Chapter 156 - Prepping for The Ball

Chapter 156 - Prepping for The Ball
Aethren POV

Morning came quietly.

Not with bells or alarms, but with warmth, scent, and the slow awareness of her breathing against me. She was beautiful. My dragon stretched lazily in my mind as we admired our mate.

Vaelira slept curled into my chest. Her silver-violet hair spilled across my arm, and her magic hummed softly beneath her skin like a second heartbeat. Mine answered it with a low growl. I nuzzled into her neck without thinking, my dragon instincts half-awake and already possessive.

She stirred immediately.

“Always so growly,” she murmured, her voice sleepy and amused.

I grinned against her skin and pressed a kiss just below her jaw. “Morning, princess.”

She turned, her eyes bright despite the early hour, and kissed me once, soft and familiar now in a way that made my chest ache. We separated reluctantly.

I dressed quickly, pulling on grey sweats and a white shirt, fully aware I still smelled like her and not caring in the slightest. Dragons didn’t hide devotion. We wore it proudly.

She was already reaching for her coffee mug, clearly prepared to spend the entire day getting ready.

“I’ll see you later,” I said softly, brushing my thumb along her cheek.

She smiled. “Try not to start a war before the ball.”

“No promises.”

I headed straight for the cafeteria. Halfway down the corridor, an arm hooked around my shoulder and yanked me into the shadows. I reacted instantly.

Then froze. The man holding me didn’t flinch. Didn’t threaten. Just looked at me. Sharp eyes. Controlled violence. Authority worn like a second skin.

“I’m Vaelira’s uncle,” he said calmly. “Corvan.”

I nodded once. Everyone knew that name.

“Not sure if you’re aware,” he continued, his voice low, “but the academy is compromised. Spies. Rebels. Eyes everywhere.”

My dragon rose instantly, alert and furious.

“Protect Vaelira with your life,” Corvan said. Not a request. A demand. One i was absolutely willing to comply with.

“I already am,” I replied without hesitation.

He studied me for a heartbeat, then nodded. “Good.”

And then he was gone. I stood there for a second longer, my pulse steady, and my purpose crystal clear.
No one would touch her without going through me first. I hadn't expected to find my mate so soon, and at first it pissed me off that I didnt get to wild out like some of the other guys. Now I realized why. She needed me now. I would not fail her.

I loaded a tray in the cafeteria, her favorite coffee, extra sweet, and enough breakfast to feed a small army. Dragons didn’t take courtship lightly. It was now my responsibility to care for my mate.

Back in her room, I set everything down just as she emerged from the bathroom.

Her face lit up instantly.

“Oh thank the gods,” she said, taking the cup and sipping happily. My chest buzzed with contentment.

I leaned against the desk, watching her. “Corvan just filled me in.”

She sighed as the weight settled back onto her shoulders. “Yeah. The academy’s a battlefield right now. Tonight especially.”

She told me everything. The rebellion. The assets. The trap disguised as a celebration. I listened. Every word. Every implication. When she finished, I stepped closer and rested my forehead against hers.

“Then we walk into it together,” I said simply.

Her eyes softened. The ball wasn’t just a dance. It was a declaration.

And I would guard her through every step of it.
~

Vaelira POV

Aethren kissed me one last time, slowly, the kind of kiss that said we'll finish later without using the word.

“I’ll see you tonight,” he murmured.

“You better,” I said, poking his chest. “Or I’m sending my sisters after you.”

He smiled like a man who had met both Arielle and Nimira and fully understood the threat, then slipped out the door.

I turned around just in time to see Arielle already elbow-deep in my breakfast.

“Oh good,” my sister said brightly. “Food.”

“That was for me,” I protested.

"This is sibling tax." Arielle replied calmly. She piled half the plate onto her own dish without shame.
Nimira walked in moments later, with her silver hair loose, her eyes bright, and glowing in that quiet way she got when she was genuinely happy. She snagged a piece of fruit and leaned against the desk, surveying the room.

“You’re smiling,” she observed.

“So are you,” I shot back.

Arielle paused mid-bite and grinned. “Yeah. We all are.”

That hit me right in the chest. My wild sister. My calm sister. All three of us bonded, chosen, alive, and standing together. For a moment, everything else faded.

“I love this,” I admitted softly. “All of us. Like this.”

Arielle immediately ruined the moment. “Okay but do not cry. You’ll mess up your skin and Mom will never forgive you.”

Nimira nodded seriously. “We have professional beauticians coming. Composure is mandatory.”

I laughed. “Alright. Enough feelings. We need to get ready.”

Arielle’s eyes lit up. “Are we calling them?”

“The big guns,” I confirmed.

She clapped. “YES.”

We cleaned like chaos incarnate. Furniture shoved against the walls. Dresses hung. Shoes lined up. Arielle declared war on a chair that clipped her tail and knocked it over. Ten minutes later, there was a knock. Then.....absolute mayhem.

Five women swept in with bags, cases, glowing enchanted tools, and the confidence of people who had handled royal daughters before.

“Shoes off.”

“Sit down.”

“No, don’t touch that.”

“Which one bites?”

“That’s her,” I said, pointing at Arielle.

Manicures first. Arielle squinted at her nails. “These better survive combat.”

“They will,” one woman said sweetly. “But not a tantrum.”

Pedicures followed. Arielle yelped when someone tickled her foot.

“I swear...”

“Arielle,” Nimira said calmly, “do not kick the help.”

Facials came next. Cool masks. Warm towels. Soft magic. Everything felt incredible.

“I feel like a spoiled forest princess,” Arielle sighed.

“You look like one too,” someone told Nimira reverently.

“I know,” Nimira replied, deadpan.

We lost it.

