The Bride of the Vampire King

Aneela By tradition and by law the Moon Ball was held once every five years by one of the four royal clans – vampires, werewolves, witches and humans. Tonight, it was the wolves’ turn and everybody expected an old fashioned, stiff entertainment and rough business talks for the entire night. Being the brutes that they were, it was common knowledge the wolves didn’t know how to be elegant about almost anything in their lives, let alone organize an exquisite gala night where power and leverage were switched like poker chips. However, all the members of the royals were extremely excited for this particular night. It would be the first time since almost a century that the vampire king, Alexander, would join the celebration. It would also be the first time since the disappearance of her husband, that the Wolf queen would show her face in public and prove to be worthy of the unbeknownst position her pack had given her. After all, they had chosen her for their Alpha by blood and by right, even though she was a woman, and one not of pure wolf blood, but turned by bite. The night was about to be full of surprises and the tension danced in the air the same as the couples would soon dance on the dance floor. For Aneela, daughter of the Queen of Wolves, none of this seemingly mattered. She stared at her reflection in the mirror up in her room, not quite happy with the result she saw. The night was extremely important for her mother, still Aneela found it utterly unfair that she wasn’t allowed to join. It was Aneela’s birthday, and she couldn’t even celebrate with her cousins and friends like she wanted to. Instead of wearing an exquisite gown and enjoying herself, she was to be locked away in her bedroom, alone and only with her maid for company. A very unhappy, very disapproving maid. “I still think this is an extremely bad idea,” Twyla said, while Aneela was playing with her hairstyle, trying to make the soft curls stay in place.. “Come on, Twi, it is going to be fine,” Aneela barely managed to say as she held two hairpins between her lips. After it became clear that Twyla wouldn’t help her even one bit, she had to manage her looks for the night all alone, and now she had spent almost two hours painting her face and skin, and now making her hair match the faery look she aimed for. “Mother is not even going to notice me with so many people around. And all I want to do is just catch one glimpse at him.” Twyla smirked with annoyance and looked away, holding her hands high in front of her body, as if to prove she had nothing to do with Aneela’s disobedience. Rolling her eyes, Aneela turned her full attention to the mirror, giving up on playing with the hairstyle and letting her curls run loose, aiming for practicality. After all, the goal was not to be noticed by her mother in the sea of people who looked almost the same – no, she had to blend in. Just a tall, brown-haired girl with a flower crown and a silk dress. Harmless, silly, not worthy to be noticed. “Don’t tell me you don’t take great pleasure in this, Lady Aneela,” Twyla said, twisting her features in a scornful expression, which didn’t work quite well as it was visible the maid barely managed to hide her smile. “We do what we have to do, my dear friend,” Aneela sighed and jumped to her feet, ready to show herself to the world. When she spoke again, her expression was hard and unwavering. “I need to speak with him tonight, Twi. It is my only chance.” And it really was. Her father was killed a few months ago and the person who did it was tried a day later and quickly sent to receive his punishment in the dark Vampire kingdom. Nobody spoke of him after that and Aneela didn’t even know his name, but she had to find him. Not just for revenge, she had to know why her father was killed, why now. There was only one way to find out and she wouldn’t miss her chance for the world. She had to talk to a vampire. Preferably, the king of all vampires. “Alright, wish me luck, my dear,” she said with firmness in her voice that completely contrasted to the soft fragile girl that stared at her from the mirror, only the gleam in her eyes telling the story of what she was about to do. “Just go to your chamber and in case Mother asks anything, tell her you left me here alone as per my request. I will deal with her in case something happens.” After that she left her room, holding her high heels in hand and quickly passed the empty darkened hallway barefoot. With her heightened senses even up here in her tower she could smell the mixing aromas of the party downstairs: the finest foods and alcohol, perfumes and lust, and greed. The wolf inside her didn’t like it, but her wolf didn’t like a lot of things related to crowded places and being with people from