Reid was trying to persuade me not to walk in the courtyard. Ironside had pulled into the circular drive and we were shielded from the courtyard by tall shrubs. Beyond the gate, alphas and the Wereking waited.

More importantly, Damien waited there.

"Reid, I am going in. Like this. Damien does not own me. He is my marked, but I am not his mate. He may die tomorrow, and I do not wish death on anyone. But I will not be caged by him."

He nodded and settled for tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "He will kill me," Reid joked. "Letting his marked attend a ball without makeup, a crown, or matching dress."

"If he is going to kill anyone, it will be me by night's end." I took a deep breath. "Reid, do you have children?"

Reid nodded slowly, confusion mapping his face.

"Then let me assure you that you will not die tonight." He must have believed my face because he gently grabbed my arm.

"Naomi, please, stay safe."

In lieu of a response, I shrugged off my cardigan. Reid's eyes went large when he saw my wings were fully open and exposed. Tonight, I was going to draw everyone attention. I shrugged them loose a bit, so they hung past my shoulders. I knew that in the bright patio lights of the courtyard, they would shine. I threw the cardigan across a bench. I wouldn't need that.

Unless it got cold, but I was really going for ruthless, and carrying a cardigan did not fit that image.

My dress was pure black covered with feathers running in different directions depending on where they were on the dress. Gold and black.

"I make no promises, Reid," I said. He sighed and took up post beside me. He would escort me.

I turned to the gate where two guards stood on either side. They had yet to catch sight of me. With my wings, I could only image that they would stare. My anger was beginning to fade as I considered what I was doing tonight. Surely it would go horribly.

I could hope.

With that, I stepped into their line of sight and they stared, confused at what they were seeing. I seized the opportunity to walk past them, chin high.

My scarred arms were on full display, along with my wings.

I only made it a few steps before my arm was seized by Damien.

"That was fast," I quipped. He whirled me to face him. He scanned my dress.

"Did they give you the wrong dress?" he asked quickly, glanced to his sides at the werewolves staring. "Do you have a sweatshirt? I do not want every unmated wolf sniffing you," he said, voice on the edge of anger.

I looked to see that Damien was decked out in the same deep purple that the dress was. I yanked my arm back. "That is mine," I said, referring to my arm. "And no, I received the correct dress. I chose another. The wings are mine, too. I will do with them as I please."

Damien blinked and finally met my eyes. "Dove?"

"Damien, I know your plans. You intend to kill the humans," I said.

He scoffed. "Is that what this is about? I do not intend to kill them," he said, grabbing my arm again to tug me somewhere private.

"Yes, you do. I saw it. Or did you forget that your girlfriend can read minds?"

He growled and pulled me off to the side, catching more than a few curious glances. Most people hadn't noticed me when I walked in. There went that plan.

"So what?" he said. "Are you really doing this the night before I might die?"

"You won't die, especially if you continue stealing magic from me and from the light elemental," I hissed. He stepped back, obviously not anticipating me to say that. His eyes darted to the side, seeing if anyone had heard.

"You must be hearing things," he said. He placed a hand on my forehead and the other rested close to my throat. "Are you feeling okay?"

I ripped his hand from my throat. "What is with werewolves and throats?" I asked. "Damien, I saw you stealing magic from me. Last night. After you fell asleep, your illusion dropped."

"Are you sure you weren't dreaming?"

Was I? I shook my head. "No, Damien. This? This is gaslighting. You do not own me."

He stepped closer. I could see it in his dark green eyes—he was done pretending that this was anything other than what it was.

He placed a hand on my shoulder.

"You think I don't, but I do. I made the Alpha's Claim," he said. He leaned in and whispered into my ear. Normally, I would have considered that to be sexy, but now it made my skin crawl. "Wear whatever dress you want, you are mine."

"The Alpha's Claim has no power anymore," I said confidently. I didn't know if that was true, but I tried it out.

"You really think that, dove?" he said softly.

A rock sank into the pit of my stomach.

"You are not allowed to speak."

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

So, I swore in my head.

I tried again, but my vocal cords were frozen.

"Freeze," he said.

Just like that, I was frozen in place. All my confidence went flying out the window. I was an idiot. I should have run when I had the change. Horror shook my system. This was far worse than I thought.

"Dove, I have done everything in my power to make you like me. You said, 'no manipulation,' so I didn't manipulate you. I can't use my power to make you like me, but I could have used it to mate you any minute. I decided to wait. For you." I wanted to smack him for lying. He knew that wasn't true. "But I guess this is where we're at. After tomorrow's battle, we will talk about an attitude adjustment."

I fought with everything I had, but I could not move. Suddenly, his ability to make me freeze at Joshua pack made sense.

"Unfreeze," he said. "You will not harm me. You will stay by my side tonight and look pleasant."

Immediately, I moved to his side, and I found a small smile plastered across my face.

He still hadn't given me permission to speak, but once he did, I was going to blast him. Could I foment a revolt against him without breaking his command to not hurt him? I would try as hard as I could to find out.

Damien linked arms with me and pulled me into the crowd and toward the main stage. I could do nothing but follow. He helped me up the stage and he turned to a mic. Oh, I hated this. On stage, unable to talk, being paraded in front of a crowd who wanted me dead.

Not the first time.

As much as I had hated Alpha Maximus, at least I knew he was a jerk from the get-go.

"Attention, alphas. Many of you have waited a very long time for this, so I will waste no time in introducing my mate, Alpha Naomi."

Everyone should have seen me walking around, but they reacted as if this was the first time they had actually seen me.

Because it is, dove. Did you really think I would let you make such a poor entrance? I simply cast you as a servant in their eyes. Now they can see you.

I couldn't even give him a dirty look.

The crowd was shocked into silence. I could see genuine fear in some of their eyes. Others were confused, but most were awed as they stared at me.

Don't worry. I added an illusion of some makeup and a purple dress. I win.

I stood there, modeling a fake image of myself to hundreds of alphas as they stared at me. Finally, one began to cheer. Others followed suit and some came up to the stage as if to talk to us after we stepped down.

Damien wasted no time showing of his elemental mate. He grabbed my hand and pulled me down to the courtyard, where hundred of alphas waited for us.