Mira

“Your bath is ready, Princess,” Ella said, leading me to a bubbling pool of milk. “It’s pure goat milk, believed to nourish the skin and provide a youthful glow. You’re expected to soak yourself in it for fifteen minutes for maximum effect.”

“Is it hot?” I queried, peering at the bubbles suspiciously.

Ella chuckled. “It isn’t. The bubbles are merely a result of the rejuvenating herbs incorporated into the bath. In ancient times, it was believed that if a visitor had ill intentions towards the throne, the milk bath before the welcoming ceremony would turn to blood when they lay in it.”

My heart picked up a pace following her little history lesson. Did revenge qualify as an ill intention? I didn’t come here to seek out and harm an innocent soul. My friend was murdered, and I only sought to do justice to her soul. Surely, the moon goddess understands the cry for justice.

I was hesitant to get into the bath, but with Ella and the other servant girls watching me closely, refusal would mean I was guilty of a crime.

True to her words, the bath proved to be the most relaxing soak I’ve ever had, better than all the luxurious spas in the Upper East Side. The best part was that the milk didn’t turn to blood.

Ella helped me rinse off milk residues in my hair and skin while the others prepared my makeup. They said everything had to come from nature.

“Is this your first time preparing someone for the welcome ceremony?”

She paused, her hands hovering above my hair. “Did I do anything wrong?”

“Not at all. I was just wondering if this is a regular thing,” I replied, trying to ease her. Despite our growing friendship, I could tell she was still being careful not to cross lines, and she insisted on calling me princess.

“Oh, it doesn’t happen often. The royal family is very careful about who they let in.” Her face brightened, and she went further to tell me a story about how the royal family was almost wiped out by a traitor.

I could recall one of my conversations with Mary where I asked how she was coping in the palace, and she said she found someone special.

I was eager to meet this person, but Mary asked me to be patient and promised to come visit with them.

I never got to see them together, but as I watched her narrate her tales with so much animation, I could see why the goddess brought them together.

I sought her out shortly after I got to the palace and explained my relationship with Mary.

Mourning her together had brought us closer, and when I let her in on my plans to return to the palace and avenge Mary’s death, she was eager to help.

But I declined her offer, feeling solely responsible for Mary’s death and not wanting more blood spilled in my name.

My reason didn’t deter her. She maintained she wouldn’t sit and watch when she could help avenge her mate, so I made her my personal maid to keep her close while concealing the nature of our friendship.

“You look absolutely stunning. I’m certain the prince would not be able to keep his eyes off you.” She beamed when the makeup was done, and I couldn’t help but wonder which prince.

The ceremony opened with the traditional dance to the moon goddess. It was performed by mates who transitioned between their human and wolf to show off our nature and their gratitude to the goddess for looking out for us.

Soon, we were ushered into the inner chambers, where I was required to sit with the noblewomen. It was customary for all nobles to be present so that they could get acquainted with the new member and make their judgments.

Lilith was seated across from me, and though I could feel her eyes on me, I refused to look in her direction. I didn’t miss how Griffin ignored her the entire night, but I had every intention of enjoying the night and ending it on a peaceful note. I didn’t want their issues to distract me.

Conversations at the table were in hushed tones, and I noticed that even amongst the nobles, the hierarchy persisted.

Some of them considered themselves pure nobles as their bloodlines were never tainted with marriage to a person of a lower caste, while those of them who married into nobility were regarded with a level of disdain and only spoke after the so-called purebloods were done speaking .

I had always wondered why I was yet to hear anything about my background from any of them, but I was informed by one of the maids who was around during my stay that Griffin had forbidden anyone from discussing the event and the punishment was banishment.

What I didn’t know was if the decree was to protect his image from being soiled or to protect me from the wrath of his kingdom.

Sitting at the table today, I was grateful to him for the decree regardless of what his reason was. I wanted my penetration into the upper echelons of the palace to be as seamless as possible. That was the only way I could get what I wanted.

“That’s a very lovely diamond on your neck sweetie. May I ask where you got it?” A sweet lady with luscious gray hair enquired, eyeing the necklace Victor got me a couple of weeks ago.

