Olivia's pov
Despite the heaviness and sadness in my heart, I let Kiara work her magic on dressing me up without resistance.
When I finally looked at my reflection in the mirror, I was stunned. I barely recognized the girl staring back at me. I looked like a princess straight out of a fairytale.
The black gown Kiara had chosen clung perfectly to my curves, enhancing my sharpness and beauty in a way I had never imagined. I knew I was pretty, but this... this was something else entirely.
"And for one final touch," Kiara announced, a mischievous smile on her face. "A perfume."
"I have one here with me!" I exclaimed, excitement flickering in the pit of my stomach as I reached into my bag.
I pulled out the perfume I had created recently,a scent that was inspired from an exclusive fragrance that had been in my mind for as long as I could remember. This was more than just a perfume; it was a piece of me.
Malik, my boss at the perfume shop, must have known how much the perfume meant to me, because he had given it to me as a birthday gift. In which I really appreciate him for.
“It smells really nice, or better still amazing,” Kiara said, as she spritzed the perfume generously over me before handing it back.
“Come on, we’re going to have a blast tonight,” she said with a wide grin, pulling me out into the street.
Kiara showed confidence as we walked, her usual glamorous, slightly revealing outfit making her look effortlessly stunning. I, on the other hand, was nervous in my own elegant gown, feeling both exposed and excited.
My nervousness was heightened by the unusually large number of people roaming the streets.
"What's going on?" I asked Kiara. "Why are there so many people on the streets today?"
"It's Eric's engagement ceremony," she replied as though I was supposed to know who that was.
"Eric?" I asked.
"Eric is the first prince of the Mador Kingdom," Kiara explained. "And he's engaging Lily, the daughter of the noblest Wolf family tonight."
"Oh!" I replied.
It made perfect sense that the streets would be filled with people that came for the engagement celebration. In Mador Kingdom, all packs were ruled by the Lycan King, who had two sons, the first prince and the second prince. Only the King and two princes were Lycans while the rest of us were Wolves.
Our Pack, the Blackhide Pack, was located near the Capital, the Ironclaw Pack, and it wasn't uncommon for wolves from the Capital to stray into our territory. But I’d never seen this many people on the streets before.
Kiara held my hand firmly, guiding me expertly through the throng of bodies. My nerves were on edge as she led me to an open-air bar, teeming with people. It was so crowded that it felt like getting lost was inevitable. Kiara managed to navigate us to the bar and ordered two drinks.
It was my first encounter with alcohol, and I hesitated, unsure of what to expect. But Kiara’s encouragement was insistent.
“Just relax,” she urged, though I found it hard to let go of my anxiety. When she stepped away for a few minutes, my worry became worse. Guys began approaching me, their advances making me increasingly uncomfortable. I was on the verge of bolting when Kiara reappeared, quickly dispersing the unwanted attention with a fierce look.
“What is this?” I asked, looking at the keycard Kiara had just placed into my hands.
“We’re definitely getting drunk tonight,” she giggled. “And Mom would be a nightmare if we came home wasted. So, we’re crashing at this hotel nearby and heading home in the morning.”
Noticing my hesitation, Kiara quickly reassured me that everything would be fine. Before I could argue further, a large screen above the bar flickered to life, and the bar erupted in loud applause.
“It's Eric and Lily!”Kiara exclaimed, pointing at the screen. It showcased a strikingly handsome man and a stunning woman dressed in opulent, ceremonial attire, their presence clearly commanding attention.
The applause soon died down and I overheard two girls talking. They were whispering to each other and I could only hear them because I was near them.
“Eric is very handsome,” the first girl said. She was dressed in a very short, tight, pink gown. She was a thin girl with an unusually long neck and her eyes fluttered excessively.
“Yes he is,” the second girl replied. She was the exact opposite of the first girl, with a short, stocky neck and fat, round body, “The girl is also beautiful, I hear she's the most beautiful woman in the Capital.”
“I don't doubt it,” the long-necked girl replied. “She was born eighteen years ago, on the night of the harvest moon.”
My heart sank as I watched the screen. Lily and I were born at the same moment under the harvest moon—a rare event said to endow female wolves with great power and beauty.
While the universe may have gifted me with looks, it had certainly overlooked any semblance of power. Despite our shared birth time, Lily’s fate had been far more favorable than mine.
I shifted my gaze away from the screen, scanning the crowd. Everyone around us wore expressions of sheer joy, except for one person.
He stood apart, his eyes fixed on the screen with a chilling, detached stare. It was as if he wished the engagement wasn’t happening.
His gaze was unflinching, and a frigid aura seemed to emanate from him like smoke from a dirty chimney. Despite his rigid stance, his face remained oddly calm, as if the spectacle on the screen were of no real concern to him, yet his focus was absolute.
The man suddenly downed the drink in his hands in one go, tore his gaze from the screen and stared directly at me as though he knew I'd been watching him.
His blue, icy eyes startled me and I hastily turned towards the screen. The couple on the screen kissed and the crowd erupted in elation. I glanced at the man, and the cold aura that hung around him seemed to grow colder as the couple kept kissing each other on the screen.
“...very sorrowful,” the long-necked girl's sad voice caught my attention. “I really pity the second prince.”
“Marco?” the fat girl asked. “Why?”
“Didn't you know?” her whispers carried a tinge of lush excitement as though she was about to reveal a dark secret and I immediately paid attention, Not wanting to miss any details.
“Know what?” the fat girl asked, her excitement evident.
“Lily is the second prince's fated mate,” the long-necked girl replied. “They were actually in love.”
“Then why is she marrying Eric, the first prince?” the fat girl asked, her face mirroring my own shock.
“The second prince can’t become the Lycan king despite being the most powerful wolf in Mador,” the long-necked girl explained. “He’s a child of a surrogate and bears a curse. So, Lily has to marry Eric to become the Lycan queen.”
“I wonder how the second prince feels about this,” the fat girl sighed.
“He…”
I thought I had the worst fate in the world, but I really pitied the second prince. I knew what it meant to be rejected and looked down upon, to be hated and deprived of entitled rights. I also knew it was a painful thing to be away from one's fated mate.
I tore my gaze from the happy couple and looked at the man I saw earlier, but he'd disappeared. I searched with my eyes until Kiara bumped into me with a cup filled with red liquid.
“Who are you looking for?” she asked.
“No one,” I hastily replied, looking at the cup in her hand. “What's that?”
“It's for you,” she chuckled. “To help you relax and have fun so you can pay back your wicked boyfriend for cheating on you.”
“I'm not sure,” I stammered. “I..”
“Don't be a party spoiler,” she pouted.
“Drink up.”
I wasn’t keen on drinking, but Kiara was right. I needed to loosen up and have some fun, and it was clear she genuinely wanted me to enjoy myself. I didn’t want to let down someone who cared about me so much.
“Great!” she clapped with excitement as I finished the drink. “I’ll go get us more,” she said before disappearing into the crowd.
As soon as she left, a wave of dizziness hit me. The world seemed to spin like a carousel, and my body couldn’t choose what it wanted between burning up and catching cold, so it did both uncontrollably. It felt as though I might collapse at any moment.
I instantly brought out the key card Kiara gave me earlier from my back and walked towards the hotel that overlooked the bar. It was the only one around and must be where Kiara booked a room for us. I didn't want to pass out in the midst of strangers and I struggled to get to the hotel and find my room.
My eyes were almost shutting off as I wandered into the hotel and picked my way to the hallway to find my room. I saw a door that had 410 on it and I immediately pushed it open. I was trying to switch on the light when I suddenly froze. I was not alone in the room and a low, wolfish growl confirmed it.