RISE OF THE LYCANS - Mates and Bonds

Selena

The sound of a heated conversation greeted me when I returned to my apartment. Grandma Dori was arguing with Caspian.

“I’m surprised you didn’t try stealing the Mona Lisa!” Caspian bellowed.

“I’ve been to Egypt,” she snapped back. “I know what I’m talking about.”

Caspian was more mild-mannered than most of the Crow Alphas. If he was angry, then something serious must have happened. “What’s going on?”

“Grandma thinks there’s a statue of my father in lycan form at the Louvre,” Persephone said.

“I’m telling you, it wasn’t Anubis. Everyone knows Cleopatra was infatuated with Balthazar,” Grandma told them, and she wasn’t wrong. I had also heard the story of the ancient love affair.

“You attempted to break into the display,” Caspian tried to restrain a frustrated growl.

“That glass case was firmly in place. It’s not like I could actually reach inside.”

“It didn’t stop you from trying,” Caspian fired back.

“Wait… what happened?” I asked, praying shattered glass wasn’t involved.

“She caught the guard’s attention at the museum when she tried to pull a painting from the wall,” Caspian said. “By the time we got to the Egyptian collection, she was leaning on a glass panel trying to move it.”

“They kicked us out,” Persephone admitted, looking slightly embarrassed.

“I wanted to see if there was a description on the back of the painting. How was I supposed to know that Jeanne d’Arc was Joan of Arc.”

“Saint Joan of Arc is the patron saint of France!” I nearly shrieked. “Please don’t tell me something happened to her painting at the Louvre.”

“Saint?” Grandma questioned. “Wasn’t she burned at the stake for witchcraft?”

Caspian tossed his hands up. “I give up. She’s all yours,” he grumbled. “I’ll be back at nine with the car to take you to the ball. I can’t believe Lukas is still allowing either of them to attend the ball. If anything ends up missing from the Palace of Versailles, I won’t be responsible.”

The door slammed behind him, and I could hear his heavy footsteps descending the stairs.

“Well, someone’s in a growly mood!” Grandma scoffed.

I plopped on the sofa and took a deep breath. “Do you think we’ll have to stay at the ball all night?”

“Why would you want to leave early?” Persephone asked. “They’re going to have food, dancing, performances, and even fireworks at midnight!”

“Unless you’ve found your mate before midnight, those might be the only fireworks you experience,” Grandma added.

A knock sounded, and Persephone moved to answer my door.

“Who’s ready to look fabulous for tonight’s fundraiser?” Jose said as he shoved a platter into Persephone’s arms. “Erick sent a little apéro and champagne over to help you get ready for the evening. He’s working the catering event for the fundraiser. I volunteered to help him this evening, but he said security wouldn’t allow it because of all the donors. I think there might be some royals coming tonight!”

“Royals?” I stifled a laugh.

“If only he knew what kind of royals,” my wolf snickered.

“Keep your eyes open for that handsome Prince of Greece,” Jose told Persephone before he turned to me. “And you… don’t forget that gorgeous Sheikh from Qatar I was telling you about last week… I think he might be in France right now!”

“So, if I’m hearing you correctly,” Grandma said with a laugh. “You want them to husband hunt at this fundraising ball?”

Jose smiled. “Well, where else are you supposed to meet rich and powerful men?”

Nearly two hours later, we said goodbye to Jose and hello to Caspian, who was standing beside a white stretched limousine wearing a tuxedo. The end of his black and white embroidered mask was hanging out of his coat pocket, and he looked a little less growly than when he left. Caspian pulled the door open for us, and my sister jumped out.

“I can’t believe you’re here!” She squealed and hugged Persephone. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

“Grandma, my father just overnight expressed you some macarons,” Cynder called out from the back of the limo.

“It seems Lukas has entrusted the secret to Cynder and my sister?”

“Have you met Grandma?” Caspian laughed. “Lukas figures the secret will be out by the end of the night anyway. You look incredible, by the way.”

“Thank you.”

“Excuse me, but don’t I look incredible, too?” Grandma replied as she spun in a circle, showing off her gown and mask. She then glided past Caspian to climb into the waiting car.

“You all look great,” Caspian said. “In fact, I don’t think anyone will recognize either of you with those full face masks. Well… at least not until you need to eat or drink.”

