The Performance

The morning sun didn't feel warm. It felt like a spotlight waiting to expose us.

I woke up alone in the massive bed. The space beside me was cold, but the scent of Dante—sandalwood and rain—was still strong on the pillows.

I sat up and put my hand on my stomach. I thought of the little wolf who should stay hidden from view today.

Dante entered the room after the door opened. He wore a black suit which made him look very formal. He looked impeccable, like he hadn't spent the night fighting rogues in the mud. He had his hair slicked back and his face showed a cold authoritative presence.

The mask he wore showed a little crack when he looked at me.

To him I asked, "How do you feel?" as he walked to the bedside table to pour himself a glass of water.

I said as I swung my legs out of bed, "Like I got hit by a truck." "But my head is clear. The noise... the sensory overload... it's better."

The water went to me as Dante said, "Good" because "they are here."

My hand stopped moving when it reached my mouth. "Who?"

Vanessa Dante said with a serious expression. "Vanessa brought friends who include two High Council investigators." "They arrived ten minutes ago." "They are demanding answers about the 'unauthorized magic' detected at the Moonfall ruins."

My heart started to race. "What information do they possess?"

Dante corrected me by saying "They suspect" because "They detected a massive energy spike. An Alpha Command. But they don't know who did it. The system indicates that I possess a hidden capability.

He moved toward me while holding my chin gently to make me see him.

"Maya, you need to understand that this acting performance holds greater value than any other performance you will do in your entire career. You were a Queen yesterday. Today, you need to be a pet."

A pet? I bristled at the term.

Dante said with authority, "Vanessa believes you are weak. She thinks you are a fragile, broken Omega who I bought for breeding. You need to confirm that bias. If you look strong, if you look intelligent... they will dig deeper."

He reached into the closet to take out a dress. The dress belonged to my collection of clothing which included my sharp business suits. The dress was a pale pink sundress which had a soft texture. The dress appeared innocent and harmless.

Dante gave his command to wear the dress. The order required me to leave my hair down while I must not put on sunglasses. The requirement permitted everyone to see my wide-eyed look of confusion.

I said to him, "You want me to play the bimbo" while I accepted the dress.

The victim role is the one I want you to perform according to Dante. You were scared during the attack because you lost consciousness. The only thing you remember is me saving you. Can you do that?

I took a deep breath. The fear I had felt for years under Miller became my focus. The shaking hands. The lowered eyes.

I can do it I whispered.

Dante kissed my forehead and said, "Good. You should get dressed because we need to leave in ten minutes.

The drawing room was filled with tension.

Vanessa sat on the sofa while she wore a red silk blouse which made her look like a vulture. Two men in gray suits were sitting next to her. The men looked like they should be working as accountants instead of fighting battles because their eyes showed no signs of life. Investigators.

Vanessa stood up when Dante and I arrived at the room.

Dante she smiled but her eyes showed no signs of happiness. "So kind of you to finally join us. We were beginning to think you were hiding."

Dante said to our mate who needed his protection because she had a difficult night.

He showed me the way to the loveseat. I used my head to lean on him while I rested heavily on his shoulder. I kept my eyes on the floor.

"Is this Maya?" the gray suit asked. His voice sounded dry like he was making paper rustling sounds. "Is she the witness?"

Dante confirmed, "This is Maya" but "she is still in shock.

The man leaned forward. "My name is Agent Graves. I work for the Council's Magical Crimes Division. We detected a Level 5 Alpha Command at the ruins yesterday. Do you know anything about that?

I looked up slowly. I widened my eyes to make my lip tremble slightly.

"A... a Command? I don't know what that means.

Graves said someone used their power to make a group of rogues submit. Did you see anyone shout? Did you see anyone glow?

I saw the wolves I stammered while my voice rose in panic. "They were huge. They had teeth... so much blood...

I buried my face in Dante’s chest, sobbing. The fake tears I shed contained half of the truth because the recollection of the attack brought me terror.

Dante growled to protect me because she knows nothing. "She is a human Omega, Graves. She has never even seen a shift before yesterday. She was terrified. She passed out in the mud before the fighting even finished.

"Is that true? Vanessa interrupted. With her heels making sounds on the hardwood, she walked toward us. "You fainted, Maya? That sounds... convenient.

Her overpowering scent of roses and blood made her loom over me.

"Look at me" Vanessa commanded.

I lifted my head.

Vanessa stared into my eyes. She was looking for the violet glow. She was looking for the defiance I had shown her at the gala.

I gave her nothing. I made my eyes dull. I let my mouth hang open slightly in confusion. I slumped my shoulders.

" I was sick" I whispered. "Dante told me to run. But my legs wouldn't work. I'm sorry... I'm just...

Vanessa completed my sentence by saying "Weak" while she displayed a wicked grin. "Pathetic."

She returned to Graves after speaking to me.

