Chapter 25 Chapter 25
The stylist’s hands moved through my hair one last time, pinning a final curl into place.
I sat perfectly still, not daring to move as I did not want to ruin whatever magic she was working.
Through the mirror, I watched her step back, tilting her head to assess her work. Her lips curved into a satisfied smile.
“Perfect,” she murmured.
She gestured to the gown hanging nearby—the moon-silk one Zane had chosen. The one that had made that noblewoman’s face go white with envy.
Two other attendants helped me into it. The fabric slid over my skin like water, and carefully, they fastened the back, adjusting the drape at my hips to smooth out invisible wrinkles.
When they finally stepped away, one of them wheeled a full-length mirror in front of me.
“Luna,” she said softly. “Look.”
I looked.
And didn’t recognize myself.
The gown hugged every curve I had spent time of my years trying to hide. The neckline dipped low, a little bit over the mark on my throat making it impossible to ignore. The fabric shimmered with every breath, catching light like captured moonbeams.
My hair was swept up in an intricate style that made my neck look longer and more elegant. The makeup they had done on me looked surreal and I barely recognized myself. The eyes were lined in bold silver and the lips stained in soft rose.
A little toning on my body curves, and I looked like the perfect princess I had seen in pictures.
And nothing like the omega who used to dream about being lucky enough to clean a venue like the Convergence.
The memory hit me suddenly. Sharp and bitter.
Months ago, when I was still just a girl scrubbing floors in this packhouse, I’d overheard the older servants talking about the Lunar Convergence. How grand it was and exclusive.
One of them had laughed and said, “If we’re lucky, maybe they’ll let us clean the venue afterward. Imagine walking where all those Alphas and Lunas walked. Breathing the same air.”
And I’d thought that sounded like a privilege. Like the closest someone like me would ever get to that world.
Now look.
A small smile tugged at my lips.
“You look beautiful, Luna,” one of the stylists said quietly.
I turned slightly, watching the fabric move with me. “Thank you.”
I let myself believe her compliment. That I looked beautiful, even if it was just for a night.
After I put on my heels and the last piece of jewelries that the instructon said had come from Zane, it was time to present myself.
The staircase stretched down like a descent into another world.
I stood at the top, one hand gripping the railing, my heart pounding so hard in my chest walls.
At the bottom, Zane waited.
He stood with his back to the stairs, speaking quietly with Ezra. But even from here, I could see the difference in him.
He wasn’t just dressed well. He was devastating.
The suit he had on was black, tailored so perfectly to fit every inch of his body.
The jacket emphasized the breadth of his shoulders and the narrow taper of his waist.
And the details on it? Explosive!
Was it the subtle embroidery along the lapels, essentially a wolf insignia stitched in dark silver thread that only caught the light when he moved? Or the way his cufflinks gleamed, understated but expensive?
All of it was breath taking.
Maybe it was that I had never paid attention to most of Zane’s trousers. But the perfect fit of this one made me want to feel again, the warmth of the thighs underneath against my throbbing swell.
His outfit on him made him look like the perfect representaton of power, and now, I realized even more that I had been stupid for likening him to a drunkard that was just handed it.
A drunkard would not have the grace and aura that he wielded.
His dark hair swept back from his face, revealing sharp cheekbones and a jawline that I believe could cut glass. He had olive skin that seemed to glow under the chandelier light with very dark eyes that from a distance, looked black.
Kaius who was also listening on their conversation turned around.
He must have sensed me on the stairs because his head snapped up immediately.
His eyes widened and his mouth parted slightly.
“Tiana,” he breathed.
The name carried up the stairs quickly.
Zane turned.
Slowly.
His gaze found me and locked on me.
And for one heartbeat—just one—a flicker, raw and unguarded ran across his face. Then his mask slammed back into place.
But I’d seen it.
