Nicolas POV
“Evening, ladies and gentlemen,” Ronan’s voice silenced the room. “Welcome to this year’s Midnight
Moon fundraiser ball.”
The wolves’ applause made me shiver. Like every year, fundraising improved, but this year was
electrifying!
“As you all know, the yearly carnival and fundraising ball was started by our late Luna to help those
in need,” Ronan went on, praising my late mother.
My gaze swept over the ballroom. Ronan captured the attention of every wolf, who listened to him
as if it was the greatest thing they had ever heard.
A smile formed on my lips. Ronan could always find a way to have the crowd eat out of his hands.
I sighed, shaking my head proudly. What would I do without him? He made sure that the ballroom
was elegantly decorated with a perfect atmosphere.
My gaze swept over the simple but elegant decorations.
The whole ballroom was decorated in a navy blue scheme, and dim fairy light strings were flickering
like stars in the sky against the dark-colored drapes.
My gaze landed on the huge round crystal chandelier hanging in the center of the ballroom. It was
massive and impressive, and it rounded off the theme-creating an illusion of that of a full moon.
“I’m impressed,” Ray mused. “Look at those sculptures on the tables.”
I reverted my gaze curiously toward the tables.
They were huge wolf sculptures, carved in different positions, centered in the center of the tables.
However, the decorations were not what impressed me the most about tonight; it was the number
of wolves who came to attend the ball.
This year we had even more Alphas, ranks, and even some of their lower pack members attending.
“That’s because of the auction,” Ray commented sourly.
“Yeah, but we do an auction every year,” I replied.
“Not when your hand is involved,” Ray growled.
“But we have discussed and resolved that issue already,” I replied. “I am mated and….”
“That makes no difference,” Ray cut me off. “Your father made the arrangements. The council
agreed. There will be no choice but to auction yourself off.”
I wanted to argue, but Ray interrupted me.
“The people will lose their faith in you,” he said seriously. “It will ruin your reputation, and no one
will ever attend this yearly fundraiser again.”
I huffed, annoyed. Ray knew exactly what to say to piss me off. And the worst part-he was right.
“Hopefully Zara will attend and outbid everyone,” he said, eyeing me. “That’s if she is not that angry
at you.”
I knew what he was hinting at. I ignored him and turned my attention back to Ronan.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the man of the evening who made all this possible, Alpha Nicholas,” Ronan
called over the microphone.
The ballroom erupted in applause as the stage light moved toward where I was standing. I stepped
toward the stage, but someone abruptly grabbed my shoulder and stopped me.
My father’s familiar scent tickled my nose, making Ray growl inside my head.
“Make me proud, son,” my father said behind me.
He has some nerve to stop and approach me in front of a crowd. I felt a surge of anger spiral inside
me.
A low growl erupted from my chest as I turned to meet his gaze. My eyes flashed black, warning him
that Ray was in control.
“Don’t touch me!” I sneered between gritted teeth and forcefully brushed his hand from my
shoulder, extending my aura. “You have lost the title of father. I am no longer your son!”
He watched me in shock and waited for him to say something-the tension growing between us.
He swallowed hard, dropped his gaze, and stepped back.
I spun around and sprinted towards the stage, maintaining a casual demeanor.
“Your father has guts,” Ray stated.
“Yeah, and one of these days he will not be so lucky,” I hissed under my breath.
I made my way up the stage, climbed the few steps, and went closer to shake Ronan’s hand. He
stepped aside and gave me room at the podium.
“Good evening, everyone,” I greeted with a warm and genuine smile. “As you all know, we have a
fundraiser ball every year to raise funds for the wolf orphanage.”
My gaze swept over all the tables and faces. I eventually notice Levi and Luke joining a table near the
far end at the exit. Both didn’t have masks on and seemed to only take their seats now.
Were they late?
What delayed them?
Do they know where Zara is?
My heart sank to my shoes when I noticed that Zara wasn’t sitting at the table.
Where the hell is she?
I started searching for her parents, hoping to find them in the crowd. Maybe she had joined their
table.
“I am deeply passionate about this project…” I continued.
A sudden and sharp sensation pierced my chest, causing me to gasp for breath.
My hand instinctively shot to my chest, making the room erupt in shocked and worried gasps.
Ronan quickly joined me, his expression alternating between confusion and concern. He hesitated to
come close to.
“Alpha, what is going on? Are you okay?” Ronan asked. Concern laced his voice. “Do you need to sit
down and take a break? Should I call the doctor?”
I lifted my gaze and weakly smiled at him as I bit back the pain.
“No need. I am fine. The pain will pass,” I replied, swallowing back a moan. “It is just heartburn.”
Ronan rolled his eyes, his face twisted in annoyance. I had never experienced heartburn before, and
he was well aware that I was deceiving him.
“Sorry, folks,” I waved at them, taking a deep breath as I lifted my head. “No need to worry or be
concerned. I apologize if I scared you. Everything is fine. I promise. I guess I should, in the future,
refuse to eat Beta Ronan’s Mexican wraps. My stomach seems to dislike his spicy food!”
The wolves erupted in laughter, while Ronan glared daggers at me.
“There is nothing wrong with my cooking, Nicolas!” he hissed in a low tone, clearly annoyed. “You
grabbed your chest, not your stomach! What the hell is going on with you?”
I dropped my shoulders in defeat. Lying to Ronan wouldn’t help. He will discover the truth sooner
rather than later.
“I don’t know what is wrong with me,” I admitted, biting down on my jaw as the next set of
excruciating pain washed over me. “I have been having these chest pains since this late afternoon. I
don’t know what is causing it, but I am in excruciating pain at the moment.”
Ronan narrowed his eyes at me, but before he could say anything, I continued with the proceedings.
“In a moment we will introduce to you our willing contestants for this year’s auction. They are just as
excited as you are and can’t wait to meet everyone,” I stated.
The crowd went wild, and a few wolf howls sounded from the back of the hall.
A smile formed on my lips. I gestured to the crowd to settle down.
“But before we show you all the handsome wolves, we will need to take a short break,” I said. “In
the meantime, grab a drink and snack, settle in, and prepare your cash. We have a fun-filled agenda
for you…”
Before I could continue, the sound of wolves growling filled the hall, causing chaos…
****