My mind raced the rest of the night for so many reasons. I was about to become the princess of the entire wolf realm. King Orsand, Queen Amelia, and Edmond all knew my secret. I finally wasn't in this alone. In anything.

The aching I'd felt since Alex marked Harmony dissipated the moment I'd set eyes on Edmond. I almost felt bad for being so angry with them.

Almost.

But then I remembered everything they had done in the weeks since. The way he marked her in public and I didn't feel so bad.

"Are you alright, my love?"

I smiled up at my betrothed. "I am. I'm just...this is a lot. You know?"

"Being with me?"

"No! No, my love. Being with you might be the only thing that actually makes sense right now. But becoming a princess? All of this business with these monsters. Artemis. It's just a lot to handle. Not to mention your psychotic ex. My psychotic ex and my psychotic sister."

"We don't have to worry about them." He grasped my hand and kissed the back of it lightly. "This is so weird to say to someone I just met, but I love you."

"I love you too."

"There is something I want to give you."

"Oh?"

"It has been in my family since the beginning and has been passed down for millennia. My father gave it to my mother and my mother gave it to me. All of the queens of our pack have worn it."

"What is it?" I asked.

He pulled a blue velvette box from his jacket pocket and opened it. Inside, rested a beautiful golden ring with a large sapphire surrounded by diamonds. The band was encrusted with alternating sapphire gems and diamonds. The largest stone in the center was engraved with a howling wolf within our Goddess holding her bow and arrow.

"Edmond..."

"Do you like it?"

"It's incredible," I said quietly, tracing my finger along the wolfs head. "Are you sure you want me to have it?"

He nodded. "Of course."

"Is your mother sure?"

He chuckled lightly. "She insisted."

"Why? I mean, she's the queen."

"Mother, she is something else and she really, really likes you. She has been saying that you will do great things as queen."

"She has more faith in me than my own mother," I mumbled.

He slipped the ring on my finger and kissed my forehead.

For a moment it felt too lose, but it seemed to form to my finger, shrinking to hug the digit.

"Odd."

"What is, my love?" Edmond asked.

"The ring, it...I think it shrank."

"What?"

"It felt a bit loose when you put it on and now it's snug."

"It is supposed to hold some magical powers."

"Hmm."

"What do you have there?" Ashley asked, coming up from behind me.

"Huh? Oh, Edmond gave me a ring."

"Let me see!" she said excitedly, grabbing my hand. "Oh, my God."

"Isn't it pretty?"

"It's gorgeous! We have to show everybody!"

She held my hand tightly and dragged me to where my parents, sister, and her parents sat. Edmond followed close behind talking with Alastair as they watched over us.

"Look at what Prince Edmond gave to Princess Ellie!" Ashley giggled a little when she said princess. "I will never get to used to that. Princess Ellie."

"That's Princess Elanor!" my mother corrected.

"Ellie is fine," I said.

"Or loser," Harmony grumbled.

"Harmony!" Father growled at her.

"What?"

"You need to stop. You need to respect your sister. She will be queen of the entire pack one day."

"And I'm her Luna!" she screeched.

"I think Queen supersedes Luna," Ashley laughed.

"Harmony, stop. You really need to stop," Alex pleaded.

She stood up and slammed her hands on the table. "No! No, I will not. She always steals my spotlight! She couldn't just sulk away in her room. No, she had to runaway and trap the prince. This is ridiculous. I could have been queen!"

"No, ma'am," Edmond said. "That would never happen."

"Wow," Alastair said.

"I didn't trap the prince. We're a bonded pair. Just like you and Alex, he's my mate."

She huffed and stormed away.

"I am so sorry for our daughter," my mother said, shaking her head.

"It's not your fault, mom."

She shook her head and returned to gazing at the ring.

"This is really something else. So when are you planning on the mating ceremony?"

"Oh, uh, well, I'm not sure."

"My mother will have everything planned. It's kind of tradition for the queen to plan and host the ceremony. She probably already has everything done."

"That's lovely. What about the dress? I can help you pick out the dress!"

I looked at Edmond who pursed his lips.

"Actually, I'm so sorry, there has been a gown passed down for hundreds of years that all future queens wear."

"Oh. So all the women in your family wore it?"

He shook his head. "No. Not all. Just those who will one day be queen. It's beyond just a family tradition for the dress. Even I have something very specific that I have to wear that all future king's have to wear."

Mother sat back in her chair and pouted a bit.

"I'm sure the queen will need help with some things. We'll have to meet with her and find out," I suggested.

"Okay. I just want to help."

"You have always been a huge help to everything mom." I kissed her forehead as Edmond led me to another group of dignitaries.

"Do forgive us," he said, as we walked away. "Unfortunately, duty calls, and we must meet with a few other wolves."

"Of course," father said.

"When is our mating ceremony?" I whispered.

"I think it's going to be the next full moon. That's when the others I've been to have always happened. It's believed that the marking at moon rise under a full moon strengthens a mating pairs bond."

