Chapter 8
Sebastian
These galas are boring as hell. I’ve always thought so.
We do them out of obligation. I can think of much better ways to spend a weekend.
If they weren’t fundraisers, we wouldn’t come at all.
At least all this pomp and circumstance is for a good cause.
Although that bright side loses some of its shine when you realize half of the people here only donated for tax write offs or PR reasons.
I’m bored. I’m annoyed. I’m stuck here for hours on end.
Our pack is dedicated to making our donations, but we aren’t annoying loud about them.
We don’t want pats on the back for doing what we’re supposed to do.
There’s others here who are a bit more, well, saying obnoxious would be rude, wouldn’t it? Perhaps tactless is a better word.
I don’t think charity should be used as a networking opportunity. Clearly, some people didn’t get that memo. The four of us have all been shaking off people seeking investments, advice or an engagement to their daughter the entire night.
I’m professional in my interactions, but I’m getting tired of people coming up to me reeking of desperation. I smile and nod despite my exasperation, reminding myself I’m here for philanthropic purposes.
“I look forward to speaking to you soon,” I clasp a shorter alpha’s hand firmly, giving it a quick shake and turning away. The man tries to continue speaking, but I don’t hear him as I walk through the crowd. Despite the swarm of people in the banquet hall, my eyes land on them immediately.
Or rather, they land on her. She’s holding the arm of one of the gnats, her other hand raising her purple dress to walk up the steps. They must have only arrived recently.
I should turn around and walk the other way before they see me and decide to pester me. I can’t look away from her though, watching as if transfixed. She’s the first thing to have actually caught my interest tonight.
It’s too late anyway. The nerdy gnat’s eyes spot me, and he must let the other two know, because their gazes snap to me as well. They change course for me immediately, picking up their pace.
They haven’t even arrived by me and they’ve already managed to be annoying. If their pack lead had any sense, he would realize his legs are longer than his omega’s. Chamomile, Ariana, has to half jog to keep up with him.
It’s not professional, but the distaste slides out of me, bleeding into my scent with the sharpness of a knife. It makes a passing beta server jump, the champagne flutes she’s carrying clanging against each other.
I glance at her apologetically, reeling my dominance back in. I didn’t mean to scare her. I definitely don’t want to make Ariana uncomfortable either. An opinion the Hale pack doesn’t seem to share, as she hustles to keep up with their beeline towards me.
“Sebastian! What a surprise to see you here.” Their pack lead, Ian, talks with all the smoothness of a car salesman. I almost snort, but manage to keep my derision to myself. It’s a good thing Evan isn’t next to me, or I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself from laughing.
Who is he fooling? We’ve managed to ‘run in’ to one another an approximate eleven times over the last month. You give one app some funding and every other in the city thinks it means they’re next in line.
This is the first time he’s brought Ariana along though. I can’t say I don’t appreciate it. Looking at her beats looking at the three of them.
She’s nothing if not beautiful tonight. Her hair’s sleek and shiny over her delicate shoulders, not curled in at the ends from the rain like before.
It was pretty then too, though. Her eyelids are painted in the same soft purple as her dress.
I think there might be glitter on them. I want to lean down and get a closer look, but I hold myself back.
“Always a pleasure to be in such good company,” I play along with him, but don’t look away from her as I return his greeting. I can see her pack looking at each other out of the corner of my vision.
Appearingly too occupied tugging the low neckline of her dress up every few seconds, the omega doesn’t seem to notice me observing her. Her pink lips have settled into a frown, jutting out in a cute semi pout.
“You’ve met Ariana of course,” Ian nudges her with his arm, making her finally lift her gaze.
“Hello.” The smile on her face is wide, but it doesn’t meet her eyes. I wait, expecting her to say more, but she doesn’t continue.
“So! Sebastian,” Ian begins, “I was thinking about the insight you gave us on our homepage. While I agree it may not be the most modernized, you’ll find many clients enjoy the familiarity and stability an unchanging look provides-”
Their homepage looks like it’s from the 1980s. I could surmise as much from a single cursory look. I’m sure I’d be likely to find more issues if I actually dived into it, not familiarity.
I let him continue his pitch interrupted though, thoughts elsewhere. Ariana is quiet around them. It seemed like a one off at dinner, albeit a concerning one. It’s blossomed into a full blown pattern now.
