Chapter 4: Grand Welcome

 (Vera POV)

“What the hell! Why does this palace have so many rooms?” I mumbled under my breath while trying to find the hall where our welcome dinner was arranged. I wasted almost 20 minutes wandering through the halls and rooms in search of that perfect hall. 

F*ck! I wanted to save face by arriving on time, but fate decided to play a trick on me this time. 

“Please, Goddess! Please let it be this one.” I pushed open the last door of the hallway, and my jaw dropped to the floor when I realized it was someone’s personal room. 

“Who the hell dares to open a prince’s room?” I was about to apologize when I noticed a tribal tattoo on his glistening chest, which made me stop. It seemed oddly familiar, and it was a grave mistake. 

“Oh, so you are here to seduce a prince, right?” He asked and gave me a dimpled smile. 

“I am sorry, but I opened the wrong door… By mistake,” I added begrudgingly, and he laughed after hearing my apology. 

“You are probably searching the hall for a welcome dinner, right?” I nodded in response. 

“Well! I am also going there. You can wait for me for a few minutes, and then you will be forgiven for being late. A generous offer from a handsome prince.” He winked, and I nodded before leaving the room and waiting for him to get dressed. 

“My apologies for making you wait, my lady,” he said, and I smiled at his flirty style. 

“What’s your age, boy?” I asked in a taunting tone. 

“Seventeen, my lady.” I hooked my arm in his. 

“Good! I am 18,” I deliberately informed him to embarrass him, but he smiled shamelessly. 

“Don’t worry! I still have the power to rock your world,” I giggled after hearing his words. 

“You are good with your words,” I praised him. 

“Of course! I learned it to get a chance with gorgeous ladies like you.” I blushed after hearing his words. 

“Good, but I am not interested in you,” I answered, and he feigned sadness like my words broke his heart. We entered the hall after passing several doors, and I was certain I would not be able to find my way back easily. F*ck! Who the hell designed this palace? 

“Your destination, My lady,” I thanked him and walked towards the table where other Lunas were present. All of them were trying to get a brief introduction to each other to guess their strengths and weaknesses based on their packs. Some were really innocent, some were sharp, but every single one was on high alert except me. I just wanted to escape this damned palace and this lame excuse of a game at any cost. I picked up a glass of champagne and took a sip. At least I can enjoy a good drink and my last meal before losing my life in this death trap. 

“Vera Nightshade.” One luna came towards me, and I nodded with a smile. 

“Hi, Lyra Vexen from the Frost Fang Pack.” She extended her hand, and I accepted it with a smile. She was about 5’4, with a petite figure, a pale complexion, and deep blue eyes. She was really beautiful, and in her pale blue gown, she looked like a doll. 

“Thank you! You are also looking amazing. I looked at my champagne-colored gown, which I had chosen at random, and styled my hair in loose curls and wore natural makeup. In the face of death, I was enjoying nothing, so I didn’t pay much attention to anything, not to my beautiful reflection as well, in which I looked almost unrecognizable. 

“Hello, ladies!” That prince came towards us, and I rolled my eyes after looking at his charming smile. 

“Hi, Prince Rafael! Good evening to you,” Lyra greeted him properly, so I had to do the same. 

“No need to be so formal, Ladies. After all, it is my lucky day to meet such beauties together.”  he winked towards Lyra, and she blushed hard. I shook my head before enjoying my champagne. A few Lunas walked towards us after noticing Prince Rafael’s presence. 

“Hi, my name is Elara Thorn from the Ravenhall Pack of the East.” I looked at the girl, and her light-brown eyes shone with ambition. Her dark brown complexion and styled afro curls gave her a majestic vibe, but her intelligence was visible through every movement of her body language. Her pack was famous for ancient fighting techniques and hidden poisoning methods. 

“My name is Prince Rafael Dawson, my lady.” he kissed the back of her hand. She smiled and looked at us with a friendly smile. 

