Chapter Two: The Man Everyone Feared

​Amara’s POV

​​The heavy door of the SUV opened, and the cool, crisp mountain air brushed against my skin. Stepping onto the plush crimson carpet, I smoothed down the silver fabric of my gown, trying to anchor myself. For one fleeting, beautiful moment, standing beneath the floating crystal lanterns of the courtyard, I felt normal.

​Then, the whispers started.

​"Who is that?"

"The Everharts. But who is the girl in silver?"

"The plus-size one? That’s Alpha Ethan’s daughter."

"The one who never shifted? What a absolute shame."

​I kept my chin up, staring straight ahead. I had heard worse—much worse—but the words still found the raw, unhealed cracks in my heart.

​Serena leaned in close to Vivian, not even bothering to lower her voice. "I give it five minutes before someone asks if she got lost on the way to the kitchen."

​Vivian’s lips curved into a cold smile. "Five? You’re being generous, darling."

​I swallowed the lump in my throat and pretended I was deaf. Over the years, ignoring the world had become my greatest talent.

​Inside, the grand ballroom was an overwhelming sea of opulence. Massive crystal chandeliers dripped from the ceilings, casting a radiant glow over hundreds of perfectly dressed nobles. The air was thick with the scents of expensive perfume, champagne, and dominant wolf auras.

​A palace attendant approached me, offering a flute of sparkling cider on a silver platter. "Welcome to the Imperial Moon Summit, Lady Everhart," he said with a warm, polite smile.

​"Thank you," I murmured, genuinely startled. He was looking at my face, not tracking the shape of my body. It was a completely ordinary interaction, yet it eased the suffocating tight knot in my chest.

​A few feet away, a massive banquet table stretched out, laden with an incredible spread of desserts. Chocolate tarts, glistening moonberry pastries, and tiered honey cakes. My stomach rumbled softly. I hadn't eaten since breakfast, too anxious to swallow anything.

​Almost on instinct, I reached out toward a small pastry.

​"Oh, look," a sharp, feminine voice drifted over from the side. "I suppose some people just can't control themselves."

​A wave of muffled tittering followed. I froze, my hand hovering in the air.

​Another noblewoman shook her head, her eyes dripping with pitying disgust. "If I looked like that, I’d avoid sugar for the rest of my life."

​Humiliation flared hot and bright in my cheeks, making my ears ring. Slowly, painfully, I pulled my hand back and let it drop to my side. My appetite vanished, replaced by a familiar, hollow ache.

​"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

​The gentle, gravelly voice startled me. I turned to find an elderly woman standing beside me. She wore a simple but elegant velvet gown, and her eyes held a kindness that caught me entirely off guard. Without a word, she reached out, picked up the exact pastry I had targeted, and gently placed it into my hand.

​"I..." I glanced nervously toward the women who had been laughing.

​"They are only proving how little they know," the old woman said, her smile never wavering. "No meal has ever measured a person's true worth, child. Eat."

​Before I could properly thank her, a sudden, electric ripple of excitement rushed through the ballroom.

​“They’re here.”

“Move out of the way!”

​The crowded room shifted instantly, pulling away from the grand entrance like a parting sea. A sleek, midnight-black limousine had pulled up to the main doors.

​A young woman stepped out first, and a collective breath caught in the room. She was breathtaking. Her emerald gown clung flawlessly to a slender, elegant frame, and matching jewels sparkled beneath the chandeliers.

​"Lady Tanya," someone whispered reverently. "The future Luna."

​"I heard the Draven and Ashbourne families finalized the arrangement months ago. They truly are the perfect match."

​Tanya accepted the adoration with effortless, practiced grace, smiling warmly as she greeted the surrounding nobles. She belonged here. She was the blueprint of everything a high-ranking she-wolf was supposed to be.

​Then, a second vehicle glided to a halt.

​The entire atmosphere in the palace shifted in an instant. The music seemed to fade into the background. The idle chatter died. Even Tanya turned, her posture straightening.

​A heavy, suffocating pressure settled over the room. It was an aura so dominant, so raw and overwhelmingly powerful, that it made my knees instantly weak. Beside me, the palace guards bowed their heads in absolute submission.

​"The High Alpha..." a voice breathed in awe.

​"Kael Draven."

​My heart skipped a beat, a strange, frantic hammering echoing in my chest.

​The car door opened, and a pair of polished black boots stepped onto the carpet. When Kael Draven emerged, the room felt devoid of oxygen. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and dressed entirely in black. His sharp, striking features were completely unreadable—calm, dangerous, and radiating an ancient, lethal authority.

​The crowd parted seamlessly before him; no one dared to cross his path.

​Tanya’s face illuminated with a brilliant smile as she walked toward him. "You came," she said softly.

​Kael inclined his head, his voice a deep, resonant baritone that vibrated right through the floorboards. "I said I would."

​"It has been too long."

​"It has."

​The exchange was brief, polite, and entirely formal. Yet, around me, the whispers erupted into a frenzy.

​"They look absolutely perfect together."

"Our future High Alpha and High Luna. Power and beauty."

"No ordinary woman could ever hope to stand beside him."

​I looked down at my silver gown, quietly folding my hands together to hide their trembling. The world had already decided who belonged in the light. A man like Kael Draven belonged with royalty. He didn't belong anywhere near a wolf-less, plus-size girl who couldn't even find the courage to hold a pastry without breaking inside.

​Turning away to fade back into the shadows of the ballroom, I tried to pull my presence inward, to become invisible.

​I didn't notice it then.

​But across the glittering expanse of the crowded room, Kael’s gaze had already abruptly sliced away from Tanya. His piercing, silver eyes scanned the crowd with lethal precision—until they locked entirely, unblinkingly, onto me.