“I’m sorry I can’t say. It was a gift from the prince.”

A couple of ‘Aws’ and other sweet remarks washed over the table as the women gushed over the necklace. Soon, we were thrown into some form of competition as the women began to talk about all the expensive things their partners had gotten them over the years.

“Don’t mind them. It’s not a proper party if they don’t compare the weights of their husband’s pockets. I’m Lady Sheila, by the way.” The gray-haired woman smiled, offering her hand for a brief shake.

“I’m Mira,” I replied awkwardly. She smiled, the look in her eyes saying she knew who I was, but I appreciated the gesture.

“Princess Lilith, why don’t you tell us about that time the prince shut down the park for your birthday,” a dark-haired woman whom I later discovered to be Elder Edmond’s mate asked, and Lilith’s face lit with pride as she recounted the story of how Griffin made her the happiest girl in the world.

“Did I mention that he flew in all of my favorite artists and chefs to host the most intimate dinner for us? Everything was so beautiful, and I’m certain it must’ve cost him a fortune, but I know he loves me even more.”

“So, the stories of the divorce are false then?” the woman pressed, and I could see Lilith’s smile falter.

“Of course they are. The prince was almost deceived, but he’s back to his senses now. He knows we’re end game.”

The pain in my heart intensified with every word she said, but I put on a strong front, smiling where appropriate and laughing when needed. I knew she was exaggerating her story to mock me, but then again, I wouldn’t put it past Griffin to go back to her.

“How about you, Mira,” the dark-haired woman continued, and I didn’t miss how she didn’t address me as a princess. Not that I cared, but I was observant.

“We only know the stories of how the prince helped you on a rainy day, and how he fell head over heels for you from that moment. But we barely know anything about you or your family. What is the name of your pack?”

She raised her voice a notch, capturing the attention of the entire table and the table across from us.

“Yes, Mira, I’ve been so curious about my new sister-in-law,” Lilith added, a sinister smile playing on her lips.

I could feel the tension in the room. Griffin looked ready to murder Lilith, while Victor looked calm, as though he had the situation in control regardless of the outcome.

The rest of the audience looked at me with curious eyes, oblivious to the tension simmering beneath the surface and hungry for whatever I had to share.

“There’s not much to be said. I’m just a simple girl living a simple life, and I was merely lucky enough to catch the eyes of Prince Charming over there,” I replied, throwing a shy smile at Victor .

“Oh, don’t be a sour spot. Tell us the whole story.

I’m sure the entire council would enjoy stories of how a breeder like you rose to the level of my husband’s personal maid, got cast away for trying to seduce him, and is finally sitting pretty in the arms of his brother.

The ladies would love to take gold mining tips from you.

” Lilith said with a sickeningly sweet voice, and the entire chamber fell silent.

The only thing I could hear was the loud beating of my heart in my ears.

I’d be a fool to say I didn’t expect this from her. In fact, I’ve been waiting for her to pull this off. I didn’t think she’d have the balls to be so open about it, nor did I predict the way humiliation washed over me.

I caught sight of Griffin opening his mouth to defend me, but I beat him to it. I was done with men always coming to my rescue.

“It was quite easy, Lilith,” I replied, and the women gasped while the men watched with interest.

“First, I had to resist being raped by my Alpha’s son, an event that was seen as rebellious and resulted in me being demoted to breeder status, but just as the demotion was about to take effect, Prince Griffin was there to save me from the ugly fate.” I sent Griffin a quick nod of gratitude.

“He took a lowly Omega like me into his palace and gave me the prestigious position of his personal maid because he saw something other than a rank. He saw the human in me.”

At this point, I had the attention of the court, and I could see some of the women wipe stray tears from their eyes.

I toyed with the idea of revealing the nature of my relationship with Griffin to them, but I didn’t think it would be wise to complicate my position like that.

Lilith looked like she was constipated, Victor had a solemn look on his face, and Griffin wore a look of pride so I continued.

