Kelsey returned to the backyard and met Janet clearing the table. She sighed in relief and joined her to do so."Thank you so much, Janet." Kelsey appreciated her and took the empty tray from her."It's nothing Kelsey. You know you can count on me anytime." Janet replied. She gathered the crumbs and stuffed them in the bin beside the table.The ladies cleared the table and moved to the living room. Kelsey sunk onto the couch and let out a groan of relief.Janet smiled and left for the kitchen. She returned with a bottle of cold water and passed it to Kelsey.Kelsey snatched the bottle away from Kelsey. "Thank you so much, Janet."Janet smiled. "So how are you doing Keley?" Kelsey drank the whole water in the bottle and took off her jacket. She flung it. "I'm doing great Janet but I'm damn tired.""Are you sure?" Janet asked.Kelsey sat up. Why is Janet so concerned about her wellbeing? Did she notice anything odd about her conversation with the women earlier? Could Janet be suspecti
Three days before the annual mate's party, the women decided to hold one last meeting to assess their progress. The meeting venue is Ben and Kate's apartment and it was slated for Sunday at noon.Meanwhile, Kelsey Janet and Alice had made progress. They were able to hire a renowned caterer and picked a venue. They also got people who will take care of the decorations and the music and theme were all sorted. For this year's event, Kelsey and the girls had insisted that everyone comes to the occasion dressed in any attire of their choice. The manner of the same kind of attire was scraped out even though Zoe and Meredith objected. The girls overpowered them.Dennis dropped Janet and Kelsey at his parents and drove away. Alice and the women were already there. After the exchange of pleasantries, the meeting began. Kate had prepared a sumptuous lunch for them."So the venue is the FRANKIN SQUARE. It's spacious, beautiful and homely. It's an open area and after the decorations are done, I
Kelsey heaved a deep sigh and trace her way down the stairs. She got to the living room and Dennis wasn't there. She moved to his room and gave a slight knock on his door."The door is open." came Denni's voice from the inside.Kelsey lingered outside for a few moments before she finally pushed the door open.Dennis was facing the bed with a black tee shirt in his hand. He was in brown shorts. He turned around and faced Kelsey. She stared at his bare broad chest and immediately looked away."I didn't know you were still getting dressed," she commented with her gaze still averted from his face.Dennis smiled and wore the shirt. "Are you going to stand there or take a seat?"Kelsey looked around and noticed a stool joined to the table beside his wardrobe. She grabbed it and sat.She cleared her throat loudly and Dennis arched his brow. She heaved a deep sigh and finally spoke."I want to go shopping.""Shopping? Okay.""I want you to drive me to the mall with Alice right now." "Okay, t
Chapter 56The day of the Annual mate's party. Kelsey sat in the living room waiting for the doorbell to ring and finally the buzz came. Janet walked in with a make-up kit.Kelsey stood up. "I've been expecting you.""Did I keep the luna waiting?"They shared a hug and moved to Kelsey's room where Janet will be helping her get set.Kelsey took off her maxi dress and tired a towel across her chest. Janet pulled a stool for her and she settled before the large dressing mirror."I'll make sure you are dressed to kill tonight," Janet commented with a smile.Kelsey's face was covered with a sad smile. "You've worked so hard in planning this event Janet. It breaks my heart that you won't be part of it.""Oh come on Kelsey. Don't give me that look. We've talked about this right? You'll take pictures and make cool videos for me.""It will be way better if you were there in person. What if I don't get the chance to take pictures or make any videos?" Kelsey went on lamenting."Then it's fine. "
Chapter 57"Yes." A round man who just walked into the scene agreed. "You guys don't need to plan a big event. It's your mating ceremony and no matter how small it is, it will count. After all, it's about the ritual, not the celebration."Dennis was forced to agree with a sheepish grin. "Of course, it's about the ritual, not the celebration.""So when are we having the event?" a lady asked. She was folding her arms across her chest and Dennis felt her intense gaze."Yes, Alpha. When is your mating ceremony? You guys ought to be mated by now."Kelsey knew that Dennis was losing control. He wiped the sweats banded on his forehead with the back of his palm and looked at her with defeated eyes."Very soon. The preparations are almost over ." Kelsey blurted."What?" Dennis whispered underneath his breath and tightened his grip around her.The people loosened their faces and Kelsey joined them with a fake smile. "I assure you all that we will be having our mating ceremony very soon." "That
Chapter 58Kelsey heaved a deep sigh as dozens of thoughts came fluttering in her mind. What if she instantly becomes wordless on stage? She turned to stare at Dennis. He still had the approving nod and smile.She swallowed some air, took deep breaths and aimed for the stage. Kelsey was hoping that Dennis would accompany her to the stage, stay beside her till she was done with the vote or task or rather just usher her to the stage but instead, he sat there nodding like a lizard. Could she be expecting too much from him? Isn't all this a game of pretence? She couldn't help but wonder.The host invited Kelsey with an open palm. She took his hand and climbed the stage after flashing a quick smile at the man. She had been so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't hear the applause and cheers that had been reigning from the moment she was invited on stage."God help me," Kelsey muttered under her breath and faced the crowd.She could feel the eyes of everyone on her body. Kelsey felt a
Ben couldn't hide his surprise. He arched his brow at Dennis and asked. "You said you mentioned the event to her?"From the expression he could read on Kelsey's face, he could tell that she had no idea of what they were talking about.Kelsey looked up at Dennis with a tightened jaw. Why would he lie to his dad that he told her about the event when they both knew that he never mentioned it?Dennis ran his left hand through his hair. He faced his father after a sigh. "Dad, the truth is, I just mentioned it to Kelsey one time during a conversation. I'm not sure whether she recollects but I didn't tell her what the event entails," he explained.Kelsey still doubted him. If Dennis had mentioned the event, then it would have rung the bell. Nevertheless, she just had to go with the flow.She turned to Ben with a forced grin. "Well, I guess, it just skipped my mind judging by the fact that Dennis mentioned it and didn't shed more light on the event.Ben sighed. " I understand Kelsey."Dennis
Chapter 60All through the ride home, no one spoke. Dennis had his gaze fixed on the road with both hands on the speedometer while Kelsey kept looking through the window by her left.Dennis didn't start up a conversation because he assumed that Kelsey is tired and engaging in small talk wasn't his thing.Kelsey on the other hand was pissed that Dennis didn't inform her about the upcoming Olympics games. From his gestures, she could tell that he wasn't going to allow her to participate. She assumed that his father's wish of having her trained by him was not going to come true.Dennis pulled the car to a halt by the water fountain after he drove into the mansion. He stepped out of the car and hurried inside. Kelsey's heels were clicking behind him.They got to the living room. Dennis took off his jacket and held it in his right hand. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said after glancing at his wristwatch.Kelsey dumped her purse on the twin couch and moved toward him. She faced him, her arms