Chapter 1 - Daphne

I looked in the mirror and the woman who looked back at me seemed hesitant. The dark blue dress she was wearing hadn't managed to disguise the flesh on her chest and thighs as I would have liked, but I guess there wasn't even enough fabric for that. 

She seemed… Modest, thankfully. The makeup was perfectly concealing the freckles scattered across her cheeks. And anyone who saw those clothes would know that Alpha Vitale's family wasn't spending on luxuries. Most of our gold had to go to our people and the areas affected by the demon attacks.

They were the priority, and it was our duty to demonstrate they were even above the comfort of the Alpha's children.

“You look beautiful, darling.” my nanny’s compliment made me smile hesitantly at my reflection in the mirror, calming my heart.

“Thanks, Verity.” I shook the skirt, the roughness of the dress causing an itch in my fingers “The fabric might be a little… Well, the seamstresses did a great job, that’s what matters.” I twirled around, a question hanging on my tongue “Do you think… Sean will like it?”

My question was met with silence, then a grimace, and finally, Verity broke into a smile that made the wrinkles around her brown eyes even more pronounced.

“I’m sure he will, honey. You look beautiful in anything. Just like your mother.” She stroked my face “She would be so proud to see the heroine her daughter is about to become. So, remember to keep your head held high during the feast. Steady mind and dignified posture, like the princess you are. Remember, the pack…”

“The pack mirrors me. I have to keep my heart calm and prove to them that soon those monsters won’t be able to hurt them anymore.” I repeated, taking a deep breath to try and stop my hands from trembling “Tomorrow, as my father’s daughter, I will fulfill my duty to protect our people. And, as mother’s daughter, it’s my duty to use my magic to defeat that demon once and for all!”

“But for tonight, you can just party.” She gave my hand a gentle squeeze before turning toward the door “Which reminds me: where’s Jude? As your knight, he should already be here to escort you to the ballroom. That boy’s been getting very lax lately! I should teach him a lesson…”

“Uh… Don’t worry. I’m sure something important came up.” I murmured, hiding the fact that I already had a hunch about where her son might be “Well, I guess I should go and meet him at the ball. I can’t be late, especially not to an event like this…”

"Oh, and don't forget your present." Verity wrinkled her eyebrows, pointing toward the small package on the dressing table.

I hurried to grab the little box, a hopeful smile spreading across my face as I imagined my fiancé's reaction. I'd never been very good at sewing, and I'd lost count of how many holes I had in my fingertips at that moment, but the embroidery on that handkerchief had turned out the best of twenty attempts. 

It was a tradition for a warrior to wear a handmade gift from his mate when going into battle. After so many ugly embroideries over the years, I was finally about to give him something worthy of the future Alpha of the neighboring pack.

The castle corridors were quite silent, all the servants focused on the celebration in the main hall, many floors below where I was. If I went to the mezzanine at the end of that corridor, I could see the enormous ballroom below, filled with the most important wolves from all four packs in our region.

It was an important party for all of us, in addition to the mission that would take place tomorrow. It was a time for our leaders to talk and for us to reach new agreements, whether about peace or trade.

My pack, for example, was waiting for an important opportunity. Probably nothing would be resolved so easily that night, but I hoped that Alpha Haven might be somewhat moved by our efforts to please her. Her pack controlled the sea routes and had access to far more materials for medicine and food than we did.

If we could become their trading partners, we could much more easily take care of the more remote part of the population whose homes had been destroyed by the monsters.

My brother hated it when I tried to interfere in the pack's politics, but... I had a massive amount of paperwork and a pre-written treaty, just waiting to try and convince Alpha Haven of how beneficial this alliance would be for both of us.

But for now, on that celebratory night, I could only hope that Sean, Jude, and my brother had finished with the emergencies that had arisen. I had sent servants to their quarters all day, but none of them could see me. Not that I didn't understand. The demons that had been plaguing our pack for over a year made it impossible for our days to be entirely peaceful.

Suddenly, my heart tightened. Has something serious happened? Were they forced to leave the palace to defend one of our cities? Were they wounded? Perhaps I should speak to their servants again and make sure they didn't need help…

"Oh, you are so kind to me." A melodious laugh interrupted my thoughts "More than I deserve."

