3

~Lexia

"You look beautiful, by the way," Adrian murmurs, helping me out of the car.

Ignoring him, I smooth out my dress, gazing around at the beautiful view. This party is being hosted by Isaiah, the Alpha of Passion, in his Pack. Despite his Pack not being in the best condition, he still holds the most lavish parties every year.

"You don't mind, do you?" I ask anxiously, still looking at Isaiah's estate. People were mulling around, finding their way in at their own pace. Guards stood post in nearly every shadow I glanced out, watching us with careful eyes.

"Mind what?"

"What I have to do tonight?" I say, folding my arms across my chest.

Looking around, I take in what a shame it is that Alpha Isaiah's Pack went rogue a few years ago. Every one of them rebelled, and he has a hard time trying to reign them in. Hence why he is working with the Alpha of Discipline to tame them.

"It's fine Lexia. It's work, and it's not like we are dating anyway," he assures me. I glance down, staring at how the silver of my dress glimmers under the moonlight. Adrian reaches out, handing me my ticket.

"Try not to get distracted. Get to Alpha Noah, find out what you need to know, and get out of there," Adrian instructs. I nod firmly, affirming I know what he is talking about.

Twisting around, I begin my walk alone toward the double doors of Isaiah's estate. The gritty smell of the sea is present, as is the sound of waves lapping on the shore. The Passion Pack is the only coastal Pack, and I am not used to it. The Vengeance Pack is one of the cooler Packs, to the South, while this Pack is up North where it is warmer and more tropical.

I make it into the party without too much hassle. No one bothers asking who I am, so I slip in unnoticed into the crowd. I have a mild back story just in case someone decides to approach me. But I doubt it; everyone is distracted by the presence of Alphas.

Swerving my way through people's limbs dancing to the sound of elegant music, I mumble 'excuse me's', and 'sorry's' as I go.

The crowd begins to thin out as I get further away from the dance floor. My eyes are scanning the area, not just taking notice of the extravagant outfits people wear, but looking out for Alpha Noah.

Turns out, Alpha Noah was hovering around the edge of the dance floor, talking to two very official looking people in suits. Annoyed, I waded my way back onto the busy dance floor, keeping my eye on him the entire time.

Like most Alphas, he is naturally beautiful. His blond hair is thick and luscious, contrasting with his naturally tan skin. His eyes are similar to mine, but so much different. A much lighter, glowing green that sparks alight as he assesses the man in front of hims face.

Suddenly, as I blindly walk, keeping my attention fixed on Noah, I smack straight into someones back. 

Stumbling backward, I blink a few times, having managed to loose my bearings. The man who I smacked my forehead into didn't even turn around. In fact, he continued to talk to two lovely woman in front of him.

Scowling at the back of his midnight black suit, I resist the urge to punch him. Sure, I should have been looking where I was going, but he could have at least excused himself, or allowed me to say sorry.

I tap his broad shoulder, not being able to smother the glare on my face. But instantly, it melts away as he turns around.

Here I stand, facing the one of the most beautiful men I have ever laid my eyes on. Definitely an Alpha...

"May I help you?" he questions, his voice so smooth and sensual it caresses my skin, forcing me to suppress a shiver. Eyes, of deep-set swirling violet and ebony black dance across my entire body, observing me silently. Eyes so illusory and mystical I find myself questioning if he is real or not.

"Sorry," I mutter, retreating a few steps in a mixture of awe and fear.

Shadowy wisps of dark hair scatter across his sun kissed forehead, almost covering those deceptive eyes. I am not sure if it is the lights, or my eyes, but his obsidian black hair seems to have a tint a similar violet colour to his eyes. But only a trace.

I expect him to turn around again, bothered by my existence, especially since he was occupied with woman exceptionally more beautiful than me. Although, when I glanced around him, they had vanished.

Instead, the elusive man reaches out with long arms, grabbing my forearm between a soft hand. It traps me. Not because I couldn't move from his grip, but because his gaze has me pinned to the spot.

"Why are you sorry? You requested my attention, and I am obliging," he exclaims, raising a dark eyebrow.

I can't stop staring at him. Whoever he is, he is an Alpha, and I can't think which one. Perhaps the Alpha of Loyalty? I have never met him before...

"Did you not feel me run into you?" I question, salvaging my voice from the ruins of embarrassment I just created. He frowns, his smooth forehead creasing in confusion. By the look on his face, he didn't feel my entire head rebound off his spine. Was he really that enraptured in those woman?

As if my words triggered something in the universe, someone hit me in the back. Unlike the stranger in front of me, with feet like cement, I lurched forward, stumbling toward him. His grip on me only tightened, as he swung me on my loose feet to his side, so I was suddenly facing the other person.

