2 : Man of Nightmares

EVANGELINE

I slammed on the brakes just in time to avoid hitting the person, causing our bodies to lurch forward from the sudden stop. My hair obscured my vision as my heart raced in my chest, my grip on the steering wheel tightening.

“What happened?” Mia asked, her hair disheveled.

I struggled to catch my breath, “Th-there was a man there,” I stammered, pointing through the windshield. She followed my gesture with her gaze.

“Where? I don’t see anyone?” she turned back to me and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. “There’s no one there, Eva.”

I gazed ahead and to my disbelief, the only thing in sight was the dimly lit road, illuminated by the headlights of my car. “How is this possible? I-I know I saw someone there,” I spoke with disbelief, turning to Mia and pointing back through the windshield. She gently cupped my face with her hand.

“It’s okay, relax. It was probably just a cat. It’s dark out here, and your eyes may have played a trick on you,” she tried to comfort me, but I was certain that I had seen a person standing in the road.

Suddenly, one of my dad’s enforcers appeared at the window. “Miss, are you okay?” he asked with concern.

Mia quickly reassured him, “Yes, she’s fine. We both are. She just saw a cat dart into the road, so she stopped the car. Nothing major. Don’t mention this to our dads, okay?”

Mateo scowled, “But I need to report what happened to you both—-” 

“Do you want me to expose the little rendezvous you had with one of our pack housemaids the last night?” Mia retaliated with a wicked smile, “I wonder what the Alpha will think once he hears you were quite deep into her rather than being deep inside the forest borders for the patrolling duty.” 

Mateo was taken aback by Mia’s words, his face turning pale, “Of course, Miss. Nothing happened and you both had a safe journey.”

Mia playfully tugged his cheek, “That’s a good boy. Now go back to your car, shoo.” Mateo returned to his car with a sour face, signaling for the rest of the enforcers who were standing behind us to do the same.

I chuckled at the situation, “Wow, that was impressive. How did you know?”

Mia made a checkmark in the air with her perfectly manicured finger, “If you sneak around the pack house at night as I do, you’ll see all sorts of things.”

I rolled my eyes and started the engine. Both my dad and Mia’s dad were overly protective at times, so they had sent their enforcers to follow us. If Mia hadn’t handled the situation, my dad might have taken away my driver’s license and made me use a chauffeur. I liked to drive my own car. 

I decided not to talk about what I saw. But I knew it was as real as possible. Who was that person? Something was not right. 

Finally, I pulled the car up to the massive metallic gates and a pack member dressed in a smart blue uniform opened the door for us. I gazed up at the building, which used to be the residence of the previous Lycan king. It was now the venue for the annual Mating Ball.

The identity of the new Lycan king was a well-kept secret, much like everything else about him. No one dared to utter his name and even my father avoided the topic when it came up. However, I was privy to some information about the new king from Asphalt, my dad’s demonic wolf, and my second parent of sorts. Asphalt had once mentioned that the new Lycan king was the same Demon King who ruled Hell and that he had worked under him at one point since he was a demonic wolf— a hybrid. 

Mia slammed the car door shut and handed the keys over to the waiting driver. “Don’t worry. I’m sure David is waiting for you and he wants to surprise you,” she said, trying to ease my worries, not knowing that I was concerned about something else. I shrugged. I hoped she was right.

As I stepped into the grand hall, I was immediately struck by its sophisticated decor. The walls were painted in a tranquil pastel blue, creating a serene ambiance that was only enhanced by the gentle sounds of Beethoven’s melodies wafting through the air. Majestic French windows adorned with crisp white frames lined one side of the room, offering a stunning view of the lush garden beyond.

The hall was brimming with guests, each dressed to impress. Women donned elegant, flowing gowns in a spectrum of vibrant hues, while the men were attired in impeccable suits, the air filled with their expensive perfumes. The warm glow of the sparkling crystal chandeliers and intricate wall sconces contributed to the regal atmosphere, as guests mingled and sipped champagne from delicate flutes.

As we made our way further into the room, we were approached by Sean, our pack’s potential Beta and personal trainer. His sharp eyes immediately landed on Mia, who was taking in his appearance from head to toe. Mia used to be hostile towards Sean as she was in line for the pack Beta’s title, but something had changed in her attitude towards him over the past few months.

