I sat in our room, in the dark, trying to calm myself.

"Are you ready?" Ashley asked, opening the door. "Oh my God! Ellie! Everyone's arriving already! You're not even dressed."

"I can't do it," I said. "This is a lot."

"Yeah, but if anyone can do it, you can. I have faith in you, Ellie. We all need you."

"Do you?"

"Of course! You're the daughter of Artemis. Possibly the future queen of all of the werewolf realm."

"Maybe."

"Even if you don't mate with the prince, we are going to have a blast tonight!"

"Yeah. But then Alex and Harmony..."

"Ignore them! They don't matter! You don't ever have to go back there! There are a lot of options for the girl who is helping defeat the creatures. Everyone loves you."

"Us," I corrected.

"Oh, I'm just tagging along."

I shook my head and stood up from the couch. I stepped into the gown and turned to let Ashley lace up the back of the gown. Slipping on the shoes, I followed her out of the room and to the grand ballroom.

The doors towered to the ceiling of the large portion of the building. Music drifted out to us as we heard the chatter of people talking. Walking in, the room was filled with people. My heart thudded in my chest as I looked for anyone that I knew.

The lighting in the room was soft, casting golden glows against the cream walls which were adorned with paintings, shields, swords, and tapestries.

A band played in the far corner while butlers walked about with hors d'oeuvre and champagne.

I spotted Beta Marsha standing with a tall, dark-haired man. She waved and smiled at me. Annie held to glasses of champagne, sipping from them both.

I feel the same way.

The drapes were pulled on the windows, blocking out the outside.

"Look at this! It's incredible! Oh, it's Alastair!" Ashley released my hand and flitted away to see her mate.

I spotted dad standing with mom, Alpha Anwar, and Luna Catherine. I sighed with relief and walked toward them.

"Ellie!" my mother called loudly. "Oh, my sweet girl!"

She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed tight.

"Hi, mom."

"I've missed you so much!"

"I missed you too."

"Are you being safe? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. We're both safe. Is Gamma Arthur here?"

"He's getting a drink with Abigail."

"My mom and dad are here?" Ashley asked, approaching us. "They need to meet Alastair."

"Yeah. They're right over..."

"Who's Alastair?" mom asked.

"He's the Beta from Silver Peak," dad said.

"He's Ashley's mate." I smiled.

"Her mate? She mated with the Beta of Silver Peak? Wow. That's impressive."

"Yeah, they're super cute. They've been apart for a few days so she wanted to see him."

"There you are!" I heard Harmony screech behind me.

I cringed and rolled my eyes.

"Be nice," mom whispered.

"They've been harassing me since I left."

"They're worried."

"No, they're not," I snapped back.

Harmony smirked at me. "You can't ignore us now. Now you have to obey and behave."

"I have to do no such thing. Neither of you are in any position of power."

"And you are? You're such a baby about everything you ran away."

"I'm helping with the creatures. I'm not running away."

"Hm. You are a baby who can't face the fact that Alex doesn't love you. Still haven't found your mate huh? You're pathetic."

"Shut up, Harmony."

"Harmony, I already warned you," dad said.

"Are you done ignoring your future Alpha?" Alex asked.

"I have to find the king and queen. I'll be back." I kissed my mother's cheek and hugged my father.

I started to walk away when Alex grabbed my arm. "Don't walk away from me."

"I don't have to listen to you, Alex. You are not my Alpha. You are not my King. You are a spoiled child who is mad that you're not getting your way.

"I am your future Alpha and Harmony is your future Luna. You will treat us with the respect due us."

"Respect? Respect? You mean the same respect you showed when you mated her in public? While we were still dating? The same respect you've both shown me while I've been trying to deal with this? You're ridiculous."

He squeezed my arm tighter, digging his nails into my flesh. I let out a small cry.

"You will release her," a deep voice said from behind me.

Alex dropped my arm and looked terrified. I turned to see King Orsand standing there. I sighed with relief and took a step toward him.

"If this is how the future Alpha of Moon Mist behaves with his pack, I may have to have a conversation with your father."

"There is no need. Elanor is simply a misbehaving wolf..."

"She absolutely is not!" Queen Amelia exclaimed, stepping up next to me. "She is an absolutely wonderful woman who is doing everything she can to help save our realm. What exactly are you doing?"

"I, uh, well, um..."

"That's what I thought. Please, return to your father." She put her arm around my waist protectively. "Come on, dear. There is someone I want you to meet."

She led me away from Alex with the King, but not before he let out a warning growl.

I peeked over my shoulder to see Alex tucking tail and making his way back to his father. They were just far enough away that they didn't hear the conversation, but close enough to see that he was in trouble.

I couldn't help but smirk. It felt good having the support of people like the king and queen.

"Ah, here we go."

The smell. It was overwhelming. I looked up to see the prince, with Savannah draped on his arm. As our eyes locked I felt a stirring from deep within. My wolf was howling to be loose.

Savannah saw me and crinkled her nose, pulling the prince even closer to her. She tried to turn his head toward her, but he pulled away. I could see him sniffing the air, looking about for whatever he smelled.

His gaze finally fell on me. Our eyes locked and it felt like I grabbed an electric fence. A tingling started in my core and eventually encased my entire body.

Prince Edmund walked away from Savannah who stomped her feet and whined at him. He crossed the small space between us and grasped my hands.

"Who are you?"

"I-I, um..."

"This is Elanor. She's Beta Kenrick's daughter who has been helping with the creatures."

He's the smell.

My head swirled as his scent invaded my every sense. I yearned for this man and I had never properly met him before.

"I-I've never felt this before," he said, almost panting.

"Neither have I."

"Mine," he said in a low growl.

"Mine," I repeated.