{Third Person}

Human Clan.

Several days later, the official invitations from the Werewolf Kingdom finally arrived in the Human Kingdom.

As expected of a royal state banquet from a foreign kingdom, the invitations first passed through the Human Parliament before being properly distributed to the individuals whose names had been listed.

The news spread quickly among the officials.

The Alpha Prince of the Werewolf Kingdom was hosting a grand birthday banquet. And apparently, special invitations had been extended to selected humans as well.

Naturally, curiosity rose everywhere, especially because relations between the two kingdoms had remained tense for years.

Meanwhile, inside the Caldwell estate, Anthony Caldwell had just returned home when one of the servants handed him a sealed envelope bearing the royal crest of the Werewolf Kingdom.

Anthony’s brows furrowed slightly the moment he recognized the seal.

Without wasting time, he broke the seal and unfolded the contents as he walked toward the sitting room.

Matilda looked up from where she sat the moment he entered. "You’re home early today."

Anthony hummed absentmindedly before handing her the invitation.

Matilda accepted it curiously, then, slowly, her eyes widened. "The Alpha Prince’s birthday banquet?"

Anthony loosened the buttons near his wrist before sitting down heavily on the sofa. "It seems the Werewolf Kingdom plans to make the event grand this year."

Matilda continued reading quietly. The invitation was formal, elegant, and impossible to ignore.

Soon, her expression became thoughtful. "So they invited you personally?"

Anthony nodded once as he admitted, "I expected Parliament officials to receive an invitation, but I didn’t think they would begin distributing them this early."

Matilda lowered the invitation slowly. "The Human Kingdom will definitely send representatives."

Anthony agreed almost immediately.

"Of course. Ignoring a direct invitation from the Werewolf Royal Family would create unnecessary political tension."

For a moment, silence settled between husband and wife. Then, naturally, their thoughts drifted toward Amara.

Matilda spoke first. "She will probably attend too."

Anthony leaned back into the sofa quietly. "She’s the political bride. There’s no way she won’t."

Afterwards, something about the conversation suddenly felt heavier, especially for Matilda. No matter how much time passed, she still occasionally remembered the day Amara left for the Werewolf Kingdom in what was supposed to be Lila’s place.

Before either of them could continue speaking further, footsteps suddenly approached from outside.

Moments later, Lila entered the sitting room.

The moment she noticed the invitation in Matilda’s hands, curiosity flashed across her face immediately.

"Mum, what’s that?"

Matilda looked toward her daughter. "It’s an invitation from the Werewolf Kingdom."

Lila instantly became interested. "The Werewolf Kingdom?"

Anthony answered calmly, "The Alpha Prince’s birthday banquet."

Lila moved closer almost immediately. "A royal banquet?" Her eyes visibly brightened now.

Matilda handed the invitation over for her to read.

The moment Lila saw the elegant royal seal and formal invitation script, excitement flickered clearly across her face.

"A state banquet..." she murmured softly.

Anthony observed her quietly. Then, after a brief pause, he said, "The entire event will likely be extravagant."

Lila continued staring at the invitation thoughtfully. But gradually, another emotion quietly surfaced beneath her excitement.

Curiosity.

---

That evening, long after the conversation with her parents had ended, Lila remained unusually thoughtful.

The invitation from the Werewolf Kingdom still rested on the table in her room while she sat staring at it silently.

A royal state banquet.

The Alpha Prince’s birthday.

And somehow, even after all this time, Amara was still alive.

The thought alone irritated her deeply.

Lila had genuinely believed that once Amara entered the Werewolf Kingdom and became tied to that terrifying Alpha Prince, disaster would eventually follow naturally.

Especially considering all the rumours surrounding him.

His temper.

His curse.

His violence.

Yet Amara seemed perfectly fine instead. Not only fine, but apparently important enough to remain inside the royal palace peacefully, even after the stunt she, Lila, pulled during the welcome banquet.

The more Lila thought about it, the more uncomfortable she became.

Truthfully, she did not want Amara thriving there, especially not beside royalty.

Her fingers tightened slightly around the invitation in her hand. Then slowly, her eyes darkened.

’Perhaps... things are not as peaceful as they appeared from the outside.’

That thought comforted her slightly.

Still, a quiet jealousy had already begun growing in her chest because no matter how much she disliked admitting it, Amara’s current status had risen far beyond what anyone expected.

***

The following day, Lila visited Torin.

She found him helping his father organize supplies behind their family’s small business storage building.

The cold winter air surrounded the area heavily, though Torin barely seemed affected while carrying wooden crates inside.

The moment he noticed Lila approaching, his expression softened immediately. "You came."

Lila smiled lightly before walking closer. "I missed and wanted to see you."

Torin wiped his hands clean before leading her inside, where it was warmer.

After settling down, Lila finally brought up the invitation casually. "The Werewolf Kingdom is hosting a birthday banquet for the Alpha Prince."

Torin looked unsurprised. "I heard."

