I step forward to the crystal doors to the palace, nodding to the Gamma who announces, quite grandly, at the top of his lungs:
“MAY I PRESENT, THE CELESTIAL EVERLEIGH DE SILVA.”
The Celestial Entrance to the palace is beautifully structured for moments just like this. It’s a long walk up the marble stairs outside, but the climb allows you to enter the ballroom at the top of a sweeping staircase that overlooks the sunken ballroom beneath.
You have two choices once you’re announced. You can either hurry to the left and lose yourself in the crowded balcony that rings the dance floor, or, as most choose, you can walk slowly down the long marble staircase, letting everyone get a good look at you as you descend.
The staircase is a gift, really, to women who are seeking Alpha husbands, as every Celestial has a chance to shine like a jewel. This staircase is the whole reason why Celestials have a separate entrance from the Alpha men: so that prospective husbands can take their time surveying a woman before ever having to say a word to her.
No extra points for guessing which option I choose tonight as I step to the top of the stairs, dropping into a deep curtsy and holding a hand to my breast to show the obligated respect to the King and the nobility filling the room.
A few people glance upwards, their hungry eyes flickering over me, but not too many. My heart pounds as I scan the room for him – the one person I very much do not want to see tonight. I know that I’m most vulnerable bowing here, alone, with everyone’s eyes on me. But maybe I got lucky – maybe he’s in another room –
I quickly spy my sister, who stands out like the ruby jewel she is, waving up at me from a crowd of friends. In the distance, I can see the King holding court with his favorites, not even glancing at all of the women he ordered to attend tonight.
But the Goddess is on my side this evening and he – the one I absolutely want to avoid - is nowhere in sight. Huffing a sigh of relief, I rise from my curtsey and give Calli a little smile she probably can’t see. Then, I quickly make my way to my left, losing myself amongst the crowds of Alphas and Celestials enjoying the food and drink being served up here while those below dance.
Maybe, just maybe, I can get out of here unscathed tonight.
But will my luck hold out?
As I move through the crowds to the garden terrace that I know presses against the ballroom’s southern wall, I grab a glass of champagne from a waiter’s tray. I take a sip as I go, looking down at the golden bubbles to avoid as much eye contact with other people as I can. My parents are here somewhere, probably conniving with their Alpha friends to make a match for Callista. I have absolutely no interest in getting caught up in those conversations.
I breathe a sigh of relief discreetly through my nose as I reach the ornate copper-and-glass doors that lead to the terrace, stepping through them as quickly as I can. There are fewer people out here, as there always are. Everyone wants to be inside, with the food, the action, and the romance. But I am very happy to let my evening pass out here in solitude.
As I walk along the terrace lit with the fading blues and lavenders of dusk, I take a deep breath, suddenly hit with a wave of nostalgia that instantly takes me back five years.
Angeline and I had walked these gardens daily when we’d lived here, and we had both been incredibly happy. We had grown up together, always best friends, but she’d asked me to join her here at the palace as her handmaiden just after the King had chosen her as his second bride. It wasn’t a hard post, really – mostly just drinking too much champagne and laughing in our favorite secret garden niches when she wasn’t at the King’s side.
I smile as I walk, remembering how we would lay ourselves down beneath the rose bushes to gossip about who was sleeping with whom, and why, and where, and how. I close my eyes, breathing in the familiar scent of this place, allowing myself to imagine, just for a moment, that I have my friend back.
She was so bold, so full of life, and no one could make me laugh like she did. God, I miss her.
I open my eyes and blink rapidly, tilting my head back to keep the tears from falling down my cheeks. Angeline would tease the hell out of me if she saw me crying at her memory. I smile, remembering her particular sharp verve for life as I walk down the stone steps from the terrace into the gardens themselves. There’s a waiter at the bottom who refills my champagne, and then I set off onto those twisting paths, sorting through my memories of her.
