Estelle’s POV

I stared at Zayne’s message on my phone screen, my jaw tightening. The audacity of him asking if I’d arrived safely when his staff had just shoved me into what was essentially a glorified broom closet.

I tucked my phone away without replying. I needed to confirm something first.

The walk back to the main hall took longer than expected. These corridors were like a maze, and I had to backtrack twice before finding the right path. When I finally emerged into the grand entrance hall, Caleb was already there waiting for me.

“What took you so long?” he asked, his brow furrowed with concern.

I glanced around the opulent space. His room was probably closer to the main wing of the palace, while mine had been tucked away in some forgotten corner like an afterthought.

“How’s your lodging?” I asked instead of answering.

Caleb’s face lit up. “The room is incredible. Better than any five-star hotel I’ve ever stayed in. Marble bathroom, king-sized bed, sitting area with a fireplace. They even left champagne and chocolate on the nightstand.” He paused, studying my expression. “How’s yours?”

I let out a cold laugh. “The room is alright.”

Caleb tilted his head. “You don’t look too enthusiastic about the situation.”

I didn’t comment. What was I supposed to say? That I’d been given servant quarters while he’d been treated like royalty?

“Come on,” Caleb said, starting to walk toward the dining area. “Dinner should be starting soon.”

I followed him, my mind racing. When we’d arrived, that head servant had clearly been expecting Helena and Benedict instead of me. Now the accommodations were vastly different based on gender. Was this really about lycan tradition, or was there something else going on?

My phone felt heavy in my pocket. I pulled it out and began typing an angry message to Zayne.

[I didn’t realize that she-wolves are second-class citizens in lycan society.]

My finger hovered over the send button. The words were sharp and accusatory. Exactly what I was feeling.

But immediately after hitting the send button, I regretted it.

What was I doing? No matter what, Zayne was the Lycan King, a man with significantly more power than I could ever dream of having. I still needed his help with the Blackmoon Pack situation. Starting a fight over room assignments was beyond stupid.

I quickly deleted the message and shoved my phone back into my pocket. I needed to forget about this for now and focus on the bigger picture.

“The main dining hall is just through here,” Caleb said, gesturing toward massive double doors carved with intricate wolf designs.

We entered a room that took my breath away despite my sour mood. The ceiling soared at least thirty feet high, supported by marble columns. Crystal chandeliers cast warm light over everything. A long mahogany table dominated the center, already set with fine china and cutlery.

Several people were already seated, chatting quietly amongst themselves. The dinner wasn’t a formal affair, more like a casual meet-and-greet for the guests who had arrived early for tomorrow’s ball.

“Each seat has a place card,” Caleb observed, walking toward the head of the table.

I followed him, scanning the elegant name cards written in gold calligraphy. Caleb found his seat quickly—it was near the head of the table, just one seat away from where the Lycan King would sit.

“So that’s the King’s spot,” Caleb said, pointing to the ornate chair at the head. “Someone sits to his left, and then here’s my seat.”

He checked the name card next to his. “Alpha Jude Reed from the Tidal Valley Pack.”

I looked around expectantly, waiting to see my name nearby. Pack members typically sat together. For example, the Betas that tagged along would be seated next to their Alphas and Lunas, while children of the Alpha family would also sit with their parents.

But my name wasn’t there.

Caleb frowned. “That’s weird. You should be right here somewhere.” He looked at the seat between his and Zayne’s seats. “There’s no namecard here. Maybe it’s this one?”

“Let’s be sure,” I said. “I wouldn’t want to make it seem like I’m taking someone else’s seat just so I can be next to the Lycan King.”

We moved systematically down the table, checking each place card.

All the high-ranking pack leaders were clustered near Zayne’s seat. As we moved further from the head of the table, the names became less familiar. They were smaller packs or had lower ranks.

“This doesn’t make sense,” Caleb muttered, his voice growing more frustrated with each step.

We were nearly three-quarters of the way down the table when I finally spotted it. A simple white card with my name written in the same gold script as the others.

Estelle Harper.

But there was no pack designation. There wasn’t even a title written on it.

“Are you kidding me?” Caleb’s voice was tight with barely controlled anger.

I picked up the card, studying it carefully. Neither of the names next to me rang any bells.

Looking around at the other place cards near my assigned seat, I could see they were all from smaller, less influential packs.

“Everyone else is seated with their pack members,” I observed, my voice carefully neutral. “Alphas with their Betas. Mated pairs together. But somehow, we’ve been separated.”

Caleb ran a hand through his red hair, his jaw clenched tight. “This isn’t an accident, Estelle. Someone deliberately put you down here with the...”

“With the nobodies,” I finished for him.

I looked back toward the head of the table, where Caleb’s seat waited near the seat of power, then down at my own assignment near the foot of the table with the smaller packs.

I made the decision almost immediately. I reached out and grabbed my name card. Then, without another word, I walked back to the head of the table where Caleb was assigned.

“Wait. What are you doing?” Caleb asked confusedly.