It's not that diamonds are a girl's best friend, but it's your best friends who are your diamonds

  - Gina Berreca

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  Sweat. That's what Ariahe moment her eyes opened. She was covered in it from her forehead to her lower back. She was dripping in it as she heaved in relief, notig that she was still clothed and alone in her chambers, meaning it was only a dream. Those hands were only a dream. Those eyes were only a dream.

  Her cheeks redde the memory of the dream, for she had never dreamed anything so vulgar in her life.

  She hurriedly got up from her bed and decided to take a long bath to get rid of the heat she felt and the throbbing ache that set iweehighs.

  Preparing the bath was much easier thaing into it as she struggled to unce her corset from the back, almost dislog her arm in the process, making her regret not calling a maid. O of the fi of her corset, her body rejoiced in its freedom as she stepped into the warm bath.

  A few minutes passed when she felt her muscles rex underh the weight of the water. Looking down, she noticed her refle in it as she scrutinised her steel grey eyes that looked like they'd seeer days, with her long dark hair being the only vibrant thing that made her look more alive than a dead corpse. She sighed and closed her eyes, thinking her mate would only reject her if he ever met her and that if he ever did accept her, it would be to humiliate her for being born with the mark of the finem mundi.

  She hated the mark, for it had made her father dislike her with a passion s that he himself had oated that he would rather see her dead than alive. She even oried burning the mark off by usied silver it, however, did not work as she had healed right after the silver was removed.

  Ariana jolted up in her bath as the doors to her chambers barged open, with Andria walking in with Joan and Bel in tow, carrying piles of items. While Andria held onto a small handkerchief as she stopped in front of Ariana with her arms folded against her chest.

  "Oh, God, dear sister, could you not have knocked on the door?" Ariana spoke, already knowing the answer.

  "No," was Andria's short response.

  "Why are you all here?" Ariana asked, feeling a little agitated about being disturbed.

  "To get you ready, why else?" Andria replied, only making Ariana more fused.

  "Get ready for what?"

  "For the Diamond Pace, of course. We 't have you embarrassing Alpha Alec with your..." Joan tinued, "Not so pretty face."

  "Oh, but I thought we were supposed to leave in three days," Ariana spoke as she tried to ighe st part of what Joan had said, but failed miserably before replying with a irk to Joan, "At least it's prettier than yours."

  Joan huffed up a sigh as her jaw dropped, not expeg the eback, while Bel let out a snicker and Andria rolled her eyes at the iion.

  "OK, I am to leave as I have to get dressed as well," Andria said with finalisation ione as she raised her eyebrows at Joan and Bel , " I'll leave these two to get you dressed."

  She turned and hurried off towards the door before turning around and saying with a sly smile, "Girls, do make sure you don't murder her. We may still need her."

  The two girls turned and looked at Ariana, who had just about got out of the bath. They both looked at her with narrowed eyes as they moved their stare up and down her body, making her shift unfortably on her feet while also making her regret ing out in front of them, even though it was normal for people, especially wolves, to be seen naked by others, in that day and age.

  "Right..." Joan said as she looked down at Ariana's body, "There's a lot of work to be done."

  She shared a look with Bel before they both grabbed Ariana by the arms and dragged her to the vanity table where they had set up the perfumes and oils. The two girls worked together as they covered her in illa, which erfume-like spray that caused a wolf's natural st to be more potent. It was usually never used, but with Ariana's weak and almost ent wolf, it had bee a y. They covered her cheeks in a light yer of rose pallm which gave her a pink blush. They fihe look by adding small green and yellow diamonds around her eyes, whiplimehe dress she was supposed to wear.

  The sed her makeup was dohey ced her up into a corset at a remarkably fast speed and shoved her into a dress. The minute Ariana was in the dress, they dragged her back to the vanity table and began pulling and tugging at her hair as they braided and put it into a bun, while also adding small jewels to it.

  A gasp escaped Ariana's mouth as she turo look in a mirror, not able tnise herself in the emerald green chiffon ball gown with gold thread embroidery at the nee and at the hem of the dress. She looked beautiful. Yes.

  But she hated it, she looked too good. She wao tear the dress to shreds and pull her hair out of its bun. But instead, she turned around with a smile towards the girls before saying, "Thank you."

