Chapter 9 The Gilded Queen's Debut

• ​The Great Hall of the Lycan Citadel was no longer a place of war and stone. Tonight, it had been transformed into a cathedral of light.
• ​Cascades of enchanted crystal hung from the vaulted ceilings, refracting the golden glow of the floating orbs into a million shimmering stars. The air was thick with the scent of vintage wine, roasted pheasant, and the underlying, predatory musk of a hundred high-ranking Lycans.
• ​Anna stood behind the heavy velvet curtains of the royal antechamber, her breath coming in shallow hitches.