SHADOW
The lunch went well. Zarah left home for a meeting with the High Priestess.
The least I expected was to sit next to Everlee, let alone laugh with her, but in the shallow and ambitious woman I used to know, there was her sweet and thoughtful version. I saw beforehand how she took care of her mate.
She was once Califf’s woman, so she should not be around me. I should despise her more for her father’s betrayal and marching to our compound to kill me, but that was in the past. She seemed to have grown so much. She wasn’t the bitch I used to know. In fact, watching her suffer before her mate hurt me as well.
“Hey.” She stood at the door. “Thanks for this.” She looked fantastic in a new black party dress.
“You’re welcome.” I coated my eyelashes. I’d watched a lot of tutorials but still couldn’t perfect it. It shouldn’t be complicated, but I still did a terrible job. “My father has a lot of money and doesn’t mind me spending a few dollars of his wealth.”
“He seems a good father.” She joined me, picking the color of lipstick line-up in the drawer.
“He wasn’t.” I looked at her in the mirror. “His twin brother was the man who raised me, who I thought was my real father.”
Everlee stilled. “What do you mean?”
“My dad was Samuel, whom I didn’t know was a Lycan from a royal family, and my mother was Aurora, who was a witch. At that time, I didn’t even pay attention to why his white, gray wolf was bigger than anyone else. I thought it was an Alpha thing.”
“What about your mother?” She recoated her lips with the red shade.
“That one looks good on you.” I stole a glance over her lips as she pressed them together, making her bow lips look supple, which reminds me of Taylor Swift. “Well, my mother was Zarah’s best friend. She left her coven and was forbidden to use her power or any kind of magic. Then Sebastien came in. He thought she was his mate since he was the first to meet my mother. Grandpa said Samuel was the free spirit among the twins since he was just the spare.”
“And Sebastien was the next in line.”
“Exactly, but he loved my mother. So, I don’t know if you’ve heard of something like a dream spell.”
“Yeah. I’ve heard of it.”
“Then he used it and literally deceived my mother.”
“Samuel and Sebastien were identical twins?” She stared at me.
“Yes. When I first saw him, I thought he was my dad, but their voices were different. Dad had a sweet and soft voice, while Sebastien, you know it already. He has a playful, strict, egotistic tone.”
“You just met him recently?”
“Yes. After I joined the pack, I was raised by a human.”
“Kent Marks.”
“I owed him so much. He’s the best and most supportive dad and never treats me differently. He was there during my first transformation.”
“I’m so sorry about what happened to him.” She faced me. I felt the sincerity in her voice. I guess people truly changed.
“Thanks.”
“And for hurting you.”
I smiled. “Me too. Sorry for being too hard on you. I know we started on the wrong foot, but I’m glad there’s a chance for us to be friends. I don’t like the feeling that someone hates me.”
“Deep in my heart, I knew I didn’t hate you. I guess I was just insecure and jealous that suddenly Cal lost interest in me, and I was hurt watching him with all his attention on you, the attention I craved he gave, but I never had.”
“How’s Calder?”
“Oh.” Her eyes lit up. She was really in love with him. Either it was a mating bond, or she liked Calder so much. “Cal was right. Someone is out there for me.”
When she mentioned Califf, it should have triggered something deep inside me. My wolf should be irritated, but not today. She knew Everlee wasn’t a threat anymore.
“When I first met Calder at the party, it all clicked together,” she continued. “And I instantly felt what people said that when you met your mate, everything surrounds you-”
My eyes widened because I could relate. “Slows down and disappears, and it’s just you and him? Yeah, I know the feeling.”
“Then he was just standing there, staring at me.” When she smiled, I giggled. “To my surprise, he’s Cal’s big brother. I didn’t see that coming.”
I joined her giggling like school girls. “Me too. I mean, who saw that coming? I’m glad I invited him to join us.”
“So I owe you, huh?” She beamed at me.
“You deserve to be happy, Everlee. I’m glad you found a good man. Califf is such an amazing mate and a husband. I don’t think I can live without him. He’s my life, my soul.”
“I can see it.” She touched my arm and smiled. “And he feels the same. How he looks at you is like you are his entire world.”
“Are you girls ready?” My man came. He must have heard what we talked about. I saw the light in his eyes. “The driver is waiting.”
“Where’s Calder?” Everlee asked.
“Chatting with her grandpa.” He tipped his chin at me, smiling.
“I’ll go ahead. See you both down.”
When Everlee’s heartbeat faded in my hearing, I studied him. “How much have you heard of my conversation with Everlee?”
