CHAPTER 02

Layla’s POV

Despite the still heaviness in my chest, I allowed Aria to dress me however she wanted. I stood in front of the mirror while she moved around my room, pulling clothes from my wardrobe and tossing most of them onto my bed.

“You’re going to need something that makes you forget you ever knew that guy,” she announced.

I gave her a tired look. “I don’t think clothes can do that.”

“Then alcohol will.”

She finally settled on a dark emerald dress that I had bought months ago and never worn. It hugged my waist and fell softly around my thighs, revealing more skin than I was used to showing.

When I stepped in front of the mirror, I barely recognized myself. The girl staring back at me looked confident and beautiful, even.

It felt strange. For years, I had looked at myself through the eyes of my father and the pack members who constantly whispered about me. The Alpha’s defective daughter.

Tonight, for the first time, I wondered what I would look like if I stopped seeing myself through their eyes.

Aria came up behind me and grinned. “See? I told you.”

I touched the fabric of the dress nervously. “It’s too revealing.”

“That’s the whole point, Layla.” She laughed and reached for a bottle of perfume on my dressing table. “Now let me make you smell irresistible.”

I took the bottle from her before she could spray it and gave her another. “This one.”

I had bought it recently, though I wasn’t sure why I’d been so drawn to its scent. There was something strangely familiar about it.

Aria raised an eyebrow. “You have a favorite perfume now?”

“I suppose.”

She sprayed some onto my wrist before bringing it closer to her nose.

Her expression changed. “This smells… different.”

“Different bad?”

“No.” She smiled. “Different dangerous.”

I laughed for the first time that evening.

“Come on,” she said, grabbing my hand. “Before you change your mind.”

I barely had time to grab my purse before she dragged me out of the room and then through the back door. Even though my presence didn’t make a difference around the pack mansion, I really hated to be noticed.

The moment we got to town, I realized something was happening in the area. The streets were unusually crowded. A lot of people filled the sidewalks, dressed in expensive clothes, laughing and talking as they hurried toward the Astella Event Hall of the city where ceremonies were usually held.

I frowned. “Why are there so many people?”

Aria shrugged. “You really have been living under a rock today.”

“I’ve had a bad day.”

“I know.” Her voice softened for a moment before she squeezed my hand. “Which is exactly why you’re not allowed to think about it tonight.”

I sighed but followed her. “What is happening?”

“It was the second prince’s engagement ceremony earlier so I guess this is the afterparty.”

I looked at her. “Second prince?”

“Yes. Prince Dexter.”

The name didn’t sound familiar, but Aria continued. “The royal lycan court announced his engagement this morning. Apparently, the whole kingdom is celebrating.”

“Isn’t the second prince the Lycan King?”

“No. The first prince is the crowned prince. Dexter is the second.”

“Oh.”

I hadn’t paid much attention to royal affairs. My own life has always been complicated enough. The Juno Kingdom was ruled by the Lycan King and his two sons. Unlike ordinary wolves, Lycans possessed immense strength and abilities that most wolves could only dream about.

And tonight, apparently, the entire kingdom had gathered to celebrate one of them. Aria led me into a crowded open-air bar near the center of town.

Music blasted from enormous speakers while wolves crowded around tables, laughing, drinking, and celebrating. The scent of alcohol, perfume, and countless wolves filled the air.

My shoulders immediately tensed and Aria noticed. “Relax.”

“I am relaxed.”

“But you’re gripping my hand like you’re trying to break it.” I quickly loosened my fingers as I noticed. “Sorry.”

She laughed as she ordered two drinks. I stared suspiciously at the glass she placed in front of me.

“What do we call this?”

“A little something to boost your morale before the night gets started.”

I shrugged at her as I took one cautious sip. The drink was sweeter than I expected, so I took another, then another but the more I drank, the lighter my chest began to feel. The ache was still there, but it seemed farther away buried beneath the warmth spreading through my body and the loud music surrounding us.

By the time I finished my fifth glass, I was laughing at something Aria had said that wasn’t even funny.

“Are you already drunk?” she asked, pointing at me and laughing.

“I’m not.”

“You absolutely are.”

I pointed at her accusingly too. “You’re drunk too.”

“I’ve had only two drinks.”

“And I’ve had…” I paused, trying to count with my fingers. “Three?”

“Four.”

“Four?” She nodded.

I shrugged. “Even better.”

Aria burst out laughing. I leaned back against my chair, letting the music wash over me. For the first time all day, I felt free .

An hour later, I noticed a man walking past our table. He moved strangely, almost as though he was struggling to keep himself upright. His shoulders were broad, and even from where I sat, there was something intimidating about him.

He suddenly stumbled and I instinctively reached out as he passed. “Hey!”

My fingers barely caught his arm before he pulled away. “Don’t.” His voice was low and rough even as he didn’t bother to look back.

I blinked, trying to keep myself steady. “Are you okay?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he turned and stared at me for a second. His eyes were strangely intense, as though he wasn’t sure of what he had just seen. Then he disappeared into the crowd.

I frowned, the moment he was out of sight. There was something familiar about him but I couldn’t explain.

“Layla!” I turned back to Aria.

“What?”

“I’ll meet you at the hotel opposite the bar. We can’t possibly go back tonight. My mom is going to kill me.”

I frowned. “Oh yeah, that! But where are you going?”

“I need to make a call.” She reached into her purse and placed a key card in my hand. “Room 410.”

I stared at it. “Are you coming soon?”

“Sure.” She squeezed my shoulder. “Go ahead. You can manage, right?”

I gave her an offended look. “Of course I can.”

“Good. And please don’t get lost.” She laughed before disappearing into the crowd.

I stayed for another drink, but eventually decided I had enough. Getting up proved to be much harder than I expected as the floor seemed to move beneath my feet. I grabbed my purse and stumbled toward the exit and by the time I reached the hotel, my vision had become blurry around the edges.

I stared at the key card. 410. At least, that was what I thought it said. When I reached the fourth floor, I found a door with numbers that looked strangely similar. The last digit was partially covered by a loose piece of metal, making the 0 look almost like a 1.

I rubbed my eyes. “Four… one… zero?” My head was spinning too badly to care. I tapped the key card against the lock but nothing happened. I tried again but then I noticed the door was already slightly open.

“Oh.” I pushed it gently. “Aria?”

There was no answer so I stepped inside fully, shutting the door behind me. The room was dark and quiet. I dropped my purse on the nearest chair and stumbled toward the bed.

I didn’t bother turning on the lights. I simply collapsed onto the soft mattress, letting out a relieved sigh.

Finally, I closed my eyes and for a few seconds, everything was silent until I heard the unmistakable sound of someone stumbling around. Someone else was definitely in the room.

My eyes slowly opened and my heart skipped several beats as I noticed a dark figure standing beside the bed. He was staring directly at me and I tried to sit up, but the room spun violently and his expression changed the moment our eyes met.

His lips parted and the next word I heard made my entire body go still.

“Mate.”