Minutes pass as I wander deeper and deeper into the garden mazes, hidden secrets tucked behind each new hedge. I smile as I watch the gardeners move slowly through the twisting gravel paths, lighting little lamps as the night darkens. But they quickly finish their work and I am blissfully alone, the crunching of the gravel below my feet the only sound as the noise of the ballroom fades away behind me.
The evening has progressed into twilight now and the fireflies are starting to shake the sleep from their wings. I smile, lifting a hand to trace one’s path as it gently drifts through the air. Quite suddenly, I remember a very specific, very rare variety of rose that only opens its flowers at night, one of Angeline’s favorites.
Curious, I start to look for that flower, wondering if I can still find my way to its particularly hidden little alcove. I do my best to follow my nose and feel a little thrill when I stumble into their sweet little alcove, where the white roses climb up both the walls and the sides of the stone fountain at its center.
And that’s where he finds me, the Alpha King who claims me. Who changes my life forever.
And now, from whom I run – desperate to get away –
But as I sprint through the gardens, past the hedges and flowers, I hear the King pounding behind me, gaining ground.
My legs propel me further into the maze of hedges and plants, my breath tearing at my lungs as I flee from the Alpha chasing me – a man so powerful he could tear me limb from limb with his hands alone - I hear laughter as he draws near – which just makes me gasp for more air, makes me push harder. But a touch on my back, then a brush of his hand against the bare skin above my dress – I give a little shriek as I feel him gaining on me, and I drive myself to a final burst of speed – But it’s a wasted effort. His body slams into mine. A scream rips from me as I feel myself falling, raising my arms to protect my head, my body going rigid in anticipation – But the King wraps his arms around me as I fall, twisting in the air so that I land hard his own flesh instead of the sharp gravel of the path. He’s laughing, then, a cruel, joyful, hungry laugh that reignites my fear. As soon as I realize that I’m unharmed, I rip at the arms that hold me to him, trying to free myself – “Oh, no,” h
All around us, Alphas and their Lunas raise their goblets, cheering. I stand stone-faced, staring out at all of them as the King holds me close to his side, an arm around my waist. No one mentions the rips and dirt stains at the hem and back of my dress, or comments on my shocked pallor. They ascribe both, I assume, to the passion of the King – after all, we wolves are not prudes – and the shock of being chosen as his new Luna, the future Queen. The King takes a swig of wine from the goblet in his hand, looking down at me. “Drink, wife!” he demands with a laugh, his voice booming. I look up at him and do as I’m told, bringing my own goblet to my lips and taking a sip of the rich red liquid. The King takes a step away from me as I drink – just a step – distracted by one of his favorite courtiers. The wine is delicious, but I barely notice it as I look anxiously out into the crowd, hoping to spy my sister – even my mother – But suddenly, I feel my face go pale as a tall figure walks
Auden frowns at the plate of dinner in front of him, not touching it. He glances at his father a few seats away from him, eating lustily and laughing with the pack of Alpha Lords who have come to celebrate the selection of his bride. Every few minutes the King glances at the doors to the great hall, waiting for her to come through them. But Auden knows that something is off. As he sits watching his father watch the door, Auden taps the table with his forefinger, thinking it through. Something, in his gut, rings wrong about the situation. And it all starts with that girl. Everleigh. Celestial of the De Silva pack. Eldest daughter, but not Selene, a little piece of gossip he’d picked up in conversation this evening after she inexplicably left the ball with her sister, wanting “a moment” that has now stretched into an hour. According to gossip, Everleigh had given up her position as Selene of her pack in favor of her younger sister years ago. An almost unheard-of choice, for an elder
