CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE.

(MELIORA'S POV)

I jerked awake with a start as the cabin door banged open, the sound shattered the quietness of the cabin like a thunderclap. While giddy girlish giggles filtered in from the darkness outside.

"Okay, good night!" came Anna's familiar voice as she stumbled through the entrance, her words slightly slurred.

I blinked groggily, struggling to rouse myself from the heavy clutches of slumber. Anna practically danced across the room, a bemused smile plastered across her flushed face.

She plopped down inelegantly on her own pallet beside mine. "Can you believe it, Liora?" she crowed, not even trying to modulate her volume. "I'm mated!"

I winced at the high pitch of her shout, wondering what time it was for her to be making such noise. "Wha...? Anna, what time is it?" I mumbled, squinting against the dimness.

"It's well past midnight," she giggled, seemingly oblivious to my addled state as she settled cross-legged on the mattress. "But why did you come back so early from the celebrations? You missed all the excitement!"

Part of me wanted to simply roll over and ignore her incessant queries. The other part knew Anna would likely just keep pestering me until she got answers. I exhaled a soft, resigned sigh.

"I didn't feel like...celebrating anymore," I demurred vaguely. "But nevermind me - you said you're mated now? That's wonderful news!"

I infused as much cheeriness into my tone as I could muster, desperate to steer the conversation away from any unpleasant details about my early departure. "Tell me everything! Who is your new mate?"

Anna's eyes fairly sparkled with girlish glee as she leaned in conspiratorially.

"Well, the festivities just got even more amazing after we joined the dance floor," she began, unable to keep the breathless enthusiasm from her voice.

"There were so many eligible, dashing men from neighboring packs - and each of us lovely girls managed to catch the eye of one!"

She paused dramatically, clearly savoring being able to revel in these delicious details. When I simply stared at her expectantly, Anna finally continued in an animated rush.

"I still can't even believe my good fortune! You'll never guess who ended up courting me - that tall, handsome brunette I couldn't take my eyes off of since he came here!"

She clapped her hands together gleefully, her toothy smile stretching from ear to ear.

"He took me aside under the ceremonial trees and offered me a place at his side, to travel back to his pack's territory as his one and only mate! Can you even imagine?"

I couldn't help but return her infectious grin, genuinely happy for my friend's dream coming true - even if a tiny part of me panged with envy at her jubilation.

"That's absolutely wonderful, Anna!" I exclaimed as she animatedly recounted more details about her new mate's physical charms and lofty prospects.

When she finally paused to catch her breath, I seized the opportunity to ask about the others.

"So who did the rest get courted to? I mean Suzanne, Martha or Beth?"

A flash of hesitation flickered across Anna's features and she averted her eyes briefly. "Well...you'd have to ask them about that yourself. I'd rather not kill the surprise."

I nodded slightly, picking up on her sudden reticence. But before I could lose interest in the chat, Anna barreled on in a seeming attempt to change the subject.

"Although I can't believe none of those handsome visitors made a play for you, Liora! With how lovely you looked after Madame Celestine worked her cosmetic enhancements, the men should have been falling all over themselves!"

Her words brought the entire lurid confrontation with the alpha crashing sickeningly back into the forefront of my mind.

I felt the blood draining from my face as distressing flashes bombarded me - the alpha's imposing frame looming over me, the crude insinuations dripping from his words, the clear sense of menace underlying it all.

Seeming to mistake my pallor and silence as disappointment, I hurried to assure her.

"Oh I did catch the eye of one, Anna! A dashing young blonde man came over to my table and asked me for a dance. But then Selene came screeching over and grabbed him away."

Anna sprang up to her feet. "Don't tell me the bigshot prince she chose was into you at first!? He introduced himself as some only prince in a far kingdom. That over-pampered bitch got too lucky!"

A spike of anger lanced through me at Anna's casual revelation. So the well-mannered young man who had approached me was rich after all. Maybe Selene heard about him before rudely and arrogantly snatching him away.

"You should go after that prince, Liora!" Anna suddenly exclaimed, jarring me from my ruminations. "He clearly was interested in you! Stake your own claim and make him yours! That would show Selene to stop assuming she deserved the best just because she's the alpha's spoiled spawn."

She pounded one fist into her other palm vehemently, but I quickly shook my head. "No, Anna...you know I can't go making trouble like that," I cautioned delicately. "I have to live here peacefully. I don't want to risk bringing any undue trouble or conflicts onto myself."

Anna fixed me with an exasperated look, mouth pulling into a pretty pout. "Of course you wouldn't be staying here, you silly girl! If that prince accepted you, he would whisk you away to go live with his pack as his mate and princess. You'd never have to look out for any trouble caused by Selene or her mother ever again!"

I realized she was right. But as appealing as the thought seemed, I can't risk my identity getting out after being mated to a prince. I had to grow strong to avenge my father, not go chasing dreams.

I started to try to articulate a response, but any further discussion was interrupted by another noisy entrance. The cabin door crashed open again to admit Beth, looking equally flushed and starry-eyed as Anna had been.


She looked like she was going to explode with happiness and I rolled my eyes knowing my sleep was jeopardized for the whole night. Because here we go again with the courtship details!