AT THE SAME EVENING
ISABELLA'S POINT OF VIEW:
The ballroom doors creaked open with a sound like something ancient waking up. I inhaled slowly. Gold chandeliers burned overhead, casting soft halos of light across a sea of polished marble and sharper eyes. Velvet drapes kissed the floor. Gilded mirrors reflected faces I didn't recognize at least not yet. Nobles. Alphas. Political vultures dressed in lace and silk.
And they all turned to look at us. Their stares slid like knives across our skin. No words yet, just the humming static of judgment barely held back. Until the whispers started. Soon we all reach the main ballroom spot.
"That's the rogue girl. Isabella Vale, right?"One asked.
"Didn't she override the system once?"Another asked.
"Which one's the healer again? The one who caused that explosion?"The third one asked.
"That's Xavier?"The fourth one said with a surprised tone.
"He looks like a Blackthorn, but… where's the crown?"Another man asked.
