3. Keep the Music Playing til Midnight

EVANDER'S POV

The ballroom was a bright blur of spinning silk, glittering crowns, and mindless chatter.

The orchestral music swelled, and echoed off the high ceiling, but I couldn't bring myself to care about the it.

I didn't care about the food, the decor, nor the hundreds of noble wolves watching my every move.

My mind was completely somewhere else or rather. . . on someone else.

Standing by the edge of the ballroom, I kept my eyes on the grand marble staircase and waited for my date, Belisara.

"May I have this dance, Your Majesty?"

A voice broke out of my thoughts and I saw the eldest daughter of a neighboring pack standing next to me.

"Not tonight, My Lady. Forgive me," I replied, offering her a polite but firm nod.

She sighed in disappointment and curtsied, before returning to the crowd.

She was the third offer I'd rejected this evening at my own Royal Ball.

From the balcony, I saw my meddling mother, Queen Anatolia, giving me warning looks but I ignored her.

I checked the grand clock on the wall again, the Royal Ball has been underway for almost hour but Belisara wasn't here yet.

What was taking her so long? Did she suddenly change her mind? Did something happen to scare her away?

I sent my head maids to tend to her hours ago. Did I need to leave my own ball and bring her down myself?

Heaving an impatient breath, my fingers curled tightly around the stem of my untouched wine glass.

"Still waiting for your date?" A sharp, grating voice disrupted my focus and I turned to see Cressida stepping up beside me.

She reeked of lavender perfume and wore an expensive amber silk dress from Ambercrest Pack, plastering a smug smile on her face.

"Yes, I'm waiting for Belisara." I said directly, not bothering to sugarcoat my impatience.

Cressida let out a soft, mocking laugh, looking over the dancing crowd and back at the empty staircase.

"The music for this round is about to end, Your Majesty, and she's still not here." She turned her eyes back to me.

Was it weird that Cressida and Belisara had a bit of a resemblance? Like they were related?

"I believe she'll be here soon." I simply said to avoid any further discussions with her.

Cressida let out a pity sigh and shook her head. "Well, it's typical of Belisara to be late. She can barely move her fat legs, after all."

My wolf bared its teeth, a deep growl vibrating in the back of my throat as I took a step toward Cressida and stared down at her.

"I can keep the music playing til midnight until Belisara comes," I said, my voice dropping into a low and dangerous rumble.

Cressida's smile quickly faded and she pursed her lips into a thin line. "I can't believe you're smitten toward her, Prince Evander. It's truly unfortunate you don't know how vile Belisara is."

"Vile?" I narrowed my eyes at her. "Watch your tongue, Cressida."

"Forgive me, Your Majesty." Cressida hesitated and held herself back, trying to play the part of a friend while hiding a bucket of venom behind her teeth.

She wanted me to get curious and press her for details. She wanted to trash Belisara's name in my own house.

"All I can say," Cressida whispered and leaned in slightly with a look of remorse, "is that you should be careful with who you trust your heart with."

Before I could rip at her for insulting my date, the heavy brass horns blared, cutting through the orchestra music and the ballroom fell into silence.

On top the grand staircase, the royal herald stepped forward, unrolled a parchment scroll, and announced across the crowded room.

"Presenting, Belisara. . ." He paused for a beat. "Omega of the Ambercrest Pack!"

Every single head in the room turned toward the top of the stairs and my breathing slowed as Belisara stepped into the brilliant light.

"Did he just announce an Omega?" The silence shattered.

"Look at her size. . . how did she fit into that dress?" A nobleman laughed.

But I ignored their words because the moment my eyes found her on the stairs, the rest of the room disappeared.

Belisara clutched her dress, her beautiful gold eyes wide with panic as she looked down at the unfamiliar faces staring up at her.

The midnight-blue gown I'd chosen for her fit her figure perfectly, the lace and silk hugging the generous, soft curves of her waist and hips.

She was absolutely breathtaking, as ethereal as a starry night sky.

And in the quiet depths of my soul, my wolf did something it's never done for another woman in my entire life.

