Natalia’s P. O. V

I stared myself down in the mirror, searching furiously for any imperfections. My eyes bored into my reflection long and hard, and the girl in the mirror did the same, her glowing brown eyes digging back into me.

At a knock at my door, I started, pulling my eyes away from myself.

“Come in.” I called, smoothing my already smooth dress with gloved hands.

Hailey walked in, wearing her own gown. It was a simple princess gown with long sleeves and a cold shoulder neckline, but the shimmering gold accents sprawling the dress from the hem of the skirt to the ends of her sleeves made it look simply divine. Her hair was piled atop her head in an almost messy updo that let her show off her elegant neckline and brilliant sun-shaped earrings.

She smiled when she saw me, a beam fitting of the endearment Timothy had given her: Sunshine.

“You look gorgeous, Ari! Every time I turn around, you get more beautiful.” She took a long, proud look at my dress, “I really outdid myself this time styling you.”

Outdid herself she had.

While her dress was a sweet princess dress, she’d dressed me to stun and kill. My dress was a figure-hugging mermaid dress with a train that trailed behind me by a few inches and a slit that went up to my thigh. Like hers, mine had accents that were condensed around the hem of my skirt and became sparser the higher they went, only mine were a brilliant ruby red. My dress was also off the shoulder, but without sleeves and with long opera gloves instead. I’d chosen to make my hair black, and it sat atop my head in a style identical to Hailey’s.

A blush crept up on my cheeks and I smiled, “Thank you, Hailey. You look absolutely radiant.”

Radiant was truly the word. She was beautiful on a good day but ever since she and Timothy had accepted each other as mates last week, you’d think they somehow swallowed the sun with the way they constantly radiated warmth and joy. Several pack members had joked about them being each others’ sun with the way they revolved around each other.

Her smile grew wider, “Thank you. Now come on, let’s go make your debut.”

“Okay.”

I spared one last glance at my reflection and followed her out, locking my door behind me.

As an Alpha, my assigned room had been separate from the others of my pack that decided to attend the Winter Mate Ball. Nine of us had come in total, the three girls sharing one large room and the four other guys split into two sharing rooms. As mates, only Timothy and Hailey had been allowed to share a room co-ed. Unfortunately, in a place full to the brim of Werewolves, many of which were searching for love, Kaesha had decided to stay back at the pack, keeping Kirstin company and taking leadership in our absence, and I’d seconded her decision.

I’d questioned Timothy’s decision to come, being that he was still on the Lightwood’s hit list. He’d argued that the one that had visited his pack was the Gamma, who was unlikely to attend the ball, according to Kirstin. Another point he’d presented was that killing was strictly forbidden on the Royal territory. I’d suspected that he had more unspoken reasons for attending that had less to do with our plans and more to do with Hailey, but I’d figured that even if he was somehow recognised, it’d only make them more eager to visit my pack so I allowed him, despite the risk.

Hailey informed me that the others had already joined the party as we emerged through the grand doors to the ball.

I’d never been to a Mate Ball before, but they were as grand as I would have imagined. Glistening chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, reflecting the golden light around the room. A live orchestra had taken up residence in a corner of the room, playing tones that you would most definitely hear in the background of a scene where the love interests of a movie finally reunite. There was a buffet lining one end of the ballroom, and a small cluster of tables for those that decided to do more eating than mingling.

I was taking it all in, till I realised that the eyes of most of those present were on the entrance.

On me.

My skin heated. I smothered the desire to scurry away from their eyes and held my expression as I followed Hailey down the stairs, my back straight in my descent.

As romantic as the scene was, I wasn’t here to find love.

How could I when they were here?

I’d smelled them days ago, long before as we’d approached the Palace. After over a year, I still knew every note of their scents. Their rancid smells had given me a perpetual dark cloud over my head and a sour taste in my mouth. Hailey had noticed after a few hours of my stony silence upon our arrival and had done her best so far to distract me.

But now, we were in the same room.

And it took every ounce of self-control not to rip into them right here and now.

My peripheral vision had caught them the moment Hailey and I emerged from the doors. Harry sipped a glass of enhanced wine in the corner, his arm slithering up and down Kylie’s waist as she whined into his ear about the earrings he’d gotten her not being real. Meanwhile, Brittany stared daggers at the back of the head of the man she’d been dancing with, who was now watching me descend the stairs.

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Then there was Callum.

He was off to a corner, watching me with more intensity than any other person in the room.

I ignored him.

I ignored them all.

As soon as my heeled foot touched the landing, there was a small crowd of men placing requests for a dance.

Unlike the Lightwood Pack, the Royal Werewolves still respected the supposed sanctity of the mate bond, especially when it came to Alphas. At these balls you were allowed to dance and interact with any Werewolf till you found your mate, unless you were an Alpha. Alphas could only dance with their Lunas, each other, or the Lunas of other packs as a way to discuss their alliances. Of course, rejected Alphas or ones with deceased mates were exempt from the restriction.

