Chapter 4 - Luna's present

About an hour later, Damian and Luna rejoined the party separately. Very few people knew about their relationship, and they wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible, but Luna had an extra reason: she was actually one of the most obscure family heirs in Eryndor. 

People knew she existed, and they knew her name, but she rarely appeared in the public eye without a white wolf mask covering her face. Even the other families hadn't seen her without her mask for several years now… It had gotten to the point where most people assumed she'd been heavily scarred somehow. 

But the real reason she did that was to move around in the slums more easily. She regularly went down there to try and help where she could, but she never revealed her true identity. For one, it was too dangerous, and for two, no one down there would trust her then. 

For this reason, very few people, even within her own family, knew what she truly looked like, and even fewer knew how much time she spent among the lower classes. 

But this was not the only reason she wore that mask… 

* * * 

Damian stepped back on the private floor balcony he'd left earlier, and waved lazily at Lucian to indicate his return. Instantly, a hostess approached him with a drink, and proposed he give another toast. 

He did so with enthusiasm, but his focus was never on any of this. Although he managed to hide it exceptionally well, one eye was always on Luna, who moved agilely through the crowd on the public floor below. Once again people came up to him with presents, but he never lost track of her even as he managed to make them feel appreciated for their gifts. 

With an excited grin, Luna made her way to a handful of girls, who were laughing and talking by one of the bars. The most curious aspect of this group was their light blue skin and large, fin-like ears, identifying them all as Merkin. 

"Nerissa!" Luna exclaimed joyfully, waving her hand in their direction as she dodged countless other partiers. Her gorgeous looks and flowing silver hair were attracting all sorts of attention, but she ignored all of it. 

One of the girls, a pretty blond with long hair and clear blue eyes, looked up from her conversation in surprise. A bright smile broke out on her face when she noticed Luna. Laughing joyfully, she waved Luna over to them, "Hey, Thea! Come, come! I want to introduce you!" 

Luna quickly joined them, and smiled at the other girls, most of whom greeted her enthusiastically. "So this is the famous Thea we've heard so much bout lately!" one of them exclaimed with a genuine smile. "I'd love to hear how you actually convinced our shy little Narissa to come out of her shell so much lately!" 

Narissa suddenly blushed and looked away, embarrassed, "I— I'm not that shy! But honestly, I'm not sure either. She just has a way with words!" 

Luna chuckled and wrapped an arm around her. "You do yourself an injustice, Narissa! You just needed the confidence to go after your goals!" 

Narissa's embarrassment quickly disappeared and she grinned widely at her friends. "See! She always knows what to say!" 

Ever since the start of their relationship, Damian had been teaching Luna in the art of manipulation and intrigue, which Luna was extremely interested in despite her martial upbringing and the Lykos' general shun of such things. Now, she'd used these lessons to rapidly befriend Narissa and bring her out of her shell, all to prime her for this one night. 

The friends laughed happily for a while as they clinked their glasses and greeted Luna some more. Finally, one of them asked: "So, tell me, how did a Moonkin and a Merkin become friends?" 

"Oh, it started on the Net," Luna immediately explained with a mysterious smile. "We met on a specific forum, and—" 

"S— Shhh!" Narissa interrupted her with embarrassment. "W— We don't need to get into that…" 

"Oh my god!" one of them exclaimed with a wide, teasing grin. "Don't tell me it was another one of those Damian fan-art sites!" 

Luna winked with twinkling eyes. "Sorry, it seems I've been sworn to secrecy!" 

Naturally, that was more than enough for the girls to begin teasing the poor Narissa endlessly. Fortunately, she took it well, and the night continued as Luna, under the guise of Thea, easily integrated with this group. All the while, they had no idea they were bantering with one of the most powerful youth in the city… 

* * * 

A few hours later, Luna and Narissa were alone. The others had all found partners to dance with, while the two of them nursed their drinks and stared over at the private balcony, where Damian was seemingly enjoying his time with Lucian and a few others. 

"Still hung up on him, huh?" Luna grinned as she glanced at the lovelorn look in Narissa's eyes. 

Narissa sighed and shrugged. "I know, it's stupid… It's not like he'll ever notice me. He spends his time with supermodels, actresses, and other members of the ruling families… By comparison, I'm just a dumpy middle-class girl." 

"That's not true!" Luna immediately exclaimed, while sneakily stepping behind Narissa's back and wrapping her arms around her with a mysterious smile. 

"You are a beautiful girl, Narissa," she whispered in the Merkin's ear. At the same time, she grabbed Narissa's chin and made sure she continued staring at Damian's handsome form. "You can have anyone you want, even Damian… So long as you dare to take what you want." 

Entranced by Luna's voice and words, Narissa gulped, her eyes hazy as she stared at the man of her dreams. "W— What do you mean…? I— I'm not allowed to go up there…" 

"That's true, but… what if I had another way…?" Luna whispered enticingly. "I happen to know something interesting that might help you out… if you trust me." 

Narissa blinked. She bit her lip nervously, having no idea what she was talking about. Yet, slowly, Narissa finally nodded without taking her eyes off Damian. "Y— You know I trust you, Thea…" 

"Good!" Luna grinned, before releasing Narissa and grabbing her hand. "Then, come with me!" she continued, while guiding Narissa towards the exit. 

* * * 

About half an hour later, Damian received a message from Luna saying everyone was prepared, and a grin spread across his lips. 'This'll be fun…' he muttered to himself. 

He signalled Lucian, who was grinding his body against various others. "I'm leaving for the night," he whispered in his cousin's ear. "Keep the things afloat for me, alright?" 

"You got it, cous!" Lucian grinned, knowing where Damian was off to. "Have fun!" 

Before getting a response, Lucian was back at what he was doing, and Damian left through the private elevator. A quick ride later, he found himself on the hotel floor of the building, and eagerly made his way to one of the rooms. 

This wasn't the first time they'd done something like this, but it was the first time Luna had done it all on her own. It was technically her present to him, but she loved doing things like this so much, it was practically a present for both of them. 

Once he arrived, he sent Lyra a message to tell him where he was. Then, after adjusting the sleeves on his elegant outfit, he went inside the hotel room to find himself confronted with a very lovely sight…