Arcane Masks Novels & Stories

Rubby said, placing the box on the table right in front of Luna. Luna stopped wiping with her towel, staring at the box with a mixed gleam in her eyes. She opened the lid of the box slowly, revealing a Venetian carved mask in ivory white with beautiful silver brocade decorations along its edges. Luna's fingers stroked the smooth surface of the mask with a gaze that suddenly turned melancholic.

But I didn't need to see their faces to know they were watching us. I leaned heavily into Alaric’s side as we walked down the grand marble staircase. My hand rested on the fine wool of his sleeve, feeling the rigid strength of his forearm beneath the fabric. For the evening, I wore a gown of deep crimson satin that pooled around my ankles, contrasted by a delicate silver filigree mask that covered the upper half of my face. Alaric wore a stark black coat and a heavy, obsidian mask that made him look like a myth brought to life. "Smile, little bird," Alaric murmured, his voice a low, gravelly vibration that barely carried over the swelling orchestra music. "The entire room is trying to calcul

"Do you take this woman to be your wife, to stand by her through thick and thin?" "I do," the man said, his voice muffled by the mask. The guests whispered in awe. Howard Larson, the Larson family's big shot, was so in love with me that he would not let a bad cold stop our big day. He did not want to disappoint me. "Wait a second." The man's eyes darted around, and his forehead was dotted with sweat. I smiled and asked, "Howard, you're looking a bit pale. Too busy with the wedding to remember your medicine?"

"Forget about the other girls. Bring Eden. We're taking the secret passage!" The others didn't matter now. The ritual site had taken months to prepare, and Eden's blood was the key. Without her, the ceremony for their great master would be ruined. "But Eden's the one causing this!" the guard said, frowning. "And look what we found outside her room." He held out a mask—thin, flesh-like. Dave's eyes widened. He knew what it was—ancient Farshyan trickery. Crafted from lamb skin, these masks could transform someone entirely. The Eden they'd seen earlier wasn't Eden at all.

She would find out every other thing by herself. "What about you, Elora?" Ariel asked. "I don't have any." "Then we can leave," Ariel said. They headed to the door, and Valerie stopped. "What about the mask? Shouldn't we be using them?" Ariel chuckled slightly. "I almost forgot that. We must do that. People are coming from other Packs. Everyone's identity must be kept hidden. We won't be using the other mask, though." Ariel returned to her bag and brought out three black masks. They were different from the first ones; bigger and more hideous.

CHAPTER ELEVEN “Amara, you forgot about this.” Amethyst handed me a mask. The mask would only cover half of the wearer’s face, including the forehead and the area surrounding the eyes. It was a masquerade mask. It was shaped like those butterfly wings. It was crafted from silver, with crystal beads designed at its corners and a black sun with four rays at the upper center. It has a lace at both ends. “Who owns it?” Amethyst asked curiously.

An elegant onyx-black mask, etched with faintly glowing wolf runes. My eyes narrowed. “The mask is designed to hide your aura,” He referred to Maverick. “It will help distort your voice, block scent tracking and also cloaks your magical signature and facial recognition” He said. I took the mask, staring and admiring it. A key for walking into human spaces without detection. “It’s bound to your energy,” Ardan said. “Only you can remove it. And if it breaks... we have problems.” I crossed my arms. “So you’re going to play Batman now?”

"Kaelen isn't stupid. He heard the rumors." ​He tossed me a sword—a sleek, black blade made of obsidian glass. ​"Suit up, Elara," Alaric commanded. "You wanted to know if you were ready? Tonight, we find out." ​"I can't fight them," I said, panic flaring. "If they see me... if Kaelen is with them..." ​"You won't fight as Elara Vance," Alaric said, pulling a mask from a shelf. It was made of bleached bone, shaped like the upper skull of a wolf. It covered the eyes and nose, leaving only the mouth exposed. It was terrifying.

My fingers shook a little as I opened the file. Inside was a mask. A sexy black mask made of soft lace and shiny silk. It would cover the eyes and upper face but leave the mouth and jaw free. Delicate black lace patterns swirled around the eye holes like dark flowers. Small shiny crystals sparkled at the edges under the street light. Thin black ribbons waited to tie at the back of the head. It looked mysterious and dangerous. The kind of mask strippers wore when they wanted to hide their identity but show everything else.

When we finally pulled up to the towering gates of the Claw Bane pack’s house, I took a shaky breath, willing myself to stay calm. Beta Nathan stepped out first, opening the door for us, and I gathered the skirts of my dress as I followed Alpha Rowan onto the wide stone path leading up to the ballroom entrance. It was just as I had always remembered it. Alpha Rowan paused, reaching into his coat pocket, and handed me a delicate, intricate mask. Its silver edges gleamed in the moonlight, fine threads curling into the shapes of leaves and feathers. Relief washed over me as I realised—this was a masquerade. With the mask, I’d be hidden, anonymous. Maybe, just maybe, this could work.