Chapter 3

ELENA POV

I feel lost the moment we step in. Tess takes a glass of alcohol from a passing waiter and pushes it to my hands. "Blend. You look like a wet cat."

I scowl at her. The alcohol feels cold in my hand. She steps back, pushing through the crowd of people.

"Wait, where are you going!" I grab her hand.

Her eyes meet mine, the mask hiding her expression. "I know the party host well." She speaks quickly. "He's a former pack enforcer that will grant us safe access past the borders. I just need to meet him upstairs really quick."

I let go of her, shocked. We were omegas. I knew what meeting a man upstairs in a top-tier party like this meant. "Tess, are you..."

"Stay where I can find you," she cuts me off, hurrying through one of the side doors.

"No," I whisper, the excitement of the night waning thin. There had to be another way. "Tess, wait..."

She's already gone. I rush forward, nearly stumbling over my heels.

"Watch it," someone snaps.

I mumble an apology, racing blindly through the door. It opens into an indoor pool. Blinking at the blue and purple lights, the thick smell of cigarettes hits me. I stare at the men clearly drunk, omega wolves strip dancing by the waters.

I take a few steps back.

Wrong room...

Strong arms shove me to the wall hard. The shadow of a man, two times bigger, looms over me. His strong hands cage me at either side. His body presses me to the wall.

"Please," I let out a whimper. "Let me go... I..."

He sniffs in my omega pheromones, a sly grin curving up his face. "Are you lost, omega?"

"You heard her," a cold voice sounds from behind. "Let her go."

The man lifts his head. I look past him at the stranger that just arrived. He wears a dark suit tailored to perfection over his broad shoulders. His face is partly covered by a silver mask but I can make out the sharpness of his jaw. His hands are slid casually in his pockets but there's an edge to his voice that radiates authority.

"This doesn't concern you," the drunk man slurs, but his grip on me loosens.

The stranger steps closer. "Walk away, now."

The man mutters under his breath then lets go of me, stumbling back to the pool.

I let out a deep breath, my chest heaving. He offers me a hand. "You shouldn't be here."

"I..." I stutter.

I take his hand. The moment I touch him, my mind blanks over. I see a kid running past a field, his back to me.

"Elena, this way!"

The image blurs and I'm back in the loudness of the bar. I let go of him with a jerk, stepping back.

"I'm... I'm looking for my friends."

His brow knits. "Not in a place like this." His gaze lingers for a moment. "Definitely not dressed like that."

My cheeks flush. I stare down at my revealing clothes. He was right.

He slips a hand around my shoulder, steering me forward. "Come," his voice is low. "The main hall is safer."

I peer up at him through my lashes, wondering if he felt the blurred image. His hand on my shoulder feels oddly comforting. For a moment, I forget about Tess.

No one approaches me as we leave the pool area. The music gets louder. We arrive at the main hall when he releases me.

"Thank you," I mutter.

When I glance up, he's looking at me differently. "Dance with me," he says, taking me by the hand.

I barely process. I should say no, find Tess and leave before anyone realizes we're gone but his hand slips down to my waist, pulling me against him and the words die in my throat.

He guides me effortlessly to the dance floor, leading with practiced steps till there's no space between us.

"Relax," he murmurs, leaning down, his lips inches from my ear. "That's it, look at me."

I try. Suddenly I'm hyperaware of everything. The hard planes of his chest pressed against me, the way his thumb traces slow circles on the bare skin above my waist.

The music slows down. I catch the faint whiff of alcohol that clings to him, along with something intoxicatingly masculine.

I should step back, I should...

"What's your name?" He whispers roughly. His voice carries a compelling authority that doesn't make me think twice before replying.

"Ele—"

The words are caught out of my throat when someone bumps into us. Just like that, the spell is broken. He reaches out, steadying me but his mask slips, falling to the ground before I could catch it.

I stare into his eyes. Emerald green that carries the same emptiness as Lukas's.

I stumble back from him. Suddenly it hits me. Like an answer jumping out from a book page.

"You're a Montclair."

He takes a step closer, the corner of his lips curling up slightly as he looks down at me in amusement. "And?"

"Stay away," I yell weakly, stepping back.

"Elena—" Tess's voice screams from the other side of the hall. I tear my eyes away from him, my heart racing. "Elena run!"

I keep on stumbling back, until a pair of hands grab me.

"Elena Graymoor."

I look up to see two beta enforcers standing over me, holding me in place.

I'm screaming Tess's name. The crowd on the dancefloor parts at the sight of pack enforcers. When I look back, Montclair is gone.

No.

Hot tears trickle down my cheeks. I was so close to escaping.