My choice of who to dance with needed to be calculated. As a rejected Alpha, I was in the green to dance with any man at the ball, but due to my status, I couldn’t just take the floor with anyone. Whoever I partnered with to the music needed to be at least a Beta if he wasn’t a member of my own pack.

The Alpha of the Claw Moon pack would have been my first pick, but he was mated and we’d agreed to keep our public interactions brief and cordial, to avoid scaring the Lightwood Pack out of targeting mine.

I scanned the crowd of outstretched hands for a suitable partner, then took one. He smiled, leading me to the dance floor, forcing the others to stay on the edge of the dance floor to take other partners in the hopes of catching me after the song ended.

Bertram Cawrling, better known as the Blue Alpha, regarded me with amused curiosity as we moved, “I’m honoured you chose me for your first dance, Alpha.”

Around us, people bristled and shared looks, obviously eavesdropping on our conversation.

I offered a polite smile, “The honour is all mine, Alpha Cawrling.”

“It seems your beauty blinded people to your status.”

I cocked my head, “Is that so?”

There had been a handful of female Alphas in history. Not so few that it was still a novelty, but few enough that you wouldn’t immediately expect one to be a woman. And as of this moment, to the best of my knowledge, I was the only one currently in power. I was sure my allure had a part to play in them overlooking the power in my scent, but the likely conclusion they’d drawn was that I was just Alpha-born, not one in my own right.

“I would say so.” He said as he twirled me.

I waited till we were facing each other again before I spoke, “You weren’t blinded, though. It would appear the rumours are true.”

He threw his head back in a hearty laugh.

According to the stories, his pack, the Moon Tail Pack, had been infiltrated by a Rogue Pack during his childhood. As young as ten years old, he’d sussed them out and struck before they could wreak havoc, single handedly butchering the three Rogues within their ranks and sending the blue eyes of one of them back to the Rogues. The general consensus was that he was a gifted wolf, but what his gift was, no one quite knew for sure. What we did know was that while small, their pack was notorious for keeping to themselves, steadfastly rejecting alliance requests over the years.

“Your pack is new,” He stated, “barely six months old, but you reportedly have at least fifteen allies already.”

I smirked, “Is this your way of offering an alliance?”

He laughed again, “Sadly, no. I’m just curious as to how such a young pack has managed to make so many friends.”

I shrugged, “I guess we just have the favour of La Luna.”

The song was nearing its end, and he twirled me again, “It would seem so.” He said, but his eyes told me he knew there was more to it than happenstance and blessings.

The song ended, and he bowed to my curtsy, “It was a pleasure meeting you, Alpha…?”

“Ari.” I said to him, and everyone listening, “Alpha Ari of the Vengar Sanguine Pack.”

Brittany, in the middle of her curtsy to her dance partner, stiffened, and from the look on her face, she was communicating, likely frantically, with the others through their mind link.

Hook, line, and sinker.

A scent caressed my senses, and my smirk froze. My temperature went up with the fluttering of my heart and I fought the urge to whip around.

He was here.

Slowly, I turned and came face to face with him, his hand outstretched for the next dance.

‘Handsome,’ was my first thought.

‘We’re matching,’ was my second.

He wore a black three-piece suit that he filled out well, with a red tie and pocket piece. I took him in, my confusion growing.

Seeing the look on my face, his lips quirked into a Cheshire grin, “So we meet again.”

“It would seem so…” I took his hand and let him guide me into a dance. We were silent in our movements, more questions buzzing around inside me with every passing second.

‘Why are you everywhere?’ I desperately wanted to ask.

He still had on those almost obnoxious shades, watching me with what I could tell was a mixture of amusement and enthrallment through them. He let me stew in my questions, knowing I couldn’t ask them with all the ears around and not bothering to offer a single answer.

Still, the silence with him wasn’t uncomfortable and we moved in tandem, almost like we were made for this. My movements flowed with his and I found myself wishing this moment of silent comfort would last for more than just the one song.

With the song nearing its end, he spun me out, then looped me back in, ending our dance with a dip so deep, I was nearly touching the floor. With one arm around my waist, he grazed my cheek with the softest of caresses, searching my eyes through those shades of his.

My breath caught.

Before I could register, he’d brought me back up, bowed to me and disappeared into the crowd, him and his scent disappearing just as suddenly as they’d appeared.

I was left blinking after him when another scent came up behind me.

Candy’s whine rang low in my head, clearing the fog the stranger had left my thoughts in.

I steeled my expression and turned, following the outstretched hand to meet Callum’s eyes.

“May I have this dance?”