Chapter 54 Arrival at Mooncrest hall 1

Chapter 54: Chapter 54 Arrival at Mooncrest hall 1

Talia’s POV

The car slowed as we approached the gates.

Mooncrest Hall rose before us like a giant carved from stone and moonlight, as towers stretched toward the sky, with their peaks lost in the clouds. The walls were pale gray, almost white, and they gleamed in the afternoon sun.

I had never seen anything like it, and now, I understood why Jax said it was impressive, because it really was.

The car rolled through the gates, and I saw lots of cars and carts and wolves everywhere. There were wolves in fine clothes, wolves in uniforms, and some wolves were laughing and talking and pointing at the hall like they had never seen it before.

Some of them were from other packs. I could tell by the symbols on their clothing, the different colors, and the different crests.

Mooncrest Hall was indeed neutral territory, and everyone was welcome here.

I pressed my face against the dark window and stared outside, as the car moved in front of the main entrance.

Silas was finding a good spot to park, Jax stretched his arms above his head and yawned, and Cain opened his eyes and just looked out the window.

Kaelen barely looked around. "We are here," he said.

I looked at the back of his dark head, and the line of his jaw, but he did not fully turn around to look at me.

The car rolled to a stop, and Silas shut off the engine. I heard voices outside, of laughter, and the clink of glasses, as Mooncrest Hall was already alive with guests.

Jax climbed out first, doing a quick happy dance, then Cain followed, then Kaelen stepped out, opened the door for me, and I stepped out of the car.

I reached for my bag, but Kaelen’s hand closed around my wrist.

"Leave it," he said. "The servants will bring it in."

I looked at him, and his gray eyes were unreadable. "But..."

"You are not a servant anymore." He released my wrist. "You are my Luna, so act like it."

I swallowed and nodded gently.

The air was different here, as it felt colder and sharper. It smelled of stone and old wood and something else I could not name.

I looked up at the hall, and it was even bigger up close. The doors were twice as tall as any doors I had seen in Blackmoor Valley, the windows were arched, and the glass sparkled in the light.

Servants rushed past me, carrying bags and boxes and armfuls of clothes, and wolves pushed through the crowd, calling out to each other, laughing, pointing.

I pressed myself against the car to avoid being knocked over, but Kaelen stepped in front of me, and it looked as if he released his Alpha aura, because the servants started moving to the other side, with fear in their eyes.

Then I looked up, and saw them.

Vivienne was standing near the entrance, with her arm linked through Celeste’s. They were both dressed in fine clothes, with their hair perfectly styled, and their faces painted with just enough makeup to look natural but flawless.

Vivienne’s smile was sharp, but her eyes were cold, and she looked at me like I was something she wanted to step on.

Celeste glared at me with her eyes that were full of hate. The same hate she had looked at me with for fifteen years. But I did not look away.

I held Vivienne’s gaze, then I stared back at Celeste’s eyes, because they did not scare me anymore.

Kaelen’s hand touched the small of my back with just a light pressure, but it was enough to send a message to everyone staring, especially Vivienne and Celeste.

I felt Kaelen’s warmth through the fabric of my dress, as his fingers curled around my waist, pulling me closer to his side.

Vivienne’s eyes dropped to his hand, then back to my face, but her smile did not waver, and something flickered behind her eyes like jealousy.

Celeste saw it too and her face twisted. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

I knew she had expected me to be alone, to be scared, and to be the same girl who shrunk with fear in the storage room.

But I was not that girl anymore.

Kaelen’s shoulder brushed mine, and I felt the heat of his arm through his sleeve.

"Stay close," he said, and his voice was low and quiet, so only I could hear.

I nodded. Then he walked toward the entrance, and I followed.

Vivienne’s smile widened as we approached.

"Alpha Kaelen," she said, her voice dripping with sweetness. "How wonderful to see you again."

Kaelen did not respond. He just looked away, and ignored her like she was not even there.

Vivienne’s smile faltered for just a second, then it returned. "And Talia," she said, turning to me. "You look... well."

She said it like the word cost her something.

"I am well," I said.

Celeste stepped forward, and her eyes swept over my gray dress, my plain face, and my simple shoes. But this time, she did not sneer. Her lips pressed together, and her hands clenched at her sides.