Chapter 12: Life of the Party

Lilac’s P.O.V

White shirt. Black pants. Black Apron.

The most boring dress to wear at a million dollar party.

But then again, I wasn’t invited as a guest, was I? I was a mere server, grouped in with all the others at the Soup House to serve here at Krimson’s lavish party while people came in one by one in glamorous tuxedos and bedazzled gowns, jewelry I’ve only dreamed of wearing before and shoes that could literally kill.

While I stood behind the snacks counter, serving the guests and refilling the empty plates of condiments, one thing came to mind the most…why was I even here?

Alpha Krimson had asked for the younger staff at the Soup House to be servers tonight for some extra cash. The only two younger staff were Hoji and Kaleb, both around twenty three year old men who just graduated college and are waiting to get appointed to their jobs. Well, Hoji is waiting on his appointment letter, but Kaleb is still trying to figure out what to do.

But that was the point. Other than the three of us, everyone else in the room was a professional. Michelin star rated chefs preparing the food and even the servers were brought in from outside to serve the guests.

So what was I even doing here?

At that moment, I looked across from the room, at the life of the party, Alpha Itlan Krimson himself. And momentarily, it felt like he had been observing me too.

Yeah…right! Someone who had been denying my very existence right from the beginning wouldn’t suddenly have a change of heart. And certainly not a man like him. I must be in way over my head if I kept daydreaming of such ridiculous shit.

A dark maroon suite with similar pair of pants and a white shirt underneath. He had his hair tied back into a low ponytail and his face was so perfect that it almost hurt to look at him. No matter how lavishly everyone else dressed up…there was not a single person in this room who could match up to Alpha Krimson. Then why did it feel like despite all the glamour surrounding him…he was the loneliest one in this party?

I shook my head immediately. It was a ridiculous thought.

Why would Alpha Krimson, of all people in this world, be lonely?

Moreover, Krimson hadn't arrived at the party alone. He had come with this gorgeous blonde woman who was almost as tall as him after wearing high heels and a blood red dress that clung to her body like a second skin. I couldn’t even call the woman trashy or slutty, because she wasn’t. She was elegant and gorgeous and she fit right next to Krimson…something I’ll never be able to do.

My gaze shifted to the other side of the room when another shrill laughter rang in the air.

If Krimson being the host of the party with his girlfriend wasn’t enough, then what was worse was that the entire ‘rich brat squad’ from my school was also here.

Serena, Aisha, Tawin and Liam. They were all grouped together and sipping some kind of drink that didn’t look alcoholic, but I highly doubt that was the case. Wolves weren’t as affected by alcohol as were human, so they could drink from a young age if they wanted to. They just didn’t do it in front of the adults or out in the open.

However, watching the other group interact was much more fun. Liam and Tawin looked like they were about to pass out from boredom, while Serena animatedly kept on talking and laughing about something that only she thought was funny. Aisha, of course, was her biggest cheerleader, but whenever Serena wasn’t looking, I saw her giving admiring glances to Liam as well.

I got momentarily distracted when two people suddenly obstructed my view. Looking up, I found two men looking at the snack items with interest. I think I heard from somewhere that they were the Alpha’s of the two packs bordering Kansas. They weren’t as strong as Krimson as there wasn’t that intimidating feel to them that usually made my wolf cower when in presence of Krimson, but they were Alpha’s nonetheless.

One of them was wearing a red glossy suit with black pants and a black shirt underneath. Not only did his suit look expensive, but the man looked just as handsome and just as sly when he looked up at me through his lashes, his dark brown eyes holding more than a bit of wickedness.

The man next to him had brown hair and light brown eyes and he wore a simple brown suite and trousers with a dark brown shirt underneath. He looked a lot more trustworthy and kind than his partner.

“We’ll need a refill,” the brown haired man said with a smile as his partner just stood there with his head tilted to the side, observing me with interest.

“Of course.” I forced a smile and filled their glasses and then added a few snack items to the plate before handing it over to them.

The black haired man with the red suit was the one who took it from me…and it was safe to say that with the way his fingers brushed against mine just the slightest…it creeped me the fuck out.

“Hey!”

“Whoa!” Startled, I turned to find Liam right in front of me, giving the two Alpha’s narrow-eyed looks as they left the snack bar. “You startled me.”

He was wearing a white jacket with stark white pants and he had paired it with a light blue shirt underneath to match his eyes. His blonde hair was gelled back away from his face and that made him look more like a K-pop idol. No wonder Serena and Aisha were both all over him; he looked even more handsome up close.

“Be careful with those two. They’re well known troublemakers.” He turned back to face me, his eyes still narrowed as he looked me up and down. “Why are you on duty? You should be enjoying the party.”

“Can’t.” I shrugged. “Krimson requested for the younger servers from the Soup House to serve here tonight. So I’m stuck with duty.”

“You could’ve said no.” Leaning forward, he offered me his glass. “You know…the ‘baby punch’ here is rigged too, right?”

I laughed at the mention of ‘baby punch’. So that’s what they were calling that pink drink at the far end of the bar counter?

“Was Kaleb in charge of ‘rigging’ the punch?” I asked him, leaning forward conspirationally. “Because I think I saw him sneaking a bottle of something out of the bar.”

Liam’s laughter was more open and contagious that it made me smile. “Actually, it was on me. So have a drink if you want to. I won’t tell the boss.”

He pushed the glass towards me once again. “Come on. You need it.”

I was about to take the glass from Liam’s hand, but suddenly, someone else beat me to it.

I didn’t even need to look to know who it was because the very scent of him filled my nostrils at that moment and the power radiating from his body made the tiny hair at my nape stand in attention.

“Drinking on the job?” Krimson’s voice was silky smooth and yet, just as menacing. “Do you want to get a pay cut or get kicked out instead?”

Seeing Krimson so close all of a sudden had made me go unnaturally still. I couldn’t speak, my tongue felt as heavy as lead inside my mouth at having being caught red handed, but thankfully, I didn’t have to, because Liam was the one who stood up for me.

“Relax, Alpha Krimson.” He offered a sarcastic smile. “I was just teasing her. This is just fruit juice. Why don’t you have a sip?”

Krimson’s eyes narrowed on him sharply and for a second, I was worried about Liam. Krimson wasn’t a violent Alpha, but with so many guests on sight, he might not like it if Liam tried to insult him openly. Being the Beta’s son wasn’t going to be his advantage if he kept up with his challenges.

“Get back to your group.” He handed Liam the drink before turning back to me sharply. “Go serve Alpha Elijah and Alpha Killian more drinks. They’re my special guests for tonight.”

With that, Alpha Krimson left the snacks counter, leaving me utterly confused as to why he had suddenly come here in the first place, as my heart raced inside my chest and my breathing became a little heavier…trying to catch the last whiffs of his perfume as his tall figure disappeared into the crowd  of glitz and glamour.