The Man at the Party

<<Zoe’s POV>>

After my conversation with my father, I immediately went to look for John. 

Since he was the Beta, he was often at the Pack house’s office wing. I was hoping to find him there today as well.

I entered his office without knocking and found him sitting in his big chair like he owned the world, a glass of champagne in his hands so early in the morning.

“What’s the occasion for this early celebration?” I asked upset. Heartbreak was one thing, but he had also attacked my only family. 

This was not the man I had fallen in love with all those years ago.

“Who allowed you to enter? You, like everyone else, need an appointment for a trip to the Beta’s office. You can’t just drop in like this!” John stood up, daring to act disrespectedly.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked, unable to formulate anything else. My broken heart and frustration made it hard to focus on what I had wanted to say to him.

“What am I doing?” He leaned on his large wooden table acting like he had no clue what I was talking about.

“What did we do for you to act like this? My father did not embezzle that money, and you know it! Why are you framing him for what you did!” I nearly screamed due to the exasperation that I was feeling.

He gently placed his glass on the table and then marched towards her in anger, grabbed me roughly by my arms, and pulled me closer to growl in pure malicious anger, “Lower your damn voice!” Then pushed me away to claim, “I did not do anything, yet.”

He circled back to his desk and picked up his glass, toasting to my misery, “You were only a stepping stone, love. Don’t take it personally. I had to become the Beta. You were ex-Beta’s daughter. It was all fun and games. My chosen mate could not be anyone less than Alpha blood. Someone like, Alyssa. She is pretty, belongs to a strong family, and most importantly, she is the daughter of the Alpha of her pack. The one with the Alpha blood, who could give me Alpha-blooded pups.” He sipped in triumph as I staggered back.

“But then, why frame my dad?” I whispered in disbelief.

“Why? Well, isn’t it obvious? I needed money to woo my lady, and somebody had to take the fall, right?” But he wasn’t done yet, “By the way, I have some good news to share.” He went to open a drawer from his desk, took out a card, and handed it to me, “I was going to send it to you by mail but since you are already here, you might as well take it now.”

I opened the card to find out that it was an engagement invitation for John and Alyssa’s wedding in a few days.

That was the last straw.

With my blood boiling, I gave in to my intrusive thoughts, gathered my courage and pain, and slapped him hard on his cheek.

For a second, he was too stunned to react.

Without waiting for him to respond I marched out of the room barely holding in my rage and pain.

All the way home I kept thinking about ways I could save my father from going to the dungeons from where no one had ever returned. He had told me that only the Werewolf council could find out the truth. 

I kept planning on how and when to beg the council to start an honest investigation into my father’s unjust arrest. As I reached home, my phone rang. It was Maisy.

“Hey, girl. You cut off the call so abruptly in the morning. I was so worried.”

“Hey. Yeah, Sorry to worry you. I went to the pack house to confirm everything.”

“And?”

“And it’s all true. John broke up with me last night, he had been cheating on me with the new girl Alyssa and he embezzled the pack finances and framed my dad. We have no proof.”

“I'm coming to your house.”

“Thank you.”

In a few minutes, the two of us were sitting in my lounge where Maisy had big information for me.

She told that the Werewolf Council had been invited to John and Alyssa’s engagement as Alyssa’s older brother was rumored to be a member of the council and an Alpha of a very important ally of the pack.

I saw it as her opening.

A chance to convince the council of my father’s innocence and John’s crimes.

So, despite myself and my pain, I decided to attend the engagement.

Finally, it was the day of engagement.

John had not called or even texted me since our breakup. It was like he didn’t need time to move on since he never truly cared for me. I was the only one stupid enough to believe his lies.

I chose an elegant, backless, knee-length, black dress that accentuated my waist and flattered my lean figure, hugging my upper body and flowing like a flower downwards. I put my hair to a side, showing off my under-cut on one side of my head, and wore glittery black high heels that pulled focus to my long legs. I applied light makeup and was ready to go on my mission to save my father.

I had refused to sit and cry for an a-hole like John. I had chosen to lock my pain and use it later to make sure he felt the same as he had made me feel.

Despite all my preparations, when John slid his ring on Alyssa’s perfect finger and then kissed her in front of the clapping audience, it still hurt me. I turned around and headed straight for the bar ordering myself a neat whiskey. I needed to drown her sorrows.

One after another I downed the drinks until I couldn’t see clearly.

I saw John in the distance and decided to give him a piece of my mind. I stumbled in his direction but instead bumped into someone and was headed for the ground but the stranger enveloped me in his arms and saved me from falling down.

I looked up apologizing, into his stormy grey eyes and felt instantly drawn to him. The mysterious stranger wearing an expensive tux and an alluring cologne steadied me on my feet before looking me up and down, assessing me.

<<Narrator>>

“Care to join me for a drink?” He decided he wanted to spend a little part of his boring evening with this gorgeous girl who looked so disconnected from reality.

“Sure.” Zoe spontaneously decided. 

If John was going to cheat on her with another woman, why couldn’t she have a drink with this handsome man with a jawline so sharp it could cut? Even though she had never had as much to drink as she had already drunk in one evening, it still didn’t feel enough to truly numb her.

The man led them to the bar and Zoe ordered the same that she had been drinking all evening, “Whiskey, neat.”

“A lady of class, I see.” He commented and ordered the same for himself.

When their orders were served, he extended his arm to bring her glass closer to her and Zoe noticed a tattoo-sleeve pattern peaking out from the Tux’s sleeve. John didn’t have tattoos. Even when Zoe told him that she liked them and would love to have a matching one with her. Now she was glad she hadn’t gotten that matching tattoo, it would’ve hurt her more.

She took a huge sip from her glass and glanced at her drinking partner, accidentally catching a shiny pin attached to his coat that read, ‘Werewolf Council - Alpha Shaw’.