Chapter 92: Springtime Ball

MADDOX

The arrival of the dragon king got people talking. Somehow word spreads dangerously quickly in this pack, whether you want it to or not.

Milly muttered something about a “big-mouthed Brianna,” but I chose the safer option and opted not to pry further on the subject.

Reign had been busy helping the women of the pack organize the springtime ball. It was a yearly tradition, and the queen refused to postpone it because the pack was “in danger.”

Apparently, the pack was always in danger, and she chose not to let it dampen her spirits.

I chose the safer option and decided to do as I was told instead of trying to argue about the madman whose life mission was to destroy their lives.

I figured I was more of a help to Reign alive as opposed to dead and buried.

My parents arrived to attend the ball, and—surprise, surprise—they brought Wyatt with them.

~He’s going to have a field day when he hears I’ve found my mate but haven’t completed the mating.~

~When will I ever catch a break?~

“Little brother!” he boomed, clapping me on the back.~ Fucking prick.~ Some young she-wolves fanned themselves as we walked past them.

Wyatt was average height but built like a brick house. Curly blond locks fell into his eyes, and he had just a touch of tan to him. The girls loved him, and he knew it. ~Absolute wanker.~

“You know, when Mother told me that you had mated, I couldn’t believe it! I thought, ‘What do you know? The family disappointment has some potential after all.’” His laugh boomed across the hallway.

“And when she told me it was the alpha, I could hardly contain myself. I always knew you had no balls, Maddox! This just confirms it!” He wiped a tear from his eye.

I clenched my jaw in annoyance but stayed quiet. This weekend was important.

~I will not punch him in the face.~

~I will NOT punch him in the face.~

“And then—and then! She tells me you were too chicken to complete the mating! AHAHAHAHAHAHA.” Wyatt clutched his sides as he cackled with laughter.

~Aight… Imma punch him in the face.~

~Just sock him one right in the jaw. Just…mmm!~

I mimicked punching him as he continued to laugh himself to tears.

~I fucking hate this guy.~

I cleared my throat. “Yes, very funny. Well, at least I have a mate, Wyatt. Tell me, do you have one yet? Oh no, that’s right…you don’t.” The smirk dropped on his face and appeared on my own.

“Ah! And here is my beautiful mate now!” Reign had entered the hallway just as I spoke, followed closely by Milly. When Reign took over as alpha king, Raphael assigned the position of beta to Milly.

She hated the paperwork, but she took the responsibility of serving and protecting the alpha seriously. It was just the cherry on top that the alpha was her cousin.

Reign smiled in our direction. I pecked her gently on the cheek and nodded briefly to Milly, who silently returned my nod.

“Reign, Milly, I’d like to introduce you to my brother, the future king of the Lunar Pack, Wyatt. Wyatt, this is—”

“Mate.”

I felt my heart quicken.

~Fucking what?~

Reign glanced at me wearily. Wyatt stepped up to Milly.

“Mate,” he said again. Milly looked like she had swallowed a mouthful of bees.

“Mate,” she reluctantly let out. She shivered. “Ugh. Ew.”

Wyatt blinked in confusion. “I don’t understand?”

Milly huffed and crossed her arms. “I don’t want a mate. I don’t need a mate. I will never have a mate.”

Admittedly I felt a bit bad. Wyatt looked hurt at Milly’s words.

“Do you not wish to be queen?” he mumbled, taking a step back.

She rolled her eyes and scoffed, “No, Shakespeare, ~I do not wish to be queen~. Is he serious?”

I just nodded. It took all the self-control I had not to burst my ass laughing. Did I feel bad he was being shot down publicly? A little bit, yes. It was embarrassing; I don’t care who you are.

Was it hilarious that the cockiest prince in all the land mated with a wolf who refused to follow social norms? ~Fucking hysterical.~

“I feel a little bad for him,” Reign whispered by my side.

“I don’t.”

She smacked my arm.

“What? I don’t!”

