CHAPTER 39

 Beatrice’s POV

Night of Masks

After the meeting I had to go out for some air.

All the weight—of all the hushes, all the looks, the things I didn’t say to Xander, and the things he didn’t say to me—seemed stoppering my breath. So I started to head back to the hotel suite the minute I could.

Xander attend to some urgent business matters this morning so I had the perfect excuse to get a much needed breather.

I walked inside, kicked off my heels, flopped down on the couch and rubbed my temples. Everything was happening too quickly.” First, I was forced to stay, and now, I was heading to a masquerade party with Xander.

I sighed, grabbed my phone, and after scrolling through my contacts, found the one name that could if only vaguely, help me relax—Sarah.

The second ring, she picked up.

“B, what’s up?” Her voice was airy, though I could hear the fatigue underneath.

I smiled faintly. “I just needed to hear something familiar.”

Sarah exhaled. “I figured. “How’s Cape Town treating you?”

I leaned back on the couch. “It’s… eventful.”

She laughed. “Eventful? Beatrice, you’re sharing a hotel suite with the Lycan King. The same man who—”

“Sarah,” I cut in, massaging my forehead. “Please don’t start.”

She huffed. “Fine, fine. But I hope you know what you’re doing.”

I don’t.

But I didn’t speak that thought aloud.

Instead, I diverted the conversation. “How are the triplets? “Have they done that to you yet?”

Sarah groaned. “Oh, they’re little menaces.”

I chuckled. I could already imagine it. I imagine Caleb egging on all the havoc as Cooper and Charlotte trailed him with their best innocent faces.

“They miss you, B,” Sarah said, her tone softening.

I took a swallow past the lump in my throat. “I miss them too.”

The idea of them — so distant, waiting for me — broke my heart.

I wasn’t supposed to be there long. But every time I made moves to leave, something drew me back.

Something—or someone.

Just as I was about to continue, a loud knock came at the door, startling me.

I frowned, standing up. “Hold on, Sarah.”

I approached the door cautiously, my heart racing a little.

I opened it and there stood Xander.

My breath hitched.

He was still in work clothes: his white shirt unbuttoned at the collar, sleeves rolled up to reveal the burly forearms that I most definitely was not staring at.

But it wasn’t that he was there that drew my eye.

It was the box in his hand.

Smug, shining case covered with a black damask ribbon.

I arched a brow. “What’s that?”

Xander held it out to me. “For you.”

I hesitated. “Why?”

He sighed, shaking his head. “Just take it, Beatrice.”

I crossed my arms. “Well, if it’s from the company, I don’t want it.”

His lips quivered, as if he were entertained. “It falls under the company’s responsibility.”

I narrowed my eyes. Lie.

The company may have offered masks, but they weren’t giving away fancy outfits.

Still, there was something about the way he was looking at me — expectant, firm — that made me cave.

I grabbed the box and returned inside and placed it down on the bed. Xander leaned on the doorframe, glaring at me as I untied the ribbon and opened the lid.

My breath caught.

Inside was the most beautiful silver gown I had ever seen.

The embroidered fabric gleamed in the dim light of the hotel, the delicate stitching sparkling like real gold. It wasn’t simply a dress — it was art.

Resting next to it was a sleek black mask, embellished with polished silver filigree.

I felt the material lightly, with my fingers where the velvet met the chiffon. “Xander…”

“It’s for the party,” he said, curtly.

I looked at him, searching his face. “Even if the company was at fault, they wouldn’t offer something so pricey.”

Xander didn’t respond right away. Instead, he stalked a step closer, his eyes boring into mine.

“Wear it,” he said. Not a request. A command.

I exhaled, shaking my head. “You’re impossible.”

His lips curved slightly. “You’re only just now realizing that?”

I should have refused.

I knew I should have insisted to wear something else.

But the truth?

I wanted to wear it.

So, I did.

The Night of the Masquerade

When the party was supposed to start, I was dressed and prepped.

