Chapter 53
Celeste
The car rolled to a stop, and I took a deep breath. We had arrived at the Darlington Ball.
I was back to where it all began. Someone squeezed my hand, and I looked over at Sterling, who gave me an encouraging look. But even better than that, I felt him sending me strength and calmness through our bond.
“Ready?” Vigo’s voice rang out from the driver’s seat.
My pack was here to escort me inside. Despite the media fuss over how we’d all managed to find each other, the consensus was that technically, it started at the Darlington Ball.
So, we were asked to come back as special guests and as a success story - a match resulting from the yearly event.
Dante opened the door, and I stepped out, grabbing his arm as he steadied me. I felt a thrum of affection coming from his bond, and nuzzled into him for a moment before being joined by Liam on my other side. They had been extra protective of me lately, and I couldn’t blame them.
Once we were all out of the car, we walked toward the castle, the media waiting to take photos as we entered the ball. We were so used to it by now that I barely registered the flashes.
Inside, the castle looked the same as every year - decked out beautifully, with so many omegas rushing around, eager and excited to meet their potential packs.
It seemed nostalgic now that I was so far removed from it.
I saw heads turn and heard the murmur of whispers as people recognized our pack.
We strode through the halls until I heard a voice ring out.
“Celeste!” I turned, and saw a welcome surprise. It was Bella, bright-eyed and jubilant as ever, walking toward me with her pack. I broke out into a smile, and opened my arms to greet her with a hug. Her pack greeted mine, the men nodding at each other respectfully.
“It’s so good to see you again!” I beamed, glad to be able to see her in person. “I want to thank you again for everything you did last year. I don’t know what I would have done without your help.”
“Oh my gosh, Celeste, it’s nothing! Anything to help an omega in need!” She said, pulling back to look at me. “You’re absolutely glowing! Congratulations again!”
I laughed softly, instinctively letting my hand fall to the swell of my bump. “Thank you. We’re all so excited! Also, maybe a little overwhelmed. But the baby already has the fiercest pack in the world looking out for them.”
Bella’s expression softened as she glanced between me and my mates. “That little one’s going to have the best life. I can already tell.”
My pack closed in around me, their presence a cocoon of pride and protectiveness, each of them brushing against me in some small way as though to remind me I wasn’t carrying this child alone.
The thought of raising a son or daughter in this province, one we were remaking with our own hands, filled me with fierce determination.
Whatever designation our child was born with - alpha, beta, or omega - we wanted them to be able to follow their dreams. The world we wanted was one where you can be whoever you wanted without the designation discrimination that held our province back for so long.
Some of the members of Bella’s pack gave their congratulations to my men as well, and we made our way to the main ballroom, where the host would soon give the welcome speech.
It was a bit awkward at first, when I told Bella about how I matched with Pack Lockwood.
They were the reason, after all, that she was kidnapped accidentally in my place.
But she was incredibly understanding. She said that the incident led her to her pack, and she wouldn’t change a thing.
I’d had my own curious ideas about how she met her pack, but I kept my questions to myself.
All that mattered was that she was happy, and so was I.
I spotted Pack Valence across the ballroom, and my heart lifted at the sight of them.
Julian stood proudly at their center, his cheeks pink but his smile radiant.
The others flanked him like a fortress, looking at him with quiet pride.
They’d gone public with their bond not long ago, weathering the uproar from their families with stubborn resolve, and though it would take time for the rest of the world to catch up, I’d never seen them look so content.
“Celeste!” Julian called warmly, and in moments we were embracing, the familiar ease of his presence making me laugh.
Nikolai and the others clasped hands with my mates, their expressions alight with genuine happiness.
All of the tension and misunderstandings of the past had been resolved, and their pack was now friendly with my men, as well.
“It’s so good to see you here,” Nikolai said, his smile as bright.
“And to see you all so happy,” I replied, glancing at Julian, who was glowing beneath the weight of his pack’s affection.
As we caught up, I was feeling content not only for myself, but also for my friends. And I knew they felt the same for me, now that we were all thriving.
Eventually, Bella’s pack and mine were called over by the host to be presented.
Backstage, the hum of the ballroom carried through the curtains, and I felt the anticipation of the stage in a new way.
Bella stood beside me, her pack a steady wall behind her, just as mine stood with me.
She caught my eye, and for a moment, the noise beyond the stage melted away.
“Ready?” she whispered, her smile bright despite the nerves I felt in my chest.
I smiled back, sliding my hand into hers. “More than ready.”
The host’s voice rang out beyond the curtain: “Tonight, we are thrilled to bring back several past participants of the Darlington Ball. These ladies went through so much that we at the Darlington Ball are in awe of their strength and determination. And through it all, these women came out stronger than ever! Please welcome Celeste Harringday and Bella Carter, and their packs!”
Applause thundered as we stepped forward, hand in hand, the stage lights breaking over us.
Bella squeezed my fingers, and I glanced at her with a smile that needed no words.
We both knew what it had taken to get here - the betrayals, the danger, the things no one else could ever truly understand.
We were two omegas who had rewritten what their lives would be, despite the world trying to write our fates for us.
I felt my pack’s presence behind me, each of them sending me love and adoration through their bonds. Dante, Vigo, Sterling, and Liam - my loves.
Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that this would be my life - that I’d end up bonding with the pack I’d once despised, that I’d finally get control of my company, and that I would be expecting my own beautiful growing family.
That I’d be able to fix my family’s legacy, and improve it for my own children.
I may have had an empire before, but right here, with my pack, and my baby - this was my real treasure.
And now, I finally understood what it meant to have everything.