“Who wants some chilled champagne?” Persephone held up the extra bottle Jose brought over.

“Très bien!” Cynder smiled.

I looked through the limousine bar and passed around glassware. Persephone gave Caspian the bottle, and he reluctantly opened it.

“What’s the point? Alcohol does nothing for our kind,” he shook his head and filled our glasses.

Versailles wasn’t too far outside of Paris but the traffic getting out of the city slowed us down, which made Caspian impatient.My sister looked like a beautiful black swan in her dress. Her long, curly hair had been pulled back and adorned with feathers. Cynder always looked stunning, and her long gold dress complemented her pale skin and deep red hair. Her half-mask was ornate and had plums of feathers and crystals at the top.

“Here’s to all of you finding your mates!” Persephone said as she held her glass up. She was wearing a simple but elegant cream-colored dress. Jose had twisted and braided her hair back with flowers. She was hoping to look inconspicuous with her full Venetian facemask, but she looked like a mysterious stranger.

“If you don’t find your mate, here’s to finding a mate for the night!” Grandma joked and raised her glass.

“Grandma!” Persephone’s mouth fell open.

“What? I was talking to Caspian,” she insisted.

“You look like royalty,” Cynder told me. “I thought you were going to wear a tiara?”

“I didn’t want someone to mistake me for royalty,” I laughed. It was a bittersweet response, and everyone seemed to understand it.

Lukas and I had shared such a strong bond that everyone believed I was destined to be his Queen. I took a long drink of champagne and swallowed back my pain knowing that tonight he might finally find his Queen.I looked down at my dress and admired the crystals in my ball gown.

“You did an amazing job with that dress,” Grandma complimented softly.

I had spent two months perfecting my gown and sewing the Swarovski crystals into the bodice of the strapless dress and throughout the ruffled and bustled skirt of the gown. Jose had loosely pulled the curls of my crown back and decked them out with matching crystals. A tiara would have been too much and sent the wrong message.

“Even Armani would be envious of that dress,” my sister said with a smile.

We arrived just after sunset, and the glow of the castle made it look larger than life. A guard directed our driver to the right-side lane of the parking lot, where we cruised to a stop at a red carpet. My wolf chuffed, and she was on edge. The idea of possibly finding our mate was making her anxious.

“Are we late?” Cyder asked, noticing the parking lot was full.

“Every limousine in Paris must have been hired for tonight,” Sol said nervously as she slipped on her mask.

“Masks on!” Grandma told Persephone, and I wondered how long it would take for Ares to notice them.

“This was a bad idea,” Stella echoed in my head, and I felt the knot tighten in my stomach.

In true gentlemen’s fashion, Caspian held his hand out and helped each of us out of the car. I slipped my mask on and swallowed the last of the champagne before taking his hand. The mask around his eyes only enhanced the cool blue color, which reminded me of Lukas.

“Are you okay?” He asked me.

“Fine,” I forced a smile on my face, though I was suddenly feeling shaky.

“If… anything happens,” he started to say. “And you want to leave early for any reason…I’ll take you.”

I nodded a quick thank you. What he was really telling me was that if Lukas found his mate and I didn’t want to stick around to see it, he’d take me home. We were quickly escorted through the outer gate and made our way up to the tall golden gates of the palace. Caspian gave his name, and his Alpha aura was enough to allow us all admittance.

“Is that real gold on the gates?” I heard Grandma ask Cynder through her mask.

“Grandma…” Caspian said in warning.

“What? I’ll behave. I promise. I’ve waited my entire life to see the Hall of Mirrors.” she told him. “Don’t ruin it for me.”

We stepped into the courtyard, which was made of black and white marble squares. Shifters in masks greeted each other before entering the Palace. The men were dressed in tuxedos. Some had long tails and top hats that seemed to fit the event. The women were draped in stunning designer gowns, haute couture, and vintage pieces.

“This is amazing!” Persephone whispered.

“Who’s Marie Antoniette over there?” I heard Cynder ask. “She looks like she stole that gown from the headless Queen’s collection,” she continued, and Grandma burst into laughter.

“Shhh,” Caspian shushed us. “Her name is actually Marie, and she’s Alpha Orléans’ daughter.”

