Jake held Elena close as their dance eased into something softer, quieter—no longer a performance, but a lingering warmth shared between two people who kept pretending they were only friends. Her hand rested over his chest, feeling the steady rise and fall beneath his shirt. His heartbeat thudded in a calm, comforting rhythm that made her feel grounded… and dangerously at ease.
"This is nice," she whispered, hardly trusting her voice. Their steps matched without thought, muscle memory shaped by years side-by-side in danger.
Jake hummed in acknowledgment, a low sound in his throat that sent a soft vibration into her hand. When she looked up, the faint part in his mask revealed the ghost of a smile at the corner of his lips. Their eyes met—amber brushing against gold—and something inside her tightened.
"Come on," she teased gently, trying to lighten the pull between them. "Speak. Do you like this surprise?"
Her hands slipped beneath his jacket to settle on his shoulders. She felt his fingers tense on her waist, the faintest hitch in his breath. Heat spread through her chest in a slow, steady bloom.
"I like it," he said, though the strain in his voice betrayed him. He sounded like someone trying not to feel too much.
She only squeezed his shoulder in answer, drawing closer as their bodies moved in a slow, shared sway.
"Should we talk to the others?" he asked, as if clinging to practicality, to anything but what he was feeling. He tried to ignore her warmth, her scent, the way her touch rattled his careful restraint. Dangerous, dangerous emotions.
"Maybe… only a few." Her hands tightened slightly. "I don't want to risk you being discovered."
His lips twitched. "If I am, I can avoid everyone in this room with ease." A soft chuckle slipped out.
She narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip until he winced. "Jake. Be serious. And by 'avoid,' do you mean fight your way through them?"
He gave a half-shrug. "If I have to."
His tone chilled just enough that she stopped moving for a heartbeat.
"Jake," she said, her voice low with worry. "If you're discovered, don't fight. Just hide."
Her gaze held his, earnest and vulnerable. For a moment, he said nothing… then finally nodded.
"Very well, my lady," he murmured, the smirk returning like a shield he needed between them.
She just shook her head and pulled him closer, resting her cheek against his chest. His heart thudded faster under her ear. His scent—warm fur, cold steel, and something distinctly him—wrapped around her.
She didn't care about the whispers or stares. She only cared that he was here, holding her, sharing this sliver of peace they rarely allowed themselves.
Jake lowered his chin slightly, watching the top of her head as he tried—failed—to steady his breath. His tail wagged once, then again, betraying him completely.
And he let it. Because he could pretend this was allowed just for tonight.
Time slowly passed as the two continued their slow dance. Allowing themselves to enjoy the type of adventure they rarely had, one of peace and emotions. But the moment passed as a voice woke both of them up from their dream-like state, and the two had fallen in.
"Greetings, Lady Falmil," a voice rang out, and Jake opened his eyes to see that the two of them were still in a dance, others swirling around them, as they avoided the two on the ballroom floor.
Slight anger flashed in his eyes as their moment was interrupted, landing on a man with blonde hair and emerald eyes, dressed neatly in a suit of a mix of pink and red fabric with intricate green patterns of thread woven in.
The man flinched as he met Jake's gaze. Elena also looked at the man, noticing Jake's shoulders tensing, and she pinched his shoulder in warning. Jake didn't show any signs of it hurting, but she knew it did.
As she felt his shoulders relaxing under her hands. She nodded as her hands slowly, as if hesitant, slipped off of him and folded neatly in front of her, greeting the emerald-eyed man. Jake's hand was still on her hip, a silent and comforting reassurance.
"Hello, Lord Torin, nice to see you here," she said, as her posture straightened, slipping the mask of the noble heiress once more.
Jake sniffed once as his eyes slowly shifted, going unnoticed by the two.
"It is a pleasant surprise to have you here, along with your… guest," Torrin said, glancing over at the mysterious wolf-kin whom she had brought to a lovers' ball.
The man only nodded, and Elena spoke.
"Yes, I thought I would do something nice for myself tonight, you know, get some fresh air," she said through a small smile.
