ELISE’S POV.
By the time night arrived, I felt like my body was being held together by nothing but stubbornness.
The entire pack house had been in chaos since sunrise. Everywhere I looked, people were rushing around with decorations, flowers, trays of food, boxes of supplies, and endless lists of things that still needed to be done at the last minute before the engagement ceremony began.
And somehow, I had been involved in all of it.
The moment I finished one task, another appeared waiting for me.
I decorated tables until my fingers hurt.
I carried supplies from one side of the pack house to the other until my arms felt heavy.
I helped prepare food in the kitchens.
I cleaned guest rooms for the important visitors arriving from neighboring packs.
And every few minutes, Maryse found something new for me to do.
“Elise!”
“Elise, where are the flowers?”
“Elise, the west wing isn’t ready.”
“Elise, take these curtains upstairs.”
“Elise, stop standing around and move faster.”
The problem was that I had never been standing around.
Not once.
I had been moving nonstop since before dawn.
Now the consequences were finally catching up to me.
Sweat clung to my skin beneath my clothes. My feet ached with every step I took, and a dull headache had settled behind my eyes sometime during the afternoon. Every now and then, the room seemed to tilt slightly whenever I stood too quickly.
“You don’t look well.”
Mia’s voice echoed inside my head.
I continued arranging silverware on one of the long banquet tables.
“I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not.”
“I’m just tired.”
“You are more than tired.”
I ignored her.
There was too much work to do.
Tonight had to be perfect.
Not for me.
For everyone else.
Especially Tara and Derek.
I forced myself not to think about it.
Thinking about it never helped.
It only hurt.
“Elise!”
I looked up immediately.
Father stood near the entrance to the grand hall.
My father.
Even after all these years, a tiny part of me still hoped he would look at me like a daughter.
He never did.
I hurried over and lowered my head.
“Yes, Alpha?”
He barely glanced at me.
“Tonight is important.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
“Very important.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
His eyes settled on me for a brief moment.
“I don’t want mistakes.”
“I understand.”
“If anything goes wrong because of you, there will be consequences.”
The words landed exactly as they were intended to.
A warning.
Not concern.
Not encouragement.
Not fatherly advice.
Just another warning.
I lowered my head further.
“Of course.”
Without another word, he turned and walked away.
I stood there for a moment, staring after him.
Then I picked up another tray and returned to work.
As darkness slowly settled over the pack lands, excitement spread through the entire pack house.
The Alpha King had arrived.
The news moved through the halls like wildfire.
“The royal guests are here!”
“I saw the escorts!”
“There must be twenty guards outside!”
“The Alpha King has arrived!”
People rushed everywhere.
Servants abandoned conversations.
Pack members hurried toward the entrance.
Even the guards seemed excited.
Maryse nearly tripped as she ran outside.
Tara and Clara followed close behind.
Jake disappeared shortly afterward.
Derek was already waiting near the front entrance with his parents.
Even my father went outside personally.
Everyone wanted to witness the Alpha King’s arrival.
Everyone except me.
Because while the rest of them gathered outside, I remained inside carrying trays and preparing refreshments for the arriving guests.
I never even saw the royal procession.
I only heard pieces of it through passing conversations.
Apparently, it had been impressive.
Apparently, everyone was talking about it.
Apparently, the Alpha King looked exactly like the stories said he did.
I wouldn’t know.
I was too busy trying to stay awake.
The ceremony officially began less than an hour later.
The grand hall filled with guests until there was hardly room left to move.
Music drifted through the air while conversations echoed from every direction.
People laughed.
People toasted.
People celebrated.
Meanwhile, I moved through the crowd carrying tray after tray of drinks.
At first, I managed.
Then the headache got worse.
The lights seemed brighter.
The music sounded louder.
The crowd felt suffocating.
Every few minutes, I found myself blinking just to clear my vision.
“Elise.”
Mia sounded worried now.
“I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not.”
“I just need to get through tonight.”
“You’ve been saying that all day.”
I tightened my grip on the tray.
“I’ll be fine.”
The lie sounded weak even to me.
A few minutes later, I nearly walked straight into one of the guests because my vision blurred unexpectedly.
That was when I finally admitted I needed a moment.
Not to rest, just to breathe.
I slipped out of the hall as quietly as possible and stepped into one of the corridors outside.
The difference was immediate.
The music became distant.
The voices faded.
For the first time all evening, there was silence.
I leaned against one of the large pillars and closed my eyes.
A slow breath escaped me.
Then another.
The cool night air brushed against my face.
For a brief moment, everything felt peaceful.
I opened the bottle of water I had brought with me and started to gulp the cold, refreshing liquid down my throat.
“Easy, you don’t want to choke on that.”
My eyes flew open.
A man stood several feet away.
Tall.
Broad-shouldered.
Well-dressed.
I had never seen him before, but everything about him carried an effortless confidence that immediately told me he was one of the guests.
Embarrassed, I straightened quickly and grabbed my tray.
“I’m sorry. I should get back to work. Thank you for your concern.”
Instead of moving aside, the stranger studied me carefully.
“You’ve looked exhausted every time I’ve seen you tonight.”
I blinked.
Every time?
I hadn’t even met him tonight.
Not even once.
“There’s a lot that needs to be done tonight,” I replied.
“That doesn’t explain why you look sick.”
I forced a smile to appear on my face.
The kind people used when they wanted questions or conversations to end.
“I’m alright, sir. Thank you.”
The stranger didn’t look convinced.
In fact, the more he looked at me, the more I felt like he could somehow see through every excuse I was trying to make.
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