It stirred slowly, just like it did when I first saw her in the courtyard.

A fierce, protective heat flooded my veins like Belisara was mine to claim.

And although I couldn't hear Belisara's wolf, I could somehow sense it. I could tell she wasn't wolfless.

– – –

BELISARA’S POV

Standing on top the marble stairs, a deafening silence moved around the high-ranking wolves as they turned their heads toward me.

But instantly, the silence cracked into a barrage of overlapping whispers, that hit my chest like stones.

"An Omega? I can't believe a lowlife was given an invite to the royal ball."

"My heavens, she's so fat. . . how did she even fit through the doorway?"

Their insults burned my ears. I felt so ashamed and lowered my gaze to the ground as hot tears blurred my eyesight.

I wanted to run away. I wanted to run back up the stairs and lock myself in a room forever.

But before the thought could settle, the crowd parted as Evander strode down the middle, his grey eyes flashing with fierce intensity.

He reached the bottom of the staircase just as I descended the final step and without a shred of hesitation, he reached out his large hand and held mine.

He bowed low, his silver-tipped hair brushing against my wrist as he pressed a deep kiss onto my knuckles. "May I have this dance?"

My body melted at the warmth of his voice and I nodded faintly. "Yes, Your Majesty."

He led me to the center of the dance floor, and slid his large hand around my waist while his other hand intertwined with my fingers.

The orchestra began playing a slow, sweeping waltz and Evander took the lead as we danced to a routine I knew by heart.

Left, back, forward and right.

However, my feet moved clumsily as the weight of everyone's disgusted stares and mean words made me confused.

I moved left, back, forward and missed.

"Is Prince Evander out of his mind?!" I heard a she-wolf fuming. "She’s ugly and completely worthless to be his date!"

My foot caught the edge of Evander's boot, and I stumbled forward, my chest crashing directly into his hard, broad chest.

"I—I'm sorry," I gasped, my face burning with embarrassment as I tried to step back.

"Keep your eyes on me," Evander whispered, and held me against his frame so I wouldn't fall.

He was steady, and completely unbothered by my mistake. "Just look at me, Belisara. Ignore the rest of the room."

I sucked in a sharp breath, and tried to match his long, effortless strides.

The whole room faded away as Evander's scent wrapped around my senses and canceled the whispers around us.

But then, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Cressida standing in the corner of the ballroom and glaring at me.

Panic clawed up my throat, my heels slipped on the polished marble and I tripped again.

"I'm sorry," I lowered my eyes as the ballroom began to spin. "I. . . I need to catch my breath. I can't. . .I can't breathe."

Prince Evander scanned my face, and a deep line formed between his brows.

"Come with me," He held my hand and pulled me beside him.

He didn't lead me back to the crowded tables where other nobles sat and watched me like a circus elephant.

He interlaced his fingers with mine, and pulled me straight to the grand stairs, taking me away from the ballroom.

"Evander." I said but quickly corrected myself, "My apologies, I meant Your Majesty."

He stopped walking and turned to me. "What's the matter?"

"I need to know where you're taking me." I said and Evander quietly let go of my hand.

"Forgive me. I've been making every decision on my own since we met."

"No, you don't have to apologize to me, Prince Evander."

"I love how you say my name." He smiled.

"I—I didn't mean—uhm—" He came closer and my brain completely went blank.

"Can I take you somewhere safe?"

"Safe?" A place like that didn't exist for me, even my own pack loathed me.

"Do you trust me?" Evander's grey eyes stared deep into my gold ones and I completely gave into his unyielding gaze.

"Yes. . . I trust you." I nodded and he took my hand in his, leading me down a long, brightly lit hallway lined with portraits and high arched windows.

The sound of the orchestra grew fainter and fainter until it was nothing but a distant echo.

At the very end of the corridor, Prince Evander pushed open a massive double door and led me inside.

The room was vast, and smelt heavily of dark leather, ink, and his intoxicating cedarwood scent.

And the moment I stepped inside and inhaled the quiet air, I realized where I was.

Prince Evander had taken me to his private chambers.