"I would be fine. After all, I can't stay cooped up in my room forever."
The way Luna said it sounded like she had an ulterior motive. The woman couldn't shake that feeling before their aunt could say no. Belle quickly added to Luna's words.
"Aunt, you don't have to worry about it, because it's a masquerade ball. Everyone would be wearing a mask. And I would make sure to watch over my younger sister," Belle added, her voice careful, too bright around the edges.
The elder woman gave it some thought, her eyebrows knitting together. She had already read that part in the letter. Toward the ending, there had also been a warning: any family who refused to attend the Masquerade ball would face heavy punishment. But since it was _that_ person coming, the woman felt the punishment would be better than attending the banquet. The thought sat cold in her stomach.
There was no telling that this person would not recognize Luna immediately, since she was the only one with silver hair in the whole pack. There was no going back, the woman thought. She turned toward her window, a distant look on her face, as memories pulled her back into the past. The glass was cool against her fingertips.
Luna and Belle, along with herself, were not originally from the Shadow Howlers pack. They were from the Crescent Moon pack. The pack wasn't the largest, nor the second largest, but they were known widely for their trade route and their port. Merchants from all over the continent came to the alpha to use his trade port. The two sisters were the dethroned daughters of Alpha Aether. It all happened on the day of Luna's fifth birthday. The weight of that day still pressed against the woman's chest.
"You won't understand, and I never expected you to..." Mrs. Harristone whispered more to herself than to the girls as her mind drifted back to that night, to the incident that started the massacre. Her voice went thin, like she was speaking through smoke.
- - -
Fourteen Years Ago
~Crescent Moon Pack~
Two months before Luna's birthday party, something strange happened that left the alpha and Luna helpless and powerless. A letter came demanding the hand in marriage of Luna, their youngest daughter. As ridiculous as it sounded, it happened. They thought it was a prank from someone, because who in their right mind would demand the hand of a five-year-old girl for marriage? It was scary to think, so the couple brushed it off. But the paper felt wrong in their hands, heavy like a stone.
And then it happened: a delegation team arrived at the border of the Crescent Moon pack shortly after the letter came. Their clothing was too ancient for the people to describe. Their aura and air were different — heavy, pressing down on the lungs in a way the pack members weren't used to. It was said that the delegation had long, straight silver hair, with otherworldly appearances and unique physiques. Their presence made the air feel thinner.
They demanded to be taken to the pack house. The people of the pack found them strange and immediately called the attention of the tour knights to the discovery, who in turn brought the report to the king. The delegation was taken to the pack house to meet the alpha. Everything looked strange and surreal, because their pack was known to be the most secretive and they always kept to themselves. Whispers followed them down every corridor.
When the delegation got to the pack house, about three of them, they were brought to the throne room of the alpha. It was later revealed that they claimed to be the revered Lycan King's Karka, and they came bearing a message from the great Lycan King, whose name couldn't be mentioned. That startled the alpha as well as the members of the royal court. The alpha sat up properly in his throne to receive the order from the great king, but what they said next left him in shock. The air in the room went sharp and cold.
The throne room was almost flipped upside down by the alpha.
"This is just ridiculous. She's only five years old!" Alpha Aether exclaimed as he stood up from his throne with so much force it created a loud screeching sound against stone. "There's no way I'd allow this!" Alpha Aether added, his fists clenching until his knuckles went white.
The three mysterious men merely shrugged. Their icy eyes looked at the man, almost as if they felt he was below them. There was no ounce of tension in their cold bodies, and that seemed to aggravate the alpha even more. The lack of fear in them was worse than a threat.
"Go tell your damn king that I would never allow such a thing."
The people present in the room held their breath as they felt chills coming from the men and from their alpha. Alpha Aether was now unleashing his alpha aura until it was getting hard to breathe, the pressure pressing against ribs and throats. But surprisingly, the three men didn't flinch nor back down. That was frightening. They thought no ordinary person could withstand their alpha's aura, so this realization came as a shock that lodged like ice in their chests.
The message the men told the alpha was that the Lycan King was demanding Luna's hand in marriage in exchange for anything the alpha wanted. The elders felt that it didn't make sense because the girl wasn't even up to five yet. It was crazy, but some still felt that their alpha should calm down before he offended the great men. Sweat gathered at their temples.
"Alpha, please, you need to calm down. Nothing good comes out of making a decision out of rage. We're yet to hear the full version of the story," a more experienced minister said. The way the old man saw it, the girl in question had always been different from the rest of the children of the pack. The more they looked at it, she looked like she was supposed to be among these men because of how similar their hair and aura looked. His hands trembled slightly on his staff.
Alpha Aether's eyes snapped to look at the man who had spoken. "What did you just say, Lord Orion? What more do you want to hear from these shameless men? I will never accept this, and that's my final decision." Alpha Aether declared. He turned his back to them, not willing to listen to their gibberish any longer. His shoulders were rigid, locked tight. When one of the men suddenly said,
"We're not asking for an answer right away, as we would be staying here as per order of the great one. You have three days to think things through before deciding." He paused before adding, "And mind you, the great king already gave you his word that she would be left untouched until she comes of marriageable age, if that is what you're worried about. But she must stay in the Lycan's kingdom before that. It's for her own safety and yours as well." The words landed in the silence like dropped steel.