Did she speak more than one word at a time during the meal? Not to us, I don’t think. I mostly recall them speaking for her. The only time she spoke in full sentences was after, when she offered the umbrella back.
She did explain where our familiarity came from. Only to them, and only after they asked. She spoke at the park, but that was when they weren’t around. When she’d been crying.
It makes the protective instincts in me flare. I can’t be sure she was crying because of them, but it feels off. If her scent had been muted then, I can feel it blossoming with a twinge of anxiety in it now. It’s subtle, but it’s undoubtedly there.
Her mating mark is clear, the neckline of her dress leaving it on clear display.
Shouldn’t their priority be to calm their distressed omega?
Ian and his sidekicks continue their spiel as if they don’t notice the faint unease in her fragrance.
Or as if the worry in her scent is normal, not out of the ordinary for her.
I’m not sure which I think is worse. They’re not part of my pack, so it’s not any of my business. I shouldn’t be concerned. They sure have some audacity to come suck up and prod me about business when it’s clear something’s wrong in their home though.
Shit, I was supposed to not get irritated. I do my best to stifle it, breathing in and out. Amidst the horde of attendees in this packed hall, her chamomile scent stands out. The perfume is calming, exactly what I need right now.
It’s not my pheromones leaking that roughens the smell. It’s the second musketeer pulling out his phone. Even angled away from him, I can see it lighting up incessantly.
“Excuse me,” Liam says to me politely. “It’s Amy.” He mutters the second part to his pack, not quite quiet enough to escape me. He holds the screen up to Ian, then presses it against his ear as he walks away.
Nothing they’ve said has been anything other than boring.
What finally manages to catch my attention is the way Ariana’s face and scent darken, rapidly spiking.
I take a step forward, raising my hand, but she smooths herself over.
Her face returns to its polite interest, her perfume to its soft tea.
Neither of her pack members pay it any mind, returning to their appeals for funding. It’s like nothing happened. Still, if I concentrate, I can sense the underlying annoyance laced into her calm fragrance.
“Are you alright?” I interrupt the third gnat, Cole I believe, mid-sentence. He doesn’t even seem to register I might be asking Ariana, too concentrated on his speech. He looks around like he’s searching for who might potentially have a problem.
“She’s fine.” Ian answers for her, shooting her a quick gaze.
“I was asking her, not you.” My voice is cold. I’m careful with the amount of dominance I release. Enough to make my point clear, not enough to scare any omegas in our vicinity.
“Well, Ariana? He wants to know,” Ian unlaces their arms, wrapping his around her thin waist and pulling her to him tightly. “You’re fine, aren’t you?”
She nods, then turns to me with another insincere smile. “It’s just the heels. They’re uncomfortable.”
Is that it? Not this Amy they mentioned or the way Ian’s staring at her as if unhappy with her answer? I see a hint of blond walk past, chatting with another alpha in a dark navy suit. I wave him over, and Evan’s by my side quickly.
“Look what the cat dragged in! Or the dog,” he winks at the entire Hale pack, not only Ariana. Smart call.
“Why don’t you go get Ariana here a drink and lead her to a seat?” I clap one hand on his shoulder.
He subtly searches my face, then Ariana’s, then her pack’s. I haven’t elaborated, but understanding trickles into his crisp aloe vera scent regardless.
“Of course. Let’s let them talk about the boring stuff,” Evan holds out a hand, but she doesn’t take it.
Instead, she looks at Ian, searching for permission. The alpha’s eyebrows have knitted together. It’s clear he doesn’t approve, but I cut him off before he gets a chance to voice as much.
“We can go over numbers while they do that.” I offer invitingly, making him perk up.
“Only one.” He lifts a finger to reiterate his point, and she nods. We watch together as Evan heads off with Ariana.
“I’ll go check on Liam as well,” the third musketeer adds. “It’s been awhile.” Cole disappears, leaving me with their pack lead.
By the time Ian’s found someone else to butter up, the rest of my pack’s managed to shake off their own gnats. They’re all settled at a round table, chatting away with Ariana. As the last to arrive, I feel like I’ve missed out.
Missed out on what? These balls are never exactly fascinating. I must have been more annoyed with the Hale pack’s insistence than I thought if that’s how I feel.
I fall into a chair next to Jason, loosening my tie and throwing my head back on the seat.
“Having fun?” He asks me with all the enthusiasm of a man watching paint dry.