Chapter 50

Ruby

Daniel was a surprisingly heavy drinker, especially considering that he always seemed so bubbly and innocent. Still, I was amazed at how composed and sober he seemed after six full glasses.

I guess I should have expected as much from a seasoned royal guard.

“And you are sure you have no idea where he is?” I repeated, plucking the drink out of Joseph’s hand.

He shrugged, clearly not nearly as concerned as I was. “Sometimes he gets like this and stows away somewhere for a little while, he will definitely be back in time.”

I rolled my eyes, and let him have his wine back. He was absolutely no help, and smiled apologetically at me before sweeping away to the dance floor.

I looked up the gilded clock, we were running out of time before Caleb’s big speech. Of all the events we had planned for the evening, this one was definitely the most important. It was a chance for Caleb to really show his guests what kind of a ruler he wanted to be and why they should support him.

It was a little hard to do that when you weren’t even here.

The conductor eyed me nervously, and I gestured encouragingly for them to keep playing. There was only so much time we could spend stalling, but I had to give Caleb a chance to make it.

Even if I had decided not to worry myself with his antics, I couldn’t let the party fail.

I gave quick comments to the reporters, made my rounds chatting with politicians, but soon the whispers were unmanageably loud.

Where was Caleb?

The song finished, and I scurried up to the conductor to ask for another set of music when a booming voice sounded on the microphone.

“My beloved subjects, friends and guests of the Lycan crown. It is an honor to share this ballroom with you tonight to celebrate our traditions.”

The blood drained from my face, leaving me feeling dizzy and pale. I turned to the podium, and saw Lucas standing there, in his new, pristine suit, holding the microphone to his mouth.

“This night has been full of fun and games, and I hope you have all enjoyed the festivities as much as I have.”

There was a round of polite applause. Most people seemed confused that Lucas was speaking, especially after the chaos with Adrian and Harper earlier.

But, Lucas’s charm and charisma seemed to slowly be winning people over again, and each sentence got another round of proud clapping.

“I wish my dear brother could be here to make his own remarks, but unfortunately, he has been missing from the party for some time now.” He looked directly at me, and I felt like my eyes were going to catch on fire. “Even his beloved fiance has no idea where he is.”

I opened my mouth to shout that it wasn’t true, but Lucas continued speaking over me.

“In fact, even his head of intelligence doesn’t know where he went. The truth is, Caleb is unreliable and untrustworthy.”

I scoffed, sure that people would see through this blatant lie, but the murmurings around me seemed to be in Lucas’s favor.

“I have loved my brother all my life,” Lucas said, bowing his head in mock sadness. “But I have never been able to count on him.”

The crowd cooed in sympathy to Lucas.

“He has been a cheat, and a womanizer, and a gambler ever since his youth. He sleeps with whores and steals money from his friends to pay for drinks at parties much less respectable than this.”

Lucas spun around, waving his arms at the decorations put up around the hall. ”He wants you to think he is sophisticated and intelligent, but he is nothing more than a conman trying to claim the throne!”

At his last words the audience burst into shouts on all sides, some claiming Lucas was a fraud and others in support of him.

I pushed myself through the arguing crowd, desperate to get to the podium and the microphone to tell the real story.

“Wait!” I exclaimed, waving my arms.

I heard Daniel shouting for quiet from the far side of the room, and a fight beginning to break out by the exit doors. I groaned, This was going so well!

Lucas grinned when he met my eyes, gesturing for me to come up and meet him. “We have my stolen fiance, everyone!”

“No, that’s—“ I started, but he spoke over me again, the volume of the speakers blocking out my voice. The people standing below us looked horrified.

“I loved this woman dearly, and Caleb even stole that from me. He couldn’t even control himself when it came to his brother’s mate.” He pulled a pained expression. “Mates are chosen for us by the Goddess, and he thought he was more powerful than that.”

I swiped at the microphone in his hands, not caring how desperate it made me look. If Lucas was going to play dirty, so was I.

He raised it out of my reach, and wrapped a possessive arm around my shoulders. “Caleb might think he can win with brute force and tricks, but we don’t have to lie down and let him control us like this!”

I stared up at him, terrified of what his message was turning into.

I noticed a backup microphone tied down to the side of the podium, and pulled it out. The light switched on, and I brought it to my lips. “Thank you for your remarks, Lucas, but I think that’s enough for tonight.”

The crowd calmed slightly as I started speaking, but the tension was still thick in the air.

“This evening was meant to be a show of goodwill to our citizens and to our rivals, but it seems we will have to be more blunt.”

I started describing the good work Caleb has been doing in the community, with charity donations, and food drives. I could see people’s eyes softening as I spoke.

But then Lucas rested his hand on my shoulder and leaned down to speak into my ear. “We can talk all we want, but at the end of the day, he isn’t here.”

My throat went dry as I tried to swallow, and I stared longingly at the door, praying to the Goddess that Caleb would appear.

But it stayed still, and I was left alone in the ballroom with my enemy.