I sat across from Jessie in the limo and watched as she adjusted every inch of her look over and over again. The sparkly red material of her dress was so small and thin that I could see the chilly air causing goosebumps all over her exposed skin. The amount of pulling and pushing to ensure the private parts stayed covered in the skimpy material was grating on my nerves.
We’ve spent the 15-minute drive in near silence as she fusses over her looks. The shallow actions of desperation were on par with her personality, and I wondered, not for the first time if this was the same woman from the hotel. Jessie says she used to have jet-black hair but changed it to blonde to fit in better. However, I never see any traces of that root color. It wasn’t just the hair color that felt off. From my memories, the woman had an insanely seductive balance of prickly defiance, supportive strength, and mesmerizing feminity. All of which Jessica lacks.
“How do I look?” Jessie asks, not even glancing in my direction.
I clear my throat and scoot my body into a better sitting posture. My words come out with a growl that I hope Jessie takes as genuine instead of the sarcasm it is, “Super hot.”
The limo comes to a stop, and Jessie finally looks at me with appreciation. She licks her lips and purrs, “Are you ready?”
I nod, not wanting to admit that I really didn’t want to be here. The pretense of power, wealth, and privilege these Heirs display is nothing to me. Money, power, and privilege are easy to earn when you have the right connections and common business sense. Most of those attending didn’t have the weight of their pack on their shoulders yet. My father had passed over almost every aspect of being the Alpha except the title. I was already
bored with this circus.
Jessie, on the other hand, was so excited to spend thousands of dollars getting dressed up
to ‘make me look good’-whatever that meant.
I stepped out of the limo door first, then extended my hand for Jessie to take and neatly
step out next. As manners dictated, I purposely stood in front of her so her flimsy dress
didn’t unintentionally reveal more skin than it already did.
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“Always a gentleman.” Jessie cooed while pressing her breast against my chest. I shift her hand so it is nestled in the crook of my arm, then swiftly maneuver us away from the car and up the steps. Once we were at the top of the stairs and through the main doors, I presented my invite to the doorman. Whispers surrounded me as people commented on our looks, outfits, and the fact that we showed up together. I usually come to these things alone because finding a date is a hassle, so it’s quite the topic of gossip. Jessie is
practically glowing with self-satisfaction and ego.
I scan the room to find a waitstaff with booze to ease the annoying task of small talk when my eyes meet Rue’s. Fuck she was stunning. Her incredible violet gown made her skin look soft, and her hazel eyes drew me in like a siren’s song. My eyes roam over her body from head to toe, admiring the braided and curled raven-haired ringlets touching down her ivory biceps. The way her dress hugged and flared around her perfect curves and her long muscular legs that just begged to be wrapped around my waist sent a jolt straight to my dick. I dragged my gaze back up and met hers right away. I couldn’t pull my eyes away from hers. It was like the whole world had fallen away at that moment, and only the two of us existed. A bubble formed around us, silencing the outside world, and the air inside sizzled with static electricity. I felt my body being pulled toward her in slow, small steps because I still had an anchor on my arm.
Jessie’s hand snakes up the front of my tux and grasps onto my bearded chin to turn my gaze toward her. Instantly, the bubble pops, and I feel empty. I look into Jessie’s face as she giggles and smiles and feels so void of everything that I almost jerk away from her touch. It feels wrong. I hear someone make a joke and put on my best grin, but my mind and wolf focus on only one person.
Jessie lets go of my chin and turns back toward the chirping fangirls she is boasting to. Her fingers felt like a spider crawling up my back and playing with the short hair at the nape of my neck. I steal a glance toward the area Rue had been in only seconds before and find it empty. Jessie’s eyes flick from mine to where I was staring at. I grabbed a glass of scotch off a passing tray to make it appear I wasn’t looking toward Rue. Jessie had made it clear just how much Rue hurt her in the past and currently. I didn’t want to deal with another public disagreement because I couldn’t take my eyes off Rue. Jessie puts on a pouty face and says, “Travis, I’m going to go to the powder room. Will you hold my drink for me?”
I suppress the urge to roll my eyes and take her pink, bubbly-looking flute. “Sure thing.”
She leans up and pecks my cheek, and I pray she didn’t leave her sticky ass lip coloring on
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Chapter 19
my cheek.
Rue:
Luckily, it was early enough in the evening that the women’s restroom lacked a long line. I loved the clean floral decor and beach blue stall walls. The cute ambiance helps to calm down my anger. When it is my turn, I quickly enter the farthest stall. I do my business as I sit through a group of she-wolves gossiping about Jessica in both a negative and positive light. I tried to tune it out, but they were so loud. I sit in the stall for a few more minutes than necessary to avoid being drawn into their gossip fest. I pulled out my phone to text my father quickly, checking in on Reece. He sends me a picture of them watching a movie before bedtime. I smile at the huge grin on both their faces. These moments of happiness are what I’ve always wanted, yet the doubt about trusting my father held tight around my heart. I put my phone back and readjusted my dress into place.
I finish up just as the bathroom empties. The quiet feels odd after the loud gossiping only seconds before. I wash my hands and spot some of my makeup has dulled. I remember my teenage years with Jessica, watching makeup tutorials, mimicking the looks, and laughing to the point of tears when we messed up. I swallow back my bitterness at the tainted memories. Jessica had never been my friend; all those sweet moments were lies. I pull out my clutch and touch up little bits of mascara here, eyeliner, and shadow there. As I put on my lipstick, I hear the door open and close with the sound of a lock. I sigh as the flowery stench of Jessica’s perfume clogs my senses and leaves a weird aftertaste in my mouth. I didn’t want a repeat of the other day.
“How the fuck did you get into this party?” Jessica seethed, leaning her hip against the counter beside me. I ignore her, rubbing my lips together to ensure the coloring is even. The women’s bathroom at the banquet hall was not the place for this discussion. I silently cursed Travis for not keeping his word and allowing Jessica to corner me again. I quickly cleaned up my items and placed them back into my clutch. Jessica pulls at one of my curled locks, “You must be something special to whoever’s VIP section you are sitting in.. Your skills have improved vastly over the last six years, considering you had to trick someone to get into your hotel room last time.”
“It wasn’t my trick that led me to that hotel room. It was yours. Care to explain how you knew which room to send me to?” I asked, swatting her hand away from me. I was so grateful that James never befriended Jessica, and after what I’ve told him about what happened, he never will.
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12:44 am DD XX
Chapter 19
Jessica’s brows tug low as she sneers into the mirror. “I didn’t send you anywhere; even if I did, you can’t prove anything.”
“I don’t need to prove anything. It would just be nice to know how you knew which room to send me to.” Something that looked like an internal debate crossed her angular features before she moved to lean her hip against the sink beside me.
“This dress is last season’s lemon, but it’s still out of your price range. I didn’t know that you could be so easily bought for the night. Did your kid’s father also buy you that night?” Jessica says, reaching for my sleeve. I snatch her wrist with my hand and hold it there.
Fear flashes in Jessica’s eyes before she can mask it, and the laughter that rolls out of me is hard-close to deranged. Neither she nor Cassie will ever tell me the truth from that
night. I will never know who Reece’s father is, but I wasn’t going to roll over and submit to their bullying anymore.
“Don’t ever touch me again.”
She gives me a fake laugh that barely covers her fear, “You can’t do anything to me, Rue.
I’m under Travis’s protection.”
I lean in close, lowering my voice into a deadly venomous tone that I use when confronting my opponent in the ring: “Believe me, if I say one word, I will become the future Luna of your pack.”
