“It’s okay!” she said, perky as ever. “I can still choose a mate. But that’s a whole different type of Mateball.” I nodded. “What happens then?”
Petyr gestured towards the dancefloor with a smug smirk. “If you look there, you’ll see how the Chosen mates court one another,” he said.
I looked over my shoulder and the first person I saw was Bella. Her long black signature ponytail was down that night. Her hair was woven into a loose braid on the bottom that fanned into curls around her face. She was twirling across the dance floor like a snowflake falling in winter: all graceful and elegant. At the end of her spin, she extended her arm. A masculine hand darted out from the crowd and accepted hers. She pulled the man attached to it out to the floor. His hand immediately went to her waist, lingering above her ass. When I saw the man, I gasped.
It was Valentin. My hand went to my mouth as I watched his other hand slide into hers. They spun around the dancefloor like a work of art. I couldn’t help the deep pang of jealousy that spurred in my chest. For all the touches that Valentin avoided, or the fiery connection the two of us felt, I never thought he’d go so far as to pick a chosen mate over me.
Don’t show how upset you are, my inner voice said. Don’t let them win. I chomped on my lower lip, inevitably messing up the red lip that Maja had put on me earlier in the day. I continued to watch Valentin and Bella twirl across the floor with a plethora of other couples. The others looked like they we’re in love, eyes locked and lips curled in smiles. Valentin looked neutral as ever. So much so, it was sending Bella into a scowl.
“Excuse me,” a voice ripped me out of my staring. “May I cut in?”
I turned towards the voice but I already knew who it was. Maximus stood behind me. He was wearing a dark blue suit that made his eyes pop against his skin. His hair was shirred short to his skull yet was darker than his suit. Petyr, Loren and Alessia had all turned towards him. “May I?” Maximus said. I glanced down and noticed his hand was extended.
“What?” I said softly.
“May I have this dance?” Maximus repeated.
I stared at the hand in front of me. I blinked twice before turning and looking at Loren and her sister. Alessia’s mouth was curved into a smirk, champagne glass pressed to her deep purple lips. Loren looked as shocked as I felt. She nudged me back towards Maximus.
I let my eyes linger on Alessia’s smirk for another second before looking back at Maximus. His hand was still outstretched. Half of me wanted to grab it and feel the flood of electricity surge through me. Half of me knew this was just another trick. My heart, however, demanded I look towards the dance floor. I turned back towards the room. The moonlight was starting to fill the whole dance circle. A clock was ticking in the back of my mind. But, none of that mattered because Valentin had stopped dancing. Bella was yelling in his ear but he was staring at me. Staring at me as I stared at Maximus’s outstretched hand. I jerked my gaze back to the situation playing out in front of me. Maximus’s eyes were still locked on me. Suddenly, everything became far too much.
“I’m sorry,” I croaked out, voice cracking. I pushed past Maximus and ran towards the bathroom. All the eyes in the room were on me as I ran. When I finally got to the bathroom, I locked the door behind me and sunk to the ground in a pile of green fabrics. The tears pricked my eyes immediately.
This was all too much. Every bit of it. From the new world I was thrown into to the new rules I was supposed to adhere to. Then there was this whole husband prospect that – actually – was a fucking mate. Then this with these gaggle of men who I had incredibly confusing feelings for. Some of which were weirdly reciprocated, others that were not. Then some which were a fucking joke apparently. Because all of the stuff above wasn’t enough.
I can’t win, I thought to myself.
But you can, my inner voice fought back. You are Princess Zora Luna of the Wolves. You are the daughter of the savior of the wolves. So act like it!
For once, I agreed with my inner voice. Hosting a pity party for myself was not going to solve all my problems. I stood up with a sniffle and looked at the mirror. Luckily enough, whatever Maja had sprayed on my face had glued the make up to it. Only a smudge of lipstick was missing. I used my thumb to smudge it back into place. Then I swiped away a stray tear and fussed with my hair.
When I stood up and took my full appearance into account. My inner voice was right. I was a fucking princess. I looked the part, so now it was time to play it. I smoothed out the front of my dress then pulled the door to the bathroom open.
I walked back out into the main room with my chin held high. I grabbed another glass of wine and shot half of it back down my throat. My other glass had been lost in the shock of it all. I took a deep breath and scanned the room. It looked like everyone was back into their own conversations. Maximus was still talking with Petyr across the room. Alessia and Loren were standing a bit away from them, talking to each other. Loren looked nervous. Alessia seemed unphased as per the rest of the day. I slugged the rest of the wine. A pleasant warm sensation washed over my body. I placed the empty glass down and walked a bit towards the dance floor. Then, a loud ring sounded through the room. Cheers erupted from the crowd. Everyone seemed to rush towards the dance floor. I was ushered in by some of the outside crowd. Then, the lights went out.
Oh God. It was happening. Moonlight streamed in through the window above the dance floor as the moon reached the apex of the sky. Instead of the moonlight illuminating the room, it made everything darker. I gasped as my vision went despite my eyes being open. I then remember what Loren had said regarding letting my body take control. I let my eyes fluttered shut. I took a deep breath in and tuned into the sounds around me. There was the crackle of conversation and an occasional cheer but beneath that, there was something more. There it was again.