It only takes five minutes for Auden to leave the palace and cross the grounds to the Beta barracks, where he throws open the door. Everyone inside immediately goes still, caught in the middle of a card game that absolutely should not be happening.Or at least, almost everyone goes still. One person lounges carelessly in her chair, draping an arm over the back.“Should I deal you in, Prince?” she drawls, her black eyes sparking as she brushes the silky curtain of her black hair away from her face.Auden narrows his eyes at Margot, the most notorious woman at court and certainly not an enlisted member of his military. “No, Margo,” Auden replies evenly, hiding his surprise as he takes a few slow steps into the room and slips his hands into his pockets. “Though I wonder if there’s any way I could convince you to close out.”Auden’s eyes flick to t
“I’m sorry, sir –“ the boy gasps, shrinking away. “We’re told to obey Celestial orders without question –“ his lip starts to tremble in fear and guilt. Auden just growls and drops the boy’s arm, reaching into his pocket to grab some coins, which he slips into the boy’s hand. “Tell no one that we’ve been here and no one that she left. Share those coins with the boys inside, pass the instructions on to them. If you all stay silent, there will be more.” “Yes sir!” the boy quips, his face bright now. “I’m serious, boy,” Auden continues, snapping his fingers in the boy’s face to make him focus. “There will be consequences for all of you if you disobey. As far as anyone knows, you all fell asleep. You know nothing of anyone leaving the stables tonight. Even if they flog you for it. Yes?” The boy hesitates and then nods. Auden nods back to the boy, dismissing him as his Betas come forward leading their mounts. When they’ve led the horses outside and climbed into their saddles, Auden sign
Shit.It’s the only word I can think as I see him standing there, his eyes taking in the picture we make: me, my children, our ridiculous pet dragon, clearly ready to run. And I watch as he focuses solely on them, shock the only thing on his face as he puts together my story, the reason I ran.I’m completely frozen as I watch the man I never, ever intended for my children to meet looking right at them.I gasp, suddenly, my body forcing me to draw breath as I realize that in my panic I’ve completely stopped breathing. My mind begins to whir then, coming up with any excuse, any viable solution –The only thing I can think of is to scream at my children to run – or at least to lie -Unfortunately for me, Vivi acts first.“You stay away!” she yells, dropping Coco on the wooden floor of our porch with a thump as she points a small, angry finger at the Prince. “You get away from our house, stranger!” she shouts. Coco gives an indignant little cry but then he shakes himself and, predictably,
**Midwinter, Five and a Half Years Ago**“Wait wait wait,” Angeline bursts out, laughing so hard she can hardly say the words. “Wait! Evie!” She puts her hands out to grab my wrists, stopping me from again sweeping my hands over my hair, which is currently a bright purple.I’m also laughing so hard that my stomach hurts as I stare at our reflections, baffled and thrilled at how well the little illusion spell is working on us.“No!” I shout, trying to raise my hands again, “I want to turn it green!”“No, the purple is amazing!” Angeline protests, grinning at me in the wide mirror in her bathing chamber. “It goes with your dress! And you have to fix mine – seriously, you have to fix mine!”And then we’re both laughing hysterically again because I really do have to do something about her hair – the last time I touched it and muttered the words to the incantation, I made it look like the ends of her hair had caught on fire and shriveled up into sad, crispy little curls. It’s amazing, real
**Midwinter, Five and a Half Years Ago**“My queen,” Auden says, bowing low to the girl he barely knows standing before him on the dais. He lets out a long breath as he holds the bow, staring at the floor, willing himself to hold himself together and be civil to this woman who took his mother’s place. It wasn’t her fault, after all.When Auden straightens, he sees a warm smile on Angeline’s face, her hands outstretched towards him.“Hey, Auden,” she says, her voice soft. “Welcome home.”And something shifts in the prince as he looks at the girl standing before him, her face open to him and full of empathy. He had thought that he’d have nothing but bitter resentment for Angeline for the rest of his life - had been fully prepared for that, even.But as she stands there in front of him, her arms outstretched, a hesitant smile starting on her face, Auden’s mouth curls upwards at one corner. Damn it, but he can’t help but like her. Just a little bit.Auden takes a few steps forward, raisin