"Romantic," I giggled.

He shrugged. "Traditions."

"The pack is anything is not loyal to traditions."

"That we are." He kissed the top of my head as we merged with a group of pack leaders.

"Prince Edmond, my boy! Congratulations!" Alpha Anwar said, clasping Edmond on the back.

"You got yourself a great, girl," Alpha Wesley told him.

"She is something else. She will be a great queen one day," Alpha Charles concured.

"Thank you," I said, squeezing Edmond's hand.

"I am a very lucky man. I didn't think I would ever find my mate. And to think, I was almost force mated to someone else. What a life to not be with the one person you were born to be with."

An uneasy feeling washed over me as Edmond talked to the Alpha's. I glanced around the room until my eyes fell on a man in a darkened corner. It felt like he was staring at me. He was completely unfamiliar and new.

Is he one of them? No, there's no way. He's not attacking.

I looked around to see if anybody else noticed him. Kind Orsand nodded toward the man as Queen Amelia walked past him toward the balcony, giving him the slightest look.

What is going on? Who is he?

"Uh, will you gentlemen excuse me for just a moment?"

I watched for a moment as the man slunk away in the shadows toward the balcony. I walked across the room, saying hello and pretending to not pay attention to the trio who disappeared behind the thick curtains. I crept up to the edge of the doors and peered between the cracks in the fabric, watching the three of them. I slowly slipped behind the curtains, staying within the shadows and listened.

"Does anyone know?" the king asked.

"No, sire. Word hasn't gotten out yet."

"Dammit. I thought we were safe!"

"How did this happen?"

"I'm not sure, your majesty. The body was found at the border of our pack lines with the royal city."

"Closer to the snow peak or misty lake?"

"Unfortunately, not far from the castle."

"Shit. This is not good. This is not good. We need to find out how it got in."

"We need to find out who's doing this," the queen said. "We need to keep Elanor safe."

"I really think she'll be alright. She's a smart girl."

"Are you sure you trust this girl?" the mysterious man asked.

"She's our son's mate. She's...special."

"You don't know her, your highness."

"Andrew, she's probably the most trustworthy person here."

"I'll trust your judgement."

"Let's keep this issue quiet for now. I need to think."

"Of course." Andrew bowed to the king and queen before rushing back into the ballroom.

"You can come out of the shadows now," Queen Amelia called.

My eyes grew wide as I stood there trying not to breath and pressing myself into the wall.

"We know you're there, Ellie."

I sighed heavily and walked toward the king and queen.

"I am so sorry."

"Don't be. I'm glad you heard."

"They made it through?"

King Orsand nodded his head.

"Would it be terribly inappropriate if I left early?" I questioned.

"Inappropriate? No. Unheard of? Yes. There would be talk if you left especially with everything that has been going on."

"I figured as much. I don't think I'll be sleeping much after this thing is over."

"I don't think any of us will be sleeping," the king said.

"May I ask one more question?" I asked.

"Of course."

"Who was that man?"

"What man?"

I looked at King Orsand and pursed my lips.

"She heard us talking to him," Queen Amelia responded.

"Yeah, I know. Okay. That is Alpha Andrew."

"Alpha Andrew? All of our Alpha's are inside."

"Almost all of our Alpha's." King Orsand corrected.

"Okay?"

"Alpha Andrew is from the Blackpaw Howlers."

"The who?"

"The Blackpaw Howlers. They are an elite and secret warrior pack that have had the lands to the north of us."

"That's not part of the royal packs lands?"

"No. We've said it was in order to keep their secret," Queen Amelia said.

"Why a secret?"

The king and queen glanced at each other and then looked at me. "There were more than the five packs at the beginning."

"What? How? There's no way. Why didn't Artemis say anything?"

"I don't even think the Goddess knows if she didn't mention anything."

"Honestly, I'm impressed that the Blackpaw Howlers have remained a secret for as long as they have."

"How...how?"

"We don't know exactly, but there is one book that exists depicting the beginning."

"I'm guessing not in the library?"

Queen Amelia shook her head. "My private library."

I nodded and looked out towards the northern territory. "And you trust them?"

"With my life."

"Really?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"I don't think I stressed the eliteness of the warrior abilities."

"Warrior abilities?"

"That's why they were granted a pack status and given lands. They pledged to forever protect the wolf realm and the royal family. When things get beyond the control of our normal royal guards or the police within the smaller packs fail, they swoop in and fight off whatever the threat is."

"And they haven't helped yet?" I asked.

"We weren't sure what we were up against, or the extent that the threat spread."

"That's why he's here now," I said.

The king and queen nodded. "We notified them a few days ago about what was going on. They were doing their own research while you've been doing yours. Unfortunately, there was an attack today."

I sighed and watched as Andrew rode across the meadow on a black horse, vanishing into the distant tree line.

"I want to meet him," I said.