different species. Diana was calm only around her own, and growled when forced to meet others so much that sometimes Aneela had to fight with herself not to snap and transform even outside of the full moon, like she was some kind of an untrained little cub. As she passed the stairs and turned towards the kitchen, from where she planned to invade the ballroom, Aneela felt the crawling of her ancestors’ blood under her skin. It felt like electricity and magic mixed in one, like the fairies themselves had trapped her in a dream-like haze. Relax, she reminded herself, stopping for a second at the last darkened corner, her heart suddenly pounding heavy in her chest. She had no reasons to be nervous, at all. What could go wrong? If Mother caught her, she would say Aneela was just acting her age. If Aneela did manage to meet the vampire and stay focused for long enough, she would either get his help, or leave with empty hands. In any of these scenarios there was nothing to lose. And everything. Nobody in the kitchen noticed her. Everyone was too busy conjuring fancy cakes for the humans and blood cocktails for the vampires. They wouldn’t pay her any attention even if she had paraded naked on the kitchen isles. Waiters circled constantly around, the chefs shouted, the maids shuttled through the rest supplying clean utensils and products, and whatever else was asked of them. When she finally managed to get to the ball room, Aneela lifted her head proudly and plastered a smile on her painted pink lips, devouring the view in front of her with hungry eyes. Never in her life had she seen such a colorful crowd. There were people from particularly every species known to the world, and all were mixed together, not caring for their company’s origin, or just for that. Witches and wolves looked suspiciously at each other – the latter gruff and shabby even with their royal statuses and clothes, the former fine and fragile, all cunning smiles and greedy eyes. The vampires stood a bit away from the rest and took it to themselves, observing and looking down on the rest, cocky with their godlike immortality and elegance. The fae, magical and ethereal walked around them bargaining favors and spying on their prey as usual. And the humans, all dressed in fancy fashionable suits and gowns, didn't care about any of the feuds, and roamed around everyone who could bring them profit and wealth. Aneela had never been to one of these events before. She had heard of them. She knew the tales of the glamor and the power plays that took hand, of the profligacy, but she had never had the chance to participate. Being born the year her pack last hosted the ball, Aneela was supposed to wait twenty five years for a chance to participate as an honorable guest. Should her father be alive, she would be presented in front of the royal families as the only child of the most powerful alpha in centuries. His daughter would be shown off as the most precious pearl in the crown of her royal family, a thing to be traded as the promised mate for the next alpha when the time for his ascend came. But Father was killed a year ago and now Mother was too busy securing her position, flashing power and wealth, and brutally removing every pretender for her throne. There was no time for introducing another female to the royals. It could show weakness, and Rumiana would never allow weakness among her lines. Plus, only because Rumiana was the alpha now, it didn’t mean her only daughter was her heir, no. The honor would still go to Aneela’s chosen mate, as it was supposed to be from the day of her birth. Aneela would always be only the vessel of the royal wolf blood, nothing more. Plastering a fake smile on her painted face, Aneela closed the large ivory door behind her and fled among the crowd with a slow, confident walk. She played the part of the stupid, naïve little girl for her entire life. Everybody bought it with such eagerness throughout the years, why bother to prove them wrong now, especially when it served her quite right? The large ballroom in her family’s mansion was filled to the brim with people from different kinds, ages and colors – royalties from other clans, lords and ladies, ambassadors from distant lands. The ceiling and the walls were covered in pastel pictures of flowers and sin, gold glinted from every corner. Light in different colors spilled from the crystal chandeliers, while elegant acrobats danced in the air as if gravity didn’t mean a thing for them - dancers brought to perform for the guests who couldn't care less about them. Aneela did. She stared at them for a brief moment, mesmerized by the precise way they moved in unison never to be noticed, not really, and she couldn’t quite ignore the specific kind of pain that formed in her chest. Taking