Lub dub, lub dub, lub-dub…
I took a tentative step towards the noise. Then, I felt this slow hum building in the back of the beating. My heart stuttered a bit. Petyr hadn’t mentioned hearing both the sounds. I continued to take another step. Then, I felt a pull on my dress.
My eyes flew open. I was still blinded by the darkness. I stepped away again and heard the crushing tear of fabric. I gasped and tried to pull on the fabric beneath me. I felt someone stutter at my feet. I kicked out to try and dislodge them from the skirt of my dress but missed.
I heard a light snicker. Someone was trying to sabotage me. They were trying to ruin Pietha’s dress and embarrass me as I was in the chaos of trying to find my fated mate. I yanked at my skirt again. “Quickly!” I heard whispered by my feet. I kicked out again and made contact. Someone “oof”ed behind me and stumbled to the floor. I gathered my skirts in my hands and darted away. Miraculously, I managed to not run into anyone. I let my instincts take over as I ran from my attackers.
Then, my vision slowly returned. However, the only thing I could see was someone glowing in the moonlight. I couldn’t make out their face but I could tell their suit and hair were lighter. Their skin was a tanned and darker than both their suit and their hair. I squinted and walked towards them. Slowly, they became clearer and clearer in the glow of the moonlight. I felt this deep pull towards whomever this person was. Their form became masculine and slowly but surely, a pair of gold eyes started glowing out of the moonlight.
I reached for the person, body, mind and heart were aching to touch this person. I let my hands touch his and felt the electricity melt over my bones. Every part of my body was on fire and suddenly, all of the room came back to me. Standing in front of me, was Thorne Blythwitch.
“Oh,” I breathed. I had no clue how much he knew about me. Did he know who I was? Who my mother was? Was this about to be the way my secret got out?
“No,” he shook his head. His gaze snapped from mine. “No, no, this isn’t how it was supposed to be.”
“Thorne – ” I reached for him. He stepped back out of my reach. I felt the panic in his eyes seep through my bones. Something was begging for me to touch him. I needed it more than I needed air at that point. But he stepped away from me. My chest felt like a weight was placed on it.
“No,” he repeated, still shaking his head in disbelief. “I – I can’t.”
“What?” My voice came out as barely a whisper. I felt the crushing reality of the situation driving me into the ground.
“I’m supposed to be the available for the Princess,” he said, eyes darting back and forth on the floor. “I – It’s my duty.”
“Duty?” I said. “Thorne, please, I -“
I felt pathetic, begging for him like that. But there was a driving need burning me up from the inside out. My whole body was twitching with the need to just touch him. I’d never felt like this before. Thorne shook his head again.
“No,” he said firmly. “I am a Knight of Queen Luna. I must be able to fulfill my duty. I refuse the bond.”
I felt like I’d been shot in the chest. I crumbled to the ground in pain. The burning and need that was once in my bones was replaced by an ice so cold and a pain so white. I cried out and dug my nails into my chest. I felt hands come to my shoulders. They did nothing to ease the pain I felt.
“You have to reject it too,” someone said. Valentin. How was he here right now? I cried out again, the icy cold reaching my finger tips and feeling them shake in my lap. The pain was so strong, my vision went out. I felt another scream force its way out of my throat.
“I can’t!” I choked out through gasps. “You must,” Valentin said sternly. “If you don’t it will consume you whole.”
“I – I -” my body felt like it was exploding from the inside out.
“You must try, Zora!” Valentin’s voice was becoming frantic. He shook me once. I felt my brain beginning to freeze over in my head. I started to feel faint. I let my body fall slightly. Slowly, darkness was overcoming my body. I felt my consciousness beginning to slip. I accepted that this was it for me. As the peace overcame me, I gave up.
Then, there was only fire.
All the ice in my body turned to flames. The blood in my veins exploded into flames and licked every surface that was previously frozen over. I lifted my head from Valentin’s lap. I screamed as if fire was about to explode from my lungs. I felt a warmth woosh down my arms and legs. There was a crack then a shudder then I felt my bones shifting.
My plams splayed out on the floor of the dance floor. Then my fingers snapped and shaped themselves into a new form. My toes snapped out of the heels I was in and shaped and shimmied themselves as well. All the while, fire licked over my body in every which way. I feel a bark build in my chest and explode in my ears. Then I shook. I felt the fur coating my skin and I felt the burning subside in my bones. I had awakened my wolf.
I looked towards Valentin. His white-gold eyes were wide in wonder. “Zora,” he breathed. “Sever the bond.”
I knitted my eyebrows together but then, I felt it. It was a shimmering gold thread that felt like it tied me to Thorne. He had backed away from the whole situation and was standing across the floor. I furrowed my brows and visualized a pair scissors they bracketed the gold thread and then –
Snip!
All the ice was gone. The fire returned to a dull hum in my limbs. An exhaustion swept over my body. I felt my front elbows hit the floor then the underbelly of my wolf body slumped with it. I whined, low and sad. Then, I felt the fur shrink back into my skin. My paws slunk back into fingers and toes. I blinked and my vision shifted back to the one I’d know. The cold floor chilled my skin and raised goosebumps on my human skin.
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