The grand ballroom of the Celestial Palace shimmered like a captured piece of the night sky. Thousands of enchanted candles floated overhead, their golden light refracting through crystal chandeliers to cast dancing constellations across the marble floors. The scent of night-blooming jasmine and spiced wine hung heavy in the air, mixing with the musk of powerful alphas and the subtle perfume of scheming courtiers.
I stood at the center of it all, the weight of my new diadem pressing against my temples like a silent reminder of the target now painted across my back.
"You're gripping my arm hard enough to bruise, little wolf," Jayden murmured against my ear, his breath warm against the sensitive curve where my mating mark lay hidden beneath my hair.
I forced my fingers to relax thei
