Chapter 45

Selena’s pov

I had never seen anything like it.

Not during the biggest party had Zevran ever hosted

. Not even during my days scrubbing the floors of the inner palace,

None of the glimpses I had caught

Or moonlit dances i had spyed on

None of them were equivalent to this

This? Was something else entirely.

It was a story Nooo oage printed and made reality,

Those were the onG words I could use to describe what Latin my presence

The river fall estate was tall

So tall thst it stood like scream against the already dusty sky.

Every inch of it was soaked in candlelight

Floating orbs

And they were suspended mid air like fireflies

The theme was amazing

Out of this world even and I found myself imagining this exact theme for my wedding

.

Sisi squeezed my hand as we stepped out of the car, her tiny feet clicking delicately in the new shoes Adeline had picked out for her.

“Mama,” she whispered, eyes wide. “It’s like the fairy book.”

I followed her gaze.

And she wasn’t wrong.

Glass lanterns swayed from invisible threads above the open courtyard. Pink and white petals rained gently from the balconies overhead—not enough to litter the ground, but enough to catch in your hair if you stood still too long. Somewhere in the distance, a string quartet played music I couldn’t name but felt deep in my chest.

“It is,” I murmured. “Just like the fairy book.”

But I didn’t feel like the princess in the story.

Not even close.

I’d painted myself pretty. Red silk. Brushed-out curls.

it was more like a front

To cover up for the part of me that were my drowning.

I looked like someone who belonged here. I walked like it too.

But the truth was…I hadn’t been invited.

Cassian hadn’t told me about the wedding. No formal summons, no knock on the door, no “Selena, would you like to accompany me?”

Nothing.

He’d left me out.

Again.

I wasn’t sure why that still hurt. Why it still reached for the softest, most hidden part of me and twisted.

I should’ve been used to it by now.

He was never mine to begin with.

Not really.

Sisi pulled me forward. “Come on! Let’s go see the big doors!”

The front entrance loomed like a gate to something sacred. Twin marble pillars framed the way inside, each carved with runes of love and legacy.

Warriors and priestesses stood on either side in ceremonial silver, not guards exactly,

but something close.

Their faces were painted with streaks of white ash. Old custom.

Older than most here probably remembered.

I hesitated as we reached the threshold.

Once we stepped inside, I knew there would be no going back. I would be seen—examined, measured, dissected by the noblewomen who had spent decades grooming their daughters to marry into power.

I was walking into the heart of the wolf elite. The kind that devoured weakness with a smile.

I took a breath.

And stepped through.

The ballroom opened up like a breath of spring air.

Inside was soft

Different

A stark contrast to entire vibe tye outside was giving

The light was soft

Too soft for a palace built by warriors

But it was okay

Rose gold chandeliers were hanging everywhere like enchanted trees from the ceiling.

The ceiling dripped woth crystals that glimmered and looked like frozen stars.

It wasn’t just beautiful

. It was surreal. Like someone had asked the moon to build a room.

I barely noticed the people at first.

Dozens of wolves moved across the polished floor, their laughter muted beneath the music.

Men in deep velvet suits and intricately embroidered tunics.

Women in gowns that whispered like water when they turned.

They weren’t just dressed

they were armored in silk and diamonds,

And their eyes? as daggers and tongues trained for war through flattery.

Sisi clutched my arm now, her other hand wrapped around the thin strap of her little purse. “It’s so… shiny.”

I smiled. “You think we’ll need sunglasses?”

She giggled, it was the only calm

Familiar thing in the room

She didn’t know but she had single-handedly calmed my nerves

Gods, I needed her.

She grounded me.

And still… I felt exposed.

The kind of exposed that had nothing to do with my dress or neckline or makeup, and everything to do with walking into this place without an anchor. Without Cassian at my side.

Without being officially his.

A few heads turned as we passed. I saw it in the subtle tilts of heads, the slowed conversations, the way eyes darted from my face to Sisi’s and back again. Some of them recognized me.

Most didn’t.

But they could tell I mattered.

Or at least, they wanted to know if I did.

I moved deeper into the room, keeping my steps even and my expression unreadable. It wasn’t hard. I’d worn masks before—ones much heavier than this.

For now, it was enough to just breathe.

To stand tall.

To remind myself that I had every right to be here, whether he wanted me or not.

I wasn’t doing this for Cassian.

I was doing this for Sisi.

And maybe a little bit… for myself.

We hadn’t even been standing for more than five minutes when the current of the room began to shift.

It started subtly.

I caught the way they looked for too long

.

I recognized the signs immediately

These weren’t just women gathering to chat.

These were she-wolves of old bloodlines, raised on etiquette, legacy, and politics disguised as compliments.

Their heels were polished, their lips perfectly painted, and their smiles were the perfect curve

One of them approached first

a tall woman with ash-blonde hair twisted into a braided crown, she was wearing a deep plum silk that shimmered every time she moved.

her green eyes examined me like a merchant weighing the worth of a gemstone.

I held her gaze without flinching.

“Oh,” she smiled

But it only made me feel more nervous

Cause it was bright

Too bright

, “you must be the Selena.”

The Selena.

Here we go.

I smiled politely. “Depends who’s asking.”

That earned me a ripple of laughter, light and carefully measured.

Another woman stepped up beside her

This one was shorter, round-faced, dressed in rose gold with sleeves that trailed like ivy.

She looked vaguely familiar, though I couldn’t place her.

“I adore your dress,” she continued, running her eyes down my body before returning to my face. “Red is such a bold choice. Very… mated.”

My smile didn’t budge. “You can never do too much.. am I right?.”

More laughter. I could feel their amusement—just a little surprised, a little off balance.

Good.

From the corner of my eye, I caught Sisi being approached by a girl about her age, tugging gently on her wrist.

They exchanged words I couldn’t hear, and then—after a moment—Sisi looked at me, silently asking for permission.

I nodded.

She smiled and ran off, her curls bouncing.

And just like that, I was alone.

Exactly where they wanted me.

“Your little one is so well-behaved,” the blonde said. “How old is she?”

“Four,” I replied. “But I’ll love to think she’s reincarnated”

A few chuckles.

“She looks so much like him,” someone murmured behind her.

I stiffened just a little, enough that the plum-clad woman caught it.

“Oh, don’t mind us,” she said with a light wave. “We’re just so thrilled to finally meet you. Cassian’s been such a mystery for so long. We were beginning to think he’d die brooding.”

“Or kill someone before settling down,” another chimed in, drawing more laughter.

I folded my hands loosely in front of me, keeping my posture relaxed, my chin lifted.

“He’s not as brooding as people think,” I felt pride when the words left my lips

Cause for once it felt like I knew him more than anyone in this room

“At least not when he’s not being bitten by his own daughter for stealing her cookies.”

Their laughter grew a little more genuine this time.

They were warming up. Testing the waters.

And now the real questions began.

“So,” the rose-gold woman said with a gentle tilt of her head, “how did you two even meet? Cassian’s not exactly… approachable.”

I forced a soft chuckle. “He kidnapped me.”