Chapter two

When nightfall came, Viola was bathed with special fragrant oil and dressed in the purple dress. Patricia nodded and smiled. She affirmed and extended her hand to her daughter.

"Come on, princess," Patricia commented. "Everyone is waiting for you."

Viola slowly walked towards the doors, stopped next to her mother and took a deep breath. Her mother turned to look at her and gently rubbed her shoulder to reassure her.

"Ready?"

"Yes."

Viola, with her gaze fixed on that door, affirmed with a big and warm smile.

Patricia looked at the guards. "Open the doors," she ordered authoritatively.

The men didn't hesitate to throw open the doors. The guests fell silent when they saw the door open, the music gently stopped, and everyone looked in the direction of the princess.

Patricia was surprised to see the face of every lady covered in a mask. The same set of new masks she had gotten for Viola. Her eyes looked at Viola, who smiled so boldly that she almost chuckled.

She had earlier bribed one of her mother's butlers with a smile to distribute the masks to every family on the event list, stating that the instruction came from the Luna.

From behind her mask, Viola surveyed the decorations. Everything was purple, her favorite color. The hall was bathed in candlelight, illuminating the entire space. Long tables were laden with food, drinks, and purple flowers. At the far end of the hall stood a long table covered in gold and overflowing with food.

Behind the table was a large chair made of pure gold, upon which sat a tall, imposing man with shoulder-length white hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He wore an elegant gold and blue suit, and on his head was a gold crown adorned with precious stones, identical to the one his mother wore. To his right sat her three sisters, each wearing a broad smile, their eyes lit with excitement and their faces covered with masks similar to Viola's.

She was a little bit nervous but seeing the look on her sisters face, her confidence bounced back.

Viola was very sure she had forgotten to inform her sisters about her plan to turn her welcome ball into a masked party. She was very sure that the serious man sitting next to her sisters was her father, the one who wanted to kill her when she was just a little girl.

"Let us welcome Princess Viola, fourth and last daughter of Alpha Graham!" shouted the presenter.

Applause erupted throughout the hall. Everyone's attention was drawn to the princess; all eyes were on her. But only seconds passed before whispers began to circulate, wondering about the mask she wore. Viola looked at them, her body language urging them to also take a look at their masked faces before judging hers.

She slowly began to walk through the crowd, some of whom wore smiles. Some looked confused; others looked puzzled. They hoped that at least the hidden princess would reveal her face today.

"Was she that ugly?" they thought.

A soft melody began to play, setting the mood for the place and the moment. Viola, accompanied by her mother, arrived at the table where the king sat, who regarded her with disdain from his seat.

"Alpha," Viola greeted, and then knelt before her father.

Graham stood up, sighed, and looked her up and down reluctantly. He walked around the table, approached his daughter, then raised two fingers and signaled Viola to stand up.

"Get up, girl," he ordered in a dry voice.

Viola stood up delicately and looked at him. "Thank you, Father," added Viola shyly.

The Alpha approached his daughter and took her hand, lifting it and giving a quick kiss to the back of Viola's hand. No affection was evident, only disgust. It was evident that the gesture was only to fulfil the tradition.

Viola's emotion was palpable; a mixture of nervousness and euphoria had enveloped her as she walked to the rhythm of the music. Her walking aura was so great that everyone admired the elegance.

The freedom she felt was overwhelming; each musical note seemed to lift her up, freeing her from the memories of her confinement in the tower.

"Come, little sister, I'll show you some potential husbands, and there's one in particular who's very handsome. He's not my type, but... you might be interested. His father is the cousin of Alpha Sinclair, which makes him a potential candidate." Kiara smiled mischievously at her.

"I don't think he'll like me... I'm wearing a mask, Kiara and it's I don't know what to say to a strange handsome man" Viola reminded her dejectedly.

"And so is everyone. You are very brilliant to think of the concept of a masked party. Now about what to say. Pretend you are talking to mother or me or Rina. Talking to a stranger is all the same Sis. "

Kiara, with a knowing smile, took Viola by the arm and led her through the crowd of dancers. She linked her arm with her younger sister's, and gracefully and slowly they began to walk.

"That man in the dark suit with black hair talking to the woman in the pink dress is Gregory," she informed her. "He's also single and wants a wife. Although he has no connection to royalty. It will all depend on what Father says."

Viola discreetly glanced at him. There was no denying he was very attractive and wealthy.

"Viola," her sister whispered. "Do you see the tall, blond-haired boy?"

Viola shook her head. "It's my first time out of the tower, sister. Enough of men talk. I'm not ready to marry yet. Can you please take me to mother's garden? I can't go myself"

Kiara's smile faded. "Really???. Fine... Come with me."

She led her out of the grand hall through a small passage. Viola was so excited to run around the castle as they sprinted to the garden.

The flower garden stretched before her—rows of blooming roses, lavender swaying in the night breeze, jasmine. Her mother had described it a hundred times, but seeing it with her own eyes made her heart ache with a joy she'd never felt before. She moved through the flowers like someone in a dream, afraid they might disappear.

She plucked several purple blooms and fixed them carefully on her hair, . She plucked some for her sister too, tucking them gently into Kiara's dark curls.

"This is the happiest day of my life, Kiara," Viola whispered. "I'm so excited. Mother said from now onwards I would be free and be able to explore the castle." She laughed, a sound so light and genuine it seemed to belong to someone else.

Kiara watched her, her expression softening. "Yeah... Mother is very optimistic. She did say something about your wolf also—that it attacked her the first time you shifted." Kiara gently plucked the flowers from her sister's hair, then fixed them again. "You really are a monster, sis."