#Chapter 11: The Mixer
Lyra & Kael
Lyra
I smoothed my hands over my simple blue dress one last time, taking a deep breath as I stared through the large double
doors leading into the grand banquet hall.
The dozens of long dining tables and benches that usually dominated the space for meals had been pushed off to the sides to make room for the dance floor, and where the professors‘ table typically resided at the far end of the room, there was now a temporary buffet.
Before even entering the room, the din of voices and music was nearly overwhelming. In my past life, during our marriage, Kael rarely let me go to events with him for fear of our relationship being discovered.
Needless to say, it had been a while since I had attended an event like this.
Aren’t you coming in?” Blanca, beaming beside me, grabbed my arm. “Come on, I think I see your brother. He might be looking for you?
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I could see Keel near the dance floor, dressed in a navy blazer over a crisp white button down. One hand was stuffed into his trouser pocket and the other was holding a cup of glowing purple moonflower punch.
From here, he looked handsome. The way he smiled at the girls fawning over him, the subtle curve of his lips as he spoke to them–he almost even appeared charming
Too bad I knew the truth.
But Bianca was already dragging me toward him. As we approached, I could hear his voice carrying over the music, clear and
distinct
“No, thank you. I’m not looking to dance right now.”
The she–wolves exchanged confused glances. Even I couldn’t help but blink in surprise. Keel Draven, refusing the chance to dance with a beautiful female? Even with a girlfriend to think about, it was unlike him.
Had he been possessed or something?
Before I could dwell on it for too long, Kael turned toward us. Dark eyes flicked over me briefly, and for a moment, it seemed. as if he might say something.
But then Blanca quickly stepped in the way and smiled. “Kael! It’s good to see you.”
Karl’s black eyebrows shot up. “And you are..7′′
Bianca blanched briefly, although she quickly recovered, placing her hand on my shoulder and grinning. Goddess, just the feeling of her touching me made me want to retch. “Oh, I’m Bianca. Lyra’s friend.”
“Roommate,” I corrected, carefully plucking her hand off of my shoulder with two fingers. Maybe I let myself fall for her tricks in my past life, but in this one, I was not her friend.
“Right..” Kael glanced between the two of us in a very disinterested manner.
TU OUL
his
cup of
Just as I was about to turn to leave, a server carrying a tray of wine approached. “Wine, miss?” he asked, holding the tray
Nodding. I reached for one of the glasses. But before I could take it, Kael suddenly swatted my hand away, shoving moonflower punch into my fingers instead.
“You’re not drinking tonight”
I flashed him a glare. “Why not?” Who gave him the right to tell me what I could and couldn’t do?
#25 BONUS
Kael tilted his head, dark strands of hair falling across his brow. “Need I remind you of the incident at the party?” he asked, his voice low enough so only 1 could hear. “You drank yourself silly and didn’t come home all night. Mom was worried sick about you.”
I curled my lip indignantly. “Need I remind you that it was you
your friends who dared me to drink like that, and you just stood there watching, knowing fully well that I had never had that much alcohol before?”
his f
favor that I
Kael’s mouth opened, then closed again. Good. Let him be at a loss for words.
If only he had stepped in, none of that would have happened. I was foolish, yes–I admitted that–but it was h was trying to gain by doing something so reckless.
And besides, I didn’t know what it was like to truly be drunk. Alcohol consumption was common and legal in the Northern Territories amongst wolves past the age of seventeen, but that didn’t mean I had enough experience to know when to stop drinking and what to do if I’d had too much
Kael knew better. He was older and more experienced, and he could have stopped his friends from daring me to do something that they all knew would make me sick.
But he didn’t. He just stood there.
Knowing him, he probably enjoyed seeing me make a fool of myself. He probably enjoyed the bullying I faced afterwards too, the crude comments and nasty jokes.
“Anyway,” I said, reaching for another wine glass, “I don’t have to obey you. I’m of age, and I know my limits now
Kael’s eyes flashed dangerously as I picked up the wine glass and took a sip. It was dry and tangy as it went down my throat, probably not as delicious as the sweet, non alcoholic moonflower punch, but seeing the look on his face was even tastier.
Bianca, who had been standing nearby this entire time like some kind of parasite, cleared her throat as the music began to pick up.
“Kael,” she said, smiling, “I can’t help but notice that neither of us have a dance partner.”
Kael barely shot her a glance. One of his friends, a male with striking blond hair and blue eyes who had been leaning against a nearby table, grinned impishly.
“Oh, I think Kael is already taken,” he chuckled. “Lyra is always clinging to him. You might want to find another dance partner.”
The other nearby males laughed as Bianca’s face turned red. My stomach twisted violently, but I maintained a neutral expression and stepped back
“Not interested,” I replied coolly, gesturing to Kael. “Bianca, he’s all yours.”
Keel
I blinked as Lyra stepped back and turned to her friend
“Bianca, he’s all yours
What?
This had to be sarcasm, right? Lyra had been obsessed with me for years now–the girl I knew never would have openly set me up with her roommate. She had to still be mad at me for what happened at the party and was trying to irk me.
There was no other explanation for it
Yeah, well, two could play at this game.
“Fine,” I said, barely shooting her roommate a glance. “I’ll dance with you.”
+25 BONUS
Bianca looked like she was about to implode with joy. Without hesitating, she took my arm and dragged me over to the dance. floor, much to the amusement of my nearby friends. She was beautiful, I had to give her that–green eyes, blonde hair, tall and slender with rosebud lips–but I was too distracted to pay her much attention
My gaze kept flicking over her shoulder to Lyra, who was now standing across the banquet hall, nursing her glass of wine. She was looking around not with the nervous anticipation of a freshman, but rather with the cold precision of someone who was observing everything around her with an expert eye.
Except one thing she didn’t seem to notice was the group of males who sauntered up behind her. One male put his arm: around her shoulders, making her jump and spill her wine.
I froze, my hands stilling on Bianca’s waist, as I saw the males laugh. One of them said something, then jerked his thumb over his shoulder toward a utility closet.
The males began to usher Bianca toward the closet. Her small frame was engulfed by their taller ones, and soon, all I could see was her honey–colored hair.
“Kael? Kael!” Bianca’s voice was lost beneath the rush of blood in my ears as I stalked away, beelining toward the males Closer, I could hear their laughter, their mocking words. Words I didn’t even dare register beyond “wolfless” and “easy“.
My fist connected with the first male’s jaw before he could even blink. I whirled around and kneed another directly in the stomach, and then, as the third tried to take a swing at me, I ducked and wrapped my arms around his waist and forcibly lifted him into the air, throwing him down onto a nearby table.
The space around us went silent as the third male crashed into the table, sending drinks and food scattering everywhere. All three groaned and clutched their respective injured parts,
I didn’t linger to see the reactions. I just grabbed Lyra and pulled her into the utility closet with me, slamming the door behind us and muffling the sounds of the party.
“You shouldn’t be here, I hissed, my voice low and dangerous “I told you that Ravencrest is not kind to wolfless. It’s safer if you keep your head down and avoid parties like this. I don’t want to have to intervene at every event.”
Lyra, to my utter surprise, looked unfazed. She simply smoothed down her dress and met my gaze evenly.
“Thank you for rescuing me. I’ll make sure to avoid the events you attend from now on.
Before I could respond, she brushed past me and left.
A weight settled in my chest as I watched her walk away.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” I muttered.
