“I can’t wait to meet all the Alphas there!” Amanda, dressed in her poofy blue dress and overabundance of jewelry, squeals, clapping her hands together with her sister.
“I bet they’ll only have eyes for the both of us,” Darcy agrees, holding her sister’s hands tightly. I sit behind them, dressed in an old gown Luna Hailey had given me before leaving. She mentioned it was a gift from her mother, a plain gray silk dress that Alpha Banastre definitely didn’t want me wearing, but Luna Hailey told him to stuff it, and surprisingly, he did. I’m also surprised that I didn’t burst out laughing at the kicked puppy look Alpha Banastre had given her, but I guess she’s through with his nonsense.
“I’m sure they will,” Alpha Banastre says warmly, which is the complete opposite reaction I expected from a man so staunch in keeping his daughters away from men, especially their mates. “You’re both beautiful tonight, my girls.”
“Obviously!” Darcy says. She glances at me, and I duck my head. She smirks. “Way prettier than Anvi is anyway, right Daddy?”
“Of course,” Alpha Banastre nods, glaring at me from the rearview mirror. “You’re the most beautiful girls in the world, after your mother, of course.”
“Oh, of course!” Amanda flaunts, and Luna Hailey’s jaw ticks. It’s obvious that Alpha Banastre is trying to get on her good side again tonight, but she’s not having it. She sits in the back with me instead of the front with him, accompanying me with her oldest child, Alpha Banastre’s only son, heir apparent Oscar Yuen.
Alpha Banastre continues to praise his daughters, saying things to them that I block out. I’m not very interested in what he showers them with, but while it does make me want to throw up, it makes me think of my father and the rocky relationship that I had with him. We were close in my younger years, I remember, but teenagehood separated us, and by the time he was dead, we were hardly on speaking terms. Seeing Alpha Banastre lovingly care for his daughters (although neglecting his son) makes me feel sorry for myself, and also makes me feel guilty – like I should’ve been a better daughter to my dad.
“I can’t wait to get this stupid thing over with,” Oscar grumbles from beside me, his arms crossed over his chest like a pouty child.
“It’ll be done before you know it, darling,” Luna Hailey says placatingly, smiling at him. He glances at her. Her smile is addictive, and soon, his frown is replaced by a gentle grin. Oscar reminds me so much of Luna Hailey. Maybe that’s why Alpha Banastre doesn’t like him very much.
“Are you excited, Anvi?” Oscar turns his attention towards me and I shrug, looking down at my lap.
“Not particularly,” I mumble. “I mean, I’ve never really liked parties. They bore me.”
“I can relate,” he says. He takes my hand, squeezing it gently. “But it’ll be over soon, and who knows? Maybe…” he lowers his voice. “Maybe you’ll find a way out?”
I flinch. I don’t really want to talk about it, not after already discussing my freedom with Luna Hailey, but Oscar’s been my friend for as long as Luna Hailey has. He’s never given me a reason not to trust him, and yet, every time I look at him, no matter how much he resembles Luna Hailey, there’s still that glint in his eyes that brings me back to Alpha Banastre. That gleaming, cruel glint that sparkles in his kind hazel eyes – you’d think having the most boring eye color ever would be less intimidating, but no matter how hard I tried to disillusion myself from believing so, Oscar was still Alpha Banastre’s son. No matter the neglect, he’d be loyal to his father, or at least have a shred of feeling for him.
Because that’s how victim mentality works I think bitterly, staying quiet for a few moments longer until I notice Oscar staring at me patiently, waiting for my reply. Sighing, I shrug.
“I don’t know, Oscar, honestly,” I say, which is the truth, because I really don’t know what I’ll do over there, and I don’t really want to think about it. Oscar seems to sense that too. He nods quietly and gives me a small grunt of acknowledgement before he turns his attention back to the tinted window beside him, sighing at the dark scenery whizzing past us.
“I’m hoping he finds his mate tonight too,” Luna Hailey murmurs to me as she takes my hand. “I’ve seen the girls Oscar has been with, and I’m sure that nobody else can make him happy except for his mate.”
