Chapter 23 - The Ball
1292 Words
The drive to the packhouse felt different. It felt charged, almost expectant.
Raidin kept one hand on my thigh almost the entire way there. Possessive enough that my pulse never quite settled.
As the packhouse came into view, lights glowed warmly against the dark forest surrounding it.
Elegant black vehicles lined the long driveway.
Music drifted faintly through the night air.
I suddenly became very aware of what tonight actually was.
A mating ball.
A room full of powerful wolves expecting Raidin Black to choose a mate.
Adira growled softly.
Already chosen.
His thumb brushed slowly against my leg.
“I know,” he murmured quietly.
I stared at him.
“You heard that?”
A slight smile tugged at his mouth.
“She’s getting louder.”
Wonderful.
No privacy whatsoever anymore.
Before entering, Adira withdrew deep inside me suddenly.
Hidden.
Protected.
No wolf scent.
No royal blood.
Nothing detectable.
To everyone else, I was still simply human.
Raidin stepped out first before coming around to open my door.
The moment I emerged, silence spread nearby.
Eyes followed us everywhere.
Women assessed me openly.
Men watched cautiously.
When Raidin took my hand and placed it carefully into the crook of his arm, the atmosphere shifted entirely.
Claimed.
I tried ignoring the way warmth spread through my chest.
The ballroom was breathtaking.
Gold chandeliers illuminated polished black marble floors while enormous windows overlooked the dark forest outside.
Music played softly.
Servers moved elegantly through the crowd.
Wolves dressed in wealth and power filled the room and every single one of them noticed when we entered.
Raidin remained perfectly calm beside me.
Untouchable.
Alpha.
He guided me effortlessly through the crowd toward a group of older men speaking near the far side of the room.
Then I saw him.
Lucien Black.
Raidin’s father.
Tall.
Imposing.
Power radiated from him in quiet waves.
But the moment his gaze landed on me, everything inside me tightened. He looked at me like he’d seen a ghost.
Shock buried beneath years of ruthless control.
The conversation around him faltered slightly.
Raidin’s posture shifted almost imperceptibly beside me.
Protective.
“Father,” he greeted evenly.
Lucien’s eyes never fully left my face.
“Raidin.”
Then finally—
“And this must be Miss Elara Vale.”
His voice was smooth.
Elegant.
But coldness lingered beneath it.
I extended my hand politely.
“Elarielle Thorne.” I corrected him using my birth names.
Lucien took my hand carefully.
The second his skin touched mine—
Something ancient moved beneath the surface.
Recognition.
Adira went deathly silent inside me.
Lucien’s expression barely changed but I felt the subtle tightening of his grip.
He knew exactly who I was.
The ballroom buzzed around us after Lucien finally released my hand.
His expression smoothed into polite indifference while he resumed conversation with the surrounding Alphas as though he hadn’t just stared at me like the dead had returned.
Raidin noticed too.
I felt the tension in him immediately.
His hand remained firmly against the small of my back while he guided me away from the group.
“Are you alright?” he asked quietly.
“Yes.”
Lie.
Adira remained deeply unsettled. I could feel her deep in my mind.
“I’ll get us drinks,” he murmured.
I nodded reluctantly.
The second Raidin disappeared into the crowd, attention shifted toward me almost aggressively.
Whispers followed immediately.
I caught pieces.
“Human…”
“…with Raidin?”
“…beautiful though…”
“…thought he’d choose Celeste…”
Adira sounded smug about that last one.
I ignored her.
Mostly because I was too busy trying not to feel painfully out of place.
Women in expensive gowns moved elegantly through the ballroom like they belonged here.
Because they did.
Alpha daughters.
Future Lunas.
And then there was me.
A veterinarian having an identity crisis in borrowed diamonds.
I accepted a glass of champagne from a passing server mostly for something to do with my hands.
“That dress suits you better than it did me.”
The feminine voice behind me dripped with amusement.
I turned slowly.
Tall.
Beautiful.
Dangerous in the polished way some women perfected over years.
Long dark curls framed sharp cheekbones while silver eyes assessed me openly.
Predatory.
Not wolf-predatory.
Female-predatory.
Adira instantly bristled.
She wants mate.
“Noted.”
The woman’s gaze flicked briefly toward the ballroom where Raidin stood speaking with several Alphas.
Then back to me.
“Isabelle” she said smoothly and extended her hand, “you’re the human Raidin’s suddenly obsessed with.”
I took a slow sip of champagne.
“And you’re the woman glaring at me like I stole something valuable.”
A smile curved her lips.
At least she appreciated honesty.
“You did.”
Direct.
“I’m not sure Raidin counts as property,” I replied evenly.
Her smile sharpened.
“You don’t understand how things work here.”
“No,” I admitted calmly. “But I’m learning quickly.”
Isabelle stepped closer.
Not enough to cause a scene but just enough to intimidate.
Except I wasn’t Ethan’s frightened wife anymore and Isabelle clearly wasn’t prepared for me to have backbone.
“I’ve known Raidin most of my life,” she said quietly. “I know what he needs.”
Adira rolled her eyes.
Not you.
I ignored her again.
“Congratulations?”
Something cold flickered behind Isabelle’s expression.
“He belongs here. With wolves. With his own kind.”
Ah.
There it was.
The human problem.
I set my champagne flute down carefully.
“And what exactly is his kind?”
Her gaze sharpened instantly.
“Powerful.”
I almost laughed.
Because if she only knew.
“I don’t think Raidin needs a weak human beside him,” I replied softly.
Isabelle’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“You think one week beside him makes you important?”
“No.” I tilted my head slightly. “I think Raidin decides who matters to him.”
Silence stretched tightly between us. The ballroom continued around us unaware. Music drifted softly through the tension.
Then Isabelle leaned closer and finally dropped the mask completely.
“Stay away from him.”
The words came low and sharp, almost desperate beneath the anger.
Adira growled immediately.
Make me pup.
I held Isabelle’s gaze steadily.
“Or what?”
“You have no idea what this world does to people like you.”
There was genuine bitterness there. Pain even.
Interesting.
Before I could answer, Isabelle’s eyes flicked suddenly over my shoulder.
Her entire posture shifted instantly.
I didn’t need to turn around to know Raidin approached.
I felt him.
The mate bond hummed warmly beneath my skin.
A second later his hand settled possessively against my waist.
Isabelle’s expression hardened.
“Problem?” Raidin asked quietly.
The softness he reserved for me vanished completely.
Cold Alpha remained instead.
Isabelle laughed lightly.
“Just welcoming your guest.”
Raidin didn’t believe her.
His hand brushed slowly against my waist to the small of my back.
It felt comforting and protective.
The thought came so instinctively it startled me.
Adira was deeply satisfied.
Raidin’s gaze never left Isabelle.
“It rather seems you’re upsetting her.”
Isabelle’s eyes flicked briefly toward me. Something hurt flashed there before she buried it beneath pride.
“You always did choose difficult women.”
Raidin’s expression didn’t soften.
“No,” he said quietly.
His hand tightened slightly against my waist.
“Just the right one.”
The air left my lungs.
Isabelle went still.
And for one dangerous second—
The entire ballroom seemed to fade around us.
Because Raidin wasn’t playing politics anymore.
He wasn’t pretending.
He had chosen.
And everyone in the room had just realized it.
- Writer
