chapter 25

Elsie's fingers hovered over the crystal glass.

Jessica's smile remained flawless.

Warm.

Welcoming.

Almost convincing.

Almost.

For some reason, Elsie's heart felt strangely unsettled.

Not because of Jessica's words.

But because of the way she was looking at her.

It wasn't the smile of a woman trying to make peace.

It was the smile of someone waiting.

Waiting for something to happen.

"My Luna!"

Rose's voice cut through the music.

Elsie instinctively looked toward her maid.

Rose was walking toward them much faster than was considered proper etiquette, her face unusually pale.

Jessica noticed immediately.

Her smile stiffened for the briefest second.

"My Luna..." Rose said, slightly out of breath. "Alpha Rowan asked me to remind you that the royal physician wanted you to take your medicine after dinner."

Elsie frowned.

"Medicine?"

Rose blinked.

Then quickly recovered.

"For... your headaches."

Elsie hadn't complained of headaches.

Not once.

Something wasn't right.

She looked back at Jessica.

The woman's fingers tightened ever so slightly around her own glass.

That tiny movement was enough.

Elsie slowly withdrew her hand.

"I'm sorry."

She offered Jessica a polite smile.

"I'll have to decline."

Jessica's smile finally faltered.

"Perhaps another time."

She gracefully raised her own glass instead.

"As you wish."

She took a small sip before excusing herself.

Only after Jessica disappeared into the crowd did Rose finally exhale.

"My Luna..."

"What happened?"

Rose looked around cautiously before lowering her voice.

"I don't know."

"But something felt wrong."

Elsie studied Rose's anxious face.

"You've never acted like this before."

Rose nodded.

"I know."

"I couldn't explain it."

"I just..."

She looked toward the direction Jessica had gone.

"...didn't want you drinking that."

Elsie glanced back at the untouched glass still resting on the nearby table.

Neither of them noticed a servant quietly remove it moments later.

Elsewhere...

Jessica entered an empty corridor before slamming the nearest door shut behind her.

The pleasant smile disappeared instantly.

Crash!

The glass in her hand shattered against the wall.

"You fool!"

she hissed under her breath.

"So close..."

"So incredibly close."

A cloaked figure stepped from the shadows.

"You failed."

Jessica shot him a murderous glare.

"I don't need reminding."

"You should've forced the issue."

Jessica laughed bitterly.

"And expose myself?"

"No."

She walked toward the window overlooking the palace gardens.

"There will be another opportunity."

The man folded his arms.

"The poison wasn't easy to obtain."

"I know."

"It would've killed her within the hour."

Jessica closed her eyes briefly.

"Then next time..."

She smiled.

"...I'll make sure she drinks it."

Meanwhile...

Frank finally located Rowan outside the banquet hall.

"My Alpha."

"What was so urgent?"

Frank handed him another report.

"The northern patrol found abandoned camps."

Rowan quickly scanned the document.

"No rogues?"

"They disappeared before our men arrived."

Rowan frowned.

"They're testing us."

Frank nodded.

"They're getting bolder."

Before Rowan could respond, another guard approached hurriedly.

"My Alpha."

"What is it?"

"There was a disturbance inside the banquet."

Rowan's eyes immediately hardened.

"What happened?"

"Nothing serious."

The guard bowed.

"But Lady Jessica approached the Luna."

Frank and Rowan exchanged a glance.

"What about it?"

"Lady Rose interrupted them before they could finish speaking."

Something about those words made Rowan uneasy.

Without another word...

He headed back toward the ballroom.

Elsie had wandered onto one of the palace balconies to escape the noise.

The cool night air helped clear her thoughts.

Tonight had been...

Strange.

Seeing Edward again.

Talking to her mother.

Dancing with Rowan.

Jessica's unexpected kindness.

Nothing made sense anymore.

"You always disappear when crowds become too loud."

Rowan's familiar voice came from behind her.

She smiled without turning around.

"I'm beginning to think you know me too well."

"I intend to."

He joined her at the balcony railing.

For a while...

They simply admired the moonlit mountains together.

Finally Rowan spoke.

"Did Jessica say anything unusual?"

Elsie hesitated.

"No."

"She only offered me a drink."

His expression remained unreadable.

"And?"

"I didn't take it."

For the first time...

Rowan visibly relaxed.

"You made the right choice."

She looked at him.

"You don't trust her."

"I trust very few people."

"Do you trust me?"

The question escaped before she could stop it.

Rowan turned toward her.

Without hesitation...

"Completely."

Elsie's breath caught.

"So easily?"

"No."

His silver eyes held hers.

"It wasn't easy."

"It was inevitable."

Her heartbeat quickened.

"I don't understand."

"When I brought you here..."

He admitted quietly.

"I intended to fulfill a political promise."

Elsie's smile faded slightly.

"But somewhere between the journey..."

"And waking up every morning with you sleeping against my chest..."

A faint smile touched his lips.

"...I stopped seeing you as my responsibility."

He slowly reached for her hand.

"I started seeing you as the woman I couldn't stop thinking about."

Elsie stared at him.

Every wall she'd built around her heart trembled.

"Rowan..."

"I know it's too soon."

"I'm not asking for an answer."

He gently intertwined their fingers.

"I'm simply telling you the truth."

Silence stretched between them.

The only sounds were the wind and the distant music drifting from the ballroom.

Elsie lowered her eyes.

"I don't know when it happened."

She whispered.

"But..."

A shy smile appeared on her lips.

"...I've started looking for you every morning."

Rowan's heart skipped a beat.

"And every night."

She laughed softly in embarrassment.

"When you stopped sleeping beside me..."

"I missed you."

Rowan stepped closer.

"So did I."

This time...

When he cupped her face gently in his hands...

Elsie didn't hesitate.

She closed the remaining distance herself.

Their lips met beneath the silver moonlight.

Slow.

Tender.

Unhurried.

It wasn't fueled by attraction alone anymore.

It was comfort.

Trust.

The beginning of something neither of them had expected.

Hidden behind the curtains inside the palace...

Edward had witnessed everything.

He stood frozen, his chest tightening as he watched Elsie kiss another man.

Not because Rowan had kissed her.

But because...

She had kissed Rowan first.

Only then did Edward truly understand.

He hadn't lost his mate the day she rejected him.

He had lost her forever.