"How are you feeling?" Holly asked. Her voice was soft and gentle, so unlike the fingers that were grabbing at my hair.

As I winced yet again I reminded myself that I could never create the magic that they were. In a few minutes my hair would be in a gorgeous, low knot with loose curls framing my face. If it had been left up to me it would be pin straight as usual, but my Asian hair hated cooperating. So I would sit in front of the vanity and tolerate this as best as I could because working with my hair was an art.

"I'm doing okay, just a little nervous," I confessed.

As I spoke my attention fell onto intricate platinum lines that held shimmering diamonds. The tiara that I had been given to wear looked like it was fine lace, with tiny details, gorgeous patterns, and large statement stones. All together it shimmered as if it were made from the ice and snow outside. As beautiful as it was I wasn't sure if I was prepared to have such a heavy burden on top of my head.

"You're going to do great," Holly gushed, taking both of my hands in hers.

"I'm worried that I will shift in the middle of the whole thing."

"You have learned to control it. we figured out what triggered your shifts so you now know what to avoid. Just don't think about what caused you to shift or how it felt and you'll be fine. Worst case scenario you do shift, we have about five guards notified of the situation with a concise plan. They will make a tight circle around you so no one can see and the queen, king, or I will go and grab you the clothes we have stashed in the ballroom. Besides, I always wondered what would happen to a set of lashes if they went through a shift."

She gave my hand a comforting squeeze and it was enough to bring tears to my eyes despite her humor.

"Holly, I could never have done this without you. You gave up so much to be here with me through all of this mess and I'm so grateful for you," I blubbered. "I'm so blessed to have you in my life and I'm sorry for stalling your life plans with my drama."

"Hey, hey, we just finished your makeup. You aren't allowed to cry until the end of the night. The rest of us get to wear little masks, but you and Ajax are going to be all exposed. That means we'll be able to see smeared mascara."

I laughed a little and dabbed at my eyes with a fingertip. When I was sure that the waterworks were at bay I gave her a smile. "Seriously though, I'm so happy you're here with me."

"How could I be anywhere else when my best friend has had her first shift and finally met her mate who is the prince, of all people."

"I wasn't there for you," I sighed, feeling a new heaviness fall over me. I must've been the worst friend in the world for being so selfish through all of this.

"I don't blame you for that," she hushed, "Today is not the day for sadness and regret, anyway. I'm sure that King Orion is waiting for you so we need to get a move on."

She was right and I'm pretty sure keeping a king and all of his subjects waiting was not a good way to be introduced into the community. I zipped Holly into her lovely emerald green dress before she helped me into mine. We both took a moment to appreciate how we looked. The low knot, the smoky eye, and the dress all played off each other so well. I looked like a force to be reckoned with, but youthful at the same time. And Holly looked like she had been created by a forest goddess. I slipped my feet into the simple black heels and we moved out of my room, down the stairs together.

As promised King Orion was waiting for me just outside of the ballroom. I hadn't been in that room since I had been planning with the queen. I could only hope that everything had turned out perfectly.

But while I was fussing about the king seemed as casual as ever. He was quite handsome in his fitted tuxedo and when a heartbreaking smile slid onto his lips I could see why Adeline had fought so hard to keep him. though he had a few wrinkles and maybe a grey strand or two in his auburn hair there was still something so magnetic about him.

"You look wonderful, Keiko," he praised, offering me his arm when I neared the double doors.

"Thank you. You look very handsome yourself," I complimented. "I see that Adeline didn't rope you into the whole masquerade thing either." If anyone was brave enough to face the Queen it was this man.

"I argued that we were the face of the public so it wouldn't be wise for us to wear masks. If everyone else wants to be anonymous they can be, but we have to be visible. What kind of co-hosts would we be if we tried to blend in with everyone else?"

"Fair enough."

"Are you ready?" he asked when I slid my arm through his.

"Yes," I replied, though the way my stomach was knotted said otherwise.

King Orion gave a single nod to the two guards stationed by the doors. They pulled them both open without a second of hesitation. I saw what seemed like thousands upon thousands of suits, tuxes, and dresses. And masks hid them all away from me.

"His Majesty King Orion and Princess Keiko," the herald announced.

And just like that every single pair of eyes in the room was on me. The dress I had felt so sure about now felt like it could have been a mistake. The lacelike crown dug into my scalp, reminding me I could not run away this time. King Orion stepped forward, tugging me along with him. when I glanced up at him he just gave me a reassuring smile and the tiniest nod. If he had faith in me then I could do this.

So I pulled my lips back, revealing my freshly whitened teeth, and attempted to maintain a little bit of eye contact with the people I passed. It felt like everyone on the planet was in that ballroom. There were kind brown eyes that seemed to smile back at me, hard blue eyes that assessed with a certain level of coldness. Thin smiling lips, lips pressed into firm frown. Pale skin that was almost translucent and dark brown skin with curly hair. They were all here. And they were all my subjects. All one of them could be in a position to rely on my judgement.

It was impossible to tell how they felt or what their first impression was due to the masks that conceal half their faces.

Even so, Orion continued on and I went beside him. the smile stayed on my lips while we progressed down the carpet and the little aisle it had made. After about a minute we reached the end, a small space where two other people stood. I forced myself to hone in on one before the other distracted me too completely. Queen Adeline watched me approach her. She wasn't grinning in the same way that Ryan had been, but she didn't look upset or disappointed either.

I could only continue forward with what I had been trained to do. I met her eyes for a moment, then bowed my head and dropped into a low curtsey. She nodded in acknowledgement.

When I rose my attention turned to Ajax.

I took a moment to simply appraise him. his auburn hair was pulled back off his forehead with some kind of product that still left it looking soft and touchable. His tuxedo fitted him well, revealing just how large he was. Even under all those layers it was plain to see that he was a machine, muscle and strength in human form. It was all seamless and classic with a touch of wildness that was so distinctly Ajax. And when I met those green eyes that I loved so much I saw how they burned with unbridled pride and joy.

I dipped my head down and lowered myself into a low, sweeping curtsey for him.

                                                                    ~~~~  COVID-19 Update ~~~~

 Hello everyone! The world is a bit of a frightening place as of right now. I'm hoping that all of you are in a safe and healthy place. To those of you who are taking this seriously I'm so glad that you are protecting yourselves and others. Even if this virus isn't dangerous for you it can be deadly for those around you. Stay insides, go for walks by yourself, avoid places like bars and restaurants if possible. Please don't panic and buy toilet paper beyond what you need, but take care of yourselves and those you love. 

I know that some of you may be in countries where this has progressed rapidly and you may be in self isolation or quarantine so I'm going to do my part to make it a little easier. I will be posting all of the chapters that I have written on this book that have not yet been published. So, as of right now I will be posting one chapter a day for seven days straight. After that we will almost be at the end of Keiko and Ajax's story and I'll have a little surprise for you :) It's not much, but it's the best I can do for now.