a glass of sparkling wine from a waiter nearby she moved further inside the ballroom. She had a job to do now, and she couldn’t be distracted with sentiments. Walking further ahead, her eyes and senses were at high alert for an actual threat, for someone who stood out among the rest of the vampires. She didn’t see anyone who matched her expectation of the vampire king – someone smelling like a fresh grave, someone old and intimidating, putting on a show of elegance and supremacy. Because, at the end of the day that was what vampires did, wasn’t it? They believed themselves superior in wits, looks and class compared to anyone else, and mocked the world while they sucked its blood dry. It made sense their king would be the one who bested his people in that game. “Aren’t you supposed to be somewhere else, my love?” A familiarly intimate, mocking voice came from behind her, and Aneela immediately stopped in her tracks. “And why is your hair… black?” A second later a large male stood in front of her, his eyes wide and sparkling with superiority, not a hint of a genuine smile on his full lips. Aneela rolled her eyes, trying not to look as bothered as she felt. Her chosen mate looked at her through long lashes. The smirk on those perfect lips didn’t do exactly a good job at proving he didn’t hate her guts. Aneela plastered another fake smile on her face and swallowed the lump in her throat when she nodded with irritation towards him, nose raised royally in the air. “Darren.” “Why are you here?” He asked with barely hidden menace in his dark eyes, and Aneela had to summon all her will not to flinch. Not that she was scared, she just couldn’t stand him. “Your mother’s orders were more than clear.” She stared back. Yes, her mother’s orders. His alpha, whom he vowed to follow after husband’s death, instead of challenging her for the position. By deciding to follow her, Daren had cemented Rumiana's place as the new Queen of wolves. Aneela still had no idea what his game was, despite the fact she was truly glad they weren’t mated as a result. She just didn’t trust him with her future and her heart. Yes, he was of good origin, he was pleasing to the eye and a good companion, but the walls and thorns he had built around himself were too many abd Aneela really didn't care to break through them. There was something about that man that made the hairs on her neck stand with caution. “My mother’s orders were also towards you, weren’t they?” Aneela shot back now, her voice teasingly sweet. “Besides, nobody knows me, unlike you, who are oh, so famous among these people.” At her words, he instinctively raised his hand and squeezed her shoulder painfully, barely contained rage dashing in his green snake-like eyes. “Are you questioning me, my dear?” He asked with a low menacing voice, all traces of friendliness gone from his venomous expression. Aneela knew better than to react and defend herself. It was neither the place, nor the time to cause a scene. But she couldn’t contain the low growl forming in her throat. Her eyes dangerously lay where his fingers dug into her bare skin, leaving red spots visible even through the paint and glitter. Her whole body tensed and she was about to slap him right there and then for touching her like he owned her for everyone to see, consequences be damned. He may be her future husband, but noone treated the alpha’s daugher this way. Somewhere behind them someone announced the dances were about to start. People shuffled and moved from the dance floor to give room for the couples to gather for the first official dance, but Aneela and Darren didn’t move. “Let me go right now,” Aneela spat through greeted teeth, twisting in an attempt to shove him off, but his hand remained there, the grip tightening, his fingers digging painfully in her flesh, while the smile on his face became even more vicious. The chandeliers above them still swirled, spilling light in every color possible, the music slowly shifting to something more classical, more danceable. He didn’t move. A snake. A viper ready to strike. “Darren!” Aneela spat, getting ready to attack any minute now. Someone approached them then, someone leaner and taller than both of the werewolves. He inserted himself between them and easily pushed Darren’s hand away. “I believe the lady is here to dance and if you are not man enough to invite her, I am more than happy to oblige,” the unfamiliar, breath takingly beautiful vampire stretched his hand towards Aneela in invitation, while all she could do was watch the way Darren retreated immediately as if burnt by the touch. There was no other option now but to accept the invitation instead of causing a bigger scene. Aneela put her bare fingers in the vampire’s hand without hesitation. “I gladly accept.”