CHAPTER 95: THE DEBUTANT BALL [PART 2]

I eyed the gallery at the top.

"Is that the princess?" I asked, keeping my eyes on a young woman, but I couldn’t see her face because her hand fan covered most of it.

I could tell she was because of the number of companies she had behind her. And her appearance outshone everyone I have seen tonight; there was this air of magnificence that clung to her, similar to the Dowager’s.

"Oh, yes, the lovely Royal Princess Diana Balthar."

Just a glimpse, and I could see the thick makeup she had on, making her eyes sharper with a quiet command. I was curious to see the rest of her, silently wishing she would drop her fan, but she rose to her feet and walked away, her company following behind her.

I wish I could go to her. It’s been a while since I last saw her, although Dia had mentioned that even though the Princess was now out of society, she was still under wraps. Maybe the life of confinement has made her alien to such events.

I leveled my gaze back to the crowd, scanning the entire place until I spotted Drevon, but I could only see him briefly. The idea of procrastinating suddenly went out the window.

I shifted away from where I was and walked to him like there was an invisible string pulling me to him. A smile curled on my lips when I could finally see him clearly. However, that smile faded when I saw Sloane with him.

Didn’t he banish her from the castle grounds?

Sloane had a sad expression on her face as she talked with him. Drevon just listened, not giving much response, his eyes swiftly passing the crowd until it settled on me.

An emotion that wasn’t there before flickered in his eyes, but then, like a snap of a finger, they turned stone cold, going lifeless, and shiver shot up my spine.

"I’m glad you made it."

I felt a hand on my waist, along with an all too familiar feeling. I froze and didn’t turn to find out who it was.

Damon pulled me to his body and leaned down to my ear, his lips caressing the spot as he whispered. "I’ve been expecting you."

One minute, Damon had his lips to my ear, and the next, a body shielded me away from him.

Drevon.

"Easy now, brother, don’t want to ruin my celebration," Damon said with a smirk on his lips, even though Drevon had seized his throat in a tight hold.

The music stopped, and the once loud occasion turned into deadly silence. No one dared breathe loudly or murmur any word.

"See? ruined." Damon’s eyes flickered to mine. "I’m glad the dress is to your liking."

Horror gripped my bones.

"Doesn’t she look great in that, brother?"

Blood followed, and I shrieked. It spilled on the ground like a whole bucket of it had smeared the floor.

Damon held what remained of his throat, choking through his blood, but the most unsettling was that he smiled through it.

I moved my trembling eyes to Drevon’s bloody hand holding what I assumed was flesh; his nails had sharpened, and they were black and grotesque.

I flinched when he discarded it somewhere, leaving behind a mess.

"Touch my wife again, and I’ll rip you to uncountable pieces."

A chill shot up my spine at Drevon’s icy tone, which was almost unrecognizable. Just to be sure, I moved my trembling eyes to him, and I gasped.

Even though his back was to me, the air around him was lethal; it wasn’t just that, but how much it affected me and rendered me paralyzed where I was.

Damon straightened his back, blood pumping from his throat, yet he didn’t seem to mind. I heard a wet, squelching sound, his throat healing, but that was an understatement, I think it regenerated, because the missing flesh was back, the only evidence was the blood.

"I do accept your welcome, brother. With less blood, though." He moved his eyes to me and grinned, the blood smearing his mouth, which only made him look like the nightmares that tormented me as a child.

Suddenly, Ravyn was behind him, hand grasping the back of his head to keep him in place.

Damon eyed her from the corner of his eye. "What do you think you’re doing?"

"You’re hostile toward the princess. I’m acting only on instinct," Ravyn replied coolly.

"Are you aware you hold your Prince in such an unsightly manner? I could have your head for that."

"And I can have yours for putting the princess in harm’s way."

"Enough!" Drevon commanded, the pressure rolling over him, tightening the air.

"This ball would have ended far more boring if blood hadn’t been spilled." He pulled away from Ravyn.

I felt sick to the stomach. My pulse was racing, and I could hear it thumping in my ears. This was suddenly not a casual Royal Ball, but an arena of predators.

"I earned something this night at my Debutant Ball. My brother is angry—"

"Ravyn, escort my wife back to our chambers. There is no need for her to see any more of this nonsense."

Ravyn walked to me, placing a hand at the small of my back, and led me away.

~•~

"Your Grace!" Osha hurried to me and checked me. "Why is there blood on you?"

"It’s not hers," Ravyn replied, sitting on the chair, with her legs up on the table.

"W-What happened?" Osha asked with worry in her tone, sitting me down.

"That gift? It wasn’t from the Alpha. It’s from the Prince."

"W-What? That—" Osha paused, her body shaking. "I didn’t know, I thought—"

"There was no way you could have known. The bastard wrote in the Alpha’s handwriting."

"Y-Your Grace, I’m sorry, I had no idea."

"Osha."

"This is my fault!"

"Osha!"

She moved her gaze to Ravyn.

"Now is not the time for that; the princess is in shock."

Osha grabbed my cold hands. "Your Grace?" she said softly.

"Go run the bath. A warm one," Ravyn instructed as she came closer.

Osha hesitated, not wanting to leave me, but she eventually rose to her feet and went to do as she was told.

"Princess?"

"Burn it."

"What?"

"When I take the gown off, burn it."