Lila studied him briefly before asking, "Would you like to attend with me?"

Torin paused for a moment, then slowly frowned. "A royal banquet?"

Lila nodded.

Torin honestly did not look interested. "I don’t think people like us belong in that kind of place." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Lila immediately disagreed. "What do you mean, people like us?"

Torin looked away briefly before answering quietly, "Lila... your family may move comfortably among officials and wealthy circles, but mine doesn’t."

His tone remained calm and realistic.

Still, Lila moved closer immediately. "You’re overthinking," she said softly. "Besides, this isn’t just any banquet. Representatives from both kingdoms will attend."

Torin remained hesitant, so Lila added carefully, "And... Amara will probably be there too."

That finally caught his attention.

Torin looked toward her again.

Lila noticed immediately and smiled faintly. "She’s the political bride after all."

Silence followed for a moment. Then finally, Torin sighed softly.

"If you truly want to go," he said, "then I will attend with you."

Lila’s lips curved slightly in satisfaction. "Good."

Torin did not notice the strange look that briefly crossed her face afterwards because while he simply viewed the banquet as a formal event, Lila was already beginning to think much further ahead.

And quietly, inside her mind, a plan was slowly taking shape.

---

The official invitations reached Hazel, Rachel, and Davina separately. Unsurprisingly, none of them remained calm afterwards.

Hazel was the first to call.

The moment Rachel answered the phone after entering her bedroom, Hazel practically screamed into her ear.

"CHECK YOUR MAIL!"

Rachel immediately pulled the phone away from her face. "What is wrong with you?!"

"The invitation!" Hazel yelled again. "Tell me you got one too!"

Rachel blinked. Then slowly looked toward the elegant envelope resting on her desk. The royal seal of the Werewolf Kingdom stared back at her beautifully.

"Oh my God..." she whispered.

Hazel screamed louder.

Meanwhile, Davina’s phone began vibrating nonstop from incoming calls before she finally answered with visible annoyance.

"What?"

"YOU GOT ONE TOO, RIGHT?!" Hazel shouted immediately.

Davina sighed deeply before glancing at the invitation lying beside her books. "Yes."

That single answer nearly caused another explosion on the other end.

An hour later, the three girls had already gathered together physically inside Rachel’s bedroom once again.

And this time, the atmosphere was complete chaos.

"I still can’t believe this is real," Rachel said while staring at her invitation for perhaps the twentieth time already.

Davina sat beside her, equally stunned. "This means we’re actually going to the Werewolf Kingdom..."

Hazel looked moments away from fainting dramatically. "The royal palace," she corrected. "THE royal palace."

The three of them immediately burst into excited screaming again.

At some point, Rachel suddenly grabbed Davina’s arm. "What are we going to wear?! I totally forgot to check in with my designers!"

Davina looked horrified immediately. "Oh no."

Hazel gasped dramatically. "We need winter outfits."

"And formal banquet dresses!"

"And gifts!"

"And proper luggage!"

The room descended into panic almost instantly.

Rachel collapsed backwards onto the bed dramatically. "What if we embarrass ourselves in front of royalty?"

Hazel pointed accusingly at her. "You will absolutely embarrass us first."

Davina nodded immediately. "Without question."

Rachel looked offended.

Then, all three girls fell silent for a brief moment because beneath all the excitement, one realization quietly settled into their hearts at the same time.

They were truly going to see Amara again.

For the first time since she left for the Werewolf Kingdom, they would finally see their friend in person.

Rachel’s expression softened first. "I miss her."

The room grew quieter afterwards. Even Hazel briefly lost some of her dramatic energy.

"Me too," she admitted softly.

Davina smiled faintly while looking down at the invitation in her hands. "At least she sounds happier now."

Hazel immediately brightened again afterwards. "Well, obviously."

Rachel looked toward her suspiciously. "What does that mean?"

Hazel folded her arms confidently. "She has a husband now."

Davina closed her eyes immediately.

Rachel burst into laughter. "Please don’t start again."

Hazel ignored them both completely. "I still believe the Alpha Prince likes her."

Davina sighed deeply. "You’ve never even met him."

"I don’t need to," Hazel declared shamelessly. "My instincts are excellent."

Rachel laughed harder. And soon enough, the room became noisy all over again.

---

Meanwhile, across the Human Kingdom, discussions of the royal banquet had already begun to spread among officials and noble circles.

Especially inside Parliament.

The Werewolf Kingdom, personally inviting several humans, had naturally attracted attention.

And once Amara’s existence entered the conversation, the gossip only intensified.

"The Alpha Prince invited humans personally?"

"That political bride must be favoured."

"I heard she resides directly inside his residence."

"Perhaps relations between both kingdoms are improving."

"Or perhaps the Alpha Prince has taken interest in humans."

Speculations spread rapidly.

And somewhere within all those conversations, Amara’s status inside the Werewolf Kingdom slowly began sounding far more important than anyone initially imagined.