I’ve always enjoyed the ballroom, with its long expanse, floor to ceiling windows with doors that lead to multiple balconies outside, and large candle-lit crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. It’s always been a room of history, with it’s elaborate decorated walls and flooring, although mother did have the floors replaced last year. It has its own personality, similarly to how my wing is different from the rest of the palace.
The stage has been set up against the wall in the middle of the large room, decorated with dark wine-coloured fabrics that match the decor of the array of tables that are currently being set up as well. Ivy and I continue walking until we’re closer to the large stage and she turns to me, her eyes wide.
“This is so beautiful!” She exclaims as she continues to look around. She looks at the stage and then back to me. “Can I go up?”
I nod slightly, “Yeah, that’s fine, did you just want to see what it’s like up there or?” I question, unsure as to why she’s wanting to go up onto the stage when the room isn’t fully set up.
“I’ll explain. Come on up with me.” She states as she goes around to the side stairs, and I shrug my shoulders and follow. I continue following until her and I are standing right in the middle of the stage and then she turns to face me yet again, her green eyes alight with excitement and her red waves flowing with her movement.
“A good performer always knows their venue.” She starts as she turns away and suddenly a smooth note comes flowing out of her mouth, echoing slightly.
“I know the room isn’t fully set up yet, but it’s nice to have an idea of how my voice sounds in here. It’s a large room, larger than that of Iron Wolf, so I will have to make some adjustments to accommodate for that.”
“I see, that does make sense.”
In all honestly, I understand some of musical theory, but more when it comes to instruments, not necessarily voice. I find myself intrigued as to her knowledge, and I feel more anticipation in terms of hearing her perform at the ball when the room is completely ready. I’m drawn out of my thoughts as I hear the most wonderful tone coming from her as she starts to sing.
“Coming out, out of the deep dark
Like a spear into her cold heart
Dark Love Empress
Her golden secret
Sent away to far away countries
Her despair and fear
Sunrise to final sunset”
Her voice is mesmerizing and hearing it this close makes me shiver. I see her effortlessly hit note after note, her arms and hand raising in emphasis to what she’s singing.
“After the midnight hour
Keep going
Keep going
In the third night watch
We are falling from the storm wind
After the midnight hour
We’re rising
W’re rising
We feel the storm wind
We blow away the sky”
She finishes and I can’t help but smile at her as she turns to face me again. “Amazing, simply amazing songbird.” I say and I see the blush creep up into her cheeks.
“Thank you.” She says softly and then out attention is drawn across the room as claps start to echo throughout the room, all the staff having stopped to listen. I smile as I see my mother approaching the stage, clapping loudly. She stops at the front of the stage.
“That was simply beautiful! I assume you are Ivy?” She questions and I see Ivy nod.
“Come on down here and let me get a look at you!” My mother exclaims and Ivy turns to me, her eyes showing a bit of unease, but I smile and try to reassure her. She walks past me, and I follow her back down, us both coming to a stop in front of my mother.
She’s always been a striking beauty, my mother. She’s got black hair like me, pin straight and down to her waist. Rounded, amber-coloured eyes that show every single emotion she feels, with porcelain skin and soft features. She’s on the shorter side, but the heels she wears pretty much everyday make up for that. When she’s in her regal clothes she looks way more intimidating that she does now in a simple grey dress with black heels.
“Ivy you are a beauty, and your voice is heavenly. I am so glad that Nathaniel found you to perform here for the ball! It’s going to be so wonderful.” My mother almost gushes at her and Ivy chuckles slightly.
“Thank you, I really appreciate the kind words. I’m still trying to decide exactly what to perform, but I have a better idea now.”
“I for one cannot wait to hear it.” I interject and my mother smiles at me. “Same, my son.”
A few moments pass, and it dawns on me. “Mother, is it almost time for the meeting?” I ask, now realizing that it must be close, and she nods. “Yes, I came to get you as there’s a few things to discuss before the other Reigns arrive.”
“Okay. Ivy, will you be okay without me for now?” I ask and she looks at me and nods. “Of course, you go do your duties, I’ll just walk around and then head back to your wing and work on my song list.”
“I’ll text you when I’m done and we can meet up, okay?” She smiles. “Sounds great. See you later.” She turns away from me and my mother and I turn and walk in the opposite direction of her. Once we’re out of earshot, my mother wraps her arm into mine as we walk and blindsides me.
“Were you planning to tell me that Ivy is yourmate?”
Ivy’s POV
It’s now the day before the mating ball. I’ve been here at the palace for almost a week. Nathaniel and I have spent a lot of time together regardless of his duties here, and it’s the most content I’ve felt in years. He treats me kindly, respectfully and like an actual person. We’ve gone for walks around the palace, eating dinners together in his wing and watching movies before retiring to bed.
I don’t want to leave. This has been the escape I’ve been looking for all along.
I’m nervous for when the entire pack arrives tomorrow, but it’s like some of my sense of self has returned this week. Mentally, I feel stronger, more like myself again. I know that without Seles I won’t be whole, but at least I’m feeling better than I had when I had decided to leave and become a rogue.
Something about Nathaniel just draws me to him. I can’t put my finger on it, but I’m not complaining.
I keep thinking to myself as I walk into the ballroom, now complete for the mating ball and head to the stage. It’s late at night, but I had asked to get some practice in for the ball and Nathaniel and his mother has said it was fine. I walk up the steps and to middle stage to the taped “x” that marks my place.
I pull out a piece of paper that has my song list, a grand total of four songs, the last one being my favourite. One I picked that sort of describes my inner turmoil and how I feel, but strangely relating to how Nathaniel has made me feel. I decide to practice that one first.
“I’m not afraid of the monster in you
I heard the stories and I hope they are true
Adrenaline is calling my name
No hesitation darling, I’m still waiting
And for the first time I will feel alive, alive.”
“Offer me a world of shadows and eternity
We are animals
Hunting for another supper, for another prey
Losing our soul
The love for danger is rushing through my veins
Offer me your world, your thirst for immortality
We are animals.”
I continue, feeling the emotions to their fullest extent and allowing it to flow through my voice, echoing now only slightly now that the room is finished.
Time passes as I go through each song, feeling confident that my performance will be great at the ball tomorrow, if all goes well. I finish with the last song, the final note slowly fading. I fold my paper back up and head off stage and towards the door, hoping that everything goes as planned.
Nathaniel’s POV
Well of course, I couldn’t avoid my mother catching onto the fact that Ivy was my mate. She called it right away and asked why I hadn’t told her and after some explaining, she understood my reasoning, but I remember her advice before we had gone into the meeting.
“She only makes you as strong as you let her.”
Hard truth coming from her, but it is the truth, and not just from an Alpha/Luna type dynamic. I have to let her in, allow her to support me just as I would support her in every aspect of our lives together. There’s so much I don’t know about her, but I can’t keep her in the dark forever just because there’s secrets in her past that I want to uncover.
I went out for a run with Kiba this morning to let off some steam before the mating ball, and to get out of the palace for a few moments since it’s a complete madhouse. Catering, cleaning and last-minute decoration fixes or changes with the sheer number of staff required to pull this off smoothly makes for a very busy, crowded area. I don’t know how my mother does it all, but it always works out in the end. Ivy was just getting up as I was leaving, saying she had practice with the live band for her performances, and I had told her that I would see her later.