The ballroom was still buzzing with conversation. Kings, Alphas, Betas and Lunas stood in small groups, laughing too loudly, shaking hands, and pretending they had always liked one another. Glasses clinked. Someone near the window was already telling the same war story for the third time.
In the middle of all that polite noise, Valerie spotted her daughter and moved like a woman on a mission. She caught her daughter by the wrist and hauled her behind a pillar.
"Mum!" Alicia nearly tripped over her own shoes. "What on earth—"
"Keep your voice down."
"You nearly took my arm off."
Valerie's eyes were bright with that dangerous look Alicia knew too well.
"Listen carefully. Tonight we fix this mess." Valerie glanced past her at the room. "I need you to do something for me tonight, and I need you to do it without making a face about it."
"Do something for you? What's that?"