The gown fit me perfectly.

It hugged my curves just right, the silver fabric reflecting the lights when I moved. Its neckline was low enough to be elegant, but not vulgar, and the mask lent an air of mystery to my face.

I faced the mirror, running my palms over the fabric.

This wasn’t me.

I wasn’t the type of woman who wore dresses like this. I was not the kind of woman who went to masquerade balls in five-star hotels next to the Lycan King.

And yet, here I was.

I breathed in deeply and left my room.

Xander was waiting.

And when I saw him, my breath nearly fell out of my pores.

The midnight black of the fitted material clung to his wide shoulders and long frame perfectly. The sleek black mask hiding the upper half of his face only added to his striking features, lending an air of dark mystery.

But it was more than just his appearance.

It was the intensity he possessed.

He projected power and dominance, the very air bristling with it. The sort that turned heads when it walked by.”

And at that moment, I realized — when he walked through that ballroom, everyone and their mother would be looking at him.

But right now?

His eyes were only on me.

Xander’s expression darkened as his piercing blue eyes scanned me from head to toe.

I moved under his piercing gaze.

He tilted his head slightly. “It accentuates your curves.”

Heat rose to my cheeks.

I turned away, forcing myself to concentrate. “Are we leaving or not?”

A smirk played on his lips.

Without saying anything, he took me to the car.

We didn’t speak during the drive to the venue we shared, but the air was heavy with something we wouldn’t say.

I could sense him watching me, even when he wasn’t.

It was unsettling.

It was intoxicating.

A warmth flooded up my neck, and I swallowed, ignoring the way my heart hammered against my ribs.

“Are we leaving or what?” I asked, crossing my arms.

Xander cocked an eyebrow, shaking his head and then pointed at the door.

The ride to the venue was silent, but the air inside the car was thick with tension.

Xander gripped the steering wheel tightly, his eyes fixed on the road before him. It was the black mask that added a dangerous, alluring edge, transforming him into a king from another age — powerful and untouchable.

And yet, here I was.

Beside him.

When we came, the main entrance to the ballroom was already teeming with guests dressed to the nines. Overhead, the chandeliers glowed warmly, casting golden light across the marble floors.

[ M E T R O P O L I T A N    D I A R Y ] People turned as we exited the car.

Or rather, when Xander got out.

The whisperings began right away.

I felt them before I even saw their faces — the whispers, the half-hidden glares, envy in some eyes, curiosity in others.

I was his date tonight.

And that meant something.

Xander hardly noticed the stares. Instead, he faced me and offered me his arm.

I hesitated.

But then I noticed the way his lips curled, slightly.

Like he had an idea of what he was doing to me.

I exhaled and entwined my hand with his arm.

His skin’s warmth seeped through the fabric, steady and firm.

And when we walked into that magnificent ballroom, the music surging around us, the golden chandeliers sparkling in his stormy blue gaze, I knew one thing for certain—

This evening was going to make a difference.

His voice was low, nearly menacing in that it made my spine tingle.

And I hated how much I loved it.

When we walked into the party, it was electric.

The grand ballroom was packed with masked guests, everything washed in golden light from the chandeliers.

Xander was out of the car before the murmurs had even started.

Heads turned.

People whispered.

And when I did, the whispers just got louder.

I didn’t need to hear them to know what they were saying.

Who is she?

Is that his date?

What is Xander Thane doing with an omega?

I held my head up high and I was not going to let them get to me.

But right when we were about to go inside, something happened.

A presence.

A lucid, chilling awareness that made me shiver.

I turned my head, looking around the crowd.

And then—

My breath caught.

At the other end of the room stood a man, half obscured by the masked guests.

The very presence of whom made my blood run cold.

A man I thought I had left once and for all.

Kai.

My mate.

My abuser.

He was here.

Watching me.

Waiting.

And suddenly, the night ceased to have magic.

It felt like a trap.