“You seem to know a lot about the mating subject, Luna,” I say softly, internally comparing her beautiful, manicured hands to my boring ones.
“I do,” she sighs longingly. “I love a good romantic story. Finding your mate isn’t ideal for everyone, and not everyone ends up with their mates, but love is love. I find that it’s beautiful, no matter the kind.”
“And you think that my mate will be better than…” I trail off, jerking my eyes towards Alpha Banastre, and a look of understanding passes her eyes.
“Not everyone is like that,” she says. She glances at Alpha Banastre. He’s saying something to Darcy and Amanda, but it’s hushed, just like our conversation. “Banastre is…well, he’s my husband. He’s cruel, vicious, and takes no prisoners. But that’s the minority of Alphas.” She smiles sadly at me. “I didn’t get so lucky, but I know you will. You have a longer life ahead of you, Anvi, much longer than mine. Enjoy it. I know I certainly did, before…well, my marriage.”
I frown. “I would think, from what you’ve said, that finding your mate is a happy instance.”
From under her long, luscious eyelashes, Luna Hailey regards me with a cool, impassive stare, one I’ve never seen from her before. It’s frightening, but cosmic at the same time, like I’m seeing eons of pain shooting through the galaxy like a comet.
“Who said Banastre was my mate?”
~****~
“Ah, what a beautiful sight!” Amanda gushes, twirling around in her bright, sparkly orange ball gown. “Look at all the colors! The lights! The Alphas!”
“Ooh, he’s so handsome!” Darcy points to a shrewd looking man that stands by the buffet table. He has a woman beside him, resting her hand over his arm, but I’m not sure if she’s his mate or not. They seem close, but perhaps they’re just friends? Or siblings?
“Are you talking about the man or the croquettes, Darc?” Amanda teases, nudging her sister. Darcy laughs.
“The man, obviously!” She scoffs. She twirls a lock of her hair around her finger seductively, glancing at Oscar and I as we trail after Luna Hailey. She glares at me. “What do you think, Anvi?”
“What?” I look up from the ground, averting my gaze from the beautiful seams of Luna Hailey’s gown to Darcy. Alpha Banastre levels a stare at me, and I backtrack. “I mean…I beg your pardon, ma’am?”
“The Alpha.” She points to the man, who’s looking in our direction now. “What do you think of him? Of all of them?”
“Um…they’re handsome, I guess?” I mutter. “They’re…tall?”
Amanda sneers. “Everyone is taller than you, Anvi.” She smears my name. “But just so you know, you aren’t going to find your mate here, especially not in these guys!”
“These…guys?” I glance at Oscar, confused. He shrugs.
“Alphas!” Darcy and Amanda giggle, a cruel laugh. “They’d never be interested in you, anyway, so just stay in Mummy’s shadow and be your small, pathetic little self, ‘kay?”
“Um…okay…?” I don’t really know why they’re threatening me not to speak to any of the Alphas here. They’re handsome, sure, but none of them are my type. Besides, I’m much more looking forward to spending a night with Luna Hailey than someone I don’t know.
“Good,” they sneer, like they’ve successfully accomplished getting rid of me for the night and away from their men, which they have, but they never had to say anything in the first place. I wasn’t going to bother asking them about the Alphas, anyway.
“Girls, that’s extremely rude and uncalled for,” Luna Hailey scolds them. “Any wolf, no matter their status, should be allowed to find love.”
“Daddy!” Amanda and Darcy complain. Alpha Banastre, who was greedily eyeing the buffet table, turns his cold stare to his wife, who meets him with an equally unmoving glare. The glint in his eye dissolves.
“Darling, please,” he says in a way to pacify her. He touches her shoulder, bringing her closer to him, and I’m pretty sure I hear Luna Hailey growl, but it’s too soft for Alpha Banastre to hear.
“Please what, Banastre?” She snaps. Her glowing eyes swivel angrily up to him. Alpha Banastre’s eyes widen.
