Chapter 4 - The King's New Queen

All around us, Alphas and their Lunas raise their goblets, cheering. I stand stone-faced, staring out at all of them as the King holds me close to his side, an arm around my waist. No one mentions the rips and dirt stains at the hem and back of my dress, or comments on my shocked pallor.

They ascribe both, I assume, to the passion of the King – after all, we wolves are not prudes – and the shock of being chosen as his new Luna, the future Queen.

The King takes a swig of wine from the goblet in his hand, looking down at me.

“Drink, wife!” he demands with a laugh, his voice booming. I look up at him and do as I’m told, bringing my own goblet to my lips and taking a sip of the rich red liquid. The King takes a step away from me as I drink – just a step – distracted by one of his favorite courtiers. The wine is delicious, but I barely notice it as I look anxiously out into the crowd, hoping to spy my sister – even my mother –

But suddenly, I feel my face pale as a tall figure walks towards me.

Him.

He comes forward slowly, his eyes sliding over me with curiosity. Though he’s not nearly as well-muscled as his father, Prince Auden checks every box that a powerful Alpha of noble blood should. Auden is, in so many ways, the cultivated counterpoint to his father’s barbarity. Mahl is a rough and turbulent storm, bowling over anything in his path. But Auden is the lightning that chases through that storm: blazing, but precise. 

You can see it in every deliberate step he takes toward me, his dark blue gaze sweeping over my form, reading on me the details of my life, my identity - as if my skin is a manuscript. As I watch him come closer, I am newly aware of the fact that Auden is just as commanding as his father – and as handsome, though the cruel lines of Mahl’s face are softened in his son’s, perhaps by the influence of his mother, Mahl’s first queen.

Or, perhaps it’s because Auden wills his face to appear that way, a cool mask beneath which he hides his fire. 

I feel the breath leave my lungs completely as I watch Auden slowly walk towards me, my mouth falling open in despair as I meet Auden’s gaze and wait for him to ruin my life.

“Well then,” Auden says as he approaches me and offers his hand, his tone dry. “Should I call you mother? Or do you prefer Celestial Queen?”

I snap my mouth shut, staring at him. What!?

I continue to stand stock still, looking unblinking at Auden and coming up just…completely empty regarding an answer to that question. The seconds lengthen between us as I wait for him to give up the pretense – to grab and shake me, asking me what the hell I think I’m doing here, engaged to his father.

Auden waits quietly for me to take his hand, but I just stare at him, baffled. Slowly, intuiting that something is wrong, Auden lets his hand drift back to his side.

“Auden,” I hear myself say, taking a step closer to him and lowering my voice, even though the room is loud enough that it’s not likely anyone will hear. “Auden, we’ve met.”

He blinks at me, surprised. “What?” His brows knit together.

And then my mouth drops clear open again as I realize that…he doesn’t remember me. Not at all. That the spell worked far better than I ever anticipated it would. Not only does he not remember meeting me the evening of Angeline’s masquerade, he doesn’t remember me. At all.

And I burst out with a little hysterical laugh, not believing my luck.

Auden frowns as he watches the laughter continue to spill out of me, clearly displeased.

“No,” I beg, pressing a hand to my chest in an attempt to hold the laugher back. “Please – apologies, Prince,” I continue formally, shaking my head. “I’m sorry - we met…when we were children.” A lie. “It was just in passing. I shouldn’t have flattered myself to think that you’d remember.”

“No,” Auden replies, all formality again. “Forgive me. I never would have thought myself capable of forgetting such a beautiful Celestial as you.” It’s the perfect Prince’s response: self-deprecating, complimentary, and completely canned. I can see his mind working behind his words, trying to sort through the details of this – of me – as he speaks.

And I should worry about that, but honestly, in this moment? I just feel so relieved. So…free.

This has been the biggest thing weighing on my mind since I came to the ball this evening. But now that I know that he has absolutely no memory of me…

It’s perfect. Now I can enact the plan that’s been forming in my mind since the King took me by the arm and escorted me back towards the palace. And no one will have any reason to suspect that anything is wrong, not at all.

Auden shifts his weight onto his back foot and leans away from me to consider the situation more completely, his eyebrows drawn together in confusion as he studies me. He opens his mouth to ask something –

But before he can speak, my sister comes into view and I shift my eyes to her. Auden notes the changed direction of my gaze and turns to look as well, seeing Callista arriving with my beaming parents.

Callista looks at me with wide eyes and a shocked expression. I fasten my attention on her, nodding eagerly, hoping she understands that I want her to come forward – that I need her here, at my side, now. Thankfully, she presses through the swell of people who ring the dais, pulling my parents with her.

The King smiles graciously as my family arrives before us, stepping forward to greet them, and thankfully the Price moves towards them as well, to welcome them into the family, I suppose.

“De Silva!” the King booms, grasping my father’s hand. They know each other, of course – my father is the Alpha of one of the oldest and most powerful packs in the kingdom. “Where have you been keeping this girl for so long?”

My father shrugs, pretending a humility he doesn’t feel, and begins to chat with the King and the Prince, my mother smiling charmingly at his side.

With everyone else distracted, my sister scurries to me.

“Everleigh,” Callista hisses, taking my hand. “What the hell are you going to do –“

“Not here,” I whisper back, looking around anxiously. “Come on,” I murmur, squeezing her hand and bringing her over to the King, the Prince, and our parents. My mother gathers me to her, giving me kisses on both cheeks while my father observes us, proud.

Before anyone can take control of the conversation, though, I turn my attention to the King.

“Sire?” I ask, looking up at him with wide and innocent eyes. I feel my wits starting to come back to me now, especially since my worries about Auden recognizing me have been wiped away. “Do you think I might have a moment alone with my sister? I find myself…overwhelmed in this crowd. I…would like a private moment.”

I blush prettily then, a studied thing I learned in my years with Angeline. The King smiles down at me hungrily, a look my father pretends to ignore. The King likes me this way, I realize. His startled doe.

A role I can play, if I need to.

Slowly, Mahl nods, the light in his eye promising he will find me later.

He holds my gaze as he slowly bends down, taking my hand in his own and raising it to his lips. The King presses a kiss to my knuckles, letting it linger, a sensual promise for more kisses to come.

I can’t help the shudder that runs through me at the thought of this. The King smirks when he feels my shudder’s echo in my hand, but I can tell he thinks it’s the thrill of anticipation, not of revulsion.

_________________

Fifteen minutes later, Callista and I are in the Queen’s chambers, the door closed behind me and my back pressed against it as I exhale a huge breath.

Callista stands in the center of the vast room, her face stark. I glance around the familiar chamber as I catch my breath. I’ve been here before, of course, with Angeline. We spent hours out on that balcony, talking quietly as we looked up at the sky -

“Evie,” Callista wails softly, shaking her head and interrupting my thoughts. “If he finds out –“

“I know,” I breathe, leaning over to put my hands on my knees, closing my eyes and catching my breath.

“He’ll kill you Everleigh –“

“I know, Calli,” I growl, the words coming from between my clenched teeth.

“So?” she demands, and I open my eyes, realizing that she’s come close to me. “What are you going to do?”

“Run,” I say, meeting her gaze and holding it as steadily as I can. “Tonight, right now. I’m going to run.”