Chapter 30

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.