Emily’s POV
“I would love to,” I said, smiling up at Luke as I placed my hand in his.
Xavier tried to stop me, shaking his head and indicating he wasn’t pleased by my decision.
“I’m just going for a dance,” I told him. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
Xavier nodded with a sigh, and Paul growled under his breath, yet I gave him no attention and followed Luke happily to the dance floor.
“You look breathtaking in that dress,” Luke said, making me twirl under his hand to get a better look at my beautiful, delicate, and low v-neck navy-colored dress.
The v-neck was complimenting my full bust, and the skirt looked like flowing water moving around me.
To complete the look, I chose a pair of silver round strappy 6″ stilettos, giving me the much-needed height among all these huge wolves.
Sasha was tasked with braiding my hair and left some loose curls to softly frame my face. The hairdo wasn’t something special or wild, but it did look natural and complemented the look.
“So do you, Beta,” I said, placing my hand on his shoulder. “I have never seen you this dolled up.”
Luke was dressed in a white tuxedo, a dark blue dress shirt, and black dance shoes. His golden locks were neatly combed to the side, and he even shaved for the event.
Luke chuckled at the compliment and pulled me closer-we were about to meet Waltz.
“I was forced,” Luke said, his tone light.
“I surely don’t believe that, Beta,” I said, teasingly.
“Are you calling my bluff, Luna?” he asked, seemingly startled.
I chuckled, amused, following Luke’s steps as he steered me around the dance floor.
“It was your idea after all to open Tango Hearts,” I said. “I assume you love dressing up.”
“To dance, Luna,” he quickly corrected. “Not to dress up in a monkey suit.”
“You look good in it,” I said. “It is different from your ‘daily jump in the first pair of clean jeans and grab whatever clean shirt you have style. You should dress up more. This suits you well.”
Our conversation and teasing flowed with ease, and without noticing, we continued dancing through the second song.
“Who taught you to dance?” I asked, surprised that Luke could keep up with me.
“The same instructor who taught Alpha Alex to dance,” Luke said, looking down at me.
I could sense there was a silent ‘but’ somewhere, so I asked.
Luke chuckled at the question, shaking his head.
“Nothing goes unnoticed by you, Luna,” he commented, smiling.
“Nope,” I said. “So?”
“Alpha Alex loves the finer things in dancing,” Luke said. “I, on the other hand, enjoy hip-hop, swing, and modern dancing.”
I nodded in understanding. I was familiar with all the styles.
“So tell me, Luna,” he said, doing an underarm turn. “How did you get to love dancing?”
My face flushed, remembering the first dance I ever had with Alex.
I internally sighed. Things were much easier then.
“It was just a simple dare during Spin the Bottle, who won me a dance with a young Alpha when I was still a teen. It got me hooked,” I said, shrugging.
Luke steered me to the outside of the dance floor, did another underarm turn, and steered me toward the door.
A giggle erupted from my lips when we were outside.
“Beta,” I said. “The party is inside, not out here.”
“I know,” Luke said, his eyes betraying some mischief and secrets. “But I believe you would have more fun out here!”
Alex’s apple crumble scent suddenly assaulted my nose, and Willow went crazy inside my mind.
“Mate!” She yapped excitedly. “Mate is here! Mate is near!”
I froze in my spot, closed my eyes, and took a deep and long breath of Alex’s delicious and rich scent.
His scent enveloped me, wrapping me in my own personal cocoon and turning my insides to mush.
How I missed him.
I longed for his touch.
“May I cut in?” Alex’s husky voice sounded like a whisper close to my ear.
My breath hitched at the sound of his voice, and a shiver ran down my spine.
It was going to be hard to say ‘no’.
Luke let go of me, stepped away, and I slowly turned to face Alex.
Alex was standing so close to me that I could feel his warm breath fanning my face and feel his powerful aura move around him.
“Alpha Alexander,” I muttered under my breath. His scent was beginning to intoxicate me, intensifying my burning desire.
Alex looked so deliciously handsome tonight, and I wouldn’t mind having a little taste of him.
“Royal Gamma Emily,” he replied, his voice turning husky and full of lust as he dropped his head to my ear. “You look absolutely mouthwatering tonight.”
I shifted my gaze to read his eyes, and I found them to be full of love and desire.
“So do you,” I whispered, and I eyed his bow tie.
Alex caught me staring and asked, “Don’t you like it?” He narrowed his eyes. “Luke gave them to me.”
“On the contrary,” I said, pulling the bow tie straight. “It matches my dress.”
Alex’s gaze shifted to Luke, who was standing at the door, keeping an eye out, and then back to me.
“What? How?” He asked, startled.
I giggled.
Didn’t he notice that?
“Luke helped me pick and order my dress on his last visit,” I explained. “He made sure that your tie would match my dress.”
“Sneaky! Bastard!” Alex said, with wonder in his gray eyes.
Alex pulled me to him and snaked his arms around me, and I sighed in contentment. It felt so right to be in his arms, yet so wrong.
“I have missed you so much,” he whispered against my hair. “I feel lost without you.”
I cupped his face, feeling my emotions taking the best of me.
“I have missed you too,” I replied, yet worry and sadness filled my heart. “King Xavier is not going to be very satisfied if he sees me with you.”
I wasn’t sure what Xavier would do if he saw me with Alex.
I stepped away.
“I don’t care,” he said, taking my hand. “You are my goddess-gifted mate, and I love you.”
“Alex,” I said, just above a whisper. “You are making it very difficult for both of us. We can’t meet like this. What if Xavier sees me with you? Or worse, Angelica!”
“Let King Xavier see us. I will state my case,” he said, and a teasing smile followed on his lips. “And regarding the witch, my parents are taking care of her. They even want her out of the way.”
A surprised giggle escaped my lips. I couldn’t believe my ears; even Luna and Alpha were against Angelica.
“So?” Alex said, holding out his hand. “Would you like to dance?” He asked.
“Out here?” I squealed.
“Sure,” he said. “Do you trust me?”
I nodded.
What happened next was like something out of a fairy tale.
****