Kaius moved forward, the curves of his lips widening in a shape like a tennis ball was placed in it. “You look—” He stopped, shook his head like the words were difficult to form. Or maybe not enough. “Stunning. Absolutely stunning.”
Heat flooded my cheeks and my lips twitched. “Thank you.”
If I must say, as expected, Zane said nothing.
He just watched me descend.
Every step with his gaze on me felt weighted. As I walked down slowly, I kept on praying silently that the anxiety that filled me with the various eyes on me would not make me trip.
Who said prayers did not get answered?
When I reached the bottom, Kaius was still smiling. But Zane…
Zane’s eyes traced over me slowly. Starting at my face, down to the neckline of my gown. Over the curves the fabric emphasized. Back up to my throat.
His jaw tightened.
Then he extended his hand.
Formally. The way an Alpha offers his hand to his Luna in public because compared to how it had been on our bonding ceremony, they were already personnels in charge of scrutiny that had been sent out by the governing council to each pack, in light of the convergence ball.
I hesitated for just a second.
Then I placed my hand in his.
Possesively, his fingers closed around mine.
“Ready?”
I nodded.
He turned toward the entrance, my hand still in his, and I fell into step beside him.
Outside of the pack house, the world had transformed.
Cameras lined the walkway from the council’s official recorders. They were wolves with formal credentials documenting every Alpha and Luna’s exit and arrival for the pack archives.
Other pack members stood at a respectful distance, watching silently. Some of their faces I recognized.
All of them were staring at me, a bit of the look aggressive while some held admiration as I walked hand in hand with Zane to the car he had prepared for this occassion.
The Mercedes-Maybach S680 waited at the bottom of the steps in forest green shade, making it impossibly elegant.
Beta Ezra moved toward the door to open it but Zane waved him off.
He opened the door himself, his hand never leaving mine.
He helped me inside with a gentleness that felt almost foreign coming from him. Made sure my gown was tucked safely inside before closing the door with a soft click.
Then he walked around to the other side and slid in beside me.
The door closed and suddenly, the world went quiet.
Just us. The hum of the engine. The space between us suddenly feeling too small, yet too big at the same time.
I pressed my hands together in my lap, trying to still the trembling I felt.
While Zane sat there, his presence filling the entire car and wrapping around me like a cold blanket.
The car began to move.
Still, he said nothing.
I risked a glance at him. His jaw was tight. His hand rested on his thigh, fingers flexing once before going still.
Then finally, he spoke.
“Tonight, every wolf in that hall will see you as mine. You can’t act any less than what is expected of you.”
“Do you understand?”
I swallowed. “Yes.”
“Say it.”
“I understand.”
“Say I am yours.”
My heart slammed against my ribs. “I am yours.”
His hand flexed again.
“Good.” The word came out rough. “Don’t forget it.”
Silence fell again.
I turned my gaze to the window, watching the world blur past. But all I could feel was him.
Beside me. Close enough that every breath I took carried his scent.
The car slowed as we approached the venue.
Through the window, I could see it, lit up like a palace. Other Alphas and Lunas were already arriving. Some in Bentleys. Others in Rolls Royces. One Alpha stepped out of a helicopter that had just landed nearby.
Each entrance was a display of power.
Our car pulled to a stop.
Zane exited first, his movements fluid.
Then walking over to my side, extended his hand to me. Which I received.
He helped me out, steadying me as I found my footing on the red carpet that stretched toward the entrance.
And then—without warning—he lifted my hand to his lips.
I froze.
His mouth brushed over my knuckles.
But his eyes stayed on mine.
“Smile,” he murmured, just loud enough for me to hear. “They’re watching.”
Performance. All of this that was causing flutters in my belly was a mere performance.
I smiled to his request.
His hand lingered up for a moment, before he lowered mine and tucked it into the crook of his arm.
We walked forward together, every eye turning towards us.
I was at the Lunar Convergence Ball. No longer visible, and attending as Luna Tiana, mate of Alpha Zane Blackthorne.