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I get the distinct feeling that he’s just saying this to tease me or lighten the mood, as he’s seen me dressed up before. Rolling my eyes at his antics, I can’t stop the small smile pulling at my lips. I lift some of the light skirt layers and raise an incredulous brow. “I look ridiculous.”
Pressing his lips together in a tight line, he tries to stop the amusement from showing. He fails, and a small laugh rips from me at the ridiculousness of the situation. Running my eyes over him, I can’t help but feel a little jealous as I see what he’s wearing. “You look very smart,” I comment, my accusation clear.
Although he’s wearing clothes much like Atlas’s, he looks completely different. Kano carries a sense of authority around with him, and although he’s got tattoos covering his arms, with his freshly pressed shirt and spotless black waistcoat, he looks like the perfect gentleman. He even has a pocket watch peeking out from the pocket of his waistcoat. I have to admit that my brother is pretty handsome in his court clothes.
He smiles at my tone and glances down at his outfit, brushing off an imaginary piece of lint. “I’m required to attend court every now and again. I don’t mind it so much, but Atlas hates it.” Snorting, he shakes his head, finding my mate’s avoidance amusing. “He’ll avoid it at all costs, and he only ever attends when the queen requests his presence.”
We both know exactly how much choice you have when the queen “requests” something from you. You have a choice whether to fulfil that request or not, you just have to be ready to accept the consequences if you don’t.
This answers something that’s been on my mind since I learned about court. Apparently, it’s a social occasion three times a week hosted by the queen. It gives those in attendance a chance to mingle and to speak with the queen and request a favour. All of the lords and ladies are invited to attend, and are expected to show their faces semi-regularly. If Atlas only attends when he’s forced to, that explains how he’s always around for my lessons. I knew he was a lord, but I didn’t know how he managed to get out of going. That does raise another question though.
“Is Luna expected to be here?”
Luna has been present for every one of my morning lessons, so she would have missed several of the court sessions. She’s never mentioned having anything like this that she’s expected to take part in.
His eyes shift, and although his expression is still open, I see a twitch by his eye that tells me he’s not as okay with everything as he seems. “No, she’s banned from attending.”
Disappointment darkens my mood. I really could have done with having another ally in there. In reality I knew she wasn’t going to be fit enough to attend after seeing her in the cells, but I held out hope anyway. His comment sparks my curiosity though. What on earth did she do to get banned? The need to ask for more details is enough to distract me from my nerves, but we reach the guards by the doors, and I have to keep my questions to myself.
Standing to my right, Kano offers me his arm. He wears a half-smile that manages to look both smug and menacing at the same time—the face of the general. Magic seems to roll off him in waves, and I realise that he must have been dampening his power. It’s breath-taking, and if what I overheard was true, I’m stronger than them all. With clammy hands, I take his offered arm and adopt a stance that doesn’t give away my true feelings. Rolling my shoulders back, I lift my chin and work on keeping my expression neutral, something I’m going to find harder than it should be.
My earlier anger has given way to anxiety, and I can’t work out why I’m so nervous about this. The ire is still there in the pit of my stomach, but it also seems to recognise the importance of this moment. I’ve walked into the meeting hall before and been under close scrutiny when I was announced as Kano’s sister. For some reason, it feels all the more important today. The stakes are higher, and I know I can’t mess this up.
“Are you ready?” Kano asks softly, picking up on my shifting emotions.
Sending up a prayer to the goddess for courage, I dip my head once, my throat too dry for me to trust my voice. He must signal to the guards, because the doors open on a magical breeze. Stepping into the hall, I pull at Kano’s arm, eager to get this part over with, but he pauses right at the entrance, the doors closing quietly behind us. Eyes wide, I shoot him a look that expresses exactly what I think of him stopping so everyone can stare at us.
And stare is exactly what they do.
Before I can stomp on his foot for putting me through this, someone clears their throat beside me, the sound echoing impossibly loud across the hall.
“General Kano and Lady Laelia of family Fairing.”
My head snaps to the side with my werewolf speed, and I lock eyes with the small male who just announced us. Flinching from my obvious display of supernatural ability, he quickly recovers himself and sniffs, raising his chin as he attempts to stare down at me. Annoyance bubbles up, and before I can stop myself or remember that I’m supposed to be on my best behaviour, I grin at him, making sure my teeth are on display and he can see my sharp incisors.
