Chapter 454 Athaliah slapped Daisy
King Jaron carried himself with that calm, unshakable authority of a true ruler who was used to commanding respect.
Queen Pandora moved with the kind of elegant grace that everyone expected from a queen, every step looking refined and poised.
Jasper stood proudly right beside his parents, looking every bit the prince and soon to be Alpha. And then there was Athaliah.
The years she had spent living in France had polished her already graceful nature even more, and her experience in the fashion industry showed in every little detail of how she looked.
Her outfit was elegant without being over-the-top flashy, perfectly tailored to hug her figure in all the right ways. Every accessory, every color choice, every single part of her outfit screamed confidence and impeccable taste. She looked exactly like what a princess should be, stunning, regal, and impossible to ignore.
All the visiting Alphas, Lunas, and other guests couldn’t help stealing extra glances at her, completely captivated.
Daisy found herself admiring the princess, at least until Athaliah opened her mouth and started speaking.
Her cool, steady gaze settled directly on Ravyn. “Alpha Ravyn,” she said, her voice calm and full of respect. “I’m only speaking to you right now out of respect for your pack.”
Then her eyes drifted over to Daisy, and all the warmth vanished in an instant. Her beautiful face went completely cold. “As for this she-wolf here… she will never be my friend. Not now, not ever.”
The words hit hard, landing with real weight in the middle of the crowded pack. Conversations around them died down immediately as everyone nearby stopped to watch what was going to happen next.
Daisy’s face drained of all color in a heartbeat. She had already been bragging to several Lunas that Princess Athaliah would be on her side, that the two of them were going to team up and make Seraphine’s life completely miserable.
Instead, Athaliah had shut her down without the slightest bit of hesitation.
The humiliation burned deep inside Daisy, hot and painful. Still refusing to accept what had just happened, she forced a shaky smile onto her face and stepped closer anyway.
“Princess Athaliah…” she started, trying to sound friendly as she reached out to grab Athaliah’s hand.
It was a huge mistake.
Before anyone could even react, Smack! The sharp sound of the slap echoed loudly across the entire pack. Daisy stumbled backward, clutching her burning cheek with wide, shocked, teary eyes.
Athaliah slowly lowered her hand, her expression never changing one bit. “How dare you touch me?” she said, the words cutting through the air like ice.
The whole atmosphere fell into complete silence. No one had expected the princess to react so fiercely and without any warning.
Ravyn’s eyes widened in total shock, and his face turned a bright, embarrassed red. Across from him, Queen Pandora looked genuinely apologetic and uncomfortable. Even King Jaron and Jasper wore uneasy expressions on their faces.
Only Athaliah stayed perfectly composed, standing there like nothing could rattle her.
Queen Pandora hurried forward quickly. “Please forgive my daughter’s behavior,” she said, her gentle voice carrying real, sincere regret.
Athaliah calmly interrupted her mother before she could go on. “This has nothing to do with manners or etiquette.” She looked straight at Daisy while cleaning her hands like hitting her made it dirty.
Disgust clearly flickered across her face. “A woman who helps ruin another woman’s home and marriage, will never be my friend. I have no respect for that kind of person.”
Every single word came out with quiet, unshakable confidence. She didn’t need to raise her voice at all. Her perfect posture, her natural grace, and the absolute certainty behind what she said made the rejection hit even harder and feel more powerful.
For a long moment, nobody knew what to say. Ravyn stood there frozen in place, completely stunned.
Daisy’s eyes filled up with hot tears as the weight of everyone’s stares pressed down on her. Unable to handle it any longer, she covered her face with her hands and ran towards the woods in complete humiliation.
“Please excuse me,” Ravyn finally managed to snap out of his daze. Without saying another word, he hurried after her, looking desperate to catch up.
King Jaron watched them leave with a heavy sigh, already rubbing his forehead as a headache started forming.
He had planned for tonight to be all about strengthening relationships between the different packs and building alliances.
Instead, his daughter had created a full-blown scene that was now the center of attention. Just then, he spotted Voren across the frontage of the pack house, and an idea clicked into place right away.
He turned toward his wife. “I’ll go speak with Alpha Voren.” Then his eyes moved over to Jasper. “You and your mother can clean up the mess your sister just made.” Finally, he looked directly at Athaliah, and his expression hardened with clear disapproval. “We’ll discuss this later.”
Athaliah didn’t say a single word in response. She simply watched him walk away with a calm, unreadable look on her face. King Jaron headed straight toward Voren, ready to have that conversation.
To everyone’s surprise, though, Athaliah turned and started walking in the completely opposite direction.
She moved gracefully across the pack until she reached Seraphine’s table. Without any hesitation at all, she pulled out a chair and sat down right beside her like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Corvine blinked in surprise. Kael stared with total disbelief written all over his face. They had both been expecting another confrontation or some kind of drama.
Instead, Athaliah’s entire demeanor changed completely. The coldness she had shown toward Daisy melted away in seconds. A warm, bright smile lit up her face, and even with all that friendliness, she still looked every bit as breathtaking as the rumors had always claimed.
“Luna Sera,” she said gently, her voice soft and kind. “I’ve been trying to reach you ever since I first heard about your divorce.
A hint of disappointment crossed her face. “But your number has always been unreachable no matter how many times I tried.” She smiled again, warmer this time. “How have you been holding up through everything?”
Kael looked back and forth between Athaliah and Seraphine, his brain struggling to keep up with what he was seeing.
Without wasting another second, he mind-linked Voren right away. ’Alpha, you really need to see this.’
Voren’s reply came back almost instantly. ’Unless it’s about my wife, don’t interrupt me right now.’
Kael nearly laughed out loud. ’Well… it is about her.’
A big grin spread across his face. ’Princess Athaliah is sitting right at Luna Sera’s table, chatting with her like they’re old friends.’
There was a brief silence on the other end. Then Voren responded again. ’What?’