This Chapter is dedicated to Jennifer McKern. Thank you for being here. ✨️💫

...

Aire did not expect the hall to look the way she saw it.

She had imagined something grand, yes. Something worthy of a Luna, yes. Something polished, decorated, and intentional, yes.

But this?

This felt like stepping into something that did not belong to the living.

Madam walked ahead with practiced grace. Her posture was straight, and her expression remained composed as always. Mabel followed just a step behind her. Her presence was softer but no less deliberate.

Aire came after them, and then, she stopped. The moment her foot crossed the threshold, everything else fell away, and she was the first to stop walking.

The hall stretched endlessly before her. High ceilings arched like the inside of a cathedral, and painted in soft ivory and gold that caught the light from above. Chandeliers hung like frozen stars, layered in delicate crystals that reflected a warm glow across the entire room.

But it wasn’t the light that held her in place. It was the flowers. White lilacs were everywhere, almost the colour of her hair.

They lined the pillars, soft and full, as their petals spilled like quiet snow. They wrapped around the railings of the grand staircase, draped over the long banquet tables, and clustered in carefully arranged bouquets along the walls.

The scent was soft, sweet, and almost haunting.

There were other flowers too, tucked between them in smaller amounts. Pale roses. Hints of baby’s breath, but they were secondary.

The lilacs ruled the room. Alive, but delicate. Beautiful, but almost too gentle for a place like this.

Aire stepped forward slowly. She was almost afraid the floor might give way beneath her.

Her fingers curled slightly into the fabric of her gown.

"Its glorious," she whispered. Her voice barely carried her words out. Her eyes were wide, and unguarded, taking everything in without restraint.

For a moment, she forgot where she was, and who she was supposed to be. She just... looked around.

Behind her, Madam and Mabel had stopped as well.

Madam’s chin lifted slightly, her eyes scanning the hall with the sharpness of someone who was used to perfection, and yet, even she could not fully hide the brief flicker of surprise that crossed her face.

Mabel’s lips parted just slightly. Not enough to ruin her composure, but enough to betray her.

"I haven’t seen a beauty like this," Aire said honestly, turning toward them now, her voice still soft, but clearer. "It’s magnificent."

She didn’t filter it. She didn’t hide her appreciation. It slipped out of her the way truth often did. Quiet, unpolished, and real.

For a brief second, neither Madam nor Mabel responded.

Then Mabel smiled. "Yes," she said, her voice low, almost thoughtful. "It is." She stepped forward then, closing the distance between them.

Aire didn’t move away.

Mabel reached for her arms gently, slipping her hands through Aire’s as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

Her touch was light, and careful.

"This is all for you," she whispered softly into Aire’s ear.

Aire nodded, smiling. She let the words settle into her heart.

Madam watched them both, her gaze unreadable. Behind them, three maids stood in silence.

The previous ones were gone after the incident under the tree. They got replaced so cleanly it almost felt like they had never existed at all.

They moved deeper into the hall after that. Her and Mabel tried to keep their steps slow, and voices low.

The conversation between them was minimal.

Mabel pointed out small details, the arrangement of the tables, the musicians’ balcony above, and the place where the Alpha families would sit during the ball.

Madam corrected her once.

Aire listened, and nodded when needed. This was also part of her lessons. She looked every part the girl they expected her to be.

Quiet, grateful, easily impressed, and underestimated.

A guard approached them just then.

His steps were firm, cutting cleanly through the softness of the hall. He stopped a respectful distance away and bowed slightly.

"King Elijah wishes to see you."

Aire’s expression changed immediately. The softness in her eyes stilled. For some reason, her shoulders tensed just slightly.

"Why?" she asked. The word came out before she could stop it.

The guard raised a brow. "Does it matter why?" he sounded surprised. Almost surprised she speaks.

Aire blinked. She exhaled softly, then she shook her head. It was a small motion, and she rubbed her palms lightly against her gown as if to steady herself.

"I’ll go," she said quietly.

Madam gave a small nod.

Mabel’s grip on her arms loosened.

Aire stepped away from them without another word, and followed the guard.

........

