CHAPTER 38: GLITTERING SILVER

"You’ll know everything you need to know later," Raye said for what must have been the tenth time, her small face scrunching with subtle impatience.

"Now go in the bath tub and have a proper bath."

I stopped myself from asking again.

There was no point since she wouldn’t answer, and truthfully, I didn’t have the strength to argue anymore.

Besides, Raye didn’t look dangerous. Her frame was small, almost childlike, and though her voice carried a sort of chirpy authority, it wasn’t sharp with cruelty.

She hadn’t once raised her hand or her tone at me since I woke up here.

So I obeyed.

The tub was wide, carved smooth from stone, filled with steaming water that smelled faintly of lavender.

When I sank into it, heat spread across my sore limbs, seeping into my bones. I hadn’t realized how badly I’d needed it until that moment. The river’s cold still clung to me, a memory that made me shiver even in warmth, but the ache in my muscles began to loosen.

For a short while, I allowed myself to close my eyes, to let the steam rise over me.

When I was done, I found a robe folded neatly on a stool beside the tub. White, simple, soft against my skin.

I slipped into it, wringing the dampness from my hair with a towel before stepping out of the bathroom.

And froze.

The room wasn’t empty anymore.

Three women stood there, all in matching black dresses trimmed with white lace, their hands full with what they carried.

Draped across their arms were three gowns—each more dazzling than the last. Rich silks and shimmering embroidery caught the light, glittering like spilled stars.

In front of them stood Raye, arms crossed, her brows furrowed in deep thought as though picking which was the best once was the hardest choice she’d make in her life.

"What is this?" I asked, still clutching the towel.

Raye turned, her expression brightening instantly.

"Gowns!" she said, as if the word explained everything. She grabbed my hand and pulled me closer. "Which one will you wear?"

I blinked at the array. Deep blue velvet. Silver silk. Crimson satin.

All of them looked like something I would wear back when I was still the respected Beta’s daughter.

"I don’t think I need—"

"Of course you need one!" Raye interrupted, stamping her tiny foot on the carpet.

My confusion only grew. "But for what?"

Her eyes went wide, almost scandalized. "Because we are attending a party!"

A party? My mind stuttered.

A party after nearly drowning in a river? After almost being burned alive by Finn’s fire? After losing my mother?

The absurdity of it made my stomach churn. Where was I that people dressed me in silver gowns for partiy instead of asking who I was or why I’d fallen half-dead into their lands?

Unless, of course, if they already knew.

"You will meet my master in the party," Raye explained.

"The one who saved you." She lowered her voice, leaning in. "He’s pretty important and very, uh, you know, fond of glittery and beautiful things. So you should be prepared to face him."

Her master.

The one who saved me.

My breath hitched.

Could it be... the black wolf? The massive creature whose crimson eyes burned through the shadows? The one who told me to jump?

I swallowed, unsure what to feel. Relief? Fear? Gratitude? None of it sat comfortably in my chest. Even if Finn’s hands couldn’t reach me here, safety was not the same as peace.

"I’ll wear anything," I muttered, unable to muster more.

Raye huffed, rolling her eyes so dramatically I almost laughed despite myself. "Fine, I’ll pick for you!"

Her hand shot out with surprising decisiveness, plucking the silver gown from one of the servants. "This one. Perfect."

I didn’t protest when she tugged me toward the chair by the vanity.

The robe was peeled away, replaced by the cool, heavy fabric of the gown. It slid over my body, hugging close at the waist before flaring just enough to brush the floor.

The neckline left my shoulders bare, delicate lace falling in streams down my arms like ribbons of moonlight.

When I caught sight of myself in the mirror, I hardly recognized the woman staring back.

The silver brought out the flecks of gold in my hazel eyes, softening the exhaustion that still lingered on my face.

I touched the fabric against my skin. It fit too well. Almost as if it had been made for me.

Raye’s hands went to my hair. She worked with an eagerness that startled me, weaving and pinning with quick precision.

My long, ebony-black strands, damp but tamed, twisted into elegant shapes under her fingers. Silver pins and trinkets followed, catching the light like frost.

She hummed a little tune while she worked, her face scrunched in concentration.

"Do you think she’s planning to make me an offering? A sacrificial lamb or something?" I asked Leika in the privacy of my mind, my voice edged with dry humor though my chest was tight.

"Maybe," Leika answered, her tone wry. "But she looks too sweet to be plotting anything like that."

"Where do you think we are?"

"I haven’t been anywhere you haven’t gone, Vien. I slept for three years. I don’t know more than you do."

"Maybe a nearby pack?"

"Maybe. But none I’ve ever scented."

"Done!" Raye squealed, breaking into my thoughts.

I blinked at the mirror.

My ebony black hair, usually left plain and heavy, now shone with soft waves, half tied and adorned with silver pins shaped like crescent moons.

Strands framed my face, making me look... different. Softer somehow.

"You look so beautiful, Vivien!" Raye clasped her hands together, bouncing on her toes. "You are ready."

Her enthusiasm was disarming. For a moment, I almost believed her.

But I was anything but ready. Deep in my chest, unease coiled.

I didn’t know this place. I didn’t know this master she wanted me to meet.

Still, I stood, the silver gown flowing around my legs, and let her guide me toward whatever waited next.