The Unforgiving Luna

The Royal Ball 2

Hazel's Pov

Familiar soft music hit my ears as I opened my eyes.

“Where am I?” I could see a table filled with drinks in front of me, colorful lights, a rich ambience, and people in expensive suits and dresses, chattering and laughing. It felt as if this was a party but the people here felt… different.

It didn’t look like just any party. Everyone seemed to be dressed in the finest suits and dresses money could buy.

Men in elegant suits and women in beautiful gowns, glittering tiara’s as far as the eye could see. They all looked like highly influential people and it hit me, there was only one party that this could possibly be…the royal ball!!!

"Why am I seeing this? Is something supposed to happen at the royal ball that is supposed to take place today?" I wondered and that was when I felt something change.

It was as if everything and everyone stopped at once. My ears perked up as I picked up these strange patterns of footsteps that seemed to be approaching me. It got closer and closer to me. I could see the shoes, belonging to a male and having an intricate design engraved into the leather. I couldn't put my finger on why, but everything felt so familiar.

I felt a cold sweat break out along my spine and I swallowed hard, turning to meet the eyes of this person who had approached me. But I saw nothing. His face was a blur and I only felt my arms being grabbed by him as he pulled me closer to himself and the scent of my favorite drink hit me. Whiskey!

With a deep intake of breath, I jerked awake with widened eyes, my heart thumping in my chest.

A dream? No, it couldn’t be a dream, there was something too real about it, as if more of a premonition than anything. A vision of something yet to come to pass.

Would I get into trouble at the Royal ball today? I couldn’t tell, but one thing I knew for sure is that the feeling just now, isn’t a good one.

The aura of that person with those footsteps… everything about him didn’t feel right to me. Why did I feel so scared of him?

My gaze landed on my phone and I saw I had missed a call. Seeing it was Amelia, I immediately called back. She answered almost immediately.

“Hazel, I found him.” came a sweet yet urgent feminine voice, “I found Logan, but he escaped again!”

My eyes widened and I sat up properly and asked, “Where did you find him?”

“Near the black forest, but he quickly ran inside when he spotted me. You know I can’t go in there.”

“I know.” I licked my lips as I thought about what to do. The ball was happening today, so I couldn’t leave right now to search for that troublemaker.

Logan and Amelia are my business partners. They were ordinary people I met by chance on a rainy day. We found out we were useful to each other in some ways and we signed a give-and-take contract, effectively a you scratch my back, I scratch yours type of arrangement, but legally binding.

Logan was good when it comes to sneaking into places like a rat or tailing someone without getting noticed and Amelia was very good at gathering information and as for me, I was good at planning and laying out strategies. We helped each other with our skills like this until recently, when Logan’s parents died mysteriously.

They were found hanging from a tree in the forest outside their home. The authorities found their suicide note, but there was something about it that didn’t make sense at all. Logan told us there was no way they would have done it and we believed him, but then if they didn’t commit suicide, then what really happened?

Ever since then, Logan has gone MIA and I tasked Amelia with looking for him because I needed him now more than ever. He was a key player in my plan and I was ready to make my move.

“s**t!” I cursed, knowing I had no choice but to leave Amelia on her own. “I cannot come to you right now, but just stay put. Do not go inside the forest, Amelia. You have to wait for him to come out.”

The black forest was a place that was forbidden to everyone. People who went in there never came back out. It was said that all kinds of evil spirits and creatures lived there and once you’re in, there’s no turning back. Logan was daring enough to go in, but he definitely would not wander far before he came out.

“Alright. Are you also attending the King’s ball?” she asked me.

I paused, biting my lip before I replied, “Yes.”

“You’re really going to begin then?” she asked and the scene of my mom covered in her own blood flashed through my mind. My hands began to tremble again and I tried my best to push the memory away.

Determination filled my eyes and my fists clenched as I replied,“This is the only chance I will ever get to enter the palace.”

….

Night had fallen and the time was approaching to get ready for the ball.

As I was gathering my things to go shower, someone knocked on my door. I was not surprised to find Melody standing outside my room.

She strolled inside and dropped a box onto my bed. “Mom bought this. She says you can wear it for the ball and you have to hurry up, it’s almost time to leave.” she finished talking and turned around to leave, but I stopped her.

“Melody?” I called.

“What is it now?” she turned back to me, disdain pinching her face.

“Did Dad tell you anything? About the first prince.”

Melody rolled her eyes, “I do not think you should worry about that. I know exactly what to do.”

“Do you?” my lips curved as I stood and got closer to her. “What if I tell Dad you have been seeing Darien behind my back?” I never caught them red handed, it was a guess at best, but seeing the shock on her face was all the confirmation I needed.

“What do you mean? I don’t have anything to do with Darien!”

“Are you sure?” I raised a brow, taking her hand and entangling our fingers together like best friends would do. “You see, this is why we should get along. If we got along then I might let you share my things. I can let you sleep with Darien however you want. You can even marry him instead.”

“Are you out of your mind?” she quickly detached her hands away from mine. “I was born to marry into the Royal family. Do you think Darien is meant for me? He’s such a loser, just like you. It’s no wonder you both would be ending up together.” she sneered.

Clearly, Alpha Craig has been filling her head up with nonsense.