“Sweetheart…” he tries to calm her down again. Darcy and Amanda smirk in their parents direction and push past me as they leave to talk to a group of men standing together by the drinks. Darcy, however, stops short of following her sister. She grabs my arm, digging her long nails into my flesh and whispers in my ear:
“I know my mother is so hell bent on you finding your mate here, and I don’t know why, or what you did to brainwash her,” her words poison me like venom. “But if you even think about searching for your mate and running away with him, my father will find you, and when he does, I assure you…you’d rather be a slave than…well…dead.”
My stomach tightens and my blood goes cold as Darcy chuckles maliciously in my ear, pushing me away from her vicinity. I would have fallen on the ground, right in front of Alpha Banastre, but luckily, Oscar catches me.
“You okay?” He asks. I feel his heart thumping against my ear. His chest is hard, like a rock, and I briefly wince at how little his hold did to soften my fall, but when his voice sends an alarm-like shiver down my spine, I react, pulling away from him and back onto my feet.
“Oh, uh, yeah!” I scratch the back of my head sheepishly, my neck and cheeks hot. “Sorry about that.”
Oscar shakes his head. “Don’t be sorry,” he says, smiling gently at me. “I was the one who moved in front of you. If anything, Darcy and Amanda should be apologizing.” He pats my shoulder, but stops before moving past me. His lips brush my ear. “Run, Anvi. Get out of here as soon as you can.”
“Oscar…” My words fail me as Oscar gives me a second pat and nod, his eyes lingering on me for one last moment before he leaves, the tail of his suit flying behind him as he strides to his friends. I stare after him and something twinges in my stomach. Fear? Sorrow? Guilt? I’m not sure…
“Anvi,” Alpha Banastre says my name like it’s a sour fruit. “Take care of your Luna and make sure she is attended to properly. Don’t speak, don’t eat, don’t even look at any of the men here, do you understand me?”
“Yes, Alpha,” I say obediently, keeping my head down. Just like Oscar, his stare lingers on me, but his is of contempt and untruthfulness, not of compassion and sadness. I continue to gaze at the ground, counting the tiles, then the lines, then the dust specs. There’s so many of them…like stars in an orange sky…sparkling stars…
“Anvi,” Luna Hailey takes my hand and leads me to the food table. “Come. Take some food quickly. The Alpha King will be arriving shortly and is definitely most likely to attract my daughters’ and husband’s attention. They won’t see you slip away.”
Well, there goes the mate finding I think.
“But…where would I go?” I ask, accepting the fruit she hands to me.
She pauses. “I’m not sure,” she says truthfully. “I have a home up in West Brook…no, Banastre would know about that…”
“What about you?” I ask. “I can’t just leave you here, Luna!”
“You don’t have a choice!” She snaps. A wild look suddenly appears in her eyes. The music grows softer and chatter overlaps. Her body goes tense. “Banastre won’t do anything to me, he can’t. He knows that.”
“How do you know?” I stress. “Alpha Banastre is so unpredictable, Luna, and you said-!”
“I know what I said,” Luna Hailey says through her teeth. “And I know he’s not my mate, therefore theoretically, he would be able to do something to me, but he doesn’t know that!” The music suddenly rises. “Banastre lives under the notion that whatever he is given is meant for him. He didn’t know about the deal-!” She stops herself, thinks, then shakes her head. “But nevermind that. I’ll be okay. You go!”
I’m curious now, to find out what happened between Luna Hailey, Alpha Banastre, and their parents, but I don’t have any time to find out because she’s already pushing me towards the back exit. The dress she’s given me – the sparkly gray gown with two sleeves that hang off my shoulders like Ariel’s ball gown – trails along the ground, slipping under her shoes, sending me tripping over my feet as she guides me blindly. We almost make it to the glass doors towards the end of the buffet table, but a loud trumpet stops us.
“Damn it,” Luna Hailey hisses through her teeth.
I frown. “What’s wrong?” I ask.
“The Alpha King has arrived,” Luna Hailey groans. She taps her head gently against my back. “We’re screwed.”
