LOGINâ¤ď¸âđŠšDORIANâ¤ď¸â𩹠The door opened, and I adjusted my mask. Celine walked into the room, and my eyes immediately settled on her red gown. The dress fitted her figure beautifully, and the matching red mask brought out the greyish shade of her blue eyes. They reminded me of Violet's, although there was no mistaking the difference. Celine's eyes were lighter, almost grey, while Violet's were a deeper blue that seemed to hold my attention even when she wasn't anywhere near me. Celine carried a bouquet of irises. She looked around the room briefly before placing them on the table. "Your father inviting me to accompany you to an event doesn't speak well of your dominance, Xavier." I kept my mouth shut. She still hadn't recognized me. I could have corrected her immediately, but something about the situation made me curious about how long it would take her to notice. She walked towards me with a smile that seemed to disappear the closer she got. Then she reached for me and wrapped her ar
âŁď¸XAVIERâŁď¸ My father had contacted Thornveil before I could make my own arrangements, inviting Celine to be my date for the royal engagement ceremony. The man was taking my words lightly. I had already made my position clear, yet he had decided that my refusal was something he could conveniently ignore. Perhaps he thought I would eventually accept whatever arrangement he made for me. He had spent too many years confusing my silence with obedience. I checked the time on my phone. Celine should have arrived at my private mansion by now, expecting to find me waiting for her. I had already instructed Dorian to handle the situation, and I had no intention of interrupting my evening to entertain a woman I had never asked to accompany me. Dorian could give her the date she had so desperately agreed to. I had chosen my own company. The gown in the box was meant for one woman, and that woman was my Violence. I had watched Violet hide herself beneath oversized clothes for long enough.
đ¸VIOLETđ¸ The moment Xavier left, my eyes went straight to the box on the bed. I waited until I heard the bedroom door close before turning towards it. Whatever he had brought me had occupied my thoughts since he walked into my room, and now that I finally had the chance to find out, I couldn't stop the excitement bubbling inside me. I approached the bed and carefully pulled the ribbon loose. I lifted the lid, pushed aside the tissue paper, and stared at what was inside. My mouth fell open. A gown. Not just any gown, either. I reached inside and carefully lifted it out, allowing the material to unfold between my hands. It was a long black lace gown with thin straps and a slit that started ridiculously high on the left thigh. The lace was delicate and almost completely transparent, but a body-coloured lining had been sewn underneath it, preventing the dress from revealing more than it should. At least, I thought it did. I turned the gown around, examining the front before fli
đ¸VIOLETđ¸ Four weeks until the wedding. I had never been more anxious about anything in my life. The past week had been particularly strange. I had barely done anything beyond getting out of bed, attending my training sessions, eating when I remembered to, and returning to my room. I wasn't exactly living. I was simply existing and occupying space. Xavier had practically become a ghost. I had heard from some of the warriors that he had been busy tracking Woods. Apparently, this time, they were expecting an attack on Thornveil. Who would dare attack the most powerful pack in history? The Thornveil family was powerful, and yet the pack remained an easy target because there was no heir. At least, that was what I gathered from the information I had literally spied on. Xavier was searching for their lost daughter, who had been kidnapped two decades ago. I didn't know how much progress they had made, but the entire matter seemed to have become more urgent. Meanwhile, I had spent p
â¤ď¸âđŠšDORIANâ¤ď¸â𩹠I watched Violet as she talked about how Lily had always wanted to come to the park. She had been smiling for the past few minutes, and I found myself paying more attention to her than to anything she was saying. Her eyes followed Lily as the little girl ran across the grass, occasionally stopping to examine something before hurrying off again. Every time Lily moved too far away, Violet would call her name, and the little girl would turn around with an innocent smile that made Violet shake her head. "She's been asking me to bring her here for ages," Violet said. "Every time she sees pictures of this place, she starts talking about how much fun she'd have." "Then why didn't you bring her before?" Violet gave me a look. "Have you met my life, Dorian?" I laughed, lowering my head briefly. "Fair enough." "I kept telling her we'd come when I had time, but something always came up. There was always somewhere I needed to be or something I needed to take care of." She
đLYDIAđ I had a problem. His face was becoming a little too familiar to me, considering the fact that I didn't even know his name. I knew where he liked to spend his free time, the park he visited, and what he looked like when he was distracted by something on his phone. I knew the way he walked, the way he sometimes ran a hand through his hair, and how my heart behaved like an idiot whenever I caught sight of him. What I didn't know was how to approach him without embarrassing myself. It was ridiculous. I knew that. I could spend hours talking to Marisol and Violet without running out of things to say, but the moment I imagined standing in front of him, my mind went blank. It had started at that party. Alpha Xavier had booked five strippers for the occasion, and I had been one of them. I had gone there expecting the usual night of smiling when I didn't feel like smiling, tolerating men who thought money gave them permission to treat women however they wanted, and coll







