Chapter 55

Chapter 55 Dance

CA SSANDRA

Oliver Moses smiled warmly as he asked the question, and for a moment, I

thought he appeared kind. But I knew the truth. The Beta knew nothing of kindness. It was all an act, a game of pretend, and he was quite good at it.

But I was better.

“Yes, sir,” I replied politely, and I returned his smile.

Adalyn’s father shared the same amber eyes as his daughter, and they stared into mine with curiosity.

“My wife and I once visited Wild Crawler,” he mused. “It was a nice small village, but it had the most gorgeous scenery. Don’t you remember, honey?”

He turned to Linda and the pair exchanged a sweet smile. Though their family was conniving, it was clear that the love between them was very real. For a moment, I nearly forgot who they really were.

“Ew, Father,” Adalyn sighed in irritation. “Please, contain yourself. You’re being embarra*sing.”

She then turned to Kaleb and offered him a sickly sweet smile. “So sorry for them, Your Majesty.”

“There’s no need to apologize,” the king of Yurene replied with a wave of his hand and then he chuckled. “It’s nice to see such displays of love. It warms my heart.”

Adalyn looked surprised by his words but accepted them anyway. As everyone continued to exchange pleasantries, I tried to force a smile on my face, but I just couldn’t do it. I believed their love was genuine, but seeing their happiness with my own eyes was just too painful. The Moses family had destroyed mine without a

second thought.

How could I smile in their presence?

A sigh escaped me…

“Are you alright, Ca ssandra?” Kaleb asked just low enough for me to hear and his l*ps curled into a concerned frown.

“Yes,” I apologized. “I’m sorry, my head hurts a little.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, and then he peered around. “Perhaps some food and drink will help.”

Se rvants appeared in the banquet hall and began to serve the night’s dishes. A symphony of fragrances filled the room and danced on my tongue, but no matter how delicious they smelled, I didn’t have much of an appetite..

It was too agonizing to be in the presence of the Moses family.

Once the food was served, I mostly pushed it around on my plate but managed to take a few bites to keep my head from spinning. As I forced down swallows, I remained quiet and listened to the polite chatter in the room. Luckily, everyone was so swept up in their new guest that no one seemed to notice me.

After a while, one of the Alpha King’s councilors rose from his seat and tapped a spoon against his gla*s. The room fell silent and he cleared his throat.

“I would like to propose a toast to the king of Yurene,” he addressed everyone. “And a toast to the friendship between his country and Wegalla. To friendship!”

“To friendship!” everyone repeated back in unison, and all around me, people rose to their feet. I hadn’t expected to stand, and I was still a little dizzy, so when I raised my gla*s, my wine sloshed and spilled all over my dress.

I gasped in shock and quickly searched for a napkin.

“Oh, Ca ssandra,” Kaleb said as he realized what had happened. “Please, let me

help.”

He grabbed his own napkin and began to blot at the large stain, but ther moment he did, I heard an angry voice.

“Keep your hands off of her.”

I raised my eyes to see Asher glaring at us from across the table, his face sullen and agitated. My heart nearly stopped.

Everyone was stunned for a moment, frozen in place, until Bert suddenly appeared.

I

“Can I get a maid?” he called out, and moments later, one rushed to my side.

“Let me help you, Miss Ca ssandra,” the older woman said, and she offered me her arm. I accepted it gratefully and she led me out of the banquet hall.

“Where are we-” I started to say, but then I realized we were headed toward a changing room. The maid went straight to the corner and opened a door to reveal a whole closet of spare dresses.

I wanted to ask what their purpose was, but I was too stunned by everything to react. I obediently held my arms up for the maid and she helped ease me into a new dress. This one was a rich charcoal gray, and the fabric was incredibly soft. let out a sigh of relief. This gown was much more comfortable..

“I’ll have this one cleaned and returned to your room, miss,” the maid said as she gestured to my soiled dress. “Now, let’s get you back to the banquet hall.”

I simply nodded and followed her back into the bustling chamber. When I returned to the table, I was surprised to see Adalyn and Asher were gone.

Kaleb was busy speaking with Oliver and Linda, meanwhile, Bert approached me and offered me a smile.

“You look lovely,” he said, and then he inclined his head across the table at the empty seat. “Lady Adalyn and the Alpha King had urgent business to attend to.”

“Thank you,” I replied, though I didn’t know why the words had escaped my mouth. Where had they really gone?

I finished the rest of my food in silence. I was grateful no one was sparing any more attention on me. That display had been so embarra*sing.

Once dinner concluded, the table was cleared, and everyone stepped out onto the dance floor.

“I would love to learn one of your Southern dances,” Kaleb mused as he helped. me to my feet. “Could you teach me, Ca ssandra?”

Heat spread to my cheeks at his question. I was a little nervous to answer, but! knew I couldn’t say no to the king of Yurene, not when he’d been so kind to me.

So, he led me out to the dance floor. A soft orchestra began to play, and as the music filled the chamber, Kaleb offered me his hand. I took it timidly and then began. to teach him the dance of Wegalla.

Much to my surprise, Kaleb was a fast learner. He had a natural rhythm about him, and when I asked, he explained that he’d lived in the South for a few years during his childhood, so he had once seen others perform it.

“I’m surprised at how well you dance,” he remarked as we swayed. “Where did you learn?”

“My nanny,” I replied without missing a beat. It was true. Erika had taught me many things. She’d once told me that she used to be a music performer when she was young and traveled all across the country. It wasn’t until she’d married her husband that she’d decided to settle down here in Crescent. Once her husband died, she stopped performing and became a maid to support her kids.

She decided after that to teach me singing and dancing, and though those techniques were not very appreciated in a warrior family, I was happy to learn all I could from her.

Kaleb tilted his head slightly as he spun me around. “Where are you from, Ca ssandra? You don’t look like the others here.”

“I’m from Wild Crawler,” I explained. “It’s a small Pack near the border. It’s tucked away near the forests.”

It was then that I realized I’d made a mistake.

I shouldn’t have said I’d learned from my nanny. In fact, I shouldn’t have been this good at dancing at all. Ca ssandra Keller was a village commoner. This kind of dancing was only taught to those of the upper cla*s.