Chapter 3

~Lyrielle~

“Where are we going?” I indulged the masked woman in another conversation as she finished dressing the bandage around me, but I received no response. Instead, she draped a cloak around my body. It fell past my shoulders and covered my face. It was so large that I felt hidden, swallowed by its folds.

“Are we meeting the prince now?” I asked. She pointed to the door for me to walk out.

When she didn’t answer me, I said nothing more and followed her outside into the open air.

A sprawling courtyard stretched before me, leading to the front of a building. It was an old, abandoned structure, with half of it destroyed. The air tasted like dust and decay as I walked toward the front. My boots crunched over shards of glass and crumbled concrete. The place felt exposed and forgotten and seemed like a ruin or refuge, making me wonder how Arineth had discovered it and why he had brought me here.

At the center of the courtyard stood Arineth, already waiting for me. His cloaked figure stood there with his arms folded and eyes pinned onto me. The breeze drifted his unique scent of cedarwood toward me.

I felt my heart stutter as I saw him, but my gaze caught on the two figures behind him. They also wore masks. One was tall and broad-shouldered, unmistakably a man beneath his dark robes, his mask a dull bronze with slits for the eyes. The other, slighter female, wore a silver mask etched with faint swirling lines.

I couldn’t help but wonder who they were. There was something eerie about them, and my mind churned with questions about their identities beneath the masks.

“Prince Arineth,” I bowed when I reached him. “Who are they?” I pointed to the masked people behind him.

He didn’t answer, didn’t even turn to face me fully. “Please do it,” he said to the masked man and woman.

They bowed and then turned around. The man stepped forward, raising his hands, while the woman mirrored him on the opposite side. A low hum vibrated through the air, tingling against my skin, and I had to cover my eyes as a breeze started blowing suddenly. The space at the center of the courtyard twisted, and a portal opened, purple and glowing.

I froze, my eyes widening beneath the hood. A portal? I had not seen anything like it, not in all of my years, not even in the wildest dreams I’d had. The portal felt alive and unnatural, yet I was mesmerized by it. My mouth went dry, and I exchanged looks with Arineth, hoping he would meet my gaze, but he said nothing.

The masked woman who helped me with my bandage nudged me forward, and I noticed Arineth was already stepping into the portal. I trailed behind him and walked in. The world shifted, and I felt a dizzying pull that yanked the breath out of my lungs, but Arineth didn’t seem affected, as if he had experienced it countless times.

I closed my eyes, trying so hard not to scream, and then, finally, it was over. The portal stopped, and Arineth walked out. I followed behind him, rubbing my dry throat. I paused momentarily to take a breath, but he kept walking. “Wait, where are…” I paused as I raised my head to see we were back in the kingdom of Mecianada, standing in the royal hall.

The Lunar Basilica.

I recognized it instantly because it was the hall where Prince Eiraeth and I held our marriage two years ago.

Arineth walked into the hall while I trailed behind him. Many people were inside, but I first noticed the familiar vast marble floor, which reminded me of the time Eiraeth and I had walked in together. I had admired the floor then. “We are going to have a wonderful dance on this floor,” I had told him.

A frown spread across my face when I saw that the towering pillars in the hall were draped in silver banners. This was supposed to be my design, I thought as I looked around the hall, realizing they had used the same design as my wedding, and it brought back memories of when I had gotten married to Eiraeth two years ago. It wasn’t the only thing that seemed familiar. Flowers—white lilies and moon blooms that Diana and I had picked—stood at every corner. Music from flutes and drums weaved a lively tune, and everywhere I looked, people danced. Nobles in fine silks laughed heartily and twirled in circles to the music.

I turned to face Arineth, my heart pounding hard in my chest with anticipation. “What is happening, and why are we here?”

He tilted his head toward me and said, “Wait and see,” his voice low and sounding faintly annoyed. Before I could press him further, I heard an announcement from the entrance.

“The Royal Family of Mecianada has arrived.”

A ripple of murmurs spread through the crowd, and I followed their gazes toward the entrance. The royal family entered one by one. First, there was the Alpha King, then the Queen, and their silver crowns shone brightly in the light. I clenched my fists when I remembered my family and how the Alpha King had sentenced them without giving them a chance.

Then, suddenly, someone familiar walked in after them, and a gasp tore from my throat when I heard the name. “Alpha Prince Daveth.”

My eyes widened in shock, my mouth falling open as I saw him stride in, alive and well. He rubbed his dark hair and waved at the nobles, who cheered for him. My knees nearly buckled, and I whipped my head toward Arineth, seeking answers. He stood there, unmoved, his expression calm as if he had all expected this. What followed stole the air from my lungs entirely.

Prince Eiraeth walked in side by side with my best friend, Diana. They were dressed in royal traditional attire, the deep blue velvet of their robes embroidered with silver crescent moons, the fabric flowing on the ground. Eiraeth’s tunic hugged his lean frame while Diana’s gown shimmered with beautiful, delicate beadwork cascading down her back.

It was supposed to be my wedding dress, but it was Diana’s now since they had used the same design as my wedding dress, bringing back memories of when I had gotten married to Eiraeth two years ago. They moved as one toward the aisle, their hands linked while exchanging smiles, the crowd erupting in applause with each step they took.

I watched, frozen, as the ceremony began under the moonstone altar—a royal werewolf tradition, the Moonlit Vow. Eiraeth and Diana stood before it, their voices soft but clear as they spoke their vows. The priestess in charge of the ceremony drew a silver blade, slicing a shallow cut across each of their palms for the blood mark, and then they pressed their hands together as a symbol of shared life and pack loyalty.

My chest tightened as they turned to each other. Eiraeth lifted Diana’s veil and cupped her face, then leaned in to kiss him right there on the lips to seal their bond. I felt a ripple of energy burst through the hall as they shifted into their wolves. Eiraeth transformed a sleek silver wolf, while Diana became a lithe gray one. Then they both let out a howl of union, the crowd echoing back.