Chapter 108

Kayla

The way that Nicholas basically repeated the command to eat that I had given him at the cabin wasn’t lost on me. In fact, if circumstances had been different, I might have even laughed—just as we had all laughed at the cabin.

But something about the cold, no-nonsense authority in Nicholas’s voice gave me pause. I stared up at him for a moment, but just a moment, before I begrudgingly complied and grabbed the sandwich.

I took a big bite, then another, and another. It was exactly what I needed, it seemed, because soon the hunger pangs dissipated along with some of the fuzziness in my head. Nicholas didn’t say a word the entire time—just stared at me, his arms folded, as if he expected me to jump up and try to make a run for it.

By the time I was finished, my drunkenness had faded ever so slightly into something more manageable and my stomach felt pleasantly full. I glanced up at Nicholas, suddenly feeling even more embarrassed than before.

He took a swig of the wine, then tucked the bottle under his arm and grabbed the tray.

“Feel better now?” he asked.

I nodded stiffly, my cheeks flushing an even deeper shade of red.

Nicholas turned to leave, but then paused at the foot of my bed. He glanced at me over his shoulder and said, “By the way, I forgot to mention this sooner, but we have a guild charity auction to attend tomorrow evening. I need my Luna by my side if we’re going to make a good impression.”

I wasn’t sure if the way he called me his Luna excited me or if the fact that we’d have to rub elbows with the guild for a night aggravated me.

“Unfortunately, I have a meeting right before the event,” he said before I could respond. “The driver will take you to the venue. We can meet there.”

And just like that, he was gone. It seemed I didn’t have much of a choice, not that I would have said no anyway.

The next day, I woke up much later than I intended, my head pounding from my hangover. After some painkillers, coffee, and a whole lot of moaning, I felt well enough to start getting ready for the event.

However, when I looked for Jade and Emma to see if they’d hang out while I got ready, they were nowhere to be found. I texted them and found out that they had gone out for manicures and brunch—something that they had apparently tried to wake me for, but I’d been too hungover to even notice their attempts.

“Oh well,” I muttered as I slipped my phone into my pocket and made my way upstairs.

As I rifled through my closet for something to wear, though, I realized that I knew very little about this event. I wasn’t sure of the dress code, and Nicholas was too busy to answer his phone.

I was just about to give up when Anna, who must have heard my grumbling, knocked on my open door. I turned to see her poking her head in with a furrowed brow.

“Are you alright?” she asked softly as she glanced at the pile of rejected outfits on the floor.

I stiffened on instinct, as if she were a snake slithering into my room. But I managed a smile and said, “I’m just trying to figure out what to wear to this event, and I’m not sure of the dress code.”

Anna stepped into the room. “I could help. It’s the guild’s charity auction, right?” she asked, to which I nodded.

Before I could protest, Anna was hurrying into my closet. “I’ve been to this event before,” she said as she rifled through my clothes. “It’s not too formal. In fact, it’s better if you dress more low key, since they prefer the focus to be on the artwork they’re auctioning off and not the outfits.”

With a flourish, Anna finally pulled out a simple pair of black trousers and a white shirt—classy, but understated. I hesitated for a moment, wondering if something this low key was really ideal for a charity auction hosted by the guild, but the clock was ticking, so I accepted the outfit with another smile and thanked her. Anna grinned and scurried out of the room, leaving me to get dressed.

An hour later, I was dressed and pulling up to the event. I’d paired the black pants and crisp white button-down with some closed-toe pumps, pulling my hair into a neat bun. I kept my makeup simple, too, and opted for my only jewelry to be my Luna necklace and ring.

And my mother’s charm bracelet, of course.

But the moment I pulled up to the venue, I felt my stomach drop. The other guests looked nothing short of radiant, with trailing gowns and elegant tuxedos. Cameras were flashing on the red carpet leading up to the front doors.

“I’m underdressed,” I breathed, my breath lodging in my throat.

The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror. “Do you need me to take you home to change, Luna?”

I almost said yes. But then I glanced at my phone, already seeing multiple texts from Nicholas saying he had arrived. It wasn’t worth it to keep him waiting, I figured, so I got out of the car and hurried up the red carpet.

One nice thing about my outfit, I supposed, was that hardly anyone photographed me. I figured it was just because I looked so plain, but when I stepped inside, I realized why.

I was dressed like the staff.

“Shit,” I cursed under my breath, turning around. “I need to change.”

“Kayla!”

The sound of Nicholas’s voice caused me to turn again. He looked handsome as usual in a neat tuxedo, his dark hair swept back. Even from here, I could smell his expensive cologne.

I hurried toward him, my face turning red as I passed by the waiters and waitresses who were wearing the exact same outfit as me. “Nicholas, I didn’t know this was a black tie event,” I hissed, grabbing his arm.

Nicholas glanced down at me, his green eyes sweeping across my attire. “You could have checked the website,” he said slowly. “But you look fine, really. Maybe just let your hair down, and you’ll fit in a bit better.”

I frowned, but turned on my heel to find the bathroom so I could do just that. As I made my way through the crowded venue, I took a deep breath, forcing my shoulders back. It was just one event, hardly—

“Did you see her?”

That female voice in the hall just around the corner to the bathrooms made me freeze.

“She’s just as low-class as they say,” another voice giggled. “Luna Kayla, the wolfless brute of a woman.”

My heart stopped.

“I hear she sparred with multiple people recently,” the first woman replied. “It seems she’ll threaten to beat up anyone who bothers her.”

“And then proceeds to show up to the guild auction dressed like a tomboy!”

“So typical of a wolfless woman… No class. None at all.”

The women dissolved into a fit of laughter, and what was worse, they didn’t even notice me as they rounded the corner and brushed past, because they thought I was a member of the staff.

And worse than that, even, I said nothing. I should have told them off, called them out for their cruel words, but… I didn’t. I couldn’t. I just… stood there.

Because it hurt. Badly.

And because it would only prove their point if I stood up for myself.

By that point, I was eager to get away. I turned around again, intending to leave the event entirely—tell Nicholas that I was sick after drinking too much last night, that I needed to go home.

But just as I turned, I bumped into a solid frame.

“Something wrong, Miss Sterling?”

My breath caught, and I looked up to see none other than Mr. Gray grinning down at me.