“I am. Really.”
“Good,” he said, his grin returning. “I hoped you’d like this. Especially with what’s to come.”
The music, the finery, the people… It was a bit surreal.
This was what my life should’ve been. Though, it wouldn’t have been happening in enemy territory. I’d have been going to balls, concerts, parties, and other things in wolf society. At least, that’s how it would have been if I could actually shift. Though, if I could shift, I’d never have ended up here in the first place. I might never have met Aurelius. Maybe, if I’d been very lucky, I would’ve spotted him from afar at one of these yearly galas, but other than that? Not in a million years.
As if summoned by my thoughts, Aurelius appeared at his father’s side and tapped his shoulder.
“Sorry, Dad. I need to take my date back,” he said as the music transitioned to what sounded like a big band rendition of Lionel Richie’s
All Night Long.
“Of course,” Cassius said, bowing his head. “Thank you for indulging an old man, Brielle. You made me feel a century younger.”
I patted his chest lightly. “You don’t look a day over a hundred.”
The king put a hand to his chest. “Flattery will get you everywhere, my dear.”
Aurelius and I watched as the king made his way back to his throne, grabbing a glass of champagne as he went.
“Are you ready?” Aurelius asked, pulling me back to the dance floor.
“For what?” I asked dumbly.
Chuckling, he shook his head and gestured to the room. “Addressing the crowd. We’ve decided it should happen after this song.”
Fear and anxiety snapped to life within me, like an animal biting the inside of my stomach.
“So soon?” I said, licking my lips nervously.
“It has to be,” he said, dropping his voice. “Some of the wolves are starting to get more curious. Look.”
I glanced around the room. Dozens of eyes were locked on me as Aurelius swirled me around the dance floor. Mostly wolf eyes.
They were muttering among themselves and pointing at me. Word had spread that the crown prince had a wolf as his escort, and none of them knew me. Soon, even with the hair, makeup, and dress, they would recognize me. Even with the fifty pounds I’d shed since my youth, my disguise wouldn’t hold, and then word would spread to my family. If nothing else, they’d catch and recognize the familiar scent of a Laurent. No, this had to be done on my terms. It had to make a splash. We couldn’t give them time to come up with some story or excuse.
Nodding hesitantly, I looked up at Aurelius. “Okay. Sure. Let’s do this.”
He grinned at me and winked. “Good girl.”
Oh my.
I like it when he says that.
“Let’s get up on the dais before the song ends,” Aurelius said. “That way you can be ready.”
Taking my hand, he led me up the steps to stand beside the king. Cassius gave Aurelius a questioning look, and some unspoken conversation passed between father and son. Aurelius nodded once, and the king stood as the song reached its end.
“My dear friends,” he called out, and the crowd silenced, all eyes turning to the king. “I promise you, we will return to the festivities, but first, an announcement must be made.”
He swept a hand in my direction and locked eyes with me. “My lady?”
Taking a shuddering breath, I squeezed Aurelius’s hand one last time, then stepped forward. All the eyes on me made my skin crawl, and my anxiety threatened to overwhelm me. It didn’t help that I’d finally spotted my family moving through the crowd. Bastien, his dark hair slicked back, his widow’s peak like a sharp blade pointing to the frowning and irritated face below. My heart shuddered in my chest at the sight of my parents.
My mother and father, aloof and seemingly unconcerned, gazed up at me. As if a fist had taken hold of my stomach, and jerked on it, nausea rose up my throat at seeing their faces after so long. I saw the flicker of recognition in my mother’s eyes, then my father’s. The two broke into a furious whispered conversation. I didn’t see Freddy anywhere. Unfortunate. He might hate me too, but he’d never acted that way when we were kids. He was one of the only people who’d treated me kindly after I’d proven unable to shift.
My mother was pushing through the crowd, trying to get to Bastien. I had to get on with it.
“Good evening, everyone,” I said, proud that my voice didn’t quaver a bit. “I know that the last few weeks have been difficult. There have been hostilities between our peoples, and all that stems from the allegations the Laurent family has leveled against House Decimus. They’ve accused them of the willful murder of Brielle Laurent. Well, I am here to assure you that those claims are false.
I am Brielle Marie Laurent, and I am alive and well. Not only that, but the?-“
“Lies!” Bastien shouted.
The crowd parted around him, giving him room. Mom stood beside him, hissing into his ear as he pointed at me, a look of outrage on his reddening face. My younger brother had always been a brat, and it seemed that hadn’t changed over the years. He looked like a child who’d been given a gift he didn’t like and was demanding it be taken back and something nicer brought forth instead.
“You are a liar,” he repeated, taking a step toward the dais.
A murmur of unease rippled through the crowd, and more than a few people glanced around worriedly. The fae in attendance made a show of backing up, moving toward the walls away from the shifters. All but the Hikshil tribe, who were watching with rapt interest.
“I am not, Bastien,” I said. “Look at me. I’m your sister.”
Bastien grinned maliciously, taking another step forward. The king’s bodyguards moved together, blocking his approach should he decide to rush the stage.
“My sister is dead. Murdered by these filthy fucking dragons,” he said, nearly shouting through gritted teeth.
An outraged burst of words erupted from the crowd. Angry dragon shifters shuffled forward, calling out, making their fury known, but the king raised a hand and silenced his people.
“I am not dead,” I said, already growing tired of this charade. “Do I look dead to you?” I pointed to the creepy uncle I’d seen earlier. “Humbert? Am I not your niece?”
My uncle withered on himself as hundreds of eyes turned toward him, his cheeks grew red.
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