Chapter 11: The Blood Moon Ball
823 Words
**Chapter 11: The Blood Moon Ball
The palace glowed with life that night.
Lanterns floated through the halls like golden spirits, casting soft shadows over marbled floors. The courtyard had been transformed—hung with black silk banners, tables draped in silver and deep red, and a fountain dyed the color of fresh rose petals. Wolves in elegant dress, nobles, and shifters of all ranks gathered beneath the full blood moon.
It was the first unity ball in decades.
Ariya stood at the top of the staircase, arm looped through Kael’s.
She wore a gown of deep silver, the bodice beaded with moonstones that shimmered like stardust. Her hair fell in soft curls, pinned back with a delicate crescent tiara. At her throat, the pendant Kael had given her glowed faintly.
She looked every inch the queen.
But inside—her chest was tight.
> What if they don’t accept me?
Kael leaned close, whispering in her ear, “You already command more power than any ruler here. They’ll see it.”
“But power isn’t what scares them,” she whispered back. “It’s who I am.”
Kael’s voice was calm steel. “Then let them tremble.”
---
The Ball Begins
Ariya descended with grace, every eye locked on her. Whispers spread like wildfire.
> “The Moonborn…”
“She’s even younger than they said…”
“Did she really kill an entire rogue pack alone?”
Some bowed out of fear. Others, out of politics. A few didn’t bow at all.
Kael led her to the head table, never once releasing her hand.
The music started—soft, elegant violins played by a string quartet from the eastern isles. Nobles began to dance. Wine flowed like rivers. Tension filled the air like perfume.
Ariya sipped carefully from her goblet, watching the guests.
Kael leaned toward her. “See the man in blue by the fountain?”
She nodded.
“He tried to poison my father when I was fifteen.”
Her eyes widened. “And you invited him here?”
Kael smirked. “He has influence in the northwestern hills. Besides…” He took her hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “He’d never dare try anything tonight. Not with you beside me.”
Her pulse quickened at his touch.
But her instincts whispered otherwise.
> Something’s wrong.
---
The First Threat
Halfway through the ball, a servant approached their table—a girl no older than sixteen with freckles and a shy posture.
She bowed to Ariya and held out a silver tray.
“An offering,” the girl whispered. “From the Alpha of Frostspire.”
Ariya frowned. On the tray sat a small crystal orb—glowing faintly blue.
Kael’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t touch it.”
But Ariya was already reaching out.
The moment her fingers grazed the orb, a burst of cold surged up her arm, searing through her veins like liquid ice. The orb cracked and exploded into smoke.
Kael lunged, shielding her, sword drawn in less than a heartbeat.
Guards surrounded them.
The girl dropped to her knees, crying, “I didn’t know! I didn’t know—it was just a gift!”
Ariya blinked rapidly, her body trembling as the cold retreated.
Kael pulled her to him. “Are you hurt?”
“No. Just—shaken.”
One of the guards stepped forward. “It was laced with spellbind dust. Designed to paralyze Moonborn magic.”
Kael’s jaw tightened. “Find who gave it to her. Now.”
The girl was taken away, sobbing.
The ball resumed—uncomfortably.
But Ariya saw it for what it was: a message.
Someone inside the palace wanted her gone.
---
The Dance
Later, when the tension had dulled, Kael pulled Ariya onto the dance floor.
Soft music played.
They moved together like tide and shore.
“Why do I feel like I’m dancing in a pit of wolves?” Ariya murmured.
“Because you are,” Kael said. “But don’t worry—they fear you now.”
“Not enough.”
Kael twirled her, then pulled her close again. “Then give them a reason to.”
She looked up at him. “Is that what this is? A show of power?”
“No,” he said, brushing his fingers along her jaw. “This is a reminder.”
“Of what?”
“That even in a ballroom full of enemies… you are still mine.”
He kissed her—soft, lingering, slow.
And the wolves watched.
Let them.
---
Outside – In the Shadows
The would-be assassin stood in the garden, wiping blood from her mouth.
The crystal had failed.
But she wasn’t done yet.
She removed a dagger from beneath her cloak, carved with the frost mark of Queen Mairead herself.
Her eyes glowed white.
> “Plan B.”
---
🌒 END OF CHAPTER 11
- Writer
