The grand ballroom of Ravenhollow Pack glittered with hundreds of crystal chandeliers, their light reflecting off polished marble and the jewels adorning the pack members below.
I stood before the mirror in our chambers, adjusting the emerald gown I’d selected for tonight’s mating ball. The silken fabric hugged my curves before flowing gracefully to the floor, the color making my blue eyes seem more vibrant against my fair skin.
My heart raced with anticipation. Six months had passed since I’d first signed that fateful contract with Kaiu.
The contract that had brought us together should have expired today yet we had moved so far beyond those terms that it seemed almost laughable now.
A knock at the door interrupted my spiraling thoughts. I opened it to find a commander I didn’t recognize standing at attention in the corridor.
“Can I help you, Commander?” I asked, noting the stiff formality of his posture.
He bowed deeply. “Luna, the Alpha had ordered me to escort you to the ball.”
“What?” The request caught me off guard. Kaius had always accompanied me to such events personally.
“I’m sorry, is there a problem?” The commander looked uncomfortable.
“No… no, there is not,” I replied, fighting disappointment. “If you would give me a few minutes, I would go grab my purse and be right out.”
The ballroom was already crowded when I arrived. Pack members turned to bow or curtsy as I passed, their eyes following me with a mixture of curiosity and respect. I smiled politely, acknowledging their deference while scanning the room for any sign of Kaius or
Frost.
Neither was present.
I made my way to the raised dais where two ornate thrones waited–symbols of our shared authority. Taking my seat alone felt wrong somehow, too formal and isolating. But Frost had been teaching me about royal protocol, and I knew my absence would be noted and gossiped about. So I settled into the larger of the two thrones, trying to project the confidence I didn’t feel.
An hour passed. Then two. The mating dance had begun, young wolves seeking potential partners circling each other in the ancient ritual. Normally, I would have found it fascinating–the careful courtship, the subtle signals, the moment when compatible wolves recognized something in each other that transcended conscious choice. Tonight, however, each moment dragged painfully as I sat alone, increasingly conscious of the whispers and glances directed my way.
Where are you, Kaius?
Finally, just as I was considering a discreet departure, the grand doors opened. Kaius strode in, his commanding presence causing conversations to falter and heads to turn. He wore formal black attire, the silver crown of the Alpha King gleaming against his dark hair. Frost followed close behind, his ice–blue eyes scanning the room with practiced vigilance.
Relief washed through me, quickly followed by irritation. Three hours late, with no message, no explanation.
Kaius made his way directly to the dais, his amber eyes finding mine as he ascended the ‘steps. He seated himself beside me with casual grace, as if his tardiness were of no consequence.
“Are you mad at me?” he asked quietly, his voice pitched for my ears alone.
1/3
Chapter 154
“No, why should I be?” I replied, keeping my own tone neutral.
“I don’t know; you’ve not said a thing to me.”
“Maybe that’s because I am not in the mood to talk.”
A slight smile curved his lips. “You are always in the mood to talk, Elwen.”
“Maybe that mood faded away after waiting hours for you to come…I couldn’t keep the hurt from my voice any longer. “You left me here all by myself, with this many people.”
“I’m sorry, I was busy.” The apology seemed sincere, though frustratingly vague.
“Frost was busy too?”
“Yes, he was.”
“You should have told me earlier. I would have never showed up.” I turned slightly away from him, watching the dancers below.
Kaius studied me for a moment, his amber eyes seeing more than I was comfortable revealing. “Elowen… I don’t think this is the only thing bothering you.”
“Is not, is just… I hesitated, feeling foolish for my insecurity.
“It’s just, what?”
“Today makes it six months,” I admitted, unable to meet his gaze.
Understanding dawned in his eyes. “So you thought I was… what? Trying to avoid you or trying to end things according to the contract which have been ‘voided‘?”
“I’m sorry, but I shouldn’t be the one apologizing,” I countered. “You left me here all alone because you were on something more important than me.”
“Nothing is more important than you, Elowen.” The sincerity in his voice made my heart skip.
“So what was this issue you were trying to solve?”
“It’s Thalia.”
I couldn’t suppress a flash of jealousy. “Oh, come on, the ancient lover again?
“I dispatched Thalia to neutralize the final Elder,” he stated, his voice dangerously low, each word clipped. “Her return is significantly overdue. I expected her success, not silence.”
“Oh? Silence?” I countered. “Or perhaps she simply failed? Perhaps she’s lying quite still somewhere, quite dead. A distinct possibility.”
“Elowen, I do not give a damn if she still lives,” Kaius replied, his voice hardening. “But if she is indeed dead, that means Soren is still alive out there; he would remain a threat to our pack. We can’t be caught off guard like last time.”
Then remembered the Elder from my nightmare – the one who had come so close to killing Kaius. A cold dread gripped me as the nightmare bled into reality; the terrifying thought that he could actually try it struck me hard, chasing away any other feeling.
‘I’m sorry, Kaius; I don’t know what got into my mind.”
2/3
Chapter 154
“I shouldn’t have kept you waiting, I apologize,” he said, reaching for my hand.
“What do you think happened to Thalia?” I asked, genuinely concerned now.
“I actually think she is dead or very close to that.” His expression grow troubled. She was spotted by one of my spies a few days ago; she should have been back now; if she is not, then she is most kely dead.”
“After what she did to the rest of the elders, they would hate her to death, but they were aware that she betrayed them, right?”
“Soren knows that.”
Chapter Comments
POST COMMENT NOW
LIKE
