Chapter 2

I got up pretty early and was in desperate need of coffee. I couldn't sleep a wink after receiving that strange text last night. I had some time to myself before Amelia came over later today to pick me up for the event. I was going to need all the downtime I could get before then. Over the steaming rim of my coffee cup, my gaze falls on my laptop sitting on the coffee table. My thoughts drift to my sister Marley and her family. I loved seeing my Nieces and Nephew, so I strolled over and opened it starting a video chat. It's hard to keep in touch because they live in New York, but they are the only family I had left since I lost my parents in a car accident when I was thirteen. It's been hard for me to deal with, but I got through it because of Amelia and her family.

The ringtone catches my attention, and Marley answers with a smile after a few minutes. "Hey, Chloe," she says. I could tell by the background that she was in her kitchen, and from her distracted attention, I knew she must be making the kids breakfast.

"Hey! How are you and the kids?" I ask, waiting for her reply.

"They’re good! Kali’s getting dressed for school. Claire is practicing her piano upstairs, and Kaden is...” she paused for a thoughtful moment. “Not exactly sure what he is getting into. And Ben has a meeting with a couple to see a house," she told me. 

I couldn’t help but shake my head in disbelief. I don’t know how my sister juggles everything with three kids. Of course, she has her husband, Ben, but men are like children, so it’s like she has four.

I can’t help but smile. I’m so happy my sister has a loving family. “Oh, I miss them so much. I hope to see everyone for Christmas this year,” I suggested, hoping we could figure something out.

“That would be great,” she says with a smile before her face becomes serious. “Hey, I hate to cut this so short, but Kaden messed up the bathroom. I need to get him, but I love you, we will talk soon. Okay,” she says, rushing through her house.

“Okay, love you guys! Give the kids hugs for me," I said, then blew her a  kiss before she hung up.

My apartment fell silent as I moved to my bedroom and sat down at my vanity to do my makeup. I knew a smokey eye with red lipstick would be perfect with the dress I picked out. I gave myself a wink when I finished because the black eyeshadow made my green eyes stand out beautifully. After checking myself out, I curl my hair and pin it all to one side, exposing one shoulder. Finally, I pick up my dress and slip it over my body before grabbing my silver stilettos, adding diamond earrings for the finishing touch. I look at myself in the mirror and amaze myself. I feel confident and ready to face some werewolves.

I look at the clock and rush for my keys. Amelia told me to be downstairs at six, so I stepped out and locked the door behind me. I see a limousine waiting in front of my apartment building when I get outside. Then I see Amelia rolling down the window, sounding off a whistle. "Hey, sexy!" She calls out to me. I smirked and pretended to act shy, fluttering my eyelashes and covering my mouth with my hand, but I couldn’t contain my laughter. I slide into the limo and see Amelia’s mother, Cordelia.

"Hi, Cordelia," I say, smiling. She returns my smile with one of her own.

"Hello dear, how are you?" she asks.

"I'm good. I will be better once finals are over," I admit honestly. Cordelia takes my hand when she senses my worry.

"It will all be worth it when you have finished, sweety," she declares, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Yeah, I can't wait. It can be exhausting," I sigh.

"I'm sure it is, hun," she says, patting my hand before pulling away to look us over.

"You girls look gorgeous, don't go breaking too many hearts," Cordelia smiles. Amelia and I start cracking up.

"We can't make any promises," I whisper to Cordelia, laughing and wiggling my brows. We all laugh again and spend the rest of the drive talking.

After a while, we pull into the packhouse where the ball is. The driver follows the circular drive until he reaches the front of the house. He stops at the bottom of the front steps, where a man opens our door to let us out.  

Amelia turns to me with a hesitant look on her face as we walk to the entrance. "What's the matter?" I say with concern.

“I'm nervous, Chloe,” she admits with a shaky breath.

''Oh, Amelia,'' I say sweetly. ''It's going to be okay. I'm right here with you. Let's go inside,'' I assure her, linking my arm with hers as we continue toward the doors. We walk through the entrance, and as we turn a corner, Amelia runs into this cute guy with blonde hair and blue eyes. She looks up at him, and when their eyes meet, it's like watching a romance novel unfold before my eyes.

"Hello, lovely lady," he says sincerely.

"Hi," Amelia stutters like she lost her wording, and I fight to facepalm myself.

I clear my throat and step closer to the pair. "Hello, my name is Chloe, and this is Amelia,” I  introduced her, then gave her a nudge when she remained silent. “Who is all of a sudden mute," I said with a  giggle as I looked back at the man.

He looked at me with a friendly smile, then back at Amelia. "Nice to meet you, ladies. I'm Paul," he introduced himself. I raised a questioning brow when a smirk played on his lips. "But you already know who I am, don't you, Amelia?" He asked, still grinning. 

I glanced at Amelia with confusion all over my face, and she turned to me. “Paul is my mate,” she explained breathlessly.

My eyes grow wide in wonder. "You know by looking at each other?" I inquired, genuinely intrigued by how easy that was. "I wish humans could do that, so you don't have to spend most of your life looking for the right person," I laughed. Amelia looked at me like she was asking for permission to go with him, but I put my hand up before she could speak. "It’s okay. Go be with him.” I encouraged Amelia. “I’m not going anywhere. Unless a wolf gets hungry and decides I make a good snack,'' I giggled. 

Amelia and Paul laughed before they walked off toward the dance floor, holding hands. 

A feeling of pure happiness spread throughout my body. I couldn't help but feel happy for my friend. If anyone deserved this, it was her. 

I walked to the bar, keeping the same feeling of confidence I had back in my apartment. ''Evening, can I have a glass of champagne, Please?'' I asked, resting my elbows on the glossy counter.

''Of course, Miss, right away,” the bartender responded, but I could see the confusion in his eyes when he realized I was human.

"Don't worry, I know I'm surrounded by werewolves," I explained with a giggle.

"You read my mind," the barkeep admitted with a laugh.

I glanced around the room and noticed the party was genuinely extravagant and in full swing with chatter and dancing. ''Who throws these parties?'' I asked, leaning my side against the bar.

"The Alpha. He likes to get to know all of his pack,” he informed me, placing my drink in front of me with a smile.

“Oh, makes sense,” I replied casually and picked up my glass. "Thanks! Have a good night," I said, raising the glass as I walked away from the bar, but something caught my eye.

My eyes set on a man entering the ballroom through double doors near the corner of the room.  He’s handsome, and I find it hard to look away. My gaze traveled over his body, and I saw him wearing an all-black suit that seemed tailored to show how fit he was. I couldn’t help but wet my lips as my eyes continued their assault on his body. Luckily, they traveled north first. He had brown eyes and hair with tattoos covering his neck. When my eyes traveled lower, I could also see them over the tops of his hands. I watched him adjust his cufflinks and couldn’t stop myself from biting my lip in excitement. I’ve always had a weakness for the bad boy type.

I watched him turn, his brown eyes taking in the crowd, but he suddenly stopped when his gaze fell on me. A pit formed in my stomach, and I turned away abruptly, quickly making my exit to the lady’s room. Even though he had already caught me staring, I wanted to avoid any more embarrassment. 

I entered the restroom and immediately headed to the sink, resting my hands on the counter. My cheeks flushed from the encounter,  and when our eyes met, a heat spread throughout my body. I took a few deep breaths, trying everything to gather myself before going back out. I looked in the mirror one last time when the door opened behind me. I turned to see who it was, and I gasped, surprised.