Chapter 27
TWENTY-SEVEN
MAVE
The buzz of pleasant feelings that I’d enjoyed all morning and into the afternoon—the result of Blake’s surprise late-night visit and successful breakfast with my parents—was fading fast as the time of the Pack party approached.
Just as we had before our first dinner at Alpha Monroe’s house, Ben and I sat down with Mom and Dad to discuss what to expect from our second-ever proper interaction with the Pack—this time in the wake of our Alpha bloodline becoming public knowledge.
"I would expect the Alpha to be very friendly, maybe even more so than the last time we saw him," Dad was saying as we all sat around the living room, the ambient noise of a college football game coming from the TV in front of us.
"However angry or frustrated he is about our secret being blown, he will likely still first and foremost want us as allies.
I suspect that if we can reassure him we are still content to keep to ourselves and have no designs on disrupting Pack leadership, then hopefully he will relax about it. "
"That doesn’t mean he won’t still be pressuring Magic to mate with Knox, though," Ben pointed out from his nest in the corner of our large sectional sofa. "That’s still the biggest issue, and it wouldn’t make sense now for him not to want to go full court press on the Alpha Mate thing since it’s now well known how powerful she is. "
"Thanks for the reminder, Benji," I moaned from my perch at Ben’s feet. "I’m not sure how much Knox will have told his dad as far as what’s happened this past week.
We know for sure they’ll have discussed the unsanctioned challenge on Pack land that started this clusterfuck, but I don’t know that he will have told his dad how much I am still rejecting his bullshit attempts to seduce me, and I’m really not sure if he’ll have clued him in to what happened when he tried to attack Blake to threaten him away from me. "
Dad nodded, looking lost in thought. Mom, who was curled up under Dad’s big arm, said, "I think your instincts here are right, honey. Knox is probably operating on a need to know basis with his father right now. He won’t want any extra pressure or scrutiny from the Alpha if he thinks things aren’t going his way yet. "
As the afternoon faded into evening, my dread mounted.
It had been about a month now, and I was confident in my ability to counteract the torment of the bond whenever I was forced to be in the same room as Knox.
I expected him to be on his best behavior in front of the Pack, anyway, but I couldn’t say the same for the Alpha.
I knew if he found the opportunity to threaten me again away from prying ears, he would.
In a moment of weakness, I wished Blake was coming with me. Obviously I missed him already, and we were both still super eager for time together since we’d only really just starting dating, but I also would have felt more safe and secure knowing he was by my side.
After all, while I felt confident in myself and my power, I was not the Alpha, and nothing says "don't fuck with me" like lighting someone’s clothes on fire.
I was adjusting the straps of my turquoise jumpsuit in the mirror when I heard Mom calling me down to leave.
I was aware that this party was technically the Fall Ball, which implied that I should probably be wearing a dress of some kind, but fuck that.
My jumpsuit was still kind of dressy, with wide straps that crisscrossed over my chest and bared just a tiny hint of my midsection.
The pants were wide and flowy, and I did put on strappy nude heels to fancy it up.
My hair was in a low ponytail and my makeup was subtle.
Definitely not trying to impress anyone at this bullshit party we are being forced to attend.
When I made it downstairs, I saw my mom had a similar thought, as she was wearing a yellow houndstooth-patterned pantsuit in lieu of a cocktail dress.
Dad and Ben were both rocking the slacks, blazer, no-tie look, and my dad had even ditched his glasses.
He was looking formidable and intimidating, which I was certain was on purpose.
"Ready for the next round in the gauntlet?" Ben asked me.
"No, but we’re fucking going anyway, aren’t we?"
The Fall Ball was held at the Pack-owned Wolf Lodge Resort and Casino, which was located across the river in downtown Bossier City, nestled among five other similar tall, shiny hotel towers that also housed bars, restaurants, and casinos.
It was apparently quite the tourist destination over here—like a tiny Vegas.
When we entered the grand ballroom of the hotel, we were treated to lush autumn-themed decorations, expensive-looking floral arrangements on every one of the circular white cloth-covered tables, and a room packed with wolves dressed to the nines.
Waiters darted around with trays of drinks and appetizers.
A dance floor complete with strobe lights and a DJ was set up at the back of the room.
