Chapter 4: Dance With Me

Untouchable.

For the first time in years, Kaelith didn’t see weakness reflected in her own eyes.

She saw possibility.

And deep beneath her ribs, that strange silver warmth flickered again.

Stronger this time.

Kaelith pressed a hand lightly against her stomach as the sensation spread briefly through her body before vanishing.

Lyra frowned immediately.

“What?”

Kaelith shook her head quickly. “Nothing.”

But it wasn’t nothing.

Something was changing inside her.

She could feel it.

And somehow, that frightened her even more than the betrayal.

An hour later, the streets of Varethis blazed with gold.

Massive lanterns lined the royal district, casting warm light across crowded roads overflowing with noble carriages, mounted guards, and masked guests heading toward the palace heights. Music drifted through the cold night air from somewhere beyond the towering walls.

Kaelith stared through the carriage window in disbelief.

“I still think this is a terrible idea.”

Lyra calmly adjusted her crimson gloves.

“That’s because your survival instincts are functioning properly.”

“We could get arrested.”

“Relax. The servants enter through the eastern halls during major gatherings. My cousin works in the palace kitchens.”

Kaelith blinked. “You have a cousin in the royal kitchens?”

“I have cousins everywhere.”

Kaelith narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

“That sounds threatening.”

“It should.”

The carriage stopped several streets away from the palace to avoid inspections.

The two girls slipped into the moving crowds beneath the safety of masks and flowing cloaks, blending easily among the arriving nobles.

Above them, the royal palace towered against the mountains like a beast carved from silver stone.

The Night Sovereign’s Masquerade.

Even hearing the name made Kaelith nervous.

Only the highest-ranking Alphas, military commanders, royal heirs, and ancient bloodlines received invitations to this gathering.

People whispered that dangerous alliances were formed here.

Wars began here.

So did assassinations.

The palace servants barely glanced at them as they entered through the crowded eastern kitchens.

Steam filled the corridors while cooks shouted over one another and silver trays clattered endlessly through the chaos.

Lyra moved through the madness with surprising confidence while Kaelith struggled to keep pace behind her.

Finally, they reached a massive velvet curtain near the grand ballroom entrance.

Music thundered beyond it.

Lyra glanced back once.

“Ready?”

“No.”

“Perfect.”

Then she pulled the curtain aside.

Kaelith forgot how to breathe.

The ballroom stretched endlessly beneath enormous crystal chandeliers that flooded the marble floors with silver light. Hundreds of masked nobles moved gracefully across the dance floor beneath towering banners embroidered with ancient wolf crests.

The entire room felt alive.

She could feel the aura a combination of Perfume, Wine, Magic and Power.

Everywhere she looked, nobles laughed behind jeweled masks while servants carried golden trays through the sea of silk and diamonds.

And beneath all of it lingered the unmistakable scent of wolves.

Different territories.

Different bloodlines.

Predators hiding behind elegance.

Kaelith suddenly felt very small.

Lyra shoved a glass into her hand.

“Drink.”

Kaelith obeyed automatically.

The dark liquor burned down her throat like liquid fire.

She coughed immediately. “What is this?”

“Something expensive,” Lyra answered casually. “Drink more.”

By the second glass, warmth spread through Kaelith’s body.

By the third, the sharp edges of the evening finally began to soften.

The pain remained.

But it no longer felt suffocating.

Cassian’s face still surfaced in her thoughts occasionally, yet every memory seemed weaker beneath the music, the lights, and the alcohol warming her veins.

Lyra grabbed her wrist suddenly.

“Come on.”

Kaelith resisted immediately. “I don’t know how to dance like these people.”

“You literally grew up serving them. You’ve watched enough.”

“That’s not the same thing.”

“Fake confidence,” Lyra declared while dragging her forward. “Nobles do it constantly.”

Before Kaelith could protest further, Lyra spun her directly into the crowd.

The music swallowed them instantly.

Kaelith stumbled at first, awkward beneath the flowing silk.

Then slowly… she relaxed.

The gown moved beautifully when she danced.

The mask hid her fear.

And for the first time in her life, nobody here knew who she was.

Nobody knew she had been discarded only hours ago.

Nobody saw a servant girl.

Nobody saw weakness.

For one brief moment, Kaelith existed without shame attached to her name.

A real smile spread across her lips as Lyra twirled her recklessly through the dancers.

Then the music changed.

The melody became slower and darker.

Couples drifted closer together across the ballroom floor.

Lyra’s expression shifted instantly.

“Oh no.”

Kaelith frowned. “What?”

Lyra stared toward the far staircase.

“That is either the greatest thing that’s ever happened to you…”

Her expression darkened slightly.

“Or the worst.”

Kaelith turned.

And the air vanished from her lungs.

A man descended the staircase like death wrapped in royal black.

Tall.

Broad-shouldered.

Powerful enough to dominate the entire room without speaking a single word.

A long dark coat draped across his massive frame, embroidered with silver markings resembling claw scars across the chest.

A black mask covered the upper half of his face.

But nothing could hide his eyes.

Molten gold it carried ancient power and predatory.

The entire ballroom subtly shifted around him.

Nobody bowed.

No announcement was made.

Yet every Alpha in the room instinctively moved aside as he walked.

Power rolled off him so heavily Kaelith could almost feel it pressing against her skin.

“What territory is he from?” she whispered.

Lyra looked deeply unsettled.

“I don’t know.”

For some reason, that answer frightened Kaelith even more.

The stranger moved calmly through the crowd.

Then suddenly stopped.

His golden eyes locked directly onto her.

Everything inside Kaelith froze.

The music faded into distant noise.

Those eyes held something terrifying within them.

Recognition.

Impossible recognition.

As though he had been searching for her.

The stranger changed direction immediately and began walking toward her.

Kaelith’s pulse hammered violently inside her chest.

“Lyra…”

“I see him.”

“He’s coming here.”

“I also see that.”

“Why are you so calm?”

Lyra swallowed visibly. “I’m not calm at all.”

People stepped aside for him without question.

Even powerful nobles lowered their gazes as he passed.

By the time he stopped in front of her, Kaelith realized something deeply unsettling.

He was enormous.

Well over six feet tall.

Standing this close to him felt like standing too near a storm.

His gaze swept across her slowly.

Not like a man admiring beauty.

Like a predator confirming something.

Then he finally spoke.

“Dance with me.”

His voice was low, rough, and commanding.

Not a request.

Kaelith should have refused immediately.

Every instinct inside her screamed that this man was dangerous.

But something deeper stirred beneath her skin again.

That strange silver warmth.

Only now it pulsed violently.

Answering him.

The stranger extended one gloved hand toward her.

The ballroom seemed to hold its breath.

Slowly, Kaelith placed her hand in his.

The moment their skin touched, pain exploded through her chest.

Kaelith gasped sharply.

A silver symbol flashed briefly beneath the skin near her collarbone.

The stranger froze instantly.

And for the first time since approaching her…

His composure cracked.