An onyx gem made into a dress was the best way to describe it—so dark it seed to swallow all light, only to expel the rays in refracted shards that shimred like fractured midnight.
Each movent turned her into a living prism of shadow, the fabric catching faint hints of silver and violet, as though moonlight had been trapped in the seams and forced to leak out in reluctant glimrs. It clung to her like a second skin, sculpting her waist, tracing her hips, whispering along her legs with a predator’s confidence. The hem flowed behind her in a slow, liquid ripple—less cloth, more molten night.
No ordinary dress would have dared to adorn her.
This one obeyed her.
This one bowed to her.
And every soul who saw her could tell: she wore darkness not as a garnt, but as a crown.
She strode down the stairs, back straight with tension, her curls held up in an elegant tangle and adorned with dark pearls. Two wavy strands frad her face.
The incessant tugging morphed into a yank as she stepped down from the last stair. She held my stare, eyes shadowed with color that made the gold in her gaze glint and gleam—an extension of the dress that clung to her form like a possessive lover.
Her redolent earthy scent had been tempered with sothing floral.
She reached my side and smiled up at , nervous. "I am ready," she announced.
This was one of those rare monts where I was not sure I could say the sa.
"Turn around," I said, my voice rougher than intended.
She obeyed, her dress swaying with her as she gave her back. A servant handed the mask of a swan.
I brought it over her eyes and knotted it.
My knuckles brushed over her nape and a shiver ran through her.
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🌙𝐋𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐡
The Onyx Concord was the venue, I realized as we pulled into the lot. I swallowed thickly as the car ca to a halt. The AC had been on but sweat still beaded my forehead.
What if my makeup was lting off—
I would stand behind him like a shield. It was the only way I would survive the night—
A snap pulled back from my thoughts. My eyes found Vladimir. He looked like he had been trying to get my attention for a minute.
I managed a shaky smile. "Sorry, I got carried away." The high bun was suddenly a pound heavier as his pale eyes through the silver wolf mask searched mine for sothing unknown.
"Lili." His voice was a tad husky.
Goosebumps rose all over my skin, his voice a caress that set my nerves afla. The proximity made things harder, greedily stealing the air from my lungs.
"You are safe with ."
He said it like a vow, a quiet pledge ant for my ears alone.
"No matter what happens in there, you walk beside . Not behind."
My breath hitched as he seed to read my mind, like he knew that I would hide away. He wanted by his side like I was so equal. The realization eased sothing tight in my chest.
I had wanted to believe that he would be ashad of in a way, like he was doing this out of obligation. But the way he looked at now—steady, certain, unwavering—it filled with sothing dangerous.
Hope.
Before I could respond, he was already moving. The door opened with a soft click, and Vladimir stepped out first, the winter air rushing in to replace the warmth. Then he turned back, one hand extended toward .
His palm was open. Waiting.
For a heartbeat, I just stared at it. At the elegant fingers that had cradled my face in the hallway, that had held together when I was breaking. At the faint scars across his knuckles, evidence of battles fought and won.
I placed my hand in his.
His fingers closed around mine, firm and cool, and he helped out of the car with a gentleness that seed impossible from the Ice King. The mont my feet touched the ground, the dress settled around like liquid shadow, the hem pooling briefly before I straightened.
Vladimir didn’t let go of my hand.
Instead, he guided it to the crook of his arm, his other hand coming to rest over mine where it lay against his sleeve. The gesture was possessive and protective all at once, and I felt the bond hum contentedly between us, as though this—this simple act of standing together—was what it had been craving all along.
Dmitri appeared beside us, his dark suit immaculate, his expression carefully neutral. But I caught the slight nod he gave Vladimir, so silent communication passing between them that I couldn’t quite decipher.
"Ready?" Dmitri asked, though the question seed directed more at Vladimir than at .
Vladimir’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "Yes."
Then Dmitri’s gaze shifted to , and for just a mont, sothing almost like approval flickered in his eyes. "You look like you belong here," he said quietly. "Don’t let them make you think otherwise."
Before I could process that unexpected kindness, he turned and began walking toward the entrance, taking point as though he were leading us into battle rather than a ball.
Vladimir leaned down slightly, his breath ghosting against my ear.
"Keep your head high," he murmured. "et their gazes."
I nodded, curling my arm tighter into his. I lifted my head and straightened my back and we walked in.
The knot of nerves in my stomach was still there, tangible as ever, as we stepped into the dimly lit decorated hall. Chatter and soft music wove through the luxuriously crowded space.
Attires glead and glowed, reflecting even the low light. All their faces were concealed in masks of different variants and opulent colors.
In an instant, my heart stuttered to a halt as bright lights blinded . The chatter stopped instantly, as if soone had commanded it.
I lifted my head higher and prayed to whatever god or entity had kept alive to this point.
Please let be doing this right.
A charismatic voice interrupted the quiet. "Now arriving is the man of the hour himself, four-ti voted High Alpha Vladimir Dragunov and his lovely fiancée, Lilith Brooks."
The entire hall burst into thunderous applause. Beneath it, I could hear the softer murmur of praise.
The sound was overwhelming, like standing in the heart of a storm, as the lights slowly dimd above us.
The clapping died away as we moved fluidly through the parting crowds, and the murmuring started, bringing with it a prickling down my stiff spine.
They were all watching.
They were all watching .
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