The Silver Wolf Series

Chapter Nine: The Mating Ball

The announcement came three days later, delivered over breakfast like it was the most

natural thing in the world. "The Alpha King's mating ball is in five days," Kieran said, setting down his coffee mug with deliberate care. "All unmated she-wolves between eighteen and twenty-six are required to attend.” Fiona’s fork clattered against her plate. Across the table, Siobhan let out a squeal that could have shattered glass. "The mating ball! Oh my god, oh my god, I can't believe it's finally happening!" Siobhan was already pulling out her phone, fingers flying across the screen. "Mara is going to die. She's been planning her outfit for months. And Chloe—wait, is Chloe old enough? She just turned eighteen last week, right?"

"Siobhan," Ennis said mildly, "you're not even eligible yet. You're seventeen." "I know that," Siobhan shot back, not looking up from her phone. "But I can still attend as a spectator. Everyone under eighteen can watch from the gallery. It's tradition." She finally glanced up, her eyes bright with excitement. "Besides, it's good practice. Next year, I'll be down there on the floor, and the Alpha Prince will—" "The Alpha Prince will have found his mate by then," Kieran interrupted. "That's the entire point of the ball." Fiona had gone very still. She could feel her father's eyes on her, could sense the weight of expectation in his gaze. "I'm not going," she said quietly. The table went silent. "What?" Siobhan's voice was incredulous. "What do you mean you're not going? It's required, Fiona. All unmated she-wolves have to—" "I'm wolfless." The lie tasted like ash in Fiona's mouth, but she forced it out anyway. "There's no point in me attending. The Alpha Prince is looking for his fated mate, and fated mates are connected through their wolves. I don't have one. So I'm exempt." "You're not exempt," Kieran said, and there was steel in his voice now. Alpha command, the kind that made pack members straighten their spines and obey without question. "The decree is clear. All unmated she-wolves between eighteen and twenty-six. No exceptions." "But Dad—" "No exceptions, Fiona." His green eyes were hard. "You will attend." Fiona's hands clenched into fists under the table. She wanted to scream at him, wanted to demand why he was forcing her into a situation that could expose everything. But she

couldn't. Not with Ennis and Siobhan sitting right there, watching this exchange with

varying degrees of confusion and excitement. "I don't have anything to wear," she tried instead, grasping at straws. "We'll go shopping!" Siobhan was already bouncing in her seat. "Oh, Fiona, this is perfect! We can go to that boutique in the city, the one that does formal gowns. I saw the most gorgeous dress in their window last month—midnight blue with silver embroidery. It

would look amazing with your hair." "I don't want to go shopping." "Too bad." Siobhan was undeterred. "You're going to the ball, which means you need a dress, which means we're going shopping. I'll text Mara and Chloe. We'll make a day of it." "Siobhan—" "It's settled," Kieran said, his tone brooking no argument. "You'll go shopping tomorrow. The ball is in five days. That gives you plenty of time to prepare. Fiona stared at her father, trying to communicate everything she couldn't say out loud. This is dangerous. This is reckless. What if someone senses what I am? What if the Alpha Prince—But Kieran's expression was implacable. Whatever his reasons for insisting she attend, he wasn't going to budge. "Fine," Fiona bit out. "I'll go. But don't expect me to enjoy it." "No one's asking you to enjoy it," Kieran said. "Just to fulfill your duty to the pack." Duty. The word sat heavy in Fiona's chest. She'd spent two years being pitied, being

whispered about, being treated like she was broken. And now her father wanted her to

parade herself in front of the entire werewolf kingdom, to stand among hundreds of

unmated she-wolves while the Alpha Prince searched for his fated mate.

It was humiliating. It was dangerous. It was— "This is going to be so much fun!" Siobhan was already scrolling through her phone, pulling up images of ball gowns and hairstyles. "Fiona, look at this one. Or this one! Oh, and we need to talk about makeup. Are you thinking natural or dramatic? I'm thinking dramatic. This is the event of the year. We need to make a statement."

Fiona pushed back from the table, her appetite gone. "I need some air."