It was a drunk man, who winked at me before wandering off into the crowd.

"We should expect nothing less, being on the dance floor," the man muses, easily casting a fleeting gaze across the room with his height. Of course he is right, but this had been my best vantage point of Noah.

Suddenly remembering my mission, I look over to see Noah is no longer where I last saw him. I close my eyes in annoyance.

"You interrupted my time with those ladies. I believe you owe me a dance," the Alpha proclaimed, glimpsing at me through the tendrils of dark hair. I cock my head, taken by surprise at his sudden proposal.

His words seemed to insinuate the start of a new song, sung beautifully, with foreign words carried by the sweetest melody to dance to. His hand swung out from behind his back, all bare and inviting. On a whim, I slide my hand into his, enticed by music, violet eyes and the atmosphere.

He lead me deeper into the crowd, immersing us in the moment. As he glided so exquisitely among the people, going unnoticed by them despite his stand alone beauty, I followed, enchanted by his peculiar spell. And this spell...It felt so real. Especially as he swept me into a common waltzing embrace, consuming me with just one flicker of a smile.

"Who are you?" I whisper, my voice seeming loud between us, as if we were alone in a room. Whoever he is, he has cast magic upon me, and there is no way I can escape. And right now, I am not sure I want to.

For a moment, he doesn't answer. Swaying the sound of music, suddenly faint in my ears, I concentrate on him. Perhaps if I wasn't drunk on the moment, I would pay more to the shadows that seem to surround us, tugging me closer to him.

His youth appears suddenly, as he smiles with dancing eyes. "Jasper."

"Like the Alpha of Devotion?" I ask breathlessly. It strikes me that I don't doubt it. But I should...It should be impossible that I am dancing in his arms right now.

"You're clever," he says.

"But the Alpha of Devotion has been missing for years," I say, my mind spinning.

I remember the news alerts, the night Alpha Jasper disappeared into the darkness, and never came back. Rumours were that he was kidnapped and murdered by Phantom Wolves. But here he stands, beautifully dressed, staring down at me with those mystically unique coloured eyes.

"Am I?" Jasper asks, amused. I frown at him, The weight of his hand on my waist suddenly becoming apparent.

"So if you're really Jasper, than why isn't everyone celebrating your return?" I decide to ask. He tilts his head, suddenly taking my hand in his, spinning me in a tight circle as the music changes. As the turn ends, he captures me in his arms again.

He shrugs. "Maybe I never left."

"What do you mean?" I ask curiously. We side step another couple, as they laugh and stumble around like idiots drunk on love.

"I think this is a conversation for another time, Lexia," he says softly. I flinch, retreating a few steps, slipping from his grip.

Instead of being worried that he slipped the fact that he knows my name, he grins at me with a careless half smile, but the cunning in his eyes suggests he knows exactly what he is doing. He steps another step forward, but I match it back.

"How do you know my name?" I demand to know, a sudden fear sparking inside me. The enchantment I was enraptured in has been extinguished, as if someone has poured a bucket of cold water on me.

Instead of answering me, Jasper glances over his shoulder. I follow his gaze, to see Grayson shouldering his way through the crowd.

"I shall see you later tonight, Lexia," Jasper said quickly, before strolling casually past me. I twist around to witness him go, only to see he had vanished without a trace into the mass of people. Confused, I try hunt for that dark head of hair with the suspicious tint, but it is as if Jasper was never there.

"Lexia? What the hell are you doing here?"

I feel a hand on my shoulder, making me turn. Grayson stood directly in front of me, looking practically edible. His dark suit made him looking so dazzling, as well as his tie and paper thin gloves the exact same silvery colour of his eyes. He runs his gaze over me, not bothering to keep his observations to himself.

"I was just with Jasper," I find myself saying. Grayson furrows his brow in confusion.

Seeing him standing in front of me, all dressed up, is overwhelming. As is the urge to touch him. But I brush that thought away, trying to concentrate on what he is saying.

"Jasper is gone, and he isn't coming back," Grayson tells me. Now, it's my time to be confused. I definitely didn't imagine Jasper here moments ago, even though it felt unreal. And I am positive I saw Grayson look straight at us...

"Him and I were literally just dancing together," I insisted, running a hand down my face in bitter annoyance.

Grayson grabs my bare arm, his soft glove being the only thing between us. "You better not be drunk, Lexia."

I gape at him in disbelief. Is he serious? I am not sure if I should waste my time on lecturing him about me being drunk. Quite frankly, it is none of his business if I was drinking anyway. But that isn't what is worrying me...He didn't see Jasper.

And I did.