“Nice suit, Sean,” Mia complimented, adjusting his lapels. Age was not a concern among the packs, as some of the she-wolves preferred older males for their maturity and control. Sean was twenty years older than us, but it made no difference to Mia as she eye-fucked him

The handsome hunk glared with his gray eyes set on her and warned Mia with a stern voice, “Behave.” They gazed into each other’s eyes as if they were communicating silently through the mind link. I squirmed. It was awkward to observe the tension that was brewing between them.

“Angel!” I heard Dad calling my name from behind. Thank Goddess!

I rushed over to him, threw my arms around him, and hugged him tightly. He placed a soft kiss on my forehead and admired my appearance, complimenting me with a proud smile, “You look stunning, my Angel.”

My father looked dashing in his dark burgundy suit, paired with a sleek black shirt, and his hair slicked back. I felt a surge of excitement as I realized we were color-coordinating. I playfully poked his cheek and replied with a huge grin, “And you look simply irresistible, Dad. You’re a full eleven out of ten.”

Although Alpha Dominic Dark was widely known for his dangerous and merciless reputation, he was also the same person who used to make silly faces on my sandwiches with ketchup, and who used to play dress-up with me when I was a child. I would put pink and purple clips in his hair and make him drink nonexistent tea from my tiny plastic cups, and those memories always put a smile on my face.

Mom approached us from behind and his obsidian eyes raked over her hungrily.

He took her hand and kissed it, their eyes meeting and exchanging silent words. They were the epitome of true love, and I yearned to find the same kind of connection with my mate. Oh, by the word mate, I realized I had to find David.

“You guys enjoy the party, I will…um…check with the other guests,” I said and scurried away before dad could stop me, sparing a glance at Mia who winked back at me. These situations made me whine over not having the strength to mind-link.

Crystal’s ears drooped at my thoughts. She was my wolf and I felt guilty about such bashful thoughts. She was suffering as much as I was and it was not her fault we turned out this way.

‘I am sorry Crystal. I didn’t mean to hurt you.’ I apologized in my mind.

The cutie nodded her head in understanding. She was mute and couldn’t make conversations like Dad’s wolf Asphalt but I could feel her emotions. She also liked David a lot.

I searched for him as I walked up the spiral staircase in my white stilettos. Suddenly, Dean, one of David’s friends, came in sight, walking on the second floor and I stopped him.

“Hey, Dean,” I called out. “Have you seen David?”

“Yes, I believe I saw him heading towards the washroom,” Dean replied, pointing down the left corridor, and his gaze shifted to me. “You look stunning, Eva.”

“Thanks. You look good too. See you later.” avoiding any further conversation with him, I strolled down the left corridor, the hem of my dress brushing against the gleaming checkered marble floor. I was just a few steps away from the washroom door when I heard the sounds of moans. My body froze in place.

David had his arms wrapped tightly around the slender waist of Nadia, one of my enemies in high school before we graduated. Their lips were pressed against each other, consuming each other passionately and completely unaware of my presence.

The world slipped away from my feet. I felt a heaviness in my chest, and Crystal let out a shaky whimper. How could this be possible? Was David’s mate—

Rather than confronting him, I whirled around and ran away with bitter tears trickling down my face. My legs kept moving forward until they halted before the balustrade of a balcony at a secluded corner of the floor.

As I leaned against the hard and cold balustrade, I felt my heart break into a million pieces. The tears streaming down my face left dots on the surface beneath my hands. I tried to tell myself that my feelings for David were just an infatuation, but I knew deep down that they were much stronger.

Inside my mind, Crystal was also crying, both of us feeling the same heartache. Had we made a mistake by falling for someone who would never love us back? I gazed out at the night sky, my vision blurry with tears, and watched as the moonlight bathed me in its soft glow.

Why did the Moon Goddess punish us like this?

“So sad. Little girl gets her heart broken.” a voice as cold and hard as ice licked my ears from behind and I turned around, alarmed by the intrusion. There was no one, except the long-lit corridor staring back at me in silence.

The searing pain that Crystal felt after witnessing David with another woman was swiftly overtaken by an unfamiliar, yet blissful feeling, and she tried to assert her dominance over me through a series of internal howls.

Suddenly, the sound of thunderous engines echoed from below as I peered over the balcony to see a row of sleek sedans parked at the estate gates. The door of the third car flew open, revealing the shadowy figure of a man with silver hair and a tall muscular build.

My heart raced as he gazed directly at me, almost as if he could sense my presence on the balcony. I was stunned. This was the man who haunted my dreams.

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