“Why? Are you taking back the ‘I don’t think I can live without him’?” He smiled in amusement.
“You should not eavesdrop, Alpha.” With my heart pounding, I snaked my arms around his neck and touched my nose against him. He was tall, but I wore four inches platform heels. “And I mean it.”
“I can’t live without you, too, baby. Or I’d rather die.” He stared at me all hungry, eyes darkened, so expressive, and I saw all the unspoken words inside his head and heart, making me feel special. He then angled his head and pressed his lips against mine. “I love you.”
“We should get going.”
His gaze found my neck. “You’re not wearing Zarah’s necklace.”
“It kinda doesn’t match my outfit.”
“You look gorgeous, baby.”
We arrived at the renowned nightclub in town. Thanks to my father, who owned it, we got VIP access.
Everlee and I went dancing after we had a drink. The brothers decided to stay in the VIP room. She dragged me into the center through the sea of people. The music was fantastic.
“I hadn’t had fun in a while, and it wasn’t like this.”
I smiled as I leaned in. “The last time I went to a nightclub when I fought with Califf, Zarah put a potion in our drinks, and it made me so horny.”
She laughed out loud. “You’re kidding.”
I also laughed as I shook my head. “I wish I were, but I just jumped into Califf and forgot I was mad at him. I didn’t know Zarah planned everything to get rid of me and wanted me to make up with Califf.”
We danced for a while, and I began sweating, but the music was enthralling. I wished the guys were here and we could have a lot more fun, but going to a nightclub wasn’t part of the plan. When my father suggested going out and having fun, I thought, why not?
“Do you think there are some werewolves in here? It’s hard to isolate their scents with these humans.”
“Probably.”
“But who cares, right?”
“Yeah. And this is fun! We have the right to have fun for a while, right?” I threw my hands in the air and joined these people when the music changed to a popular DJ’s club dance remix music.
“Definitely!”
I got lost in the music for a while until a familiar scent hit my nostrils, and strong arms and large hands wrapped around my waist.
“You look fucking hot,” Califf whispered in my ear, his voice husky. He pressed his rock-hard body against me, following my moves.
A shiver went through me. The crackles of sexual tension electrified the air between us. His hands skimmed down my hips, and the anticipation was killing me, but he knew how to tease me and make me ache.
“And I don’t know you have moves up your sleeve, Alpha.” I felt every inch of his muscles clenching his heartbeat and the bulge in his pants as I pushed back my ass, and I was instantly turned on.
Damn.
“You’re aroused.” He groaned and sniffed my neck.
“And you’re hard.”
“Fuck, baby. I want you.”
I turned around, watched him with focus, and wrapped my arms around his neck- his eyes darkened as the tension between us sizzled. He looked terrifyingly beautiful as he clenched his jaw hard, his lashes lowered, and dropped his gaze to my lips- he was turned on.
“I’m having fun, big guy.”
He leaned in and whispered, “But we’ll fuck later.”
“It depends on how this night ends.”
He did a slow, aggravated exhale before he spoke in a husky voice. “Damn, baby. You’re killing me.”
We stared at each other as if calculating our next move. My heartbeat just went over the roof.
“I need a drink.” I pulled away. I didn’t want to jump into him and make out in the VIP while Everlee and Calder had fun.
“I’m coming with you.”
I stopped him and placed a hand on his chest. “Have fun, Alpha. I’ll come and find you later.”
“Come back to me soon, baby.”
I couldn’t help but smile. Califf could be clingy sometimes, and I loved that he’d rather spend his free time with me than play golf or something.
I slid into the stool and ordered, “Negroni, please?”
While I was waiting, I turned to face the dance floor. Califf was tall, but I could barely see him through the crowd. Everlee and Calder were still dancing.
“Your Negroni, miss,” I heard the barkeep say.
“Thank you.” Califf’s met my gaze. I remembered what I said to Everlee earlier. Like right now, everything around us faded, just me and the man I loved. I connected a link with him. “Come over here, my love.”
He smiled. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?”
“Just come here.” I grabbed my drink, raised the glass for Califf, and took a sip. I instantly felt something was off in the taste.
I swallowed hard. My throat burned- something I never felt before- it was stronger, melting, choking me.
My mind ran a million miles an hour. I couldn’t think straight. I couldn’t scream.
With wide eyes in horror, my heart hammered against my ribcage. Then horror turned to rage. Gasping, my hand clutched around my neck, straining and struggling against an abrupt paralysis until I fell from my seat.
Something inside my head snapped. “Wolfs-“