Milly stormed off, leaving Wyatt looking like a broken-hearted puppy. In the distance, bells chimed.

“The ball is about to begin. Come on,” Reign announced before following Milly.

I clapped Wyatt on the shoulder. “Chin up, Brother. Take it as the humbling you so desperately needed.” I did a double pat and followed after Reign.

I’d been so preoccupied internally laughing at my brother’s already failed mating that I hadn’t even acknowledged how stunning she looked in her silver dress.

I’d have to tell her as soon as I caught up to her.

***

REIGN

“Milly! Slow down!” I was almost out of breath when I caught up to her.

“The ball is about to start, and I have to confirm that the security detail knows what they are doing.

“We have a lot of important people here tonight, Reign. I am so very busy,” she snapped over her shoulder.

“Uh-uh. Milly, you stop right now, missy. You are not getting away that easily!”

She let out a heavy sigh and finally stopped, turning to face me slowly.

“I don’t want to talk about it, Reign”—she paused, thinking for a second—“ever.”

“Well, you have to talk about it at some stage, Milly.”

She shook her head. “Not tonight, Reign, okay? There is already a lot happening tonight. Some soon-to-be king is the least of my worries right now.”

I held my hands up in mock defeat. “Okay, fine. But we speak about this after the ball. Deal?”

She nodded. “Deal.”

I hooked my arm through hers. “Have to admit, though, they both looked very handsome.” I winked at her. She just rolled her eyes.

Grams had outdone herself again with the decorations of the packhouse for the ball. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and candles floated all around the room.

There were long tables decorated with soft gold runners and vases of tulips and frangipanis down the center.

The entire room looked breathtakingly stunning. It was all I could do to stop my jaw from falling open.

“You look stunning tonight,” Maddox whispered in my ear, wrapping his arms around my waist.

I nestled into him. “Thank you. You look very handsome too,” I whispered back.

“Are you nervous?” he asked, leading me to the head table. We passed Milly barking orders to the warriors, making sure no one got in or out without us knowing about it.

“A little,” I admitted, my eyes doing a sweep of the room. “But tonight happens every year, and the pack looks forward to it. It would be a shame if we canceled it because we ~might~ get attacked.

“We get attacked all the time. We can’t put our lives on hold, either.”

I watched as members of the pack filed through the doors. Some were looking around the room in awe. Others were hugging each other and chatting cheerily.

The rest of my family and Maddox’s family joined us at the head table. We stood and waited as everyone found their seats and the chatter died down.

“Welcome, everyone,” I called out happily.

“Thank you all for being here. The Spring Ball is a tradition that this pack has held for many, many years, and we are happy to be able to continue that tradition today!

“Please eat, drink, be merry, and let’s dance the night away!”

Everyone clapped as I took my seat beside Maddox. Storm sat on the other side of me.

“I see our dragon friend decided to stay,” I whispered to her, holding my glass of champagne up to him across the room in a cheers motion. He returned the gesture.

“Yes, he came and found me yesterday. Must have been just after you spoke. He asked me to help him find his people. Wanted to do blood magic.”

I almost choked on my drink. “And you said?”

“I told him no. The queen has forbidden that kind of magic in these lands, and as her daughter-in-law, I have to respect that ruling. Needless to say, he wasn’t very pleased.”

She sipped on her wine. I watched Axel talk to one of the mages in the corner of the room. It looked serious, but I trusted that Axel had it under control.

“Don’t you think it’s odd that his people are going missing and he just assumes it’s Keir?” I muttered, buttering a slice of bread, smiling at a waiter as he poured my water.

“Not necessarily. Dragon blood is very useful, as you know, and I guess with Keir still on the loose, he just went with the most logical option.” Storm took a bite of her dinner.

Suddenly she sat up straight, her eyes scanning the room.

“What? What is it?” I asked, my eyes following where she was looking.

“Something doesn’t feel right. The air. It’s shifting.”

Before I could ask her to explain, a voice rang out that needed no introduction.

“Yoooohoooo.”