Chapter 024

Breakfast had always been awkward in this house since I arrived , even the servants all had stiff smiles and fake laughter but this morning it felt worse.

Maybe because I barely slept. Maybe because every time I closed my eyes, I could still feel Daemon’s breath against my skin.

I’d hoped the morning chatter would drown my thoughts, but it didn’t. The dining hall was alive with noise , the clink of silver, laughter that didn’t quite reach the eyes, the rustle of silks brushing against chairs.

Maris leaned close and whispered, “You look tired. Couldn’t sleep?”

I forced a smile. “Something like that.”

The smell of roasted meat and honey bread turned my stomach. I focused instead on my cup, swirling the tea just to have something to do with my hands.

Everything was… normal. Almost peaceful. Until Selene’s voice cut through the room like a blade.

“Well,” she began, her tone loud enough for every she-wolf and Luna at the table to hear, “sleeping with your host isn’t something you should be proud of, Rain.”

My spoon froze midair.

The chatter died instantly. Every head turned. Even the Luna from the Black Summit pack stopped mid-laugh.

For a moment, I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.

Maris shifted beside me, her hand hovering like she wanted to help but didn’t dare. “Selene, that’s—”

“Don’t.” Selene’s voice was sharp, her eyes gleaming with cold satisfaction. “Don’t defend her. I saw her. Last night.”

My throat went dry.

“You should be ashamed,” she continued, venom dripping from every word. “Parading around like you don’t know what you’re doing. As if seducing one of your hosts is something to brag about. You think that makes you powerful? It just makes you look cheap.”

My heart hammered so loudly I thought the others might hear it.

Every pair of eyes in that room was on me weighing, judging, whispering silently behind forced poise.

I swallowed hard, forcing my voice not to shake. “You are mistaken.”

Selene let out a laugh, low and cruel. “Oh, I’m not mistaken, darling. I saw him leave your room.”

A murmur rippled through the table. The Luna beside her exchanged a knowing glance with another. Someone coughed softly just to fill the silence.

Maris finally spoke, her voice timid but steady. “That’s enough, Selene.”

Selene turned to her, eyes narrowing. “Oh, I forgot, you’ve finally found someone just like you. Useless and weak. You’ve taken pity on strays before, Maris. You always did like collecting broken things.”

Something inside me snapped then. Quietly, but it did.

I placed my spoon down carefully and looked up at her. “If you came here to embarrass me, you’ve done a good job,” I said softly. “But I’d advise you not to mistake my silence for weakness.”

Selene’s smirk faltered just slightly and I caught it. That tiny flicker of uncertainty she tried to hide.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she hissed.

“That I may be a guest here, but even guests bite when pushed too hard. And we all know that after the summit everybody leaves and I will stay. Guess that doesn’t make me a guest after all.”

A few of the women shifted in their seats. Some looked impressed. Others looked at me like I was foolish.

Selene’s nostrils flared. “You think because he looked your way you matter? You’re nothing, Rain. You don’t belong here.”

I felt Maris’s hand touch my wrist under the table, a silent plea for calm.

I smiled faintly, but my voice was even when I answered, “Then perhaps you should ask him that — if I belong here.”

The silence that followed was deafening.

Selene’s jaw tightened. I could see the storm in her eyes rage and wounded pride battling for control. She pushed her chair back abruptly, the screech of wood against marble echoing through the hall.

Without another word, she turned and stormed out.

For a long moment, no one spoke. Then one of the older Lunas sighed softly and muttered, “Summits do bring out the claws, don’t they?”

That broke the tension just enough for quiet laughter to ripple through the table again nervous, cautious laughter.

Maris leaned closer to me, whispering, “You handled that better than I ever could.”

I tried to smile, but my chest still ached. “I doubt it.”

She shook her head, whispering even lower. “Just… stay away from her, Rain. She’s dangerous when embarrassed.”

I didn’t answer. Because I already knew that.

And as I brought the spoonful of soup to

My mouth pretending to eat, pretending not to notice the stares and half-hidden smirks around the table, I couldn’t shake one thought from my mind

If Selene saw Daemon leaving my room, who else did?

And how long before Darius found out?

I sat very still, my eyes fixed on the cup in front of me. Maris fidgeted beside me, pretending to sip her tea even though her hands trembled slightly.

“Don’t let it get to you,” she whispered, voice barely audible. “Selene’s all talk. She thrives on attention. Daemon has a thing for her so she prides herself on to be his Luna.”

I managed a quiet nod, now her hatred all made sense, she saw herself as soon to be Luna and now I came along, drawing his attention away from her.

Then the heavy double doors opened, and the atmosphere shifted instantly.

Luna Amelia glided into the hall with the kind of presence that could command an army without a single word. Her raven black hair was pinned high, her gown a deep shade of violet that shimmered when she moved. Every woman at the table straightened immediately, conversations dying as if by instinct.

Her gaze swept the room, calm and assessing, and for one fragile second it lingered on me. Not unkindly , just knowing.

“Ladies,” she began, her voice soft but carrying through the room effortlessly. “I trust breakfast has been… lively.”

A few nervous chuckles rippled across the table.

Amelia smiled faintly, though her eyes hinted that she had already heard every word, every whisper that had passed between Selene and me.

“As you all know,” she continued, clasping her hands lightly in front of her, “tonight marks the Dance of the Goddess a tradition as old as our kind. A night for women to honor the Moon’s blessing while the men take to the woods for the ceremonial hunt.”

Her tone was serene, but there was steel beneath it a reminder that this wasn’t merely a social gathering, but something sacred.

Maris leaned toward me and whispered, “It happens every summit. It’s meant to… strengthen the bond among females. And maybe,” she smiled a little, “to see who the Goddess favors.”

I raised an eyebrow slightly, whispering back, “You mean who catches the eyes of the unmated Alphas when they return.”

Maris stifled a laugh behind her cup. “That too.”

Amelia’s gaze shifted toward our end of the table just for a breath, but enough to silence us again.

“This evening,” she went on, “all women, mated and unmated, will attend. The hall will be prepared, the music chosen. It will be… a night of feasting.”

“Attendance is mandatory,” Amelia added smoothly. “Even for our guests.”

That last part was directed at me.

A quiet chill ran down my spine. I inclined my head slightly in acknowledgment, though I could feel a few gazes flick toward me again the same curious, prying ones that had been there since morning.

Amelia turned, ready to leave, but paused at the door and said, almost lightly, “Dress as the moon herself would…….radiant, unhidden, unafraid.”

And then she was gone, her scent of lavender and authority trailing behind her like silk.

The moment the door closed, the room burst into chatter again excited, eager whispers about gowns, jewels, and which Alpha might return from the hunt victorious.

Maris leaned close again, whispering conspiratorially, “The Dance of the Goddess always reveals something. Favors… rivalries… sometimes even mates.”

I smiled faintly, though it didn’t reach my eyes. “Or enemies,” I murmured, thinking of Selene.

Maris sighed. “Yes, those too.”

As the others began to rise from the table, already discussing colors and fabrics, I sat still for a while longer, my tea long gone cold.

The Dance of the Goddess.

A night to honor the moon, they said.

But deep down, I knew it would be another battlefield one fought not with claws or teeth, but with silk, scent, and secrets.

And this time, I wasn’t sure which would be more dangerous.