Seven

TESSA’S POV
A strong yet sweet scent hung in the air. I gasped as it came from the man who was offering me a deadly glare while a woman on her bended knees was pleasuring him.
His pair of marble gray eyes radiated dominance; his thick dark brown-colored eyebrows were furrowed and his dark brown-colored hair was messy but still managed to look perfect. I’ve never seen such prominent jaws; his were sculpted perfectly to complement his pointed nose and thin peach lips. Lastly, his fair skin glowed because of the sweat forming on his body.
The moan of the woman doing him echoed in my ears. Damn this enhanced hearing ability!
Still stunned, my eyes widened at how she swallowed him wholly, making his mouth form an ‘O’ and then groaned afterward. Realizing that I was witnessing something I shouldn’t have seen, I stepped back with a faint expression, and immediately ran downstairs. My heart raced fast as I could not take the man’s face off my mind. He was no doubt attractive… and seemingly dangerous.
Reaching the foot of the stairs with my head lowered, I bumped into someone.
“Tessa, is that you?” The familiar voice of Beta’s daughter made me sigh in relief.
“M-Mikhaela!”
She gasped as her eyes feasted on me. “Holy cow! You look… different! The dress suits you so well!”
“T-Thank you,” I said shyly and offered her a thin smile. “You look perfect in your red dress, Mikhaela…”
A smirk spread across her face, and then she spun around like a princess. “I’ve had a hard time preparing at the last minute, but it appears to be worth it. Everyone’s praising me. But hey, did my brother really pick you up?”
I was still in the process of calming my emotions after what I’d witnessed upstairs when Mikhaela looped her arms against mine. She smiled playfully while waiting for my answer.
Inhaling heavily, I nodded in response. “Y-Yeah. Cohen went to our house and said you told him to pick me up…”
Mikhaela chuckled mischievously. “I’m glad he did!”
I’m glad he picked me up too, I said in my mind, afraid to voice it out, and only gave Mikhaela a smile to hide my happiness. It’s really a good thing that no one except for the vampires could mind link me. I don’t know how I will deal with shame once the werewolves find out that I have a crush on the future Beta of the pack, especially Mikhaela.
“Tessa,” Aunt Alice called for me.
She walked towards us with a smile, and greeted Mikhaela.
“I thought you were going to ignore my request. Thanks for bringing the new girl here, Alice,” Mikhaela stated.
Aunt Alice tapped her arm. “How could I ever refuse the Beta’s daughter?” She then turned to me. “Come with me, Tess. I’ll introduce you to Beta and his wife.”
“I’ll come with you,” Mikhaela said.
We followed Aunt Alice as she walked near the center platform, and then she approached a couple on one of the high tables made on porcelain.
“Beta Hugo,” Aunt Alice called the attention of the man, who appeared to be in his late 40’s, wearing a nice suit and a friendly expression. “Taylor…” Then turned to the woman, who definitely looked like a Greek goddess. “Allow me to introduce you to my niece, Tessa Finley.” She reached for my hand, and slightly tugged me. “Tessa, they are Mikhaela and Cohen’s parents.”
I offered the couple a genuine smile and bowed my head to show my respect since they were highly ranked members of the pack.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Brookes,” I said politely.
“This girl looks very much like her mother, Alice,” the Beta commented with a smile.
My heart raced a bit knowing that he was Cohen’s father. He appeared to be so approachable and not as dangerous as I imagined when my aunt briefed me about the important members of the pack.
“I hope that you’ll have a great time in the pack, my dear, and welcome to the Crimson Shadows Pack,” Mrs. Brookes said sweetly.
“T-Thank you so much,” I said, still amazed at how warm they were for a new member like me.
The Steinfields were distant to me even if we lived under the same roof. This kind of hospitality made my heart flutter.
“She’s my new best friend, mom and dad,” Mikhaela exclaimed.
The couple laughed and nodded.
Our attention was caught by the loud applause of the host from the center platform, who seemed to be the chamberlain. The crowd went silent and focused on him.
“Behold as the Alpha and Luna will join us tonight to celebrate the heir’s nineteenth birthday celebration. Let us all welcome our very own Alpha Frank and Luna Serene!”
The crowd bowed their heads. Aunt Alice pushed my head down to pay respect. Seconds later, the Alpha and Luna walked onto the center platform with their hands intertwined. While the Beta and his wife looked friendly and down-to-earth, the highest leaders of the pack appeared to me uptight and had domineering auras. The mere sight of their presence made me want to pee. They were the most powerful shifters here, and they were dressed in gold and pearls. They didn’t say anything, and proceeded to sit on the two throne chairs on the center platform.
The chamberlain cleared his throat and continued, “Now for the highlight of this event. I am announcing the presence of our future Alpha… Atlas Edevane!”
The crowd bowed their heads once again. I was about to do the same, but my curiosity was piqued when I heard the footsteps of the future Alpha. My gaze went up and followed him as he walked into the center platform, dressed in white formal suit and temptation.
I gasped softly, not because of how charismatic he was, but because he looked so familiar. I’d never forget those pair of marble gray eyes that gave me a deadly glare as I peeped through the door and witnessed him having sex with someone.
He walked with grace and power, his chin up and face sporting a blank expression until his gaze met mine… and dang! My heartbeat raced loudly inside my chest. My lips parted as panic went through me. His gaze never left me, and seconds later, a smirk flashed across his face, as if to tell me he remembered me.
I sucked in a breath and lowered my head, unable to bear his heavy gaze on me.
He was the future Alpha! Oh, no…. how could I ever face him after what happened a while ago?
After the introduction, the event proceeded as normal. There was classical music playing in the background, shifters chit-chatting and having a good time, and some were dancing on the dance floor.
Meanwhile, I was on the corner and trying to hide as much as possible.
“Tessa, come on! We should hang around with others!” Mikhaela pouted her lips as she tried to tug me.
She wanted to join the other female werewolves at their table, but I had no courage to do so. I might as well stay here where I am unnoticeable. My heart was still racing wildly at the realization that struck me.
“Y-You go ahead. I just want to stay here. The crowd is overwhelming…” I reasoned and offered her an apologetic look.
She sighed, and nodded in the end. “Fine. I’ll just go greet them and come back here, so you have company.”
“Thanks, Mikhaela…”
With that, she went to the others and greeted them. I sipped on my cucumber juice, trying to calm myself and make sure no one’s watching me. I craned my neck a little, hoping that I could find my guardians, but they seemed to have socialized somewhere else.
Shit… I just want to go home.
I looked to the left side of the event hall and noticed that the future Alpha started to greet some visitors. My heart rate picked up, as he continued to move his way towards my direction. Afraid that he might see me, I walked to the other corner with my head lowered, only to be bumped by someone that made my glass of cucumber juice fall to the floor, creating a loud sound that silenced the crowd.
I could have sworn that my breath hitched instantly. Shaking, I knelt on the floor to get the scattered broken glass when I heard footsteps coming in my direction.
“Get up, little wolf. You don’t work here as a maid,” a deep, dangerous voice said.
He smelled of summer rain, which drew me to look up, and I gasped when I realized who it was.
Atlas Adevane….