Massages followed and nearly knocked us unconscious. Everything melted away as all of my tension was massaged right out of me.

“This should be illegal,” Arielle mumbled.

Conversation drifted easily. Arielle gushed about Bennar and Vorak, mimicking both so badly I cried laughing. Nimira spoke quietly about Tarek, her voice softening every time she said his name. I shared little pieces of Aethren, the way he had waited for his mate to have sex, the way he listened. Both of them absolutely melted.

Then came the dresses. Arielle stepped into a stunning blue gown, the color making her eyes blaze. Her breasts looked about one sneeze from presenting themselves to the world. She stared at herself and gasped. “I am devastating.”

“You always are,” I told her. "But don't sneeze, or the ball is getting a show they didn't ask for."

Nimira grinned and Arielle cracked up. "I dont even care," she breathed. "I look all grown up."

My silver and violet gown settled against my skin like moonlight. It was low cut and fit me like a glove. I looked amazing. My scales were clearly visible on my neck and back and I i loved it. I felt powerful. Nimira’s deep green dress made her look regal and untouchable.

Hair. Makeup. Jewelry. By the time they finished, we didn’t look like students. We looked like Sahiyra’s daughters. We looked like royal heirs.

My network pad chimed. Mom. Sahiyra’s face filled the screen and she laughed outright.

“Oh my gods,” she breathed. “My girls.”

Our fathers crowded in behind her, proud and anxious all at once.

Greyson cleared his throat. “I need a chair.”

“We’ll be there in an hour,” Mom said. “Try not to overthrow anything.”

“No promises,” Arielle chirped.

A knock sounded at the door. Four very nervous beast men stood outside. Arielle’s two mates. Nimira’s golden wolf. And my dragon.

All in tuxes. All stunned into silence. Aethren forgot how to blink.

Arielle smirked. “Careful, boys. Try not to faint.”

Bennar swallowed hard. “Arielle you look, fuck. Wow.”

The women swept them in, fixing their cuffs, and adding subtle colored accents to match our dresses.

Aethren stepped close to me, his voice low and reverent. “I'm going to growl alot tonight.”

I smiled sweetly. “Good. I love it when you growl.”

The moment we stepped into the corridor leading to the ballroom, I knew this wasn’t just a dance. This was a statement.

The doors at the end of the hall were carved moonstone and obsidian, etched with three massive crescent moons overlapping one another. As they slowly opened, light spilled out, silver and pearl and soft indigo, washing over us like a blessing and a warning all at once.

“Holy shit,” Arielle breathed.

She wasn’t wrong. The Triple Moon theme was… obscene in the best way.

The ballroom stretched impossibly wide, and its ceiling was illusioned into a night sky with three massive moons hanging overhead, each one glowing a different phase, full, waxing, and waning. Silver banners draped from gilded arches. Floating candles drifted like stars. The floor was polished black marble veined with moonlight that pulsed faintly beneath our feet.

Opulent. Luxurious. Untouchable.

“This is aggressively pretty,” Nimira murmured.

Before we could even take another step, an attendant approached, bowing low. “Names, please.”

I lifted my chin. “Vaelira Veyne.”

“Arielle Veyne.”

“Nimira Veyne.”

The attendant’s eyes widened just slightly. He tapped a crystal at his wrist. The room hushed. A voice boomed gently but unmistakably across the ballroom, amplified by magic and authority.

“Announcing the daughters of Queen Sahiyra Veyne. Vaelira Veyne, Arielle Veyne, and Nimira Veyne.”

Every head turned. Every conversation died. We stepped forward together. I felt it like pressure against my skin, curiosity, awe, envy, resentment, even desire. Aethren’s hand brushed my back subtly as we entered, grounding me. Arielle walked like she owned the room. Nimira moved like she was observing a battlefield. We took it all in stride.

Behind us, the loudspeaker chimed again.

“Announcing the sons of Queen Sahiyra Veyne. Calix Veyne. Rovin Veyne. Kavren Veyne. Soren Veyne.”

Our brothers joined us moments later, looking sharp and slightly stunned, as if they’d just realized this was not, in fact, a casual evening.

Calix leaned in and muttered, “Why does it feel like we’re about to be judged by gods.”

Rovin adjusted his cuffs. “Because we are.”

Kavren scanned the room. “I see at least twelve people who look like they want to stab someone.”

Soren grinned. “Low number.”

We were handed crystal glasses filled with something pale and sparkling. Arielle sniffed hers suspiciously.

“If this makes me bite someone, I’m blaming them,” she said, nodding at the staff.

We found our table easily. Front and center, right by the stage. A moonstone place marker shimmered softly, the script elegant and unmistakable.

The Royal Veyne Family.

“Well,” Arielle said, sliding into her chair. “No pressure.”

Aethren leaned close to me. “I feel like I should bow to the table.”

Nimira smirked. “Don’t. It’ll encourage it.”

The second we sat, the nerves hit them. Not subtle. Not dignified. Full, raw, vibrating through the bones nerves. Bennar cracked his knuckles. Then stopped. Then cracked them again. Vorak bounced one knee like he was about to launch into a pit fight instead of a formal ball.

Arielle noticed immediately. She leaned back in her chair, all smug confidence and dangerous grace. “If either of you looks like you’re about to bolt when my fathers arrive, I will personally drag you back by the ear.”

Vorak blinked. “That’s not comforting.”

“It should be,” she shot back sweetly. “Means I care.”

Bennar cleared his throat, his voice low. “Your parents are… legendary.”

“They are,” Arielle agreed. “Which is why you will stand tall, keep your shoulders back, and remember something very important.”

She leaned in between them, her eyes sharp. “I chose you.”

That shut them both up.

Vorak exhaled slowly, then nodded once. “Right. Chosen. Good. I can do chosen.”