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Marco is an odd character, to say the least. He is overly formal and proper, restrained even when he's emotional. Though he clearly cares about me deeply, and he's trying to foster a relationship with me, he's somewhat stern.
Your parents are supposed to know you better than anyone, but we are strangers to one another. All these years that we never knew each other feel like a chasm between us, but to his credit, my father is doing what he can to build a bridge across it.
He has done everything possible to help me feel at home in his kingdom, which is a stark contrast to that of Rovers. Rather than a patchwork mountain town, the nightwalker's territory is a citadel located on the highest mountains of Silvertooth Peaks.
My father's palace is at the heart of the citadel, and while the outer fortress is seemingly impenetrable, the castle gates are always open. The members of his clan are perfectly polite, the members of his council calm and introverted. Life is peaceful here in a very different way than it was with the Rovers. Nightwalkers are old creatures, and while the Rovers have been forged by hardship and conflict brought on by the judgment of other packs, my father's clan has thrived in secrecy.
Their lifestyle is ancient and unhurried. While they're as strong as a full-grown wolf and as fast as Nico himself, they seem to do things slowly. I suppose when you exist for as long as they have, life loses a sense of urgency. They're a subdued and scholarly species, especially compared to the heightened emotions of wolves, and they dedicate their time to literature, science, and philosophy.
Because of their sensitivity to daylight, everyone goes to sleep at sunrise and wakes at nightfall. After weeks of waking up at dawn to train with Amara, my sleep schedule is an absolute mess. But I will adjust. I have to.
Because the truth is, no amount of time will change what I now know. I've had the chance to speak to some of the wisest scholars in my father's court, and they've all confirmed my worst fears.
The curse is in my heart, placed there by the Goddess herself to deny me the gift that my mother had scorned. The mating bond.
I could cut the crescent-shaped scar off my chest, carve the mark off my skin, but the magic would remain. The curse is tied to my very existence, and though my father promises he has the brightest minds trying to find a way to break it, he cannot hide the mournful truth in his eyes.
There is no hope.
So I decide to stay in the Night Kingdom, and I try to tell myself it's for the best. This life is better than anything I could have ever dreamed of while I was locked away by the Banes.
And though the thought pains me more than I can express, I was never really a Rover. After all, how many times did Tristan say that I was his guest? Sophie's vision was the only reason he brought me into his home in the first place. That did not make me a member of his pack, and it certainly did not make me his Luna.
Tonight, the nightwalkers will hold a ball in celebration of my arrival. My father will announce that I am the long-lost princess of his people, and I will be welcomed to the clan. I expect it to be a stunning but serene evening.
But fine gowns and grand halls cannot fill the aching emptiness in the pit of my stomach.
Tristan will never mate with me. Even if he wants to let me in, and no matter how hard we both try to bring down our walls, we'll never be together that way.
If we continue trying, it won't just keep hurting me. The curse could downright kill me. Besides, the Goddess punished me for the love my parents felt. Who's to say she wouldn't punish my mate for resisting her penance?
I might be willing to risk Selene's wrath, but I won't drag Tristandown with me. I won't let my own desire damn him. I can't.
I can't selfishly hold on to the people I love, not if it risks hurting them.
But I did not consider that even if I let go of the Rovers... they would not let go of me in return.
Chapter Eleven
The band plays a haunting melody that echoes around the grand hall of the Night King's palace. The music is nothing short of ethereal, with an assortment of strings and pianos that reverberate across the ball. Each note sounds slightly off-kilter somehow, as if the harmonies are intentionally asynchronous to create an eerie and dizzying tune.
It's beautiful. Everything about tonight is beautiful.
My father spared no expense in throwing the masquerade ball in my honor, and a tremendous crowd of vampires has gathered in his castle to celebrate. Many of them smile warmly as I walk past, and some even bow or curtsy, which makes an embarrassed heat flush my cheeks.
My gown is something straight out of a captivatingly twisted fairy tale, with a deep red fabric that clashes against my pale skin. The elegant bodice is dramatic and fitted, accentuating my small waist, and the puffy sleeves droop off my shoulders. The sleeves themselves are long and billowy, with a fitted cuff secured below my wrists.
The voluminous skirt flares out from the waist with multiple layers of different fabric that create a full and flowing shape that sways and swishes softly around me as I move through the crowd. My hair is pinned in a rose-shaped bun atop the back of my head, secured with little pins studded with diamonds and rubies.
The gilded silver mask on my face is a work of art.
In such attire, even a girl like me can feel like a princess. I'm like an infernal Cinderella clad in deep crimson that matches the shade painted onto my lips.
A few members of my father's court dance with me during the slower songs, and I thank each of them for their patience as we awkwardly sway to the music. I repeatedly point out that I don't know how to dance, but no one of them seems to mind. They indulge in my clumsiness and awe with patience and politeness, and I can't help but feel like a dressed-up toddler in a room full of true royalty. The vampires are ancient and graceful, and they welcome me with poise and pleasantness that somehow neither feels forced nor condescending.
They are perfect, and though my father assures me I will get used to their way of life, I can't help but feel like a fish out of water.
I've never been to a ball like this before. The parties and celebrations of the Bane pack are incomparable, and even then, I was never allowed to actually participate in any of them. I was a servant standing on the sidelines, and I never would have imagined being the guest of honor.
