PROWESS. (COMPLETED)

Chapter 61

Anastasia POV;

Bedlam. Absolute bedlam. The week leading up to the southern royal trip was both intense and stressful. Everything in the pack was running smoothly enough, Rick was fully prepared to take control of the pack in my absence - but in order to make the preparations for the temporary transition, Alpha meetings were moved forward. Approval had to be sort from the Elders after a full briefing, so they could reassure the pack's residents, and all the paperwork for my 'personal time' had to be revised and submitted. In between that, I was dashing between fittings and design briefing with Violetta, clarifying arrangements and the trip schedule with various members of the palace. After much negotiation and compromise between the royals and myself, an agreement had been reached that I would arrive with the royals but would not join them at the southern palace until the day after so that I could spend the day with my family. I would meet the southern royals at the welcoming dinner on the Tuesday.

Unbeknownst to most, Alphas Jeremey Almound, Chad Riggs and myself, while working together had been secretly planning a Christmas party for our packs as a means of bringing us together, uniting our members and their families and having a good time away from all the recent stress. Unfortunately, that crammed my schedule given that the southern tour meant moving the party forward, so I could attend - I'd never been so thankful for Alphas Almound and Riggs understanding. If there were two Alphas' I felt confident in their support and alliance, it was those two.

Thursday saw all our unsuspecting pack members receive their invitations. Collection points were organized for those who needed help with transportation, the three huge marquees were erected as the venue went up in the morning - they spanned the length of a football field we were using for the location, situated in the neutral ground between all three pack territories - in the same place the initiation ceremonies were held. By lunch time, the catering arrived with the huge drinks' delivery. In between my equally important outfit appointments with Violetta, meetings with Elders and Royals alike, in each marquee the flooring went down, Christmas trees went up both inside and out, scattered in between, proceeded by the huge haul of Christmas decorations. As the sun set, many of the surrounding trees glowed with Christmas lights, fireworks were set up for later and the inside of each marquee had become a winter wonderland. Tinsel and garlands hung from the ceiling, mirror balls took center stage hanging and reflecting the light of the trees all around, music stands went up as did dining tables and chairs and mirrored dance floors.

I watched everything come together like a puzzle, it filled me with warm joy to imagine the reaction of the pack members! By 6pm the venue was ready, and everything was set - all that remained was for Jeremy, Chad and I to get ready. If I'm honest, I didn't really want to attend - I just wanted my pack to have a good time and for a short time forget any and all their worries. For this reason, after opening the celebrations, I intended to slip away and spend the rest of the night patrolling the venue to ensure there were no complications in the form of unwanted guests. I wasn't ignorant of my increasing social reclusiveness, I convinced myself it was due to the increased media attention I'd been receiving because of my relationship with Kellen. In part, this was true - but my mental box dedicated to Kellen wiggled in protest; I couldn't face my own reflection, yet alone the public when I felt so broken. It was like a façade to step out as a leader when I felt so weak in myself, so out of depth because a part of me was missing - my connection with my mate was lost. Shaking my head, I scold myself as I return to the house for wallowing in self-pity. I was better than that.

Equally, while the Royals had managed to keep the media at bay from my territory, they had by no means desisted in printing about me; they'd now dubbed me 'The Ice Queen' since apparently my non-stop working while Kellen was 'sick' and never visiting him, along with my constant composure meant I must be a cold-person. It amused me given how I was feeling about myself, I was flattered they thought me strong enough to pull that off.