-guess it, my body moved on its own. I stepped forward quickly and slipped my hand through his arm like it belonged there. He stiffened like a statue. Even the guards jerked slightly too.

I looked up at him and forced the softest, most charming smile I could manage.

“There you are,” I said sweetly, lowering my voice. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

***

Damon’s POV.

Tilting my head slightly, I looked down at the woman holding my arm with disgust. Her fingers were wrapped around my sleeve like she had every right to be there, her body leaning just close enough to look intimate. I tightened my jaw.

Another one.

Women approached me like this all the time— bold, desperate, pretending closeness in public so rumors would spread by morning. It was a common trick. If people believed I had touched them, favored them, or brought them here personally, their status would rise overnight. Pathetic and predictable.

My gaze dropped to her hand on my arm before moving back up to her face. Up close, she was even more striking than I first thought. There was tension in her posture, but that didn’t change my assumption. Pretty faces were the most dangerous kind, and she was undeniably beautiful. But beauty didn’t impress me anymore. I had seen too many masks hiding ambition.

My reputation as a playboy only made things worse. They assumed I enjoyed and welcomed this attention. They assumed I was easy. The truth was far from that. I wasn’t searching for pleasure— I was searching for a cure.

Since birth, I had lived with an olfactory defect. My sense of smell was almost non-existent, which for a werewolf was practically a curse. Smell was instinct, recognition, connection. Without it, my wolf felt incomplete, restless, and constantly irritated under my skin.

The elders had told me there was only one solution—my mate. The one person whose scent would break through whatever barrier existed in me. So I searched.

Years passed, and I found nothing. Only disappointment and an endless line of scheming women trying to attach themselves to me for power, which was exactly what I assumed this woman was doing now.

My irritation spiked immediately. I exhaled, preparing to remove her hand from my arm. Before I could say anything, she spoke first.

“Please help me,” she murmured under her breath. “Just play along. I’ll explain later.”

That made my brows pull together. This woman really had the nerve.

“I don’t play escort,” I said sharply. “Find someone else.”

Instead of backing down, she moved even closer. Around us, guests were entering the ballroom, and guards were standing nearby. Anyone watching would absolutely assume she was with me. She knew exactly what she was doing.

I could hold back no longer. “Last warning. Let go—” I started, turning toward her fully to pull her hand off my arm.

In an instant, a sweet, addictive scent filled my lungs. I stopped moving entirely. Momentarily, I thought I was imagining it. My mind had tricked me before, creating phantom sensations out of desperation.

But then, I smelled it again, stronger this time. My thoughts went completely blank. My senses sharpened, and something inside me awakened. My wolf growled impatiently. I felt an overwhelming urge to pull her closer, to bury my face in her neck, to breathe in the scent again and again until I confirmed it was real. The possessiveness came so intensely I nearly staggered. I had never smelled anything before in my entire life, and yet right now… I could smell her.

Almost mechanically, I turned my head and stared at the woman still holding my arm, disbelief written all over my face. She was looking ahead, unaware of what she had just unleashed inside me.

This woman who just grabbed me at the entrance to sneak into a banquet was my mate?