“Sienna, over here!”
“No, over here, Mrs. Norwood!”
“That dress is gorgeous. Who are you wearing?”
“Give us a smile!”
~A smile.~
The red carpet stretched out in front of me, looking like it went on for a million miles.
Blinding flashes, invasive questions, ogling onlookers.
All of that I could handle.
It was smiling that felt impossible right now.
What happened with Konstantin the other night was eating me up inside, his presence still lingering in my mind.
He had been using me.
For what, I wasn’t sure. But he was powerful, and he’d been exerting some level of control over me that I’d been unable to recognize.
I knew I needed to tell Aiden what had happened, but he’d been so busy with all the preparations, and the Yule Ball wasn’t the place… Or maybe it was and I was just too scared.
Aiden squeezed my hand. “Sienna, are you okay? I know this is a bit much, but we’ll be inside before you know it.”
“No, it’s fine—you’re right,” I said, forcing a smile. “Let’s go.”
I practically pulled Aiden down the red carpet, stopping as few times as possible. Until finally we were at the entrance to the pack house.
If we could just get inside, maybe everything would be…
~Ten times worse.~
When we stepped onto the top of the staircase, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up at us.~ Everyone.~
I saw my mom, tugging on my dad’s sleeve and pointing at me and Aiden, looking like she was about to have a stroke from the excitement of seeing her daughter make her grand Yule Ball entrance.
I saw Selene, beaming at me, and hoped I was doing her dress justice. It was honestly the most elegant piece of clothing I’d ever laid eyes on.
The low-cut, floor-length, gold-sequined gown must’ve taken weeks to make. She’d even made Aiden a matching gold tie.
~You really should’ve spent more time on the red carpet, Sienna. Why are you always so selfish? Only thinking of yourself.~
My gaze started darting between Mia, Erica, Josh, and Michelle. I felt like they could all read my mind, like they knew my secrets.
The way Konstantin did.
~Hold it together, Sienna.~
I lifted my chin and waved to the crowd, clutching Aiden’s hand tightly with my other hand as we descended the staircase.
I could get through anything with him at my side.
~He’s only at your side because he doesn’t know the truth.~
What were these horrible thoughts that kept creeping into my head? My anxiety shot through the roof.
When we reached the bottom of the stairs, the crowd returned to their chatter and I turned to Aiden and squeezed his hand. I had to tell him about Konstantin before I imploded.
“Aiden, I—”
“Sienna, I have to greet all the dignitaries and get some business out of the way before the feast. Will you be all right on your own for a bit?”
“Of course,” I said, trying to smile. “I’ll just find my family.”
As he walked away, the voice returned.
~See? He can’t even stand being near you. He hates the way you suck all the fun and festivity out of the room with your despair.~
“Stop. Stop tormenting me,” I muttered, holding my hands to my head.
I turned around—and almost screamed. Michelle was standing just inches from my face.
“Oh my God, Michelle, you scared me. But I’m actually glad to see you. I’m going a little crazy right now.”
Smiling, she reached out and stroked my hair. “Sienna, you’re such a stunner. And that dress—pure gold.”
“Selene designed it. She’d probably make something for you if—”
“Does your sister know you’re a slut?”
“Excuse me?” I said, shrinking back.
Michelle was still smiling, but it seemed unnatural now, not like my best friend at all.
“What about Aiden?” she continued in the same creepily blunt manner. “Does he know where you’ve been spending your nights?”
“Michelle, I don’t know what you saw, but I can explain. In fact, I need to tell someone—”
“Save your breath, Sienna. I know who you really are. Your secrets won’t stay that way for long.” Narrowing her eyes, she gestured to the crowded party full of my family and friends. “Soon, everyone will know your true nature.”
Why was she being so cruel?
The room started to feel like it was closing in on me. Everyone became a teary blur.
I couldn’t be here. I couldn’t take this.
So I ran.
~Of course. It’s what you do best.~
I tried to contain my laughter as Nina pushed me into the library, our champagne glasses sloshing all over the floor.
“Nina, be careful. This is a Persian carpet. Do you know how expensive those are?” I said, laughing as I crouched down and tried to dab it dry with my dress.
“I didn’t. Thanks for the tip.” Nina grinned. “But how will I ever fit it into my purse on the way out?”
“Stop,” I said, pulling her down on the carpet next to me. “Your thieving days are over. You’re on the straight and narrow now.”