“If this is you behaving, then I don’t want to know what you’re like when you’re trying to cause trouble,” Kano says lightly beside me, snapping my attention back to the situation, leading me forward as we start the slow walk into the hall.
Everyone watches us, creating a corridor of bodies to let us through to the centre of the room. Glancing around, I’m surprised to see more looks of interest than the distrust and disgust I was expecting.
“Ignore Gerald, he thinks he’s better than everyone,” Kano continues, flashing a half-smile at one of the watching ladies. “If you can’t keep your feelings in check, then at least aim for appearing ladylike.”
I assume that the male who announced us is Gerald. Knowing that he’s snobbish to everyone and not just half witches takes a bit of the sting out of his reaction—not that I should care what strangers think. The only opinions that matter to me are that of my family, pack, and mates. Running Kano’s words over in my mind, I concede that threatening someone as soon as I walk in isn’t a particularly good start. One word keeps getting stuck in my mind—ladylike. I want to laugh at being introduced as a lady, but as I think about it and the position my birth mother had at the queen’s side, I probably inherited the title. Lady Laelia Fairing.
Goddess above, if only my father could see me now. The thought instantly brings me back down to earth, a pang of longing hitting me hard in the chest. I desperately miss my dad. I’ve never been away from him for so long. He must be losing his mind with worry. My pack is also like family to me, and I miss each and every one of them. I might have been adopted into the pack as a baby, but I’ve always been treated like one of them despite my differences.
The werewolf council was hoping that I would die in their trials, only that plan didn’t play out as they hoped, as I was kidnapped by Kano before I could complete them. My pack had already been under the scrutiny of the council because they hadn’t declared my differences when I was growing up, and now I’m not there. I’m terrified that the council will turn their attention and anger on them. One of the factors keeping me from being a wreck is the fact that Joel, my other alpha mate, and Scott are looking out for them. The goddess sent Joel to me in a dream, so he was able to reassure me, but that doesn’t take away the fact that I know they are potentially in danger because of me.
Stay calm, Laelia,I tell myself as we get closer to the end of the corridor of people.The only thing you can do for your family is get back to them as quickly as possible.
Quiet whispers reach me as we pass, mostly just snippets of conversations or words, but there are several that stand out. The subject that comes up the most seems to be about my dress.Do these witches have nothing better to do than gossip about what I’m wearing?Holding in a sigh, I look around the room and take in what seems to be appropriate court attire. It’s only then that I realise all of the women seem to be wearing smart, modest dresses that fall all the way to the floor, looking glamorous but sophisticated. My flowery, knee-length, floaty dress makes me look like a little girl in comparison.
The witches gathered in the centre of the hall disburse, revealing us to the rest of the room, and right at the head of the room, sitting on her throne with one leg casually crossed over the other, is the queen.
My anger reignites as I notice what she’s wearing, and I realise the reason for the whispers. The queen is the mirror of me, only in a more mature, refined version. Her bodice is the same pale pink, and is fitted like mine, but hers has intricate panelling to create the illusion that she’s wearing a breastplate and about to go into battle. A deep, plunging neckline shows off her bust, and instead of floaty bits of fabric that imitate sleeves like mine does, she has fitted sleeves that end just below her elbow. Her skirt is printed with flowers, but it’s more streamline and falls to the floor, with a large slit in one side to show off her bronzed leg.
Pausing in the centre of the room as if by a silent command, Kano bows low, and I take that as my cue to curtsy, lowering my face as I try toget my annoyance under control. When I straighten, my expression is neutral once more, and from the corner of my eye, I see Kano’s still maintaining his authoritative smirk that only seems to work for him.
The hall is completely silent, everyone turning their attention to watch my interaction with the queen. I don’t know what they are expecting, but the atmosphere in the room tightens with excitement like we’re a new spectator sport. It makes me wonder what the whispers about myself and the queen are. Of course, she knew we’d be getting this attention, which is exactly why she had us dress to match. She wants as much attention as possible, and she’s using me to gain that.