Torrin nodded as he shifted his attention to the man. "You are L'amore?" he asked, reaching out his hand in greeting, and L'amore took it, shaking it once. Torrin slightly winced at L'amore's grip.
"Yes, it is, it's a pleasure to meet you, Torrin," L'amore said, his voice deep and rough with a slight accent he couldn't place.
L'amore let go of his hand, and Torrin nodded. "Where do you hail from? I am sorry to say, but I do not recognize your name."
"I come from Lamptin, a small city in the South," he said, giving a slight shrug.
Torrin's eyes widened a bit, "Never heard of Lamptin. What did you do there?"
L'amore took a moment to respond as his eyes narrowed, Elena glancing at him with slight worry, as they didn't discuss his backstory. "I am a scholar, historian, you could say, moved here to study the history of the kingdom and the Divide," he said after he cleared his throat. His improvisation saved the moment. While also critiquing himself for not planning further on his identity. He was too preoccupied with the chaos that would follow and how to use it to his advantage.
Torrin nodded, "I must say your dance was very nice, it caught many eyes."
Elena only gave a small smile. She was about to speak, but noticed Jake's eyes, who seemed to be still narrowed, staring at Torrin.
Jake spoke, "Thank you, Torrin. I am glad it left an impression. I do enjoy maintaining my appearance," His head tilted slightly as he continued, "It's much like trade, one slip can cause cracks to form."
His tail behind him lashed once, as his hand adjusted itself to Elena's back. Torrin's smile faltered, and he cleared his throat, "Yes, I do agree, to do good trade, you must keep up your appearance and reputation."
Torrin's eyes wavered as he looked at L'amore, his once warm eyes from what he saw while he danced with Lady Falmil now predator's eyes.
L'amore continued, "I do hope nothing bad comes to your shipments of say… spices," He held out his hand for Torrin to shake once more.
Torrin froze, glancing at the man who stared at him like prey. His voice came out shaky as he tried to maintain himself under the gaze as he took L'amore's hand. "Well, thank you for the good wishes."
L'amore smiled as his grip tightened on his hand, making Torrin wince in pain again as L'amore pulled him close. His cold breath brushed against his ear as he spoke in a whisper; his voice was absolute, "Come close to Elena once more with drugs on you, and you will die."
L'amore pulled back as Torrin's eyes widened in fear, and he stilled, his mind processing what the man had just said. Elena glanced at the two with worry, her hand grabbing onto Jake's forearm. Squeezing it to get his attention. Torrin nodded once as he quickly turned and left, his form shaky.
"What did you do?" Elena hissed, glancing at the nobles' quickening steps. Jake didn't speak as he dragged her off the ballroom floor and stood close to the tables, his hand on her back, guiding her.
Elena glared at Jake, as he quickly looked around before lowering his head to her ear as he whispered. "Torrin is a known drug dealer; he had drugs on him while we spoke. I could smell them."
Elena's eyes widened as she glanced around to try to find Torrin, but she couldn't among the crowd. She trusted his nose, which had saved them in past adventures. "You're sure?" she said softly, worrying amber meeting cold gold.
Jake nodded.
She hissed through her breath, "He's also corrupt? Does he deal with Forrest?" anger seeping into her voice at how she was speaking to a person she only met a few times and thought was nice. But he had drugs on him?
Jake shook his head, "No, don't think so, I think he deals with Kanmis family, they mostly do drugs," he said.
Elena's mind instantly dragged up the information that Jake had given her so long ago. The Kanmis family dealt in drugs and brothels. She looked around again, glancing to see if anyone was trying to listen in.
"Who else is here do you recognize?" She asked as her hand wrapped around his, squeezing it.
He looked around, his gaze slowly drifting across the crowd, his ears flicked as he listened in on conversations. "Ten so far, that I can confirm do deals with the Undercity," he said, his voice low.
Elena held in a grimace as she looked around, watching people's faces. She guessed there were about fifty people on the ballroom floor, let alone who else roamed the manor.
Then he noticed his stare, her brows furrowed, "What?" she asked, holding his hand tighter.
He chuckled, which didn't calm her. She knew that look of his; he had a plan, and it was a stupid one. "You're one of the Seven," he said lightly. "They're lower nobles."
