Chapter 3 Dinner Hostess

ARYA

I walked further in, my legs feeling five hundred pounds heavier. The first thing I saw was the hair. Straight, blonde, almost golden. Her skin was too flawless, almost doll-like. She wore a short dress that highlighted her long legs, along with six-inch heels.

And her hand was wrapped too comfortably around Jaime’s shoulder.

Elira.

She’s one of Jaime’s childhood friends and the daughter of one of the pack’s elders. The woman the pack had always wanted him to marry.

She was everything I wasn’t. A true born pack member, raised in the spotlight, trained to be Luna, beloved by everyone.

She wasn’t just the girl next door.

She was the dream they’d built for him long before I was even considered an option.

“Luna,” she said, her smile tight and eyes colder than mine. “I didn’t hear you knock.”

“I didn’t think I needed to knock to enter my husband’s office, Elira.”

Jaime still hadn’t looked up or acknowledged my presence.

“Of course not.” She stepped away, finally gaining a semblance of shame, and circled to one of the guest chairs like she owned the space.

“What are you doing here?” he asked in a clipped tone.

The iciness in his voice made it clear the question was for me.

I glanced at Elira, who was now smirking into her lap, then back to him.

“I went to the infirmary to speak to the warrior.”

“Ryker told me you saw him alone. Why?”

He finally looked up, eyes stormy gray and displeased.

“I didn’t think I needed a babysitter to ask questions,” I said before I could stop myself. The words were sharp and reckless. I bit my lip immediately, regret already coiling in my stomach.

He didn’t speak, but the look he gave me was enough. I knew he hated it when I talked back. I’d spent years swallowing my words. But the frustration had been piling for too long.

“And did you get what you were looking for?” he asked, shifting slightly in his chair. “Do you have an explanation for why rogues would breach my pack, looking for you?”

“He didn’t say they were looking for me.”

Before Jaime could answer, the door creaked open again.

Ryker stepped in, freezing as he took in the room’s tension and cleared his throat. “Elira, I thought you said you came to see your father.”

It was his polite way of telling her to leave. Of course, she didn’t know what that meant.

“He was in a meeting,” she said sweetly, “so I thought I’d drop by and say hi to JJ.”

JJ. Like they were still twelve. I wanted to scoff.

Ryker’s eyes narrowed. “Funny. I just saw him walking out of the lunchroom.”

Elira blinked, the lie catching up to her. “I’ll go check.”

With a forced smile, she rose and strutted out, heels clicking with every step. The scent of expensive perfume clung to the air behind her.

Jaime’s eyes were still on me, unmoving and cold. I could feel his fury swelling just beneath the surface.

“Whatever business you have outside this pack,” he said slowly, “keep it there.”

He truly believed I was doing something sketchy that could hurt the pack.

My throat closed. I couldn’t find the words. I just nodded and turned to leave.

I didn’t stop until I was outside, in the parking lot, in the backseat of the car. The vehicle smelled of leather and the familiar vanilla air freshener felt like a hug. I pulled the door shut and rested my head against the cool glass.

My hands trembled as I exhaled.

And then, finally, I broke. The weight of everything came crashing down, emotions clogged my throat and my shoulders shook with my sobs.

The tears came fast and relentless.

Cracking something inside me I didn’t even realize was still holding on.

I noticed the decorators’ van in the driveway when I stepped out of the car.

Darren nodded in respect as he closed the door. He never addressed me when he saw me crying, which I appreciated. It was embarrassing enough that he witnessed it.

I wrapped my arms around myself as a shiver rolled through me. A thin veil of cold clung to the air, biting at my skin even though it was already April. There was no snow, but you wouldn’t guess that with how sharp the chill was.

I stepped inside, hugging my arms tightly across my chest until the warmth of the house surrounded me.

“Welcome back, Luna.” The warm voice came just beyond the threshold.

I turned to find Mrs Hargrove standing with her arms crossed. Her eyes crinkled at the sides as she smiled at me.

Mrs Hargrove, or Anna as I’ve learned to call her since I was a girl, has been the housekeeper at the pack house long before I arrived. She was the closest thing to a mother I had. Her silver streaked hair was in its usual low bun, not a strand out of place.

“The decorators are almost finished. Is there anything specific you’d like them to adjust?”

“Thank you, Anna.” I offered her a tired smile. “No changes. They know what to do.”

I didn’t wait for her response before walking up the stairs, the sound of my heels echoing in the empty corridor.

For a moment, I considered canceling the dinner. After everything that had happened this morning, it felt reckless to proceed. Almost irrational.

But the invitations were already sent. Prominent Alphas and council members had confirmed their attendance. And with the Alpha King’s recent grant of immunity, he might even attend. We were just waiting to hear back from his spokesperson.

It was too late. There was no way to back out now.

I turned up the heater in my room because I was very close to shaking from the cold. This would be the last time I would go out without a big warm jacket. I thought as I stripped out of my dress, and began running a warm bath. Music spilled softly from my phone as I tried to drown out my thoughts in lavender steam. I’d barely sunk into the water when my phone rang again.

I groaned, swiping to answer when I saw it was Ryker. “Please tell me you’re calling to cancel the dinner.”

“I wish,” he muttered. “There’s a new development on the rogues from this morning… but it’s not what we expected.”

My stomach tensed. “What do you mean?”

“The group that tried to breach were not rogues.”