#Chapter 199: An Unexpected Announcement

Hannah The ballroom was alive with music, laughter, and the clinking of champagne glasses. The chandeliers glittered overhead, catching the sequins on my emerald green dress. I floated from group to group, trading gossip and pleasantries with people I hadn’t seen or heard from since last year. I should have felt excited, surrounded by family and Silvermoon pack members. This was my father’s birthday party, after all; a yearly event that I looked forward to months in advance. But instead, I felt strangely out of place this year, caught between two worlds. My smiles felt fake, the gossip thin and meaningless. Silvermoon had once been where I felt most at home, but now I was an outsider here, just as I was in Nightcrest. “Hannah, darling,” my mother’s voice cut through my thoughts. She appeared at my side, looking beautiful as usual in a sapphire blue gown that complemented her silver hair. “Walk with me, won’t you?” I nodded, grateful for the distracti