Her eyes narrowed, "And?" she asked, her voice edged with suspicion.
"I'm thinking we scare them," he said with a shrug, tail flicking in quiet amusement. "I tell you what they're hiding. You hint that you already know. Just enough to rattle them. A game of sorts,"
She groaned, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "That's a terrible idea." Then, after a breath, quieter: "It does sound fun, but it's risky, especially with you; we are causing enough chaos as is," she said as she turned to him, placing a hand on his chest, feeling his heart and warmth.
"We have done more risky things," he said with a smile, as he grabbed hold of her hand. "The ravine?" he prompted, and she scoffed.
"That was an accident, we were being chased by those things," she said, shaking her head, causing her long red hair to fumble around.
"You caused them to chase us," he teased, his tail wagging as he rubbed his thumb against her hand.
"You're the one who woke them," she shot back.
He laughed, shaking his head, his fluffy ears tumbling messily. Then their gazes locked—amber and gold—and for a heartbeat, the noise of the ballroom fell away.
Then they both laughed, the sound easing something tight between them.
"Possibly, we can do that," she said after they both got control of themselves. She looked down at his chest. Warmth grew in her own as she felt his heart, her breath hitching as his arms wrapped around her, pulling her close.
"Whatever you say, my lady," he said, smiling down at her.
She only hummed in acknowledgment as she rubbed his chest and could feel his heart beat faster with her touch. She smiled at knowing she could affect this man, a man whom people feared whispering about in the shadows. She inquired about his reputation and what he was known for on some of their adventures while he wasn't looking.
People feared him, a man who seemingly knew everything, a man who listened. A man who could kill five men in a fight. A man who appears from the shadows themselves.
But yet this man was in front of her, who got nervous at her touch, and one who would do anything for her. One who would do anything to protect her.
One who cared about her and saw who she was.
A friend.
No, that word didn't suffice to describe the bond they had. To her, he was someone special, someone who she could lo-
"If you want, could we scare the Niel twins?" he said, interrupting her thoughts. She jolted slightly, looking up at him, her eyes meeting his liquid gold. "Huh?" she asked.
"We could scare the Niel twins? They do some dealings with the Malanors." He said, looking down at her, his tail wagging in silent amusement.
Her eyes widened as she looked around. She had recognized the name and had met them before, and then she finally spotted the two twins and their brown hair at a nearby table, talking to each other.
Then she narrowed her eyes, glancing at him. "I've been meaning to ask, aren't you fighting with the Malanors for territory or something?" she asked, curiosity threading through her voice.
"Oh, that." He squinted slightly. "How did you hear about it?" His tail flicked once, a small, restless motion.
"My mom went to a tea party. She loves rumors," Elena said. Her hand hesitated before drifting off his chest. "She mentioned you two were at odds."
"Mm." His ears angled back. "They attacked someone we were guarding. Killed the guard. Killed the client." The words were flat, almost offhand, but there was a hard edge beneath them. His tail stilled as her hand left him. "So we made sure one of their shipments didn't arrive where it was meant to. It's been… back and forth since."
He glanced around the ballroom as he spoke, casual to anyone watching—careful enough that no one was listening.
Elena nodded slowly, unease creeping in despite herself. "So it hasn't gotten too out of hand?" she murmured.
"Not yet." He shrugged. "But if they keep pushing, my father will probably have to step in."
Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. "Your father… stepping in?"
He nodded once.
"Adam," she said carefully, her thoughts spiraling, "your father's been quiet for a while, hasn't he?"
The memory surfaced unbidden—whispers of his last intervention, how it had nearly drawn the Altor guard into the Undercity to contain the fires blooming from the crevices below.
He only shrugged, as if she were talking about the weather turning foul.
"I doubt it will get to that point," he said as he let go of her hand. "So about that game?" he asked through a smirk almost hidden by his mask.
She rolled her eyes and gave a soft smile, "Fine, let's do this game of yours, but if things go wrong, it's your fault," she said, nudging him slightly.
He chuckled as he offered his arm, and she took it as they made their way to the twins.