Book 2: Glowing

Anwen

I look up the flight of stairs into the ballroom, my pulse hammering in my mating mark.

“Alpha King Isai and Luna Queen Suniva Sollabella,” the page declares.

The king and queen appear in the doorway, smiling and waving, both of them dressed like they think any color they don’t wear will disappear from the sky forever.

I squeeze my hands behind my back. They look good. I’m just—

“Princess Estrella Sollabella, and her companion, Tesandra!”

And there she is, like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Her gray eyes sparkle as she takes in the ballroom. The soft flush on her cheeks calls up fuzzy memories of the Haze. Her hair drapes over one shoulder, loose and curling like a new plant, like she wakes up in the morning looking like this. But the dress is what threatens to knock the breath out of my chest.

Around here, we mostly wear single shades, sometimes with a little embroidery. Estrella is a swirl of color and hue. Golds br