She didn't wait for permission. She just left, walking out of the house and into the cool

morning, her heart pounding against her ribs. The mating ball. Of all the things her father could have forced her to do, this was the worst. She'd be surrounded by unmated she-wolves, all of them hoping to catch the Alpha Prince's attention. All of them broadcasting their availability, their desire, their wolves calling out to potential mates. And Fiona would be there, pretending to be wolfless, pretending to be normal, all while hiding the silver wolf that hummed beneath her skin. What if the Alpha Prince sensed something? What if he looked at her and saw past the carefully constructed lie? Alphas were powerful, their senses sharper than ordinary

wolves. And the Alpha Prince was supposed to be extraordinary—strong, dominant,

capable of leading the entire werewolf kingdom one day. If anyone could sense what she really was, it would be him. Fiona walked to the edge of the pack lands, to the place where the forest began. She couldn't go to the river—not yet, not when the memory of what had happened there was still so fresh. But she needed space. Needed to think. Five days. She had five days to prepare herself for the most dangerous night of her life. The shopping trip was exactly as terrible as Fiona had anticipated. Siobhan had invited half the pack's unmated she-wolves, and they'd descended on the boutique like a swarm of excited, chattering locusts. Mara and Chloe were there, along with Siobhan's other friends—girls Fiona barely knew, girls who'd spent the last two

years treating her with a mixture of pity and disdain. Now they were all trying on gowns, squealing over necklines and hemlines, debating the merits of various shades of blue, green, and gold. "What about this one?" Mara held up a dress in emerald green, the bodice covered in

crystals that caught the light. "Too much?" "There's no such thing as too much," Chloe declared. "This is the mating ball. We're supposed to stand out." "Easy for you to say," another girl—Fiona thought her name was Bridget—muttered. "You're gorgeous. The rest of us have to work for it."

"Oh, stop." Chloe waved a dismissive hand. "You're all beautiful. The Alpha Prince

would be lucky to have any of us." Fiona stood in the corner, holding a dress she hadn't even looked at, watching the spectacle with growing dread. These girls were excited. They wanted to be chosen. They were hoping the Alpha Prince would look at them and feel the mate bond snap into place. Fiona was hoping he'd look right past her. "Fiona!" Siobhan appeared at her elbow, holding up a gown in deep burgundy. "What about this? It's sophisticated. Elegant. Very you."

"It's fine," Fiona said. "Fine?" Siobhan's face fell. "Come on, you have to at least try. This is important." "Why?" The word came out sharper than Fiona intended. "Why is this important,

Siobhan? I'm not going to be chosen. I don't have a wolf. The Alpha Prince isn't going tolook twice at me."Siobhan's expression softened. "You don't know that. "Yes, I do." Fiona set down the dress she'd been holding. "Everyone knows that. I'm only going because Dad is making me. So let's just pick something simple and get this over with." For a moment, Siobhan looked like she wanted to argue. Then she sighed, her shoulders slumping. "Okay. Simple. I can work with simple." She disappeared back into the racks, muttering to herself. Fiona closed her eyes, trying to center herself. She could do this. She could attend the ball, stand in the crowd, and fade into the background. She'd spent two years being invisible in her own pack. Surely she could manage one night of invisibility in a crowd of strangers. "Here." Siobhan was back, holding a gown that made Fiona's breath catch. It was silver. Not the bright, metallic silver of costume jewelry, but a soft, moonlit silver that seemed to shimmer with its own inner light. The fabric was simple—no crystals, no embroidery, just clean lines and elegant draping. The neckline was modest, the sleeves long and fitted. It was beautiful in its simplicity. It was also the exact color of Fiona's wolf. "No," Fiona said immediately. "Not that one." "Why not? It's perfect for you. Look at how it catches the light. And with your red hair—" "I said no." Fiona's voice was too sharp, too panicked. She saw Siobhan flinch, saw confusion flash across her sister's face. "Okay," Siobhan said slowly. "Okay, not silver. What about... blue? You look good in blue." They settled on a gown in deep sapphire, elegant and understated. It was beautiful, Fiona supposed, though she couldn't bring herself to care. It was just a costume for a performance she didn't want to give.

The other girls cooed over their choices, taking photos for social media, already

planning their hair and makeup. Siobhan joined them, her earlier hurt forgotten in the

excitement of the moment. Fiona paid for her dress and left the boutique, stepping out into the afternoon sun. Five days had become four. Then three. Then two. And with each passing day, the dread in Fiona's chest grew heavier. The night before the ball, Fiona couldn't sleep.

She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, her mind racing. The dress hung in her closet, a

dark shape in the darkness. Tomorrow night, she'd put it on. She'd go to the Alpha

King's palace. She'd stand among hundreds of unmated she-wolves and pray that no

one—especially not the Alpha Prince—looked too closely. The wolf in her mind stirred, restless. Sinead had been quiet since the attack at the river, subdued by Fiona's fear and determination not to shift again. But now, she was waking up, sensing something. Danger, she seemed to whisper. Change. Fiona rolled over, pulling her pillow over her head. She didn't want to hear it. Didn't want to acknowledge the instinct that told her tomorrow night would alter everything. But Sinead wouldn't be silenced. She paced in her mind, silver and powerful and patient. Waiting.

Just like Fiona. Waiting for the mating ball, and whatever fate awaited her there.