"Our packs could spend the rest of eternity giving you presents, Rosie. Even then, we couldn't be grateful enough for your existence."

That second voice made my feet freeze in place.

It was Sean's voice.

“He is right, Saint Rosalind. Please accept this further token of our gratitude. Since all the packs are united as one in this crusade against those demonic creatures, then a gift from the Madlock Pack is also a gift from the Vitale Pack.”

“Oh, Jude. I already told you that you don’t need to be so formal when talking to me. You can call me Rosie, like Sean and Leon do. And, well, since it seems so important to you, I’ll accept. It’s such a beautiful bracelet!”

My feet carried me toward the voices before I could realize what I was doing. And right there, around the corner, near a balcony overlooking the patio party outside, were not only my brother, my best friend, and my fiancé.

The saint was with them.

Two months ago, a woman had arrived at our pack, bearing the mark of the Moon Goddess herself: a perfectly drawn silver crescent moon on her forehead. Her name was Rosalind Cagney and, to everyone's surprise, she was human.

Her dreams had shown her that her duty was to find our people and help us defeat the threat that was slowly decimating our species. And everyone, including me, believed she would do it. The Goddess's blessing was an extremely rare thing, after all.

The last saint who was among us was my mother. It was a miracle that another one had appeared so soon to save us. Most of the elders even hoped that the Goddess might choose me for that role, but…

Well, it was inevitable that everyone would adore her and want to be in Rosie's presence all the time. Of course, the three best warriors in the pack would be near her, as they had been doing since she arrived months ago.

That's why it was ridiculous of me to be bothered seeing those three there, smiling at her like that. Jude had promised to swear his oath of loyalty as a knight to me, but it was obvious he would be concerned about the saint's safety. The same with Sean and my brother, Leon. They were both heirs to their packs. How could they not be as courteous as possible to the saint?

As the one destined to save us, she deserved all possible reverence.

“Daphne!” Jude was the first to notice me there, his eyes widening as if only now he had realized how much time had passed “Goddess, I’m sorry. I should have escorted you to the ball already…!”

“Her legs are broken? She can go alone. She shouldn’t be wandering around and risking being late anyway.” My brother, Leon, snorted as he scanned my dress “What the hell does she think she’s wearing?! Does she think she has too much food in the pack’s mouth and decided to spend it on clothes?”

“No, I…” I swallowed hard “I mean, the dress is new, but… I swear I didn’t spend any money…”

“Don’t be rude, Leon.” Rosalind interrupted him, offering me a friendly smile “I think your sister looks beautiful. The dress suits her.”

Grateful, I was about to explain the situation when my eyes fell on what she was wearing at that moment. Suddenly, the words I was about to say vanished.

"That... That's Mom's dress?" I blinked, recognizing the silvery fabric and embroidery that adorned her body.

“Really?” Rosie blinked, turning to Leon with a smile “Didn’t you tell me it was so special? He just took me into a room and asked me to choose the dress I liked best. I never could have imagined it belonged to your mother. That explains why it’s so beautiful…”

“Well, it’s a beautiful dress that will soon have to go back into Alpha Vitale’s possession again.” Sean said, moving closer to place his hand on Rosalind’s shoulder, just where her skin was exposed “A pity. That’s why I chose this bracelet for you, Rosie. It will be yours forever. Not just for tonight…”

“Who said she has to return that dress?” Leon growled “As the future Alpha, it’s my property. And I say it’s hers.”

“What?” I couldn’t help but choke, drawing their attention back to me “But… This was one of Mom’s favorite dresses… And this bracelet…”

It was Sean's late mother's bracelet. And, as far as I could remember, it was one of the gifts he wanted me to wear when I entered the temple after we got married.

“Isn’t it incredible? I’ve never received so many gifts before, not even on my birthday.” Rosalind laughed and pointed in the air, only then making me realize that there was something hanging from Sean’s sword on his back “Good thing I prepared something for them, too. Now the three of them can carry my good luck wishes on their swords.”