#Chapter 115: Ballroom

Logan The music was already swelling through the ballroom when I arrived. I had purposely come late, not wanting to participate in the showmanship of the heralded entrances if I could avoid it. By the time I came into the room, most of the revelers were too drunk to notice or pay attention. Laughter echoed off the vaulted ceilings, goblets clinked, and noble wolves swirled across the polished marble floor in their finest gowns and suits. I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen such joy in one place. Obviously, before the war, but how much more before then? But despite my best efforts, I could not match the enthusiasm in the room. I had come alone, and though I wore the finest black suit I owned, I still felt like a shadow moving through all their light. Like a stranger just passing through. At least there was one familiar face among the revelers. Alex was easy enough to find, tall and impossible to miss as he commanded a corner of the room with his easy charm. This