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Figuring I’d play the new girl role if I needed to ask for directions, I left the storage room. The noise of the kitchen was behind me, and several employees in their matching uniforms walked past me carrying trays of food and glasses of champagne.
I followed them, my pulse racing as I moved forward. The sound of the kitchen faded, soon replaced by lively piano music and muted conversation.
I emerged into a ballroom, full of people. Little tables dotted the edges of the room and a glass ceiling above highlighted the waning moon.
Everyone was elegantly dressed and not a single person looked in my direction. I made my way toward the wall, moving forward through the ballroom, scanning for any signs of Chris, Spencer, or Malcom.
I was supposed to be in the throne room and this certainly wasn’t that room. There was no throne in sight. Shit, there weren’t even any chairs in here. Just high tables and a few bars where guests could grab a cocktail.
A set of double doors caught my attention. Fogged glass was inset into dark wood and they looked expensive and formal. That had to be a good sign.
I headed straight for the doors, hoping I was making the right choice. Just as I neared the doors, they opened, two huge males in tuxedos propped against each. A woman in a floor-length black sequined gown stepped between them. She clapped her hands. “Attention, everyone.”
The music stopped and the chatter of conversation died down. I stood rooted to the spot, about ten feet from the doors. Slowly, I stepped closer to the wall, hoping to blend in more.
“It is time to pay our respects to the king. The throne room is now open.” She gestured toward the open room behind her, then turned and walked inside. The males holding the doors maintained their position. I got the sense that they were not guests. They looked a lot more like guards.
Whispered conversation resumed as the guests pushed forward toward the open doors. Slowly, I weaved my way into the crowd, this time aiming for the center rather than the edges. I moved with the others, as if riding a current, past the guards and through the open double doors.
There was no mistaking this room was the throne room. The moment I entered, I was struck with pure opulence. Gold wallpaper, deep purple carpet, crystal chandeliers, and a raised dais in the rear, complete with an ornate, massive throne. Atop the throne sat the man I’d interacted with in his bedroom. Chris Lupton, the shifter king, himself.
I scanned the room, hoping to catch a glimpse of Spencer, Malcom or Star. In all the crowd, they should be easy to find. None of us had been in formal dress and I wasn’t seeing anyone who stood out.
Where were they? Had something happened?
I waited in the middle of the crowd, not waiting to reveal that I had the crown sooner than I had to. The whole point was to use it as leverage for Spencer’s alpha challenge. At this point, I was worried Chris would notice it and demand it brought to him before Spencer got to say his piece. What would happen when he recognized me as the woman from his room? He’d know I took the crown and followed him here.
With each passing second, I got more nervous. I looked around the room, wondering if there was a place I could hide the crown for now. In this dress, I could blend in well enough to probably hide in plain sight.
“Friends, this year is an extra special birthday,” the king called.
Everyone went silent.
Fuck. I was stuck here. Out of options. Where was Spencer?
“As you know, my treacherous brother violated his exile by leaving the city of Chicago.”
The crowd mumbled and hissed sounds of dissent. I bit down on the inside of my cheek to keep myself from saying anything.
Chris stood. “Since he has fled, I can’t punish him. But I found an acceptable substitute.” He nodded to someone and a door opened.
A pair of guards walked through, each of them gripping the upper arms of a woman bound in chains. I sucked in a breath and nearly dropped the crown in my hands.
They had my mother.
