Chapter 39

My heart hammered wildly inside of my chest as I felt the intense weight of everyone’s eyes on me. The room filled with glorified gasps and excited whispers as their gazes raked over my ethereal appearance.

I wanted so badly to announce the fact that it was Lorenzo who deserved the praise. It was because of him; his skills and abilities, that I was even able to take part in this showcasing. However, I was left stunned by the crowd's enthusiasm. Cameras flashed left and right, fighting to capture the best image of Lorenzo and me as we walked.

Thank God, Lorenzo kept a firm hold on me. Aside from being my obvious escort, the man acted as a much-needed anchor, otherwise, I would have fled the room out of sheer fright. But he kept us moving confidently through the crowd.

I spotted Cate out of the corner of my eye just a few feet ahead of us. Her mouth was twisted into a resentful sneer. I fought back the urge to smirk at her, knowing that her plan to sabotage me had once again backfired.

While everyone else was presently making their way over to their seats, Lorenzo and I headed backstage.

“You have no reason to be nervous,” he told me. “You’re going to be perfect.”

Hearing his words of devoted encouragement, caused my cheeks to flush. He swiftly placed a small kiss on the back of my hand before pulling away to find his seat in the audience.

I was, in fact, nervous. But not for myself. I felt confident enough in myself to know the routine I’d been practicing so diligently that I knew I was properly ready for this. It was Cate that made me feel hesitant.

Because she continuously failed to bring me down at every turn, there was no doubt in my mind that she was going to continue her vicious plotting.

“It won’t matter,” I told myself. “No matter what happens, the performance will go on as planned.”

Just then, I turned my head to see Cate standing on the opposite side of the stage, exactly where she was meant to be. The curtain started to lift and the orchestra began playing.

Cate headed out onto the stage first, giving her short solo performance of the symbolic divinity of the light. The tone of the music shifted, creating a darker, more ominous tune.

My presence on stage silenced the entire performance hall. All eyes were on me as I took my first powerful stance.

From there, Cate and I followed the intricate routine we’d been taught to near-flawless precision. Every foot placement, every leap, and every wave of our arms was timed perfectly. Our actions mirrored each other as though light and dark were truly at war.

I could see the subtle glints of malice creeping in the corners of Cate’s eyes. A strong feeling in my gut was telling me that she was planning something...When it came my time to take center stage, I felt the purposeful tip of her slipper nick the inner side of my ankle. My fluid movements were broken as I found myself falling forward.

The audience gasped in overwhelming shock at the petty display of silent rivalry.

Cate, as well as everyone else, was expecting me to fall flat on my face, but my fall toward the stage had turned into a graceful stumble which I had easily incorporated into the dance itself.

Thanks to my years of dance lessons, I was able to cover up her sad attempt to humiliate me.

I was feeling a great deal of pride that I was capable of saving myself from the terrible embarrassment as well as the goddess dance itself. But that feeling within me instantly turned into a raging anger. How dare she try and ruin my performance? How could she even go as far as to sabotage the ancient dance that’s been in our history for centuries?

I glanced up at Cate to find her mouth curved into a smug, self-approving smirk.

“Whoops,” she said under her breath.

I could feel my wolf snarl within me, “That bitch just tripped us!!”

All the emotions I’d been sitting on and repressing for the past several weeks were quickly coming to the surface. Cate, playing as the light goddess, was always meant to defeat me as I represented the dark goddess. However, that very idea did not sit well with me anymore.

As the thunderous music played on, I found myself changing the rehearsed steps of the dance. Every move I made was backed by sheer aggression. My singular performance dominated the stage which left Cate’s movements choppy and staggered.

Cate’s eyes grew wide with both fear and shock and soon she was the one who lost her balance. I watched her fall back while a deep sensation of satisfaction filled my chest. But unlike her, I wasn’t about to ruin the performance for the sake of my retribution.

The air around us was thick with tension while everyone in the audience could see how I was purposely overwhelming Cate with my continuous moves.

I swiftly shot my arm out to catch Cate by the hand and pull her back to her feet. The two of us went on to complete the rest of the goddess dance without any further interruptions.

We each took our final stances and the dance had come to an eventful end as the music died down. I was utterly breathless.

‘I hope I made my mother proud,’ I thought weakly to myself. I knew I changed up the dance toward the final half, but I couldn’t handle Cate’s ongoing antagonism anymore.

The sound of the applause roared through the theater and before I knew it, Lorenzo was waiting for me backstage...Along with the Lycan Luna herself.

The muscles in my stomach churned with fear and worry. I hadn’t anticipated being met by the Lycan Luna right after the performance…My nerves coiled and strained with pending dread.

‘Oh, God,’ I thought worriedly. ‘What’s going to happen now?’