When I came out of the bathroom, I found Marcus waiting just outside the door.
As soon as he saw me, his face lit up with a warm, genuine smile that made my stomach twist with fright.
"Are you alright?" he asked softly, tilting his head.
I nodded wordlessly. With Darian failing to recognise me, I had no excuse now not to return to the family celebration. Since my greatest fear hadn’t materialised, I supposed I could manage to sit through a meal.
I followed Marcus back to the canopy, surprised to discover that no one at the large table had begun eating yet. All the adults and children were sitting patiently. They’d been waiting for me.
As I took my seat next to Marcus, I felt heat rise in my cheeks. "I’m so sorry for keeping everyone waiting," I apologised quietly.
The woman from earlier looked up at me with kind eyes and smiled warmly. "I’m Marcus’s mom, you can call me Luna Alice. Marcus nearly threw a tantrum when we said we’d start without you."
Marcus cleared his throat, obviously embarrassed. "Mom..."
"Alright, alright," she waved her hand. "Everyone, let’s eat!"
Plates were passed around as conversations flowed around the table. I ate quietly, overwhelmed, but gave occasional nods to stray questions or joined in the laughter when something funny was said.
Marcus, on the other hand, was attentive. Occasionally, he would lean down to ask me if I was alright and encourage me to eat more when he noticed I was only picking at my food.
Despite my anxiety and my initial reservations about Marcus, I found myself relaxing slightly in the warm family time.
Everyone seemed to have a good family except me.
After the main meal, the table was cleared, and dessert was served. It was evening, and most of the other families were clearing their eating tent and all. Luna Alice, Marcus’s mother, turned toward Darian, who was busy picking at his teeth while scrolling through his phone.
"How are you holding up, sweetheart?" she asked.
Darian didn’t look up. "Holding up what?"
His aunt, Luna Alice, was a sister of Luna Helene, Darian’s mother.
She smiled sympathetically. "Your bride-to-be, Alpha Greye’s daughter. The joining ceremony was supposed to be this week. The entire nation was looking forward to having a royal wedding. Still no word about her?"
I choked on my drink, realising with growing horror that they were discussing my disappearance. Marcus instantly handed me water and thumped gently on my back while I tried to recover.
Darian sighed heavily and set down his phone, picking up his glass of wine instead. "I never really liked the girl to begin with. Charis, her name was Charis. However, my father was insistent. He wanted her specifically for her uniqueness. He said with her Shadewolf abilities..."
The entire table gasped at the revelation.
A middle-aged man who looked very much like Marcus and had purposely ignored me the entire time, gaped at him. "Did you say...Shadewolf?"
Darian stared at the strangely, surprised by their reaction. "Yes, of course. Her father told us she was one. He even proved it to us, and I’ve seen the marking on her body myself."
"Oh goddess!" several family members exclaimed simultaneously while Darian looked around.
"What guys? What’s so special about that?"
"Special?" Marcus scoffed, thumping Darian on the shoulder. "You’re so incredibly lucky, dude!"
"Lucky? How?" Darian asked.
"Shadewolves are the rarest forms of wolf in our world today, Darian," the man who looked like Marcus explained. "With a Shadewolf mate, you never know what incredible abilities might manifest later. It’s like being given a gift box with no specific day for unwrapping. Does this one have a wolf yet?"
"She does," Darian nodded. "Though, it’s redundant. Doesn’t communicate or speak with her and cannot shift into it either."
"They’re late bloomers, but it will come eventually. Some Shadewolves may even turn out to be Lycans or hybrids. They can also possess elemental powers, enhanced healing, and even precognitive abilities. They’re unpredictable but powerful," Marcus chirped in.
"And they’re rare. I don’t think we’ve had a Shadewolf since forever. Imagine an Alpha mating with one—you’d essentially be giving birth to demigods," Luna Alice said with delight. "Your mom didn’t mention this to me, though."
"Maybe she forgot," Darian said thoughtfully. "But, seriously, everything you just said now, is it true?"
The man who looked like Marcus nodded.
Darian scoffed and leaned back in his chair. "That would explain why my father was so angry about her disappearance. I mean, he deployed our Special Forces Warriors across multiple packs to search for her. They’re still searching as we speak."
"She couldn’t have gotten far," Luna Alice said solemnly. "They’ll find her, don’t worry. But what are the speculations?"
"They think it’s kidnapping, but every day, my mom insists she ran away."
The dessert fork in my hand clattered to the ground, and everyone turned to me.
"Are you alright, dear?" Luna Alice asked, giving me a warm smile.
"Y-Yeah!" I nodded. "Sorry."
"I miss her sometimes," Darian sighed wistfully, drawing the attention back to him. "She was the perfect little fiancée and would have made a perfect wife, too. She was a bit uptight and stubborn, but perfect in every other way."
"Didn’t you just say you didn’t like her?" Marcus asked with an amused smile.
"I liked messing with her," Darian admitted with a mischievous grin, replicating the one on Marcus’s face. An indication that messing with people was a sport for them. "She had the perfect body, but she wouldn’t allow me to..."
Luna Alice cleared her throat meaningfully, nodding toward the children playing in the corner, and Darian rolled his eyes.
"You didn’t sleep with her?" Luna Alice whispered with disbelief.
Darian sighed and nodded. "She wouldn’t let me. The last time I tried, she wrestled me to the ground and bit me."
He rolled the sleeves of his left hand to show them a fading scar on his wrist.
"Wasn’t she mated before?" Luna Alice leaned back, reaching for a chocolate and popping it into her mouth.