“Are you really sure you can become queen?” I asked.

“Watch and see. I will make you bow and kneel before me.” she promised.

“A promise is a promise Melody, don't let me down.” I called after her, sarcasm dripping from every word.

Well, that was the kind of spirit I needed to see.

Strolling back toward my bed, I took in the box that Melody had dropped there before. Opening it, I was surprised to find a rather decent looking gown, it was an emerald ball gown, long sleeves, v-neck and with an opening at the back. It was pretty but plain. The modesty of it made me giggle. I do not think I will be doing anything modest at the ball tonight. Not that I wanted attention or something but just not this dress.

Still, it wasn’t like I could reject it.

After slipping on the dress, applying makeup and fixing my hair, I pulled a pair of shoes from the box, they matched my dress perfectly. The whole process took about an hour.

Once ready, I headed to the living room where I found the Alpha and Luna waiting. There was no sight of Melody though. She probably is still dressing up, she was known to take hours to prepare herself for an outing.

As I approached, I saw a maid bringing a glass of wine to Alpha Craig. It made me smile as I realized I didn't need to worry much about my dress. I slowed down my steps, intentionally going in the maid’s direction and making it look like an accident as I bumped into her.

The wine on the tray she carried spilled all over my dress and the glass shattered when it dropped. We both let out shocked gasps.

“I’m so sorry.” she apologized, fear filling her eyes as she hurriedly wiped my dress with a handkerchief.

“It’s alright.” I smiled at her.

“Oh, my goodness.” Patricia quickly came to check, “Your dress is all ruined.”

“It was an accident.” I told her.

“What do we do? I’m not sure Melody would let you borrow any of her dresses.”

“It’s okay, Mom.” I smiled, “I think I have something else I can rustle up.”

“Okay, hurry up. We are running late and your Dad is getting pissed off.”

I didn’t wait for her to say anything more and went back to my room. Opening my closet and picking out a red gown from it. It was something I had bought especially for an occasion like this.

I sighed, laying it out on the bed and tracing my fingers over it. I wasted no time removing the green monstrosity the Luna had chosen for me and slinking into the red number that was much more appropriate for what I had planned.

When I was done, I pulled out a box from my hidden storage and opened it. It contained all kinds of devices for several purposes. The device I picked were ones I could use to snoop around and I packed a lot of them, hiding them in the little spaces that came under the dress.

Standing in front of the mirror, I stared at my reflection, my lips curling into a sly grin. I definitely looked sexy enough to catch a certain person’s eyes.

I wore a floor-length, off the shoulder short sleeved dress that outlined the curves of my bust. It had a high thigh slit and hugged my body in all the right places. It looked so elegant and somehow, I felt so confident in this. I paired it up with golden colored heels having straps reaching above my ankles.

I touched up my hair and makeup again before stepping out of my room.

The surprise in Luna’s eyes when she saw me was everything I had hoped for. She gave me a compliment and for a moment, I saw worry in her eyes.

Craig only spared me a glance as we waited for Melody to come down. When she finally graced us with her presence, she was dressed in a glittering floor-length strapless gown covered with beads and sequins and having a front-split. She looked gorgeous and quite prepared for the task ahead.

They really meant business when they decided she would be marrying into the royal family. I wondered if she would succeed today.

*****

The insides of the palace looked nothing close to what I imagined in my head. It was grander and far more beautiful.

Glowing lanterns lined up the walls, creating a colorful glow around as we showed our invitation cards and made our way to the grand ballroom. I must say that the security in the palace was really intense. There were so many guards checking every guest’s identity and making sure everyone was on the list.

Though it was normal, I didn’t know why I felt suspicious, staring at a group of guards with narrowed eyes. They whispered something among themselves and then turned to look at our group.

I quickly looked away, wondering what that was all about. From the corners of my eye, I caught them following us. Alpha Craig noticed too and stopped as the guards approached us.

“Is there a problem?”

“Are you from the Midnight pack?” one of the guards asked. He was so big and tall and had a deep voice.

“Yes.” Alpha Craig answered and the guard’s expression immediately changed. He even gave a big smile as he gestured with his hands.

“Please follow me. My King has arranged a nice spot for all of you.”

The King?

Alpha Craig exchanged glances with his wife. They were just as confused as I was. The Midnight pack was great but not great enough for the King to pay this much attention.

I quickly went to the side of the Alpha as we followed the guard, “What is going on, Dad?”

“I don’t know.” he answered, “But I have a good feeling about this.”

Well, I don’t. I have a terrible feeling about this.

We passed by so many people, some of whom I recognized as highly influential leaders, some court officials due to the badge they wore, and so many unfamiliar faces. The place was filled with people with high statuses and by the look of things, we actually ranked the lowest.

Now, I could understand why so many people would die just to attend this ball that only happens once in five years.

“Dad, that is the first prince!” Melody gasped, her eyes staring in the direction we were heading to.

I followed her gaze and my eyes caught a dark-haired man. He was handsome and had an air of elegance around him. His aura was a perfect description of ‘as calm as the ocean’. He looked so peaceful, but to me that calm only seemed skin deep. His countenance may look peaceful, but those eyes… they couldn’t lie.

And what is this? The guard was leading us to the group meant for Royals. Something was up. I could feel it in my bones, and it kept me restless.