I didn’t recognize the vast majority of the partygoers, but I did see shifter kids I knew from the Academy scattered around the room in groups of their friends or standing with their families. A few of them noticed our arrival and promptly averted their eyes when I looked their way.
As we walked further into the room, Dad and Mom out front and Ben and I behind them, I sensed more and more of the guests take notice of us.
The raucous conversation had quieted a bit, and then whispers and murmurs began as we made our way toward the long rectangular head table at the center of the room where Alpha Monroe and Bianca were engaged in conversation with some of the other Pack leaders.
The Alpha was dressed in a smart gray suit with a navy tie, and Bianca looked fantastic in a sky blue floor-length lace gown, and she was smiling as she clutched her mate's arm.
"Ah, Jack." The Alpha beamed his fake smile at Dad as we approached. "Glad you could make it. I’ve had so many requests for an introduction to the new Pack members."
Dad shook his hand while Mom hugged Bianca, who looked thrilled to see us.
"Yes! I’m so excited your family will be sitting at our table tonight, Sara," Bianca gushed.
Fuck my life, of course he put us at the head table.
Then Bianca caught sight of me loitering behind Dad’s giant frame. "Mave, honey! Come give your future mother-in-law a hug!"
We all cringed at that, but she didn’t notice, just giving me a good-natured wink and a tinkling laugh while she pulled me into a hug.
I patted her back awkwardly, then extracted myself in time to grab two glasses of champagne off of a passing waiter’s tray.
I passed one to Ben as we quickly wandered away from the Alpha’s table before anyone else could engage us in conversation.
Soon after we’d turned away from the head table, Mason caught my eye from a space next to the long, well-stocked bar located on the right side of the ballroom.
He was of course huddled up with Ice Man and Nerd Porn, and all three of them were dressed in fancy tailored suits and drinking hard liquor from crystal glasses like a little group of gangsters.
Mason motioned us over like that was a normal thing for him to do. Ben and I exchanged surprised glances but ultimately decided that the enemy we knew was better than whatever the fuck else awaited us at this party from hell, so we made our way over to them.
"You rang, your highness?" I drawled as we sidled up next to the bar. I knocked back my champagne and motioned for the bartender.
"Mave, do we have to start off like that every time?" Mason asked me. "No ulterior motives here. Just inviting two of the top Pack wolves over to say hello."
I looked at him with raised eyebrows. Ben had stepped up to the bar to grab us new drinks, and Thad had drifted in his direction, leaving me with just Mason and Knox.
"Is that true, Ice Man?" I inquired, spearing Knox with a serious look. "You guys just wanted to say hello to Ben and me? Nothing else on your mind?"
Knox rolled his eyes at me and took a sip of his drink. He was wearing a smart navy suit and no tie, and his shirt was unbuttoned a bit at the top, exposing part of his muscled chest. If he wasn’t on the prowl for pussy looking like that, I’d eat Man Bun's shoe.
"Relax, babe," he said to me with a tight smile. "You know as well as I do that it would benefit us both to act like we like each other in front of my father."
"Oh yeah? I assume your father doesn’t know about my new boyfriend and all his fancy tricks, then?"
"Shhh," Knox hissed at me, grabbing my arm and pulling me in closer to him. I yanked myself free, but not before Ben appeared in our little circle.
"Hands off, Monroe," he barked, giving Knox a death stare, which he returned.
Once I was free of Knox’s grip, I took the drink Ben offered me and took a big sip.
Oooh, a mojito.
Thad had rejoined the circle, lingering close to Ben, who appeared to be tolerating his nearness, at least for now.
"No, I did not tell my dad that you’re dating a fucking magical freak," Knox said in a low voice. "I have no idea what he’d do with that information, and I’d prefer he not start asking more questions about this whole situation than I’m already subjected to on a daily basis."
"Psh, you just didn’t want to tell Daddy you tried to start shit with your human teammate and got your ass handed to you," Ben scoffed with a wide smile.
"Fuck off, Fortune."
"Focus, team," Mason cut in. "I think we can all agree that we are united in at least one common goal here—keeping the Alpha’s attention off of Knox and Mave as much as possible."
"So," Thad added, "If you two could just remain civil toward one another tonight and maybe at least pretend you are considering a future mating, then I think the Alpha will be satisfied and won’t harass either of you."