“My name is Seraphina Korr from the Golden Fang Pack.” A girl in a golden yellow floor-length dress came with an air of arrogance. 

“You are looking like a queen, my lady,” Prince Rafael greeted her with respect. She looked at us like we were nothing in front of her, and everyone noticed it, but no one dared to point it out. 

"Thanks for the compliment, Prince." She dipped her head in respect, but the arrogance shining in her eyes made me give a red alert about her. "Since I came here with all the destiny and bullsh*t luck, I will not back out of any game. I have no one to go back to, and no one is waiting for me outside of these palace walls, so there is no point in playing half-heartedly, whether I want it or not. Only I know I have no interest in this power and position, so I am going to change it right here, right now. I will give all these arrogant lunatics a hell of a competition before going down, so they will remember me for the rest of their lives," I thought, and a devilish smirk crept onto my face. 

"What are you thinking, my lady?" I heard Prince Rafael's voice behind me, and I quickly schooled my expression. 

"Nothing! Why are you asking?" I turned towards him, and he smirked. 

"Because you look like the daughter of Asteria?" He answered, and I furrowed my brows in confusion. 

"And who is she?" 

"The only goddess I admire and love so far... Hecate," All the words got stuck in my mouth. 

"Hecate... The Goddess Hecate," I asked, and he nodded with a smile. "The one and only." With that, he turned on his heel and left, but his words really left an impression on me. 

"Xela! Am I really that unique?" I asked my wolf, and she nodded in response. "You have no idea how powerful you are, Vera. But you will soon discover the full range of your powers, and I assure you no one will be able to defeat us after that." Her words gave me a new sense of determination. 

"But why these games?" I asked her. "Because every Queen needs training before claiming her throne," It made me shut up at once.

"A queen ... Me? Well, I have never considered it before, but now that I hear about it? Why not? After all, I have nothing to lose," I thought, and put my champagne glass on the nearby table before walking towards Luna's circle. I need to gather some key information about the packs if I want to win this competition, right? 

"Ladies and gentlemen! I am your host for the night. My name is Kael Draven, and I am the second prince." I quickly turned to look at the person because, as far as I know, the King and Queen have only one son, so the second prince is... because... Before I could think about anything further, his Green eyes landed on my face, and I felt like someone had slapped me hard on my face. 

"Kael... Kael," I mumbled his name under my breath, and all the courage, determination, and everything vanished from my mind. My hands started to tremble, and he was shocked too. He didn't utter another word. I did the only sane thing that came to my mind at that moment... I picked up my gown and ran the hell out of that hall. F*ck the Luna Games and F*ck everything else. I can't stand to be under the same roof as him. I headed straight to the back garden and took a deep breath. I tried to calm my mind, but I started hyperventilating. 

"You think she is the one who went feral and attacked Rebecca Davidson, right?" They asked Kael, and I prayed to the Goddess to force him to tell the truth, but the moment he nodded, all hope left my heart. 

"So, you have seen her doing this with your own eyes, right?" The school's head council member asked him, and he answered 'Yes' without hesitation. 

"Since you are an adult now and already a legal member of this pack, then we can't punish you like a Juvenile." He said, and my hands turned cold. I looked at his face with so much anger and hate that if eyes could kill, then he would be under six feet without any second thought." They sent Kael and Rebecca out of the room before announcing my punishment. My sobbing, screams, and cries for help started echoing in my ears, and I fell onto my knees. 

"You are not there anymore, Vera. You are stronger than this... You are stronger than this." I was kneeling on the ground like a child on all fours while tears were rolling down my cheeks like waterfalls. But I was chanting these words like a mantra. 

"We will make them pay, Vera. We will make them pay," Xela's voice echoed in my mind, but it seemed like she was far, far away from me. 

"Are you okay?" I heard a familiar voice behind me, and before I could understand what was happening, I attacked that person without even seeing his face.