6. Chapter

Corin

On the day of the ball, the Silver Stone estate looked like a dream, but for me everything felt tight and sharp with anticipation. This day was not only a celebration of peace between the two packs. Glacier had deliberately planned it for my eighteenth birthday. He said we would wait for midnight, when my wolf would finally awaken, and we would feel in our blood the bond that until now only our hearts had known.

I worked all day as if my feet barely touched the ground. The ointment Glacier had given me worked wonders on my back. The wounds were still there, but they no longer screamed with every movement.

When I was finally allowed to go up to my room, a huge white box was waiting on my bed. With trembling hands, I opened it. Beneath the silk paper lay a dress unlike anything I had ever seen. Golden silk that shimmered like liquid sunlight, edged with tiny sparkling stones. Beside it were delicate shoes and a note.

“Tonight everyone will see who you are to me. I will be waiting in the ballroom. G.”

I could have cried from happiness. I quickly washed myself in the basin, brushed my long brown hair, and let it fall freely over my shoulders. I put on the dress. When the silk touched my skin, for a moment I felt like I truly was Luke’s daughter, not just the pack’s servant.

The door suddenly flew open. Lumi stormed in, her two shadows behind her. She was already wearing her deep green ball gown, cut low, and her face twisted with hatred when she saw me in the golden silk.

“You thought you could really wear that?” she hissed, stepping toward me. “You thought a piece of cloth could change what’s in your blood? You are a half blood, Corin. A mistake.”

“Glacier gave it to me,” I said, forcing myself to stand straight even as my stomach clenched. “At midnight he will announce everything.”

Lumi laughed loudly, the sound like breaking glass. “Announce? Yes, he will announce something. But you will be nothing more to him than a joke.”

Before I could understand what was happening, Lumi pulled a small bottle from her bag. She did not hesitate. She poured its contents, a dark, foul smelling black liquid, maybe grease or ink, straight onto the front of my dress. The golden silk absorbed the filth instantly, the stain spreading hideously across my chest and stomach.

“Now you finally fit in, you filthy mongrel,” Lumi shoved my shoulder, then left laughing with the others.

I stood in the middle of the room, staring at the ruined dress. The world collapsed around me. I started to sob, but then Glacier’s face flashed before my eyes. I could not let him down. If I did not go downstairs, he would think I did not want him.

I desperately tried rubbing the stain with water, but it only got worse. In the end, in sheer panic, I wrapped myself in an old thin shawl, hoping the dim light would hide it. I walked down the stairs like someone heading to slaughter.

The ballroom glowed. Members of the Silver Stone and Brown Stone packs stood together, drinking and laughing. When I entered, conversations fell quiet for a moment. I heard whispers.

“Look, the half blood.”

“What is that stain on her?”

“Oh gods, she cannot even dress herself.”

I retreated to a corner and searched for Glacier. He stood on the platform beside his father, perfect in a dark blue suit. When he saw me, he smiled, but his eyes did not flash with concern at the sight of my dress. He only nodded, as if everything were going according to plan.

That was when I felt it. I did not need to see him to know he was there. The air grew heavy, my skin began to tingle. Mason stood at the far end of the hall, alone. He was not drinking, not speaking to anyone. He was only watching me. He wore a black shirt, the top button undone, his tattoos visible at his neck. His gaze was dark and sharp like a blade. He saw me. He saw the shawl, the stain, and the tears hiding in my eyes.

I saw his jaw tighten. I thought he would come over to mock me as well, but Mason did not move. He only watched, and there was something in his expression I did not understand. Anger, but not directed at me. It was as if he wanted to burn the entire hall down with his eyes.

At last Glacier raised his glass and the music fell silent.

“Pack members. Friends,” Glacier called, his voice filling the hall. “Tonight is a special night. We are not only celebrating peace, but the future. At midnight, when the moon stands highest, I will announce my chosen mate, the one who will rule beside me.”

My heart nearly leapt from my chest. He looked at me. I was sure of it. Every pain, every humiliation was worth this moment.

I moved closer to the edge of the platform and waited. The minutes crawled like lead. I felt the crowd’s contempt, felt Lumi’s victorious smile burning into my back, but I only looked at Glacier. He was my savior. He would lift me out of this filth.

A strange tingling spread through my blood. Moonlight poured through the windows onto me. My birthday. Midnight. My inner wolf stirred deep within my soul.

“The time has come,” Glacier’s father, the Alpha, said, gesturing to his son.

Glacier stepped into the light and extended his hand. I thought he was reaching for me. I took a step forward, ready to take his hand and leave the servant’s life behind forever.