“The Orléans and Darc packs are hosting the ball. Why isn’t she inside being a good hostess?” Cynder muttered.

“She’s probably hoping to catch an early sniff of her mate,” Caspian said.

“A little too eager, isn’t she?” Stella grumbled, not liking the idea that she could be Lukas’ mate.

“I wonder if the marble out here gets slippery when it rains?” Grandma asked no one in particular and I turned my focus to the marble.

We entered the palace and stepped into the massive checkered entrance hall. The dramatic and beautiful architecture was French Baroque at its finest. We moved past the marble staircase leading up to the Hall of Mirrors and made our way to the open doors leading out to the gardens. A large orchestra was set up in the corner and played as people mingled. Over a hundred tables were set up with white linen, and the lights in the water fountains gave the night an air of magic.

“Are the tables assigned?” Persephone asked Caspian.

“No, it’s open seating, so we can mingle with other pack members,” he explained. “The appetizer and desserts are buffet style, and the wait staff is serving from a fixed menu.”

“Then Grandma and I will sit at the far end, by that fountain,” Persephone pointed.

“Stay away from the fountains,” Caspian said. “The fountain show is set to go off during dinner, and every eye will be turned in the direction of the fountains.”

“Then we’ll sit on the other side by the orchestra,” Grandma suggested.

“Lukas plays the cello. Where do you think he’ll want to sit?” Caspian chuckled.

“Fine, then we’ll sit way in the back and try to look invisible,” she huffed. “Come on, Persephone, let’s go see if we can find some cocktail shrimp or fancy snails before we check out the Hall of Mirrors.” The two of them disappeared, and I felt my anxiety rising.

“Is that Alpha Lawless over there?” Cynder asked.

“It is, but he seems to have a fancy for Sol,” Zane said as he suddenly appeared behind us.

“Who has a fancy for Sol?” Ranger demanded, appearing behind Zane.

“No one,” Cynder laughed.

“The girls were just admiring the Scottish Prince over there,” Zane said.

“Wait, he’s royal?” I couldn’t tell if Zane was being sarcastic.

“His mother, Alpha Louise, was a great Alpha. I was hoping to see her here… that’s all,” Cynder told us.

“Alpha Louise doesn’t need a mate,” Erick’s familiar voice said. “She’s not here tonight.”

“Erick?” I turned to find Jose’s boyfriend standing behind me. “You know about shifters?”

“Of course. My mother has a shifter mate,” he said with a chuckle.

“And you’re human!” Realization set in. His mother was mated to someone in Alpha Darc’s pack.

“Ouch,” Caspian said. “That must have been hard. Did you grow up in the pack?”

“Yes, it was,” he nodded. “And yes, I did.”

Lukas’ mother was our Luna Queen, and she was still human. The few humans in our pack were treated no differently than shifters, but that wasn’t always the case in other packs. Ares had signed a decree forbidding the abuse or neglect of pack humans, but pups could sometimes be cruel to one another.

“Does Jose know?” They had been dating for nearly a year now, but Jose seemed oblivious to shifters.

“No,” Erick smiled. “I’m not a shifter, so there’s no reason to tell him. I don’t want to violate shifter laws.”

“I see,” I nodded in understanding. “And now you run Alpha Darc’s most prestigious restaurant.”

“And his special events,” he replied. “You look fabulous! Find a comfortable seat, and I’ll send some champagne over. I’m sure it won’t take you long to find your mate.”

I turned to Caspian. “All the workers seem to be human. Even the orchestra. Do they all know?”

“No,” Zane replied. “Alpha Darc had them all take a special tonic to help keep tonight’s events a haze for them in the morning.”

“A tonic?” Cynder questioned. “As in witchcraft?”

“Is there something wrong with magic?” Ranger asked. His mother had the blood of Hecate running in her veins and held powerful magic.

“Not at all,” Cynder replied. “I’m just not sure I trust anyone but your mother with magic.”

Fervent whispers filled the air, and heads turned to the doors behind us. I didn’t need to spin around to know what was going on. The buzzing excitement told me Lukas had arrived with his parents. I took a deep breath and turned around slowly to face him. He wore a black metal wolf mask, and I resisted the urge to smile.

