Naomi stood at her spot, watching everyone that was being welcomed into the ballroom. Asher had spent a little time with her after meeting his mother, and he told her about how he had gone to her father and compelled him into believing that she had traveled. She had asked him what he meant by compelling but he had gone quiet and looked unfocused before he suddenly said that he was summoned by his mother and left, promising to meet her at the party and she hadn’t seen him again since then.
A servant had come knocking few hours ago with a lovely red dress for her and had stayed to help her dress up. She can remember feeling overdressed but now seeing how beautiful everyone was dressed, she actually felt like maybe her dress wasn’t that good enough. Everyone was looking beautiful and she couldn’t believe that she was in a house filled with werewolves and she found herself wondering if it would be possible to be hidden like Asher’s father had suggested but she can only trust the king, after all, none of his subjects would hurt his guest in his palace and in his queen’s party.
“I knew there was something about you from the moment he went to human realm looking for you,” she heard and glanced beside her to see Anita walking up to it in a very lovely blue dress that made her look so beautiful.
“Anita,” she smiled, “how nice to see you again.”
“Hmm,” Anita raised an eyebrow, “you talk like you missed me.”
“I did miss you, like very much,” Naomi concurred.
Anita smiled, “I know, I missed out on all the good stuff, didn’t I?” she rolled her eyes and Naomi could see that she has a story to go with it but didn’t want to ask. “So, you and Asher, huh?” she chuckled, “I mean, I know he was interested in you but I didn’t really think you would be his mate. He doesn’t really care about humans or fancy them at all. Now thinking about it, I think it makes sense why the goddess will give him a human mate.”
“Um, is not yet confirmed that I am his mate, Anita.”
“Oh please spare me that. Asher has been with a lot of women all his life, I should know because I have always been by his side. I will admit that I once had a crush on him too, that was during our teenage years but after spending two blood moon nights side by side and nothing happened, I knew it was a lost cause and worked on my feelings. Plus the fact that I know he doesn’t see me that way,” she smiled sadly. “But back to what I was saying, I have seen him with a lot of women and he has bitten a few but none of them, and I mean none of them has been accidentally marked. So why would your own case be different if not for the fact that you are his mate? Do you know the story about his parents?”
Naomi smiled and shuddered as well, remembering Aliyah’s words and the crocodiles. “I do, the queen told me herself.”
“Exactly,” Anita nodded, “theirs is the only accidentally marking I have ever heard of and now, you and Asher. Listen, Asher can be a prick sometimes but he is actually loving and caring. Not that I need to tell you that, I mean, you are already in love with him.”
Naomi’s eyes widened in surprise and her first instinct was to deny it. “No, of course not, I mean…” she paused when she saw the look Anita was giving her.
Anita chuckled, “I’m a woman and I know that it’s easy to fall for a man like Asher and besides, your body language gave you away whenever I mention his name. Trust me, we women always love men like Asher. Drop dead gorgeous, strong and also powerful, very powerful. We always love to settle where we would feel protected and so I don’t judge you. Asher is the most eligible bachelor in our world and every woman would love to belong to him. Which is why you have to be careful for now until the blood moon night, don’t go telling anyone that he accidentally marked you, okay?”
“Who do I know to tell?” Naomi rolled her eyes and Anita laughed. Seconds passed by and she sighed, “but, do you think he would ever feel the same way?”
“Of course.”
“Without the mating mark,” Naomi added.
Anita paused, “that would be hard to know now, now there is the mating mark and with the blood moon coming in six days, Asher already belongs to you and with each passing day, he is going to feel more connected to you until you becomes the very air that he breathes. So yes, he will love you, more than anything in this world.”
“But that would be the power of the mating mark. Not him choosing to love me on his own, but something pushing him to love me.” Naomi smiled sadly, her eyes clouding over in tears.
Anita sighed, “it’s the way it is in our world Naomi. One of us may promise you heaven and earth, and that he would only love you, but when they see their fated mates, only the strong ones can stand up to reject them. From what I hear, the bond is like magnet, constantly pulling you to each other. You can’t feel that now because it’s not the blood moon night, when the blood moon rises in the sky, for a wolf to stay away from their fated?” she shook her head, “it is very hard, that is why the rejection thing is not popular. Because even if you love your girlfriend and want to be with her, how sure are you she can reject her own mate for you? We are not like humans, our own true love is our fated mates and so I can boldly tell you that Asher will love you more than any being in this world. You are his fated, the one to spend eternity with him, so yeah, he is going to be crazily in love with you,” she smiled.
Naomi smiled and nodded. She sniffled and blinked away her tears, turning around to stare at the guests when she saw a group of men and women, strolling in and all dressed in black. They looked so beautiful, their skin pale and glistening and she doesn’t know why but she found herself being pulled to them. “Who are they?” she asked.
Anita followed her gaze, “oh, those are the High chiefs and their mates.”
“High Chiefs?”
“Yes, leaders of every Nightwalker council,” Anita explained and Naomi frowned. She wanted to ask what she meant by Nightwalker council but then the action of one of the women, probably the most beautiful among them caught her interest. The woman walked like she owned the place and everyone’s attention was on her as she walked up to one of the high chairs and sat down elegantly. A man, also dressed in black followed her all the way, sitting beside her and signaling for a waiter who was dressed in black as well. The waiter walked up to them, bowing as he offered his tray to them. The man picked up two goblets and offered one to the woman. The rest of the group had gotten to the high chairs as well, and as they sat down, the waiter served them the goblets as well.
Naomi frowned, wondering why among everyone there, they were the only one to drink from a goblet. She turned to ask Anita only to find out she was gone and she sighed, standing on her own as well. After some minutes, many more guests arrived and scanning around, she could always see the ones drinking from goblets and she found herself wondering what is the content, and why it was specifically only them that drinks it. She noticed that the waiters that served the goblets were different as the ones that served with wine glasses are dressed in white. It wasn’t hard to notice that the waiters in black only serve a specific type of people and the other guests never takes drinks from their trays, no matter if their glass was empty.
The more she observed the strange guests, the more her interest was piqued about them. Anita didn’t return to her side and she hasn’t seen Asher either and the King and Queen has not made an entrance yet.
She found herself approaching one of the waiters in black and right before she could touch him, he turned sharply to her, his eyes red. She paused on her walk, and gulped before saying, “I only wanted to take a drink.”
Before the waiter could reply, one of the waiters in white came out of nowhere and she could swear he just appeared out of thin air. “I wouldn’t think about that,” he said to the waiter in black, “she is a guest to the prince.”
As if hearing about Asher, the waiter in black eyes lost their red color and was now a beautiful shade of brown. He bowed to her and offered her the goblet like she had wanted before he turned and walked away hastily. Naomi turned to the other waiter and he smiled, “I don’t know why you would want to drink that but…” he shrugged, “it’s a party after all,” and with that, he walked away as well.

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