Chapter 501
“Vance? Panicking?” The idea of the stoic Gamma losing his nerve seemed impossible. Vance had faced down Rogues and silver poisoning without flinching. What could possibly rattle him minutes before his wedding?
“It’s the Alpha King’s absence,” Serena pleaded, her eyes wide and desperate. “Vance feels like he’s failing the Pack by proceeding without his blessing. Please, Adella. You’re our Luna. He respects you. If you just go up there and talk to him, give him your blessing… it might be the only thing that gets him through this.”
Her words made sense—Vance’s loyalty to Dallas was absolute. But something gnawed at the edge of my instincts. Why would Serena, whom I barely knew, seek me out specifically at her own wedding? And why did her nervousness feel more like guilt than bridal anxiety? Still, my heart ached for her. I knew the crushing weight of Pack loyalty.
“Of course,” I said softly. “I’ll go talk to him.”
Relief washed over her features—too quickly, too eagerly. A cold thread of unease wound through my chest, but the thought of Dallas—so close, yet hidden behind that glass—pulled me forward before I could second-guess myself. I hurried inside, slipping past the guards and ascending the grand staircase to the second floor.
The observation corridor was a stark contrast to the vibrant ballroom below. It was a narrow, dead-end space, lined with thick crimson carpet that swallowed the sound of my footsteps. On one side, a massive wall of tinted, one-way black glass overlooked the party. On the other stood the impenetrable wall of the Alpha’s Balcony.
“Vance?” I called out softly.
Silence. The corridor was completely empty.
Confusion furrowed my brow. If Vance was panicking, where was he? I took a few steps forward, peering down the empty hallway—
A heavy, invisible force anchored my feet to the floor. The air shifted. A presence bled through the walls—familiar, devastating, impossible to mistake.
Dallas.
My breath hitched. Even without my wolf, the frayed, bleeding edges of what we had lost hummed to life, pulling me toward the center of the black glass wall. I couldn’t see anything but my own pale, lonely reflection, yet my soul knew. He was right there.
The realization hit me like a wave of cold water. Serena’s story about Vance had been a lie. A trap designed to get me up here, alone, in front of the one place Dallas couldn’t escape.
But I didn’t care. Not anymore.
Trembling, I stepped closer. I raised my hand and pressed my bare palm flat against the freezing surface of the glass. “Dallas,” I whispered, the name tearing from my throat.
A second later, a distinct, magnetic warmth bloomed against the glass, perfectly aligning with my palm. He was touching the glass from the inside. He was touching me.
Then a sound shattered the fragile moment.
Beep-beep-beep!
.
.