The walk to King Elijah’s wing was longer than she remembered. The corridors were quieter here, and colder.

The warmth of the hall didn’t reach this place.

Their footsteps echoed softly against the stone walls as they moved.

They took another turn, and that was when Aire felt a strange sensation behind her ears, and also behind her eyes.

At first, it was nothing. Just a flicker at the edge of her vision, and a shift in the air.

Then, she got a weird feeling. Cold rushed down her arm, and she could feel someone beside her.

Not the guard.

Aire frowned slightly but kept walking. Then, she heard a sudden voice.

The voice was low, and faint.

"...it has to be done before the next full moon..."

She stilled for half a second.

The guard kept walking. She looked around, and it was just her and the guard. No one was speaking between them.

She followed.

Her heart picked up, just slightly.

Another voice overlapped the first. "She doesn’t know... she must not know..."

Aire’s breath caught. Her eyes flickered to the walls. The voices seemed to be coming from the walls, yet no one was there.

Just the stones and touches. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"...King Elijah will not allow it..." she heard another voice again. And then, footsteps that accompanied the voices.

"...then he must not find out..."

"...the girl would be the key..."

Aire’s steps slowed. The corridor around her blurred at the edges. The air thickened, and pressed against her chest.

Her fingers curled slightly at her sides.

A sharp ringing cut through her head. Aire inhaled sharply, and then, the voices were gone.

Her vision shifted. For a brief second, she saw something else. She saw figures standing exactly where the walls now stood.

They were cloaked, and hidden, speaking in hushed urgency.

Then, it was all gone when she let out another breath.

"Aire."

A hand gripped her arm, firm, and grounding.

She gasped. She took in a sharp, desperate inhale, like she had just been pulled out of water.

Her chest rose and fell quickly and hard.

The guard was staring at her now, a bit concerned, and slightly confused. "We’re here," he said.

Aire blinked. Her eyes focused slowly on reality. The corridor was back, still, silent, and normal.

The large door before them stood open.

Had it always been open?

She hadn’t noticed.

She swallowed, and nodded quickly, almost apologetically.

"I’m fine," she murmured.

She straightened slightly, composed herself, stepped past him, and walked in.

When she stepped in, she took note of the chamber. The furniture was dark, and solid. The windows were tall, letting in pale light that barely softened the edges of the space.

"King Elijah." She said, bowing softly as she paid her respect.

He looked up as she entered.

"Aire," he said, his voice sharpening. He gestured to the chair across from him. "Sit." He ordered.

She sat down with her hands folded in her lap. Her posture was straight, and controlled as she waited for what would come next.

"Did you see the hall?" he asked.

Aire nodded. "Yes." She replied. "Thank you," she added softly. "For all of it."

Elijah waved his hand slightly, dismissing her gratitude. It meant nothing.

"You like it."

It wasn’t a question, but she answered anyway. "Yes," she said. "It’s beautiful."

Elijah leaned back slightly. His gaze didn’t leave her as his next words left his lips. "We’ll bring in the seer. To see if the Moon goddess would be merciful enough to take off your curse," he said.

Aire didn’t move.

"So you can properly be crowned Luna." He added.

Aire eyes gleamed. She had been waiting for this day ever since she got cursed. She never imagined it coming this early.

She felt happy, but her face remained still. Her eyes remained steady with her hands unmoving in her lap.

She remembered the voices and figures from the corridor, and lifted her gaze slightly. She met Elijah’s eyes fully now.

And for the first time, there was something unreadable in hers. She studied him with her eyes, but said nothing.

Not yet.

"I appreciate it." She finally said. She stood up. "If that’s all, I’ll love to return to the hall for my last practice."

King Elijah nodded, and stood up. "That’s all."

Aire bowed again. "Thank you." She said, with a tight smile. Then, she turned towards the door, to walk away.

"Aire." King Elijah called her, two steps away from the door.

Aire turned, facing him. She didn’t feel comfortable in the same space with him. She couldn’t tell why, but she felt the urge to run.

He searched her eyes. "Is there something I need to know?"

Aire shook her head. Then, she found her voice. "No, King Elijah."

He nodded. "Very well, then."