“But because the world is cruel and filled with vipers, someone felt threatened by my presence and set me up to be kicked out of the palace. But as we all know, the goddess protects her own, and soon, I found myself as the CEO of Diamond Corporation, and from there, I landed myself the best man in the world. So yeah, my story might not be the best, but all the challenges led me to the most fulfilling life. I wouldn’t have it any other way. ”

Silence followed my speech before one of the women began clapping. Soon, others joined, and I was praised for my resilience and how I fought through it. Some even went as far as saying the hands of the moon goddess rested on me, while others commended Griffin for saving me from ill fate.

I cast Lilith a triumphant look, injecting my voice with the same sickening amount of sweetness hers had. “Does this satisfy your curiosity, dear sister-in-law?”

“Yes, it does. It’s a pity some of us don’t have men saving us at every corner.” Her voice was tight, and her tone lacked the characteristic smugness. Despite her slight jab, I knew I had won this round.

“What can I say? The goddess looks out for me. It’s why she brought me back even after I was wrongly accused.”

“I knew you looked familiar from the first day I saw you,” Elder John commented, and I smiled at him, making a comment about the time we ran into each other in front of the library.

“Did you ever find the person that set her up? I think they should be severely punished,” Elder Gideon said, and a few others agreed with him.

“I did. I’m still trying to figure out the best punishment for them,” Griffin answered, not taking his eyes off Lilith.

Lilith was as pale as a ghost, and I could tell she was regretting her actions. I wasn’t expecting a court so deep in the ways of hierarchy to be so receptive toward my story, but I guess some of them still had a bit of humanity in them and could connect to deep emotions.

I returned my gaze to Victor who was watching me with a look I couldn’t place and gave him a smile, which he returned before coming to sit next to me.

The hunting competition, which was the final part of the ceremony, started, and Victor had to leave after getting a good luck kiss from me.

Victor and Griffin are required to hunt the same prey as a sign of their current situation, while other members of the noble family pick one of their choosing.

When the picks were made and everyone was stationed in their positions, we were taken to the top of the palace, where we had a clear vision of what was happening on the field. Elder Gideon gave the final order for hunting to start.

Part of the rules was for the competitors to remain in their human form and refrain from using their wolf to exert dominance to make sure the winner won fair and square. So, it was easy for me to know who was who.

Victor took off before Griffin, chasing after the squirrel that was set loose for them. The goal was to capture the animal alive and unharmed. Harming of the prey would result in immediate disqualification.

I didn’t notice Griffin take off, but he was suddenly ahead of Victor, dashing towards the squirrel at an almost supernatural speed.

“Is he using his wolf?” I queried, shocked by the speed and litheness of his movements.

“Not at all, dear,” Lady Sheila replied, watching him with awe. “Prince Griffin has been the fastest in the pack. He is also one of our strongest warriors.”

The admiration in her voice was very palpable, and I couldn’t help but return my gaze to him. The other competitors faded as I focused my gaze on him, watching how he easily jumped over fallen trees and swung between branches with ease.

My wolf was swooning and cheering like a teenage girl, and I couldn’t fault her. Even I was a hair’s breadth from getting on my feet and cheering for him.

I watched with anticipation as he closed in on the prey, my heart thudding in my chest and waiting for him to capture it.

Just as he reached for the squirrel, Victor materialized from thin air, diving for the prize at the same time and butting heads with Griffin. The crowd gasped following their collision.

Victor keeled over in pain while Griffin showed no sign of discomfort, focusing on making sure the squirrel was unharmed. I was up on my feet and running into the field before I could stop myself.

When I took off from my spot, the name in my heart was Griffin, but as I drew near, I knew the person I had to run to was Victor.

It pained me to watch him standing with the squirrel in his hand and blood dripping from the spot where he collided with Victor, but there was nothing I could do for him.

I ran over to Victor who had successfully freed himself from the branch, squatting next to him and cupping his face in my palms.

“Are you okay?” I queried, my voice shaking and my lips trembling. I could only hope that Griffin would somehow figure out that my question was directed at him instead.