Chapter 154

My new dress flowed across the red carpet as I walked up to the platform, escorted by Jeffrey, and took my seat slightly behind and to the right of Andrew’s throne. Jeffrey assumed his position behind my chair and reported into his walkie-talkie that I had safely made it to my seat. I folded my hands on my lap, waiting patiently for the coronation ceremony to officially begin.

My eyes searched the gathering crowd for a familiar face. I soon found three in a set of folding chairs close to the red carpet: Terri, Lily, and Lily’s husband. I waved at them, and they waved back.

I suddenly longed to run over and share this momentous day with them, but I knew that as the Alpha King’s girlfriend, I could not leave my position until the ceremony was over. I had to maintain appearances, at least for a while.

It all seemed rather silly, really. The Alpha King was an elected official, not royalty, so why go through this charade? It was nothing more than an homage to an antiquated tradition.

I wouldn’t tell Andrew that, though. He was so excited to share this moment with me that I wouldn’t take it away from him for anything, even if it did mean isolating myself on this platform high above a quickly growing crowd…far away from my friends or anyone else who could protect me…

It was then that I noticed how much this setup was like the pro-integration rally…and the fundraiser…except this time, I did not have Andrew by my side, assuring me that everything was all right and shielding me from the worst of any disaster that might come our way…

“Crystal,” Jeffrey whispered into my ear, causing me to flinch. “Crystal, are you all right?”

I realized that my breathing had begun to speed up, and my heart was fluttering. I closed my eyes and started to take deep, cleansing breaths.

“Yes,” I replied as I exhaled. “I’m fine.”

“Are you certain? I can take you somewhere to decompress before the ceremony begins—”

“I said, I’m fine,” I snapped.

Jeffrey stepped away from me, but I could still feel him hovering close by. I attempted to ignore him, continuing to breathe in and out slowly.

Using Andrew’s lessons on meditation, I blocked out the noises around me and focused only on my breathing. It was difficult at first, but I soon centered myself and calmed the dark places that this very public event threatened to bring to the surface. My tense body relaxed, and my heart rate grew less prominent.

I felt Jeffrey tap me on the shoulder. The ceremony must have been starting. Reluctantly, I pried my eyes open.

The crowd had swelled to thousands on either side of the red carpet. All eyes were on me as they awaited Andrew’s grand entrance. My heart leapt into my throat.

Images of the pro-integration rally and the fundraiser flashed before my mind’s eye, overlapping with the scene in front of me. The cheerfulness and congratulatory attitude of the coronation crowd mingled with the chaos and panic of the human terrorist attack and shooting. Where there should have been happy faces sitting and standing around the roped-off red carpet, there were injured bodies lying limp and screaming heads racing for the nearest exit.

Cutting through this tumultuous scenery, Andrew traipsed down the aisle, his crimson robe trailing behind him. The very image of modern royalty—or faux royalty, as the case may be—his presence served as a lighthouse in the lightning storm of my mind, helping me to not crash against the rocky shores of anxiety…for now.

As he approached his throne, Andrew glanced at me and winked. I blushed. It was only then that I realized that my hands clutched tightly at my dress, and I forced myself to release the fabric.

Andrew turned to the left of the throne, and Head Wolf Antoine appeared before him with a copy of our lawbook, Le Livre des Loups.

“We are here today to officialize Andrew Dubois’s position as Alpha King,” Antoine announced. He turned to Andrew. “Andrew, please put your hand on the sacred lawbook and recite the Oath of the Alpha King.”

Andrew followed Antoine’s instructions and said, “I, Andrew Dubois, of the noble family Dubois, do hereby swear…”

A sound like a gunshot startled me.

My eyes frantically searched the crowd for a gunman, but no one stood out to me. In fact, no one reacted to the sound at all.

It was just a car backfiring somewhere far away, I assured myself. Still, I could not keep my hands from clenching at the silk of my dress. My body trembled as I took deep breaths in a feeble attempt to fight off the incoming panic attack.

Images of my different public attacks merged with the crowd sitting before me. Andrew’s voice melted away, replaced by the screams of frantic rally- and fundraiser-attendees. I felt my body fall away from me, as though I were no longer a part of myself.

Without a second thought, I jumped to my feet and ran off the back stairs of the platform. I didn’t know how many eyes were on me by that point, and frankly, I didn’t care. I just needed to get out of there.

I only made it halfway across the grassy area behind the platform before someone grabbed my arm.

I let Susan come through enough to grow my claws. As I turned, I readied them to strike, stopping short when I saw that it was Jeffrey who had a hold of me.

“It’s all right, Crystal,” he said, his voice low and soothing. “It’s just me. I’ll take you somewhere safe.”

I nodded and retracted my claws. My heart still raced, and my body still shook, but I trusted Jeffrey.

Jeffrey took me to the trailer I had gotten dressed in earlier in the day and made me comfortable. He then helped me through some guided meditation. With his help, I was able to calm down and forget the visions.

As soon as the ceremony concluded, Andrew came rushing into the trailer, crown and all.

“Crystal, here you are!”

He swooped down and hugged me tightly to him.

“Are you okay? What happened? I just heard that you rushed off sometime during the ceremony.”

I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face in his shoulder.

“I’m sorry. I just…the crowd reminded me of the pro-integration rally and the fundraiser, and then I heard a car backfire, and it sounded like a gunshot…”

I groaned.

“I had another panic attack. I’m so sorry.”

Andrew pushed away from me and held my face in his hands.

“Sweetheart, you have no reason to be sorry. You can’t control your panic attacks.”

Tears streamed down my face.

“I know, and that only makes me feel weaker. I couldn’t even be there for you when you needed me most.”

Andrew ran his fingers over my cheeks, wiping away the tears.

“Love, I understand. You know that I do. I’m just glad that you tried at all.”

He reached forward and kissed me gently on the lips. When he pulled away, he rested his forehead on mine.

“I love you, Crystal. Warts and all. Never forget that.”

I smiled slightly.

“I love you, too, Andrew.”