  They gave her a nod, instrug her to go to the great room, where everyone was waiting for her. Aria her chambers and began the dreadful fifteen-minute walk to the great room. You would think living in a pace would mean you could have anything at the click of a finger, but no you don't. The only thing you would ever get is your daily dose of exercise.

  She turns a er and runs into a hard body that grabs her by the arms and pushes her into a storeroom. Looking up, she notices that it's her father.

  "A-A-Alpha... hat?" Ariana said, with a stutter that always came up when she had to speak to the Alpha.

  "Listen, girl, listen because I'm only going to say this ohe Alpha growled, "YOU ARE NOT TO SPEAK. OR LOOK. AT ANYONE. ANYONE WHO IS ABOVE YOUR STATUS."

  "Uand?" When Ariana nodded, his anger spiked, causing the grey eyes they both shared to turn into molten bck, showing that his wolf resent, "SPEAK. SPEAK GIRL!"

  "I... I.... un... und.....uand.... Alpha," Ariana said, trembling.

  "LEAVE" was the Alpha's st and, causing Ariana to bolt out the room to the great room where she met her mother, earing a peacock blue dress that matched the Alpha's attire, and her sister, who wore a lic blue dress that was decorated with night blossoms which were dark blue roses. She looked magnifit. That's all Ariana could say, Andria looked like a queen, with her golden tendrils ly piled on her head in an eborate way.

  She couldn't help but notice that her brother was standing in the room with a dark look on his face. He was also wearing blue, the colour of their house, the House of Salver. She could feel her stomach twist with unease as she approached her brother.

  "Am I not supposed to be wearing blue?" Ariana whispered to her brother as she settled o him. She wasn't surprised by the fact that they made her wear green, it robably her father's way of signalling that he didn't think of her as family.

  "Yes, you are," Nathanial whispered back with a cheeky smile as he grabbed the night blossoms on his suit aly put them into Ariana's hair, making her return his smile.

  "Thank you," Ariana whispered back.

  "Why are you thanking family, little Ari?" Nathanial asked with a chuckle, which Ariana ignored. Nathaniel was the only one in her family that she really loved. He was there for her even when no one else was. He stood with her through everything, eve meant that he would also be punished. Nate was also one of the most beautiful people Ariana had ever known. He had the same dark blonde hair their father had but the kind blue-greehat his mother had. He also had a wonderful tan that he got from spending his time training outside in the summer sun, which made him look more muscur than the average wolf.

  "Anyway, where have they pced the painting?" Ariana asked, as paintings which were uhe location spell were usually used to travel to different pces. For example, this painting robably of the diamond pace, so when they walked through the painting it would take them there.

  "Behind the drapes," Nathanial replied, "It's new."

  "Do you think Andria's mate will be the king?" Ariana asked

  Nate's quick response was, "I don't think so. She's too self-tred, and even if she is his mate, she will only love him for the perks of his position and will most likely ignore her duties as queen."

  "Hmm... How you say that? She has beauty and has good adequacy. I think she will be a good queen. " Ariana said, dismissing what her brother had just said.

  "You must be blind. Do you not see how she treats you, her own twin sister?" Nathanial whispered out in disbelief.

  "Maybe she will grow into it," Ariana tried with a light shrug.

  "Want to bet on it?" Nathanial asked mischievously.

  "You bet I am," Ariana replied, smiling. "If she is the king's mate, you will have to teach me hand-to-hand bat."

  "Why must you learn that when you have almost mastered bat with daggers and swords." Nathanial asked, not uanding his sister.

  "What if I bee disarmed?" Ariana asked

  "I won't let that happen," Nathanial said with an ounce of too much arrogance. "Anyway, if the King isn't her mate, you will have to teach me how to find herbs for healing and how to use them."

  "Oh brother my, what has caused you to take a liking to such a femi?" Ariana asked, her voice ced with mockery.

  "When did the sce of healing bee feminine ?" Nathanial asked, bewildered.

  "Today, I guess," Ariana replied when the doors of the great hall opened up and the Alpha walked in, sileng the duo aing everyone's attention.

  "Let's leave. ", where the Alpha's only words

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