“Hmm, definitely not straight,” she said, pulling me in for a kiss.
Every time her lips touched mine it felt like magic, and over the past few days, I’d sought out that magic time and time again.
If only I could bottle that feeling up and use it as a remedy, because it seemed to make everything better—at least for that moment.
“I have an idea,” I announced, tipsy. “Here, help me with this.”
I dragged the Persian rug over near the crackling fireplace and grabbed as many cushions and throw pillows as I could find, creating a soft den for us to collapse into.
We grasped hands and fell backward, landing in the pillow pile in a fit of giggles.
“Thanks for ditching the party with me.” I smiled. “I’m a bit burned out on Yule Balls.”
“You don’t have to thank me. I’m not exactly a girl who loves crowds—you know, being a rogue and all.”
We turned and gazed at each other. Nina’s omega eyes were shimmering from the dancing flames, and they made my heart flutter.
“My parents were both rogues,” I said suddenly. “I’ve never told anyone that before.”
“Wait, really?” she asked. “Why were they exiled?”
“They were soldiers in their pack’s militia. They disagreed with their alpha—innocent people were being hurt, and they couldn’t be complicit any longer.
“So they chose to be omega wolves instead. They’ve spent their whole lives trying to make up for their past mistakes.”
“They sound like good people.” Nina turned away. “Not like me.”
“We all make mistakes, but they don’t define us. The East Coast Pack recognized that and took them in. They can do the same for you.”
I pressed my body against Nina’s and kissed her again. “You don’t have to be alone anymore.”
“Neither do you,” she said, passionately kissing me back.
My haze ignited with desire, and I started biting at her lips as her hands fondled my breasts.
I straddled her and pulled my dress over my head while she slipped out of her own.
The heat of the fire on Nina’s naked body warmed her skin, and as my own naked flesh touched hers, I found myself wishing we could meld together into one being.
Although Raphael had skipped this year’s event, plenty of other notable alphas were in attendance.
We’d normally get drunk on the finest bottles of whiskey and swap hunting stories all night, but this year was different.
I was mated, and it was Sienna, not these dignitaries, that I wanted to spend my night with.
“Aiden, you old dog, finally settled down, eh?” Doug, the alpha of the Texas Pack, slapped me on the back. “It was looking pretty grim there for a second, being unmated and pushing thirty.”
I was in no mood for this asshole.
I noticed Josh socializing with the other betas, and an idea struck me.
“Would you excuse me for a moment?” I said, ditching Doug and jogging over to my friend.
“Josh, we need to talk about the things you said in my office the other day.”
“Oh, Aiden, listen—I was out of line when I said you’d made Sienna your new beta.”
“No, I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said, and you’re right. I’ve been taking away your responsibilities in order to make Sienna more involved.”
Josh looked stunned.
“Now that I’m mated, I can’t travel as much as I used to. I want you to act as my new ambassador—my dignitary, who I can send abroad in my place when the opportunity arises. How does that sound?”
“Aiden—I don’t know what to say—it would be an honor.”
“Great,” I said, squeezing his shoulder. “Because I need you to start right now. Go get drunk with all those foreign dignitaries in my place and keep them distracted.”
He laughed. “If that’s my duty, then I guess I have no choice.”
I surveyed the alphas, one of them in particular catching my eye—an older man with brown skin and a yellow ceremonial robe. There was something familiar about him, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
“Josh, who’s that alpha in the yellow robe?”
He followed my gaze. “Him? That’s Mateo, leader of the Colombia Pack.”
~The Colombia Pack.~
“Come with me,” I said, immediately marching over to the other alpha.
“Mateo, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you at a Yule Ball.” As I held out my hand, I hoped it wasn’t obvious that I’d forgotten who he was.
“Aiden, yes, so good to see you.” Mateo took my hand and shook it. “It’s quite the journey for me with our packs being so far apart.”
“I coincidentally had a run-in recently with a member of your pack—well, an ex-member actually. I was wondering if you could clear something up for me.”
Mateo raised his eyebrows. “An ex-member? An omega wolf then. What is their name?”
“Her name is Nina—a she-wolf. You exiled her for thievery.”
“I’m afraid you’re mistaken, Aiden.” He shook his head. “No one by that name, or for that crime, has ever been exiled from the Colombia Pack.”