Darien moves to step around the girls, but Isolde catches his sleeve, halting him. "Don't be rude," she hisses, then to the girls: "Yes, you can have a moment."
They beam, encouraged by her friendliness. A particularly beautiful girl with honey-colored curls and soft hazel eyes is clearly pushed forward by the others. She fidgets with the hem of her gown, cheeks burning pink as she forces herself to speak.
"I… I was wondering, Darien… would you…" she swallows hard, clutching her necklace like it might anchor her courage, "would you be my date for the ball tonight?"
YES! Isolde internally jubiliates. Finally, her brother gets to attend the ball. The ball's not just for pretty dresses and awkward dancing, you know. They built it on fortified ground, which sort of… speeds things up for wolves who are fated. If your mate's in the ballroom, the aura there makes it easier to lock onto them. Doesn't mean you can't find your mate anywhere else, it's just… here it happens faster.
