Aureate
(adj.) Golden or gilded; brilliant, splendid.

Red was the the colour the queen would be wearing and I was getting quite bored of white, so those two colours were out of the question. The witches had gone for bright and deep mesmerising colours so I had been stumped for what colour dress to go for myself.

"How about gold? Brings out your eyes and looks wonderful against your hair," Kieran had suggested. I gave him a questioning glance and he just shrugged.

And that's how I had chosen my ballgown.

The large puffy dress was a brilliant golden colour, glittering and shining under the light from the hundreds of tiny little rhinestones decorating it. It had a beautiful sweetheart neckline so I decided to pile my hair up into an elegant up do.

I added some long golden earrings and a heavy golden necklace to adorn my exposed neck. I traded my silver crown for a small golden tiara to match.

"I think natural makeup would look best so it doesn't take away from your outfit," Medea suggested. She had insisted we all get ready together, which was quite useful since our dresses were difficult to zip up on our own.

Our dates had all been banned from entering while we dressed and waited downstairs in the lobby for us. Both Medea and Lilith had mates who joined us yesterday. Seraphine was accompanying Viktor.

After dabbing some pink gloss on my lips and swiping some highlighter on my face, I added some mascara and eyeliner and was ready to go.

Medea had chosen a pale blue dress embroidered with orchards. Her kinky hair had been arranged into a puff at the top, adorned with blue gems. The colour complimented her cool undertone and she looked magical.

Lillith had stuck to green, though she chose a deeper forest green this time. The dress was a simple floor length gown with a deep v-neck. It was mermaid cut, emphasising her sharp figure but quite simple. She also had a long cape attached, the material covered in gems arranged to look like a evergreen trees, adding some sparkle to her outfit. It trailed behind her marvellously.

Seraphine had gone for an ombré ball gown. The soft material was coloured a deep purple around her waist but paled into a light lilac colour at the bottom and top. She had dark and bold makeup that made her features pop.

"I think it's time to go, we don't want to show up late," she remarked.

I was eager to see Kieran. I hadn't seen his outfit either and although we had only been separated for three hours, I was already missing him. We all made our way out, and although a part of me wanted to make my way dramatically down the grand staircase, I was wearing heels so I needed to save my energy for later. I took the more sensible choice: the good old elevators.

The girls were quick to find their partners who rightfully marvelled at them and I looked around the lobby, trying to spot Kieran. I was about to attune my senses to latch onto his mind, but I suddenly smelt his scent and turned around.

He looked positively drool worthy, standing there with a smouldering look. The look he was giving me somehow made me blush and suddenly feel a little shy.

"Wow," he finally let out, his eyes still roaming over me.

"Is gold really my colour?" I asked, my hands running over the skirt of the dress. He stepped closer to me, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"You look absolutely radiant. I'm such a lucky bastard," I giggled as he nuzzled my neck.

"You look absolutely radiant too. It's going to be so hard keeping my hands to myself," I teased. His eyes almost instantly darkened.

"I'll tell you what's going to be hard," he whispered in my ear. He grabbed my hand and placed it on the bulge of his pants and I looked around, knowing we were very much in public and anyone could see us.

"Kieran," I gasped, once he ground against me. His lips were trailing faintly across my neck and my ear, his tongue occasionally peeking out and licking too.

"I'll make sure you keep saying my name all night," my own heartbeat rose and I felt my face flush from my sudden spike in lust. I was so glad I had decided to forego any blush because I was sure I looked flustered already.

Thankfully, Viktor chose that moment to interrupt us, loudly clearing his throat.

"Come on guys, let's go. Now's not the time to tango," he grumbled. Kieran pulled away slightly, sporting an arrogant smirk as he watched me regain my composure. Viktor mumbling something about horny werewolves made me snap out my thoughts and walk towards the awaiting limousine.

Once we were all seated, the driver took off. I noted all the guys wore impressive suits, all embroidered with colours that complimented their partners' dresses. Kieran wore a white dress shirt and black dress pants, all emphasising his muscular build. He wore a white blazer over it, with gold and black patterns decorating it.

After some light conversation, we arrived at the castle, noticing how the driveway was now full of other limousines. People in all sorts of fancy gowns and suits were being escorted into the castle. We had to wait for the people before us to move before our limousine stopped right at the bottom of the large staircase.

Our car door was opened for us. Kieran stepped out before me and helped me out. I carefully made my way up the steps, marvelling at all the glittering decorations.

We received a lot of looks as we walked inside. We were the only non-vampire species invited, since the king wanted to introduce us to his species slowly. The eyes following me only prompted me to walk more confidently, my head held high. We stopped before the large double doors of the throne room, a guard holding a list asking for our names.

It was quite interesting, being announced into a room, like I was in some sort of period drama. But then again, Viktor had told me how the vampire royals liked dramatics and theatrics. It was quite different from werewolf traditions.

"Alpha Kieran Hadrian and Spirit Wolf Artemis Garcia of the Phantom Pack," The guard announced, his loud and clear voice heard over the music and chatter of the hall.

With that, we both walked into the throne room, Kieran and I arm in arm. The king and queen sat on their thrones, both wearing the most lustrous shade of red I had seen. The king gave us a large grin as we walked towards him, the rest of the group behind us as they were announced in too.

"My dear guests, welcome! I do hope you enjoy the festivities I have arranged in your honour."