CHAPTER 288: CELEBRATION IV

This was my last night at the pack, and the night where all festivities reached their highest height.

The splendor was unlike anything from the days before. We were in the largest pack hall, located in the eastern wing of the king’s palace, and it was a masterpiece of overwhelming taste.

Was this necessary to celebrate the goddess too? I wondered, looking around the hall for the umpteenth time.

The hall was too much in every possible way—tastefully furnished, yes, but perhaps excessively so.

Long chandeliers hung from the arched ceiling, dripping with hundreds of crystals that refracted the golden glow of enchanted lanterns.

Each wall was adorned with heavy drapes of deep crimson velvet embroidered with threads of silver that caught the light whenever anyone walked past.

On the far end, just behind the high platform reserved for the royal family, a mural of the moon goddess dominated the entire wall—her hands spread in blessing, silver paint catching the flicker of flame from dozens of sconces.

The floor beneath my squeaky shoes was polished marble, veined with streaks of gold, smooth enough to catch faint reflections of everyone moving. Round banquet tables lined the sides of the hall, their surfaces overflowing with silver platters of roasted meats, pastries, fruits stacked like pyramids, and crystal goblets brimming with crimson wine.

Incense, faint but persistent, drifted through the air in delicate spirals, its fragrance floral and spicy at once.

Too much, you see? Why bring an incense that made me sniff more than necessary to a night party? To make the people drunk on the celebration?

Everywhere I turned, the people themselves were a sight. Tonight, they were dressed in robes styled after ancient tradition—flowing tunics and gowns that shimmered with metallic threads, leather belts embossed with wolf insignias, and circlets of bronze or silver resting lightly on foreheads.

Women wore their hair in elaborate braids decorated with beads of moonstone, while the men tied theirs back with strips of colored cloth. When they moved, it was as if the past had stepped out of the history scrolls and walked alive among us.

Was the Lycan king and the queen Aliana in some secret competition over who would spend the most money, who could be more extravagant? I sighed and shook my head at the ridiculous thought.

"Are you still feeling headaches?" Diana’s voice cut through my thoughts.

She must have assumed my sigh came from pain. Truthfully, there was nothing wrong—only a sort of weariness with the relentless decorations that assailed my senses.

The pack doctor had done a good job, after all. The medicinal incense he had kept burning at my bedside yesterday had helped immensely against the headaches that had once come in waves so blinding they left me dizzy.

"Yes, I’m okay," I answered, tilting my head toward her. "Just thinking that these decorations are too much. Have you seen Adam?"

Apart from the incense, Adam himself had been stuck to my side all day. He only left to fetch something or to bathe.

He had even eaten in my room, ignoring Diana’s mounting frustration with his presence. Her sharp remarks hadn’t been enough to chase him away, not even once.

"I don’t think he’s here yet," she said, glancing around. "He’ll probably come in with his brothers and his parents."

Of course.

Diana lowered her voice, and I felt the faint veil of her magic ripple in the air as she cloaked our words. "Do you still think he’s behind the attack on you... he and his brothers?"

I swallowed. The question still pricked me, even now.

"I’m not sure. Even Malek said I shouldn’t jump to conclusions, that things don’t usually appear as they seem."

"She may be right. I haven’t detected any malevolent energy around Adam—or his brothers, for that matter." Diana’s eyes flicked toward the grand entrance doors as though she half-expected them to appear at any second.

"Yes, they might have bullied you in the past, and no one expects you to forgive them quickly. But killing you? Abandoning you? No... I don’t think they did it."

"But what other explanation is there for what happened?" I whispered.

"Magic."

The word slipped from her lips like a secret, and her eyes widened. My own widened in turn. For a moment we stared at each other, both surprised, both astounded, that neither of us had considered this possibility sooner.

"But this is a werewolf kingdom," I said, still whispering, though Diana’s veil held. "Not magic. Who would have been behind it? There are no witches or wizards here—"

Some people nearby noticed our mouths moving but not our words. They frowned and shifted away as if we were plotting something dark and sinister.