When we were pups, Ares agreed to take us trick-or-treating while we were spending a long weekend in Florida. I think we only visited a dozen houses, but the five-year-old pup inside of me remembers it like it was yesterday. Lukas insisted on wearing a wolf mask and growled at the humans who were stingy with the candy. He knew the milk chocolates were my favorite and slipped all of his into my little bucket.

His blue eyes met mine, and my wolf howled in pain. He wasn’t reaching for me, sniffing my neck, or calling out the one word I longed to hear... mate. My chest squeezed, and I felt my throat closing up. The agony inside of me made it difficult to breathe. Blinking away tears, I went to find a chocolate macaron.

“These macaron towers are amazing,” I heard her voice before I saw her. “I’m going to stuff my purse full of them! You know what they charge for each one of these little delights?”

“Grandma, you should probably wait until the end of the night to take the macarons,” Persephone told her.

“There won’t be any left,” she said. “Look around. No one seems to be pawing at each other or shouting, mate. These are unmated wolves… they’re going to start binge-eating their disappointment within the hour. You’ve got to get it while the getting is good!”

“You’re not stealing macarons,” I told her as I pulled a chocolate macaron from the tower.

“I need one, too,” my wolf whimpered, and I pulled two more off the tower.

I looked back at hundreds of unmated and beautiful shifters. They were mixing and mingling, but Grandma Dori was right. No one was sniffing out a mate. I shoved the first macaron in my mouth and wondered why I had even bothered to come.

“It looks like they’re planning something big for the fireworks show tonight,” Grandma said. “And they’re trying to keep it a secret.”

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“There’s some kind of black-out smoke past those big trees out there.” I looked in the direction she was pointing but didn’t see anything.

“Don’t go snooping around in the gardens,” I told her. “There’s over two thousand acres of garden out there, and we’ll never be able to find you.”

“That sounds like fun,” she laughed.

“Excusez-moi,” a server said, holding out a tray of bubbly. The chef has sent you some of the best champagne in France.”

“Merci,” I said as I took two flutes. Everything Erick always cooked or recommended was delicious, and champagne was no different.

“Do you think Storm was right?” I asked them as I watched a parade of females passing by Lukas, no doubt hoping to be his mate.

“About the Moon Goddess forsaking us?” Persephone asked.

I devoured another macaron and washed it down with the first glass of champagne. “Yep.”

“Selena!” A deep voice called out, and I turned my attention to see who it was.

“Constantine! How wonderful to see you.” Constantine Theodorus was the current Alpha of Olympus Blood Moon in Greece. He was heartbreakingly gorgeous and an exact replica of his great-grandfather.

“How’s everyone in Greece?” I asked as Grandma Dori and Persephone quickly shuffled away.

“Great, though Pappoús and Yia-Yia keep asking why you keep visiting the pack in Italy so much instead of us,” he chuckled.

His great-grandparents visited our pack in upstate New York so often that they were practically a fixture. Guilt filled me when I realized I had only visited Greece once since my move to Europe. “Better get that guest room ready for me, Alpha.”

He nodded with a smile and turned his attention back to the gathering guests of hopefuls. Everyone was dressed to impress, and Constantine seemed as eager as I was to join the crowd. “Any luck yet?”

“Not yet,” I shook my head. “You?”

“The night is still young,” he laughed. “I didn’t mean to scare your friends off. Was it anyone I know?”

“I don’t think so.” I lied with a big grin on my face. Persephone’s resemblance to her Theodorus family was so strong that she looked more like Constantine’s little sister than his little sister did.

He looked down at the treat in my hand. “How are the macarons?”

“Delicious,” I replied and shoved the last one in my mouth. I probably should have offered it to him, but there was an entire tree on the table behind us, and I really needed the chocolate to calm my nerves.

Constantine laughed and pulled a macaron from the tree. I couldn’t help but notice several females scowling in our direction. Constantine was one of the most desirable unmated Alphas, and I could feel their jealous glares. My life would have been so much easier if only the Moon Goddess had paired me with Constantine.

“Come sit at my table and have dinner with me,” he held out his arm. “If we’re not going to find our mates tonight, we can at least make everyone wonder… and make my cousin jealous,” he smiled mischievously.

*****

I'm not going to lie. I swooned a little when I thought of Constantine! LOL