She suddenly heard a knock at her door. She forced herself to get up and open the door, only to meet a servant holding a dress in her hands, and behind her was the eldest daughter, Jessie.
The most calm and composed out of the three females. She wasn't as evil as the family but she wasn't nice either. She used to treat her badly too. But Lily could only guess that after she found her mate, she had no interest in bothering her again.
She looked down at the dress as she heard Jessie speak. "Wear this and meet us at the gate in the next hour."
She and the maid then left after placing the dress in her hand. Lily heaved a sigh before closing the door. She dropped the dress on the floor and laid back on the bed to rest.
After some minutes had gone, she stood up to get ready. She picked up the dress from the floor and looked at it. It seemed at least different from the rags she wore daily. Black in color. It was definitely meant for a maid.
She put it on before walking out of the room and heading towards the gate. She met the family there, ready to go.
They entered the carriage and Lily moved to sit with the coachman. As the man slashed the ropes, the horses 'neighed' and the carriage began moving.
As the carriage kept going along the road of the pack town, bumping on simple rocks, Lily couldn't help but shiver when the cold breeze made contact with her skin.
While they moved, she could see a lot of people outside, looking joyful and festive.
The bright lights of the lanterns glowing as the moon replaced the sun, shedding light to the road while the wheels of the carriage rolled on it, heading east.
~
When the wheels of the carriage finally touched the path leading to the palace, the Imperial Highway -which was a well-maintained road connecting the capital city and pack towns to the Imperial Palace. Lily finally heaved a big sigh. She felt so scared as the carriage traveled through the thick, dark woods for hours.
The carriage arrived at the entrance of the grand palace, where many other carriages stopped. The driver of the first carriage got down to open the door for the Jederek family.
As the three females got down from the carriage, they looked at the large palace in front of them with much excitement. It looked so gigantic and glorious to see, they had never imagined in their lives that they would one-day step foot into the royal palace.
Luna Valerie smiled, linking her arm under her husband's as they walked up the steps, towards the entrance, leaving Lily behind.
The coachman was about to help Lily come down from, but she jumped down herself, catching him off guard. She smiled at him, "thank you."
When she saw that the family had started walking to the entrance, she quickly ran up to them. Standing behind them, she was able to see the other nobles standing in a line as well, along with their most presentable servants. Whilst glancing at them, her eyes met one of the servant's who stared at her in awe. Lily quickly looked down to avoid trouble.
They were all allowed in, and their eyes widened, at the majestic sight that greeted them. They couldn't believe how magnificent the palace looked on the inside. So enormous and beautiful. They were escorted by the guards -resplendent in their formal attire, and their lips parted further the more they walked.
They were struck by the majesty of the ancient structure. The palace's exterior walls were made of rough-hewn stone, weathered to a warm, golden brown that seemed to glow in the fading light of day. The roofs were tiled in a mosaic of gleaming silver and dark blue, shimmering like the night sky.
As they walked, the sound of their footsteps echoed off the stone walls, creating a sense of grandeur and history.
Upon entering the throne room, the nobles were greeted by it's breathtaking beauty. The walls were lined with tall, narrow windows, filled with stained glass that filtered the light and cast kaleidoscopic patterns on the floor.
The room was filled with the soft, golden glow of candles and lanterns, casting a warm, inviting light on the assembled guests. The air was thick with the scent of incense and the soft, musical hum of conversation.
The sight before them was beyond glorious.
The ceremony began as soon as everyone had arrived. Alpha Jederek and his family were also present, silently admiring the throne room.
Chairs and tables were arranged in vertical lines, filled with fountains of delicacies. While at the center of the room, a performance was displayed. A performance of three females dressed in silk and lace, decorated with jewelries, with veils covering half of their faces. Their dance moves were slow to fit the calm music played.
Every noble guests greeted each other with smiles on their faces, as well as the Alpha Council members who sat at the right wing floor, close to the throne.
But they all could not stop themselves from stealing glances at the main reason they were gathered tonight. The ancient king, who sat on his throne gloriously like a god, silently watching them.
"My, My. Who knew the king would be this good looking?" Valerie smiled, glancing at her daughter Tessa, who was also busy filling her eyes with his ancient beauty.
At that moment, she smirked. If the king was this breathtakingly beautiful, then perhaps being the queen wouldn't be that bad. And he wouldn't want to kill his own queen just for his amusement would he?
If so, she would just have to avoid him as much as she can, as queen, Tessa thought. She was going to be his queen, and he was going to be hers.
When every noble guests began taking their seats, Alpha Jederek walked to them, greeting each one of them.
"Alpha Jederek," a tall man with a firm body stepped away from the crowd and walked up to him. "Lovely to see you this fine evening. It has been a while, hasn't it?" He said.
He was the Alpha of red claw pack.
"Yes it has, and it is a lovely evening indeed," Alpha Jederek smiled, glancing at Alpha Tiberias' wife and their daughter. He noticed how beautiful she was, inheriting her dark brown hair and height from her father and hazel eyes from her mother.
"Come, let us dine together. We have a lot to talk about," Alpha Tiberias grinned as he gestured to him and his family to sit down.