His Missing Luna

CHAPTER 94

AMERIE

ANSELM

After my coronation, I follow my family outside where we all embark to another hall for the reception. Midriel helps me down from the car while father assists mother with a gentleness that reminds me of Nathan.

Inside the next hall, the air hums with life. The decor mirrors the grandeur of the ceremony—long tables are laden with food, their surfaces glistening under the light. At the far end, four thrones—large, ornate, and intimidating—wait for us behind a grand table laden with food. I catch sight of Tamia standing behind one of them.

Father leads Mother to her seat first, and then I follow, with Midriel at my side. Once seated, Tamia moves behind me, adjusting my gown with practiced precision.

“Let the festivities begin,” Father announces, his voice booming through the hall. The musicians begin to play, and the soft melody fills the room.

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When we’ve finished eating, Mother sends me a gentle link: It’s time to greet the guests, Amerie. Her silent command has me on my feet in an instant. As if they were waiting for the signal, the guests flock towards me, a sea of smiling faces and eager compliments.

I greet them all just as Mother taught me, my face carefully fixed in the practiced smile I’ve worn all evening. But my cheeks are beginning to ache, and the endless stream of pleasantries is draining. Through our bond, I can feel Midriel’s amusement.

You’re enjoying this, aren’t you? I send back, stifling a groan.

“Every second of it”, he chuckles, basking in my discomfort.

Relief washes over me when Father stands and announces the first dance. As the crowd parts, he approaches me with a warm, knowing smile.

“May I have the first dance, princess?” he asks with his usual warm smile and sparkling eyes.

“Yes, your Highness,” I smile, curtsying and we move to the dance floor, the room spinning gently as he twirls me.

“How are your cheeks?” he asks, arching an eyebrow with that familiar twinkle in his eyes.

“You noticed?” I reply, surprised.

“Your cheeks will get used to it with time,” he says with a shrug. “Just a part of the role.”

I laugh, but my mind drifts—unbidden—to a memory from another dance. Nathan’s hand on mine, his beautiful smile, the way he looked at me. His green eyes speaking of devotion and pride.

Maybe I was too hasty. I should have waited to see what would have happened. My heart clenches, and the frown I’ve been holding back tugs at my lips.

Father’s grip tightens around my hand, his eyes sharp. “What memory is that?” he asks, his voice low. “Your aura shifted. Are you thinking of him?”

I nod slowly, uncertainty gnawing at me. “I think… I may have been too hasty. Maybe I was wrong about that night.”

Father’s expression hardens. “Amerie, you saw him kiss another woman. What more proof do you need?”

“I know, but…” I pause, searching for the right words. “It didn’t feel right. Nathan wasn’t—he didn’t seem like he wanted to kiss her. There was something off. I should have waited—”

“Enough, Amerie,” Father interrupts, his tone firm. “You must let him go. Tonight is about your future, not your past.”

Before I can respond, he twirls me again, and I spot Midriel approaching with a grin.

“May I have the next dance, sister?” he asks, bowing slightly to Father.

Father presses a kiss to my temple. “Of course,” he says, stepping aside.

Midriel takes my hand, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “What were you and Father talking about?”

“Nathan,” I admit.

Midriel’s expression darkens. “Why are you still thinking about him? He humiliated you in the most horrible way.”

“Yes, he kissed Sasha, but there was something else. Nathan didn’t really look like he was into the kiss. He seemed… I don’t know how to explain it. He was…” pausing and pleading with my eyes. “I don’t think Nathan would do that to me after everything he’s done for me. He saved me from Kizziah and Saul. He invoked the Probability Clause and didn’t touch me once. Even when I pushed him to, he didn’t.”

Midriel sighs but doesn’t argue. “You may have a point, sis. From what you said just now, he doesn’t sound like someone who would go through all that and still break your heart.”

“Thank you for at least thinking so. I just hope Father will hear me out,” my eyes wander the room and find our Father discussing with the same guy from the coronation. As if sensing me watching him, the guy smiles at me with the same intense look in his eyes.

My eyes snap away from his and I try to focus on the dance with Midriel.

We continue dancing, yet my mind still is on Nathan. If my conviction is right, is he searching for me? How is he? Is he sleeping right? What is he doing right now?

“Your mind isn’t here,” Midriel says.

“I am sorry. I just don’t know what will happen if I turn out to be wrong,” I reply, feeling the heaviness in my heart weighing me down.

Midriel sighs and stops dancing. “If he is truly your mate, he will forgive you running away. I promise to help you.”

“Really?!” beaming and hugging him tight.

“Yes, if that will get your mind back to the party. Now about tomorrow’s hunt…”

“About that, I don’t think I am going to like that.”

“You’re going to like it. We are wolves, we love to chase, to hunt,” his grin turns almost wicked. “You can hunt for a rabbit or something smaller.”

Before I can respond, a deep voice interrupts us.

“Sorry to intrude on the family moment,” the dark-haired man says, his tone confident and warm. His hands clasped behind his back, his eyes fixed on me with a quiet intensity.

His aura is strong but not as strong as Nathan’s or Midriel’s. Probably a Beta.

“This is Anselm, my Beta to be,” Midriel says with a smirk. “Anselm, meet my sister, the new princess.”

Anselm bows, his dark eyes locking onto mine. “It’s an honor to finally meet you, princess.”

I nod, my cheeks warming. There’s something disarming about his presence, though it doesn’t quite stir the same spark as Nathan’s.

“It’s nice to meet you as well,” I reply, trying to keep my composure. I thought only Nathan could make me feel this way.

“May I have the next dance?” Anselm asks, holding out a hand.

Before I can answer, Midriel steps back with a playful nudge. “Of course you may.”

Why would you do that? I link Midriel, annoyed.

Relax, it’s just a dance, he replies with a grin, leaving me with Anselm.

“May I?” Anselm asks, seeking permission to hold my hand and waist.

“Of course,” I reply, letting him hold me and sigh in relief when I don’t feel any spark on my skin.

Something only Nathan gives me. Yet his smile is genuine, and his presence oddly comforting.

“I hope you’re enjoying your party?” he starts a conversation. His grip warm and strong on my waist and hand.

“I am and I hope you’re too?”

“I am not that keen about parties, but when it’s for the most beautiful face I have seen, I am quite keen to attend,” he says, smiling down at me with so much meaning in his eyes.

One that battles with the memory of Nathan and turns my face red up to my ears.