"I think that’s exactly our job to find out," Diana said finally, her voice calm but certain. "That’s what Malek meant when she hinted we dig deeper."

I smoothed invisible creases on the gown that had been delivered to my room only hours ago, my palms sweaty. "If you’re right, then I’ve been foolish in—"

Diana lifted her hand sharply. "Don’t do that. After all, they deserved whatever they got from you for bullying you just because you lacked a wolf gene. Their stupidity blinded them. They never even thought to ask the priest to check your inner self for another gift."

I pressed my lips together. "I don’t think that would’ve helped. They might have exiled me for having magic... or worse, killed me."

Diana arched a brow. "Killed you? No. Exile maybe. But death? That’s a far reach, Maya."

I shrugged faintly. "So... how do we get the truth?"

Before she could respond, a trumpet sounded. Loud and shrill.

Diana snorted softly. "Oh, really? That’s too ancient."

I couldn’t help agreeing. Yet all around us, people in the ballroom shifted with reverent awe. Heads turned, whispers stilled, and all eyes fastened to the glowing doors of the private entrance.

The royal family emerged.

The king stepped out first, draped in heavy royal regalia. A robe of deep indigo swept the floor behind him, trimmed with silver embroidery that shimmered like moonlight on water. A mantle of wolf fur hung across his broad shoulders, and a circlet of black steel rested upon his head.

Way too much.

At his side, the queen walked, radiant in a gown of emerald silk that caught every glimmer of light. Pearls hung like dew along her braided hair, and an emerald stone gleamed at her throat.

Behind them came their sons, each dressed with deliberate splendor. Their tunics gleamed in hues of gold, silver, and black, fitted with belts bearing the crest of the royal pack. Even their boots shone as if freshly polished for this very night.

Together they moved as one, a unit that spoke of power and lineage, of strength bound in blood.

The crowd bowed slightly as they passed. I didn’t. Then I noticed Claire’s eyes flash when she caught sight of me, her lips moving in what looked like a curse. I ignored her.

The royal family mounted the platform. The king took the throne at the center—the largest, tallest, carved with wolves snarling into the heavens. To his right, the queen settled gracefully. His sons arrayed themselves in order on either side, stiff-backed and solemn.

The king rose again. His booming voice filled the hall. "Good evening, everyone!"

The crowd echoed back the greeting, heads lowered.

"Dora, please come to the platform..." He spoke next, startling me. "With your sister. Come stay with the council. You are our esteemed guest."

He glared at his beta then, and I realized that he had instructed the fellow to do this before the commencement of the party.

I held back a scoff, as the fellow glared at me.

"Let’s go." I told Diana.

There were murmurs and whatnots, but I wasn’t bothered, not even when the elders were hesitant to share their space with us.

When the king was sure we were settled, he returned his attention to the crowd.

He spread his arms wide. "Tonight, we gather not just to feast and make merry, but to honor tradition, to give thanks to the moon goddess who watches over us. These celebrations of the past days would not have been possible without your strength, your unity, your loyalty to the pack. You have shown once again that we are not just a kingdom of wolves—we are a family, bound by blood and by spirit."

A murmur of approval ran through the hall. I felt it vibrate beneath my shoes.

The king lifted his chin, his eyes glinting beneath the chandelier light. "To our guests who have come from near and far, we thank you. To our elders, who have preserved our ways through generations, we honor you. To the goddess, we lift our hearts in praise. May she shield us in the nights to come, may she keep our borders safe, may she grant us victory against every enemy that dares to test our strength."

He paused, then closed his eyes briefly in a short prayer. "O moon goddess, keeper of the night, light in the darkness, watch over us. May our claws never dull, may our teeth never break, may our bonds never shatter. Keep this kingdom strong, now and forever."

The crowd bent their heads in agreement.

This time, Diana and I followed the crowd.

When I lifted my gaze, Adam was staring at me. He sat beside his mother, his expression unreadable—until he winked.

I raised a brow, and he smirked.

Heat crept to my cheeks, and I quickly looked away, forcing myself to focus on the king’s voice.