Chapter 77
SEVENTY-SEVEN
THE DUCHESS
Angela and Vivienne were waiting to ambush me at the doors to the ballroom. Angela was freshly Botoxed and in a blue cocktail gown, and Vivienne matched her name with a neon-pink dress.
“Why aren’t you wearing red?” Vivienne hissed at me, whipping out her phone. “You have to be on brand!”
“I coordinated all the decor to match a scarlet color scheme.” Angela moaned, wringing her hands.
“It was a special request from my pack,” I said, a saccharine smile on my face.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Vivienne asked, and I widened my eyes.
“I forgot. I’m so sorry, Viv.”
Vivienne’s lip curled as I used her nickname. She was the family’s PR coordinator, making sure our public image was squeaky clean, but had been roped into managing the whole Crimson Duchess celebrity image, something she resented me for thoroughly.
“No time to change now.” Angela clucked. “You’re expected, and the itinerary will start in ten.” She shook her head at me and opened the doors.
I stepped into the banquet hall, looking for my fiancés. I spotted Prince first, wearing a navy three-piece with his hair styled back.
I softened my face into a smile, despite the cold feeling that followed his eyes raking over me. Dax was close behind him, and Madison took up the rear, unusually attentive as he watched me approach. Though, with every step and slight twinge between my legs, I remembered Kaos’s promise.
You’re not theirs.
“What a wonderful party,” Prince said, looping his arm around my waist and tugging me close. I lifted my head to press a kiss to his cheek, but he caught my mouth instead.
“Come here.” Madison’s voice was curt as he beckoned me over. Dax put his arm on my back and guided me to stand in front of Madison.
I looked up at him. “Yes?” I asked, keeping my voice light. His eyes dropped to my neck. I swallowed. Did he want me to expose it for him? I wasn’t sure I’d be able to.
He brought his hands up, and something cold brushed against my skin.
His thick hands arranged it, and I heard the click of a lock.
He tilted his head to the side as he tugged one more time before dropping his hands.
His eyes were fixed to it, glittering with satisfaction, a small smile playing on his face.
The metal was secured around me. I wanted to touch it, to tug it or even to see what it looked like, but instead, I cocked my head to the side slightly. “A gift?”
“Engagement present,” Prince said. “Our claim necklace.”
“How old-fashioned,” I said, my hand lifting up to touch the metal. A claim necklace, just as much of a joke as our engagement.
“Traditions start for a reason,” Prince said with a shrug.
Dax was staring at me, his expression somewhere between satisfaction and lust.
Prince slung his arm around my shoulder, leaning close to breathe in my hair. “Finally mine,” he said, and I said nothing, just leaned in to his touch.
I’d been raised to be property.
But I wasn’t his.
I could never be his now, no matter how many collars they forced me to wear.
Finch was watching us from a table over, his jaw tense.
“Let’s go get some drinks,” Dax said, and we made our way over to the bar. The room was starting to fill with people, and I smiled as I made introduction after introduction.
“Duchess!” an unwelcome voice chimed in.
I turned to see Ashton Vass giving me his easy smile as he sauntered over. My heart started to race as I looked at his cowboy boots, the same as in the tapes. He knew what had happened to Jule. And he’d kept it secret for years.
“And there’s my boy.” Ashton clapped a hand on Prince’s shoulder. “You’ve caused quite the sensation, you know. Who are these mysterious, handsome alphas who have managed to swoop in and sweep the Crimson Duchess off her feet?” He laughed, and I joined in.
“Laurel, dear, it’s been ages,” came a smooth voice, and I turned to see my aunt Rosalind stepping up beside us.
“No Mark?” I asked her as she pressed a kiss to my cheek.
“He’s indisposed,” she said with a wave of her hand.
I suppressed a smirk. Rosalind, as my father’s sister and a beta, was supposed to be what I was—a trophy wife for a man looking for an in to the family.
Mark had a successful import business, perfect for smuggling in contraband and helping with money laundering, so they’d been wed years ago.
And Rosalind’s husband had been “indisposed” for as long as I could remember.
Completely absent from all events, leaving Rosalind, of course, to manage the day-to-day of his business on this side of the pond.
No one was actually sure if she’d killed him, brainwashed him, or struck some kind of deal, but she lived as a free woman in a way the family couldn’t officially complain about.
She and I had a surface-level alliance that extended to sometimes bitching about the family, but I was under no delusions that she was in my corner.
She dragged me over to my grandparents, Octavius and Edwina, and I had to deal with another round of congratulations and half lectures that made me want to scream.
I’d catch glimpses of Finch through the crowd, his eyes always following me. That, and knowing Kaos was listening in to everything, helped me feel safe, despite my company. Prince came to claim my attention again; the pack had had a couple of drinks, now, and it was a good time to make my move.
My own phone pinged, and I pulled it out to see a text from one of New Oxford’s other duchesses, Janna.
Janna: Girl WHAT. You did NOT tell me your engagement was to your childhood beau!!! Introduce me!
I looked up to see a head of strawberry blonde hair making its way through the crowd, and then Janna’s warm arms were squeezing me in a death grip. “Laurel! It’s been forever, how are you?” she squealed.
Oh, you know.
Got dark bonded by my scent matches.
My father is trying to mate me off to my second cousin.
I might go insane when my alpha dies in one of my father’s illegal rut fights, and I’m still no closer to finding out if my brother is actually dead than I was five years ago.
“I’m good, thanks,” I said, pulling away. “How are you?”
Janna launched into a conversation about the lone alpha she was here with tonight, who had wandered off at some point, apparently. “I mean, really?” she huffed. “Why go to the trouble of taking a duchess on a date if you’re just going to abandon her?”
I nodded and swirled my glass, tilting my head to Dax as he made a joke. His phone was in his inner jacket pocket, and I’d have to time this perfectly.
I had plastered myself to his side, to Prince’s disappointment. I was waiting for—
“Ohh!” squealed Janna, making everyone look where she was pointing.
There. A shift in weight, him leaning forward, his jacket hanging down. I pretended to stumble, pressing a hand to Dax’s chest while I tugged the phone out in one motion.
“I’m sorry,” I said, my cheeks flushing.
“There he is. Scoundrel. Ugh, I better go back. Love you, Laurel!” Janna blew me a kiss and darted off through the crowd.
Dax hadn’t noticed.
I sent a silent thanks to Jade’s mentorship.
“You all right?” asked Dax.
“I got a bit dizzy.” I leaned up and gave him a kiss as the phone disappeared into my own pocket. “Perhaps I should go find some food.”
I stepped away from the group, ignoring Prince’s annoyed look at Dax. I had been prepared to reject anyone who offered to come with me, but no one did.