I shake my head and whisper back to him, "The 11th house will follow me to the ends of the earth to extinguish my family's line after what my father did.  If I lead you, I just doom you all."

My beta, Fred, struggles to control his wolf and grips my arm, "We're even more doomed without you."

I only have one way to truly save my people and that's to replace the murdered queen.  I'm of the blood, as the last touched I can challenge the rites at any time to claim her throne.  This was always my privilege, instilled in me since birth.  Though I had no desire to take on her mantle, she'd been a kind enough monarch.  I had no choice now.  If I became queen my pack would replace the 11th as the royal pack and they'd become untouchable by the other houses.  It was a gamble, one that would likely kill me, but it was the only play that I had left.

And so, dear reader, this is the story of how I signed up for my own doom.  How I became the willing participant in the rite of queens and lost the one true love of my life.

The grand ballroom stretched out before me, bathed in a soft, golden glow. The high ceilings were adorned with delicate chandeliers, each dripping with crystals that caught the light and scattered it across the room in a shimmering dance. The walls, draped in flowing silk, were a neutral beige, and the gold accents—on the trim, the sconces, the soft cushions of the chairs—gave the room an air of understated luxury. The warm hues reflected the time of year, just shy of the summer solstice, where everything felt like it was on the verge of blooming, both in nature and in the hearts of those gathered. Long tables at the edges of the room were topped with simple floral arrangements in cream and pale gold, their gentle fragrance mingling with the soft music in the background. It was elegant, refined, and perfectly understated, a fitting tribute to the first stage of the tournament.


Chapter 21 - A Grand Affair