Vanessa scoffed at Graves her statement "See? I told you" while she pointed out that "she's a dud. "Miller sold Dante a broken toy. The girl did not use a Level 5 Command because she fainted from the sound.

Graves maintained his doubt about the situation. He approached me after standing up from his position. The man extracted a compact object from his pants. The object resembled a crystal attached to a chain.

The object functions as a magic detector.

My heart stopped. The crystal would detect all magic remnants from yesterday if it made contact with me. It would identify my Royal lineage.

Graves approached me to perform a "routine scan" because he needed to check for any remaining substance.

Dante beside me became increasingly tense because I sensed his muscles preparing for battle.

Dante beside me became increasingly tense because I sensed his muscles preparing for battle.

He reached the point of no return because he would face treason charges if he attacked a Council Investigator. The situation

I had to stop him.

I let out a low moan. I clutched my stomach.

"I think I'm going to..."

I retched after I lurched forward. I made a sound that resembled vomiting yet I did not actually vomit. I dry heaved all over the expensive rug that was right in front of Graves’ shiny shoes.

Graves jumped back in disgust. "Ugh! Watch it!

Dante acted perfectly when he said "Maya!" He took a napkin to assist me while he made "It's okay. Breathe."

He raised his eyes to Graves while his golden eyes showed his anger.

"Dante shouted "She is sick. The girl is sick because her body needs to throw up. Get that damn crystal away from her before she pukes on your suit.

Graves examined the crystal before shifting his gaze toward the girl who was retching on the sofa. His nose wrinkled in response.

Graves declined. He stored the device in his pocket after he said "The scan is unnecessary. Clearly, she lacks the constitution for magic.

He turned to Vanessa. "You wasted our time, Ms. Thorne. This girl is not a threat. She's a liability.

Vanessa looked furious. She glared at me, her hands curled into fists. She wanted to hurt me. She wanted to prove I was lying. But she couldn't prove anything against a girl who was dry heaving on the floor.

Vanessa argued "Dante did it because it was the only option." "He must have used a forbidden artifact or something!

Dante said "I used my claws" as he standing. "Now, get out of my house. Unless you want to stay and help clean up the mess.

Graves signaled to his partner. "We are leaving. King Dante, you will receive a fine for unauthorized combat in a neutral zone. But... we are closing the file on the Magic Spike. It was likely an equipment malfunction.

Dante agreed with the statement "The equipment malfunction appears to be the most plausible explanation.

They exited the building.

Vanessa stayed for a brief moment. She looked at me one last time.

"You got lucky," she hissed. "But sickness doesn't last forever, Maya. One day, you'll slip up.

Dante said "Goodbye" before he slammed the door to block her from entering.

The lock clicked.

The room was silent after the door closed.

I sat up. I wiped my mouth with the napkin. I straightened my spine. The dizziness was gone. The confusion vanished from my eyes.

"Did they buy it? I asked with a steady voice.

Dante examined me before he let out a long breath. He ran a hand through his hair and started to laugh. It was a sound of pure relief.

Dante said "You are incredible" while he shook his head at me.

I pointed out "I threw up on your rug.

Dante grinned "Best money I ever spent."

He walked over and sat down beside me. He pulled me into his arms, burying his face in my hair.

"The situation was too dangerous," he confessed. "Graves is one of the best. If that crystal had touched you...

"It didn't touch me," I said while I leaned against him. "We won.

Dante said "For now" while he pulled back to examine me. "Vanessa is right. We can't keep this up forever. You are going to start showing soon. The baby bump. The scent.

"What should we do now?

Dante explained "We need to change the narrative before we proceed further. His business brain was working again. "We will no longer hide you as a sick girl because we will start rebranding you.

Dante stood up to explain "We will announce our pregnancy when the news breaks. The public will believe our pregnancy announcement because we will present it as a miracle.

"The bloodline...

Dante asserted "We will take control of the story. We will declare the baby possesses strength because I possess strength. My bloodline will account for all magical abilities. The world must believe you are merely the vessel through which my power flows.

I felt some pain because I was called a vessel again. Full alienation became required to protect the baby.

"I play the doting mother. You play the powerful King." I agreed.

Dante said "Exactly" and walked back to me. "Come. Let's get you out of that dress. You look ridiculous in pink.

I laughed as I took his hand. "I hate pink.

Dante smiled at me with a genuine warm smile. His smile made my heart flutter. "You look better in royal blue. Or better yet... in nothing at all.

I blushed. "Dante.

Dante stated "I am only stating facts" as he pulled me near him. "Now, let's go upstairs. I believe Code Black is still in effect. Which means... we have the rest of the day to ourselves.

The elevator doors closed after we walked toward the elevator. The danger had passed, for now. The investigators were gone.

I felt Vanessa would keep tracking me after the elevator door closed. She had seen something in my eyes at the gala. She had an instinct. And a jealous woman with an instinct was more dangerous than any magical detector.

We had bought ourselves time. Now, we had to use it to prepare for the real war.