CHAPTER 4

~Ellie

The Nightfall party was in full swing, with music blasting from the speakers and shaking the room, or so I imagined.

The air in here was nearly hot and carried the thick smell of beer and sweat as the neon lights swirled across the dance floor and cut through the shadows while I sat at the makeshift bar with my fifth glass of whiskey.

Laughter rose again above the loud music from the guys playing some sort of game in the corner of the room, creating a good kind of chaos that drowned out the thoughts in my head.

I could already feel a migraine forming, causing my head to feel heavy as I gulped down the glass of whiskey in one breath.

I winced as it burned down my throat and numbed the pain in my chest for a few seconds.

How badly I wished it could erase the pain forever and make me forget about Blake’s betrayal.

I let out a small, painful laugh, knowing it was impossible. I hated that I was going to remember every damn thing tomorrow.

“You’re still here?” Olive’s voice came from behind me.

Earlier, she’d left me to dance with a guy, and I’d noticed them leave the dance floor later to God knows where. Judging by the time they spent away and her flushed face, I didn’t want to imagine what they did.

“Where did you expect me to be?” I asked, my voice a bit slurred.

“I mean,” she replied, sounding disappointed in me. “I thought you’d be dancing or probably involving yourself in some games.”

“Ellie.” She frowned deeply, noticing the half-empty bottle of whiskey before me. “Have you been drinking?”

“I’m fine.” I hiccupped.

“You’re definitely not.” She rebuked me, her eyes sharp. “Are you planning to drink yourself to death?”

That sounded like a perfect way to escape my pathetic life.

“I’m only having fun.” I let out a small laugh, trying to lighten the seriousness of the situation.

“You don’t look like you are.” She chided me, her tone tinged with annoyance. “And I know you won’t tell me what the problem is either, so we are going home right now.”

“We just got here.”

I protested immediately.

“Shows how much you’re not thinking straight anymore.” She scoffed, shaking her head at my words. “News flash, we’ve been here for more than four hours, and we are leaving right now.”

Right as I opened my mouth to argue, Olive’s phone suddenly rang, shifting her attention.

She gave me the look that told me she’d be right back. “Hey, Mom…” Olive’s voice trailed off as she made her way to the exit.

I didn’t feel like going home right now, not when I could still feel the ache in my chest and the memories that made me want to cry despite the anger sitting deep in my stomach.

I planned on drowning everything until I felt nothing inside me, if only for tonight. Olive wouldn’t let me do what I wanted if I sat there and waited for her.

Sliding off the stool, I made my way in the opposite direction from where Olive had gone without really thinking about where I was going. Right as I turned the corner, something soft hit my shoulder.

I stumbled slightly, blinking down as a foam ball dropped to the floor. Almost immediately, a group of guys at a corner table cheered like I’d just walked into something intