After a long talk with Livia about the type of clothes befitting someone from Crimsonclaw, Serena was exhausted.
Livia’s words were not as hostile and direct as they had been earlier, but it was clear that there was still a large valley between the two of them.
A knock on the door had the woman rising from her bed to answer it. When she opened the door, a red-faced man stood on the other side, stiff as a sword left too long in the cold.
"Hello, good morning," Serena greeted.
"Good morning, Ambassador," he said with an awkward dip of his head, bobbing low like he couldn’t decide if he was bowing or apologizing.
Then, with a jerky motion, he bent fully at the waist and held out a sealed letter with both hands, as if it were made of glass. "From the office of the Alpha."
Serena stepped aside and opened the door fully. She took the letter from the man’s hands, and sure enough, there was an official seal on it. "Thank you."
She ran her finger across the seal and looked up at the man, who remained rooted to the spot, still in a low bow. Serena’s lips parted to form an ’o.’
"You are dismissed," she said softly.
He straightened so fast his shoulder nearly brushed the doorframe. "Thank you, Your Excellency," he said in a rush, then turned and fled down the hall like the shadows themselves were chasing him.
Serena’s eyes followed his retreating figure. Your Excellency? A new title she would have to get used to yet again. She was more worried about the man’s reaction towards her.
Serena closed the door behind her, walked to the bed, and flopped on it. She tore open the letter and read through the words.
To Ambassador Serena Evers
Crimsonclaw Delegation,
It is with respect and acknowledgment of your station that I formally extend an invitation to the forthcoming gathering held in your honor. Google seaʀᴄh ɴovelfire.net
The event will serve as your official welcome to the Ironshade Pack and offer an opportunity for our people to meet the representative of Crimsonclaw face to face. While your arrival has already been marked by quiet cooperation and observation, this occasion will provide the formality our traditions require.
The gathering will be held at dusk tomorrow in the Great Hall. Your presence is not only requested, but anticipated.
In strength and unity,
Alpha Darius Hawthorne of Ironshade
A smile played on her face as she read the words over and over again. There was no need for this letter to be written to her like she was a true official, but Darius did it. She wondered if he wrote it personally.
Her eyes were glued to the last line: at dusk tomorrow in the Great Hall. It was so soon, granted, they were trying to move things along before the delegate from Dawnbreak arrived.
Serena pressed the letter to her chest and sighed- another nerve-racking day of playing someone she was not. She raised the letter again to her face and read through it once more.
There was no mention of a speech, but her gut told her one would have to be said. It felt like that was how things would play out, she, a stranger, would have to address the pack.
Serena bit her lip. At least this time, she had time to think.
She crawled to the other side of the bed, the side closest to the desk, opened the narrow drawer, and tucked it safely inside. Her fingers lingered on the edge of the paper before she closed the drawer with a soft click.
She let her head dangle as she looked around her room. How many people would be in attendance? Her mind drifted to the gathering in Longdale a couple of days before. The people would have known they had an ’important’ guest.
Serena closed her eyes and tried to remember her father’s words, the values that he used to stand for. It was those values she would have to embody and emulate.
A Crimsonclaw wolf who gives in to fear is either dead... or soon to be.
Things her father had tried to push onto her after the ritual to subdue her dangerously violent nature. Serena raised her hand, the morning sun illuminating the blue-green veins in her skin.
The harsher the trial, the greater the honour in surviving it.
Serena exhaled and rose from her bed, holding her head high. No matter how scared she would be, she would be wise and push on. If she could survive this, then tomorrow would be guaranteed.
Maybe if she pushed past this trial, life in Ironshade, for her temporary stay, would hold less scorn. Maybe their mocking gazes would go away. Serena rubbed the back of her neck.
Yet another knock came at her door, and she rushed to answer it. Livia seemed to be a frequent visitor to her new room.
"Hello, Livia," Serena greeted, stepping aside for the woman.
Livia walked in with a curt nod to the blonde woman.Draped over her arms was a gown, but Serena couldn’t quite make it out.
Livia waited until the door clicked shut behind them before she spoke, her tone brisk. "I’ve brought your dress for the gathering tomorrow."
Livia held the dress up for Serena to see, which made her gasp. Serena held her hand to her mouth and looked the dress up and down.
It was a deep, blood-crimson velvet gown. It was made of materials that looked like they would cost a fortune. Livia had added iron adornments- ceremonial, not practical. A wide belt hung loosely at the waist area, shaped like a snarling wolf’s head.
"That’s for me?" Serena asked, her voice barely more than breath.
Livia nodded once and motioned her forward. "Try it on. I need to see the fit."
Serena obeyed and slipped into the dress easily. Livia pulled it up and zipped it. The woman disappeared briefly and pulled out a full-length mirror from a corner.
Serena inspected herself in the mirror. This was one of the finest dresses she had ever put on in her life. She pinched at the bodice, it was a bit stiff. The bodice was reinforced with a layer of hardened leather beneath the fabric, subtly corseted to mimic an armor-like structure.
Silver-thread embroidery ran down the sleeves and hem in sharp, geometric patterns. It must have taken so much time to make.
"This is beautiful," Serena said to Livia.
"I am aware," Livia said, but Serena caught the ghost of a smile playing on the woman’s lips.
"Now," Livia continued, stepping closer with a critical eye, "tell me if anything feels wrong. Too tight? Too loose?"