Ava clenched her jaw, pacing back and forth in her chamber as her nails dug into her palms. Every step echoed against the marble floor, sharp and restless. Nothing was going as she intended.
Midas was supposed to handle everything discreetly. But now that fool had been detained, and everything was spiraling out of control.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she tried to steady her breathing. She couldn’t afford to lose composure, not now. “That wretch...” she hissed under her breath, thinking of Althea.
“Cain’s daughter, playing the saint now, pretending to heal the princess as if her blood isn’t cursed.”
She couldn’t gather much from the Queen Mother without drawing suspicion, so she decided to wait for Nilda’s full report before making a move. All she knew for now was that Princess Riela would be under that wretch’s care for a week. The thought made her body tremble with barely contained rage as she waited for Nilda’s full report.
She turned sharply toward her desk, where a crystal orb shimred faintly. A faint image of Nilda’s face flickered within it. The older woman’s voice ca through, low and nervous.
“Lady Ava, I’ve done what you asked. The Queen Mother now trusts her, but...” Nilda hesitated. “She invoked the Covenant of Binding. She drank the potion, yes, but it remains dormant in her body until she fails.”
Ava froze, her expression darkening. “Dormant?” she repeated, her voice dangerously calm. “So you’re telling that unless she fails, the bond won’t be broken?”
“Yes, my Lady,” Nilda admitted quickly. “But don’t worry. I can make sure she fails. I’ve already weakened the residual healing energy surrounding the princess. No matter what she does, her progress will be slow. The Queen Mother will lose patience before long.”
Ava’s lips slowly curled into a smile, cold and sharp. “Good. Keep it that way. Let her think she’s making progress, just enough to give everyone hope before she falls flat. When the week ends, the Queen Mother herself will demand that the potion finish its work.”
Nilda bowed her head through the crystal projection. “As you command, my Lady.”
When the light faded, Ava stood still for a mont, her gaze locked on the fading glow of the orb. Fury still simred beneath her skin, but the edges of her anger began to sharpen into sothing more controlled, more dangerous.
“Let’s see how long you can keep playing healer, Cain’s daughter,” she whispered to herself. “The Queen Mother may have spared you for now, but I will make sure you choke on that rcy.”
She reached for a small silver dagger on her table and ran her thumb along its edge, eyes gleaming. “When you fail, he’ll finally see you for what you truly are—a curse.”
Ava’s lips curved once more, her whisper soft yet venomous. “Soon, Gavriel will co back to ... once you’re gone for good.”
The blood moon was approaching, and Ava was preparing for it. By then, she would make sure Gavriel saw no one else, no woman but her.
*****
The grand ballroom of the Ward hall glowed under the shimr of a hundred chandeliers.
Gold and crimson drapes cascaded from the high ceiling, and the air humd with music, laughter, and the clinking of fine crystal.
Tonight was the birthday celebration of Lord Marius Ward, the Minister of War and Defense, one of the kingdom’s most respected and feared n. The event drew nobles, high-ranking warriors, and powerful families from all corners of the realm.
But no one commanded the room quite like Lady Ava.
She entered with a deep wine-red gown that shimred like liquid under the candlelight.
Every jewel adorning her neck and wrists caught the glow, but none more radiant than the sly confidence in her smile. Heads turned the mont she stepped into the ballroom.
Whispers followed...
“Lady Ava looks absolutely divine tonight.”
“She always does. I heard even the Alpha King couldn’t take his eyes off her once.”
“She would make a far better Luna than that traitor’s daughter.”
Ava’s lips curved faintly as she heard the murmurs. She didn’t even need to pretend humility, every word of praise was the truth she already knew. Her beauty, her grace, her impeccable manners, her lineage—she had everything. Everything except the one thing she wanted most: Gavriel.
Still, tonight, she would enjoy the attention. She had worked for this, the perfect gown tailored from imported silk, the subtle enchantnt woven into her perfu to draw admiration, and the group of noble won she’d carefully chard to circle around her like loyal satellites.
“Lady Ava,” one of them, Lady Lola, whispered with a gleeful smile as they stood near the banquet table. “You look like the Luna Queen herself tonight.”
Ava laughed softly, “You flatter , my dear. I only dressed appropriately for Lord Marius’s grand celebration.”
“Oh, nonsense!” another woman, a rchant’s widow with an influential tongue, joined in. “If only things had gone as everyone expected, you’d already be Luna by now. The Alpha King has always favored you.”
Ava lowered her gaze demurely, though her heart swelled at the sound of it. “The Heavens had other plans, it seems,” she said smoothly. “But I’m loyal to our Alpha King, no matter the outco.”
The won exchanged knowing looks. “If not for that woman,” Lady Lola hissed under her breath, “the kingdom would’ve had peace by now. She’s bewitched His Majesty, using her father’s cursed bloodline, no doubt.”
Another noble woman nodded eagerly. “A breeder from a traitor’s line shouldn’t even be allowed near the royal palace, let alone the throne.”
Ava took a slow sip of her wine, concealing her satisfaction. Every rumor mattered. Every whispered insult built the image she wanted.
“You mustn’t say such things too loudly,” Ava murmured softly, her tone laced with just enough concern to appear noble. “The Alpha King treasures her... for now. But even the strongest bond can break under the weight of truth.”
Her words earned subtle nods, and a spark of anticipation glead in their eyes. It was enough. Soon, the whispers would spread beyond the hall.
Ava’s gaze swept across the hall, lingering on the grand doors where the royal guards stood ready.
Any mont now, Gavriel would arrive.
She could already imagine it, his eyes locking onto her, seeing her standing there, poised and perfect. Ava’s smile deepened. Everything was unfolding exactly as she planned. And by the end of the night, everyone in that ballroom would whisper one thing—
That Lady Ava should have been, and still could be, the rightful Luna Queen.
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