The Alphas' Legacy (Alpha Eyes: Book 3)

Chapter 47

Zoey

I swallowed hard as I stared over the crowd from the shadows of the balcony. People had been streaming through the doors for the past ten minutes, all decked in glittering finery. Even though I'd been with the lycans for nearly two months, I hadn't encountered too many large crowds. Van and the team had intentionally kept me away from the large gatherings in the pack, so this was certainly an off-the-deep-end exposure for me.

Van stood next to me, his hand covering mine where it was still tucked into the bend of his arm. Every few seconds, he rubbed his thumb over my knuckles. Like me, his mind was somewhere lost in crowd below us. He'd told me to enjoy the Formal, so I'd probably need to remind him of that before the night was over.

"That should be everyone," Stitch noted from where he stood a few feet away. "The musicians should start playing soon, so I'll head down to mingle into the crowd before you two make your grand entrance."

He disappeared back into the hallway where we'd gotten ready, where he'd take a back staircase to join the crowd without arousing any suspicion. Van and I watched for a few minutes to see where he'd appear. The musicians were striking the first bars of their music as he slipped into the room and immediately struck up a conversation with the nearest nobleman. I couldn't help the smirk on my face as he played his part.

"Are you guys ready?" Luna joined us at the railing and clasped her hands together. Alpha Lucas appeared behind her, looking fully regal in his insignia embroidered suitcoat. The two of them shared a knowing smile before heading towards the stairs. They would precede us and make the announcement of their first grandchild, drawing most of the attention with their arrival. Most of the awe would be aimed at them, so Van and I could follow under less scrutiny.

Van squeezed my hand and pulled his shoulders back. "Remember: we're here to enjoy a festive event. There's nothing you need to worry about tonight. You are simply a beautiful girl at a ball."

My face heated at the sideways compliment. "Thank you. You try to enjoy yourself too. Don't be so militant that you can't enjoy the evening."

He nodded, but I didn't believe him. If appearances weren't just a little important, I would make it my goal to make sure that he enjoyed himself. As it were, there would be enough eyes on us to keep me in check. I couldn't disappoint Luna by causing a stir during her event anyway. Hopefully this wouldn't be my first or last Formal.

We watched Alpha and Luna appear at the top of the grand staircase. The music slowly faded out, and everyone's attention turned to the majestic hosts. Alpha said a few words that I didn't hear but I snapped into focus when the room erupted in applause.

"When my parents are almost to the bottom of the stairs, we'll make our entrance," Van murmured. "They'll wait for us, and the four of us will open the first dance together."

"And you promise that it's just a simple waltz, right?"

"Yes," Van chuckled, drawing me away from the railing as his parents started to descend the stairs. "There will be other, more coordinated dances throughout the night, but the opening dance has always been a simple waltz. Too many mates have been ill prepared for anything more, so it was made tradition that the opening dance is the waltz."

I shot him a sideways glance as we left the safety of the shadows. "Who was ill prepared? Your parents? I can't see it..."

"I'm pretty sure their first dance together was a waltz," he countered, "but they definitely could have done something more elaborate. They're both from high-ranking positions, so they would have learned all of the dances."

My heart dropped a little. "No pressure to be on par with your mom, then..." I murmured, brushing at the curl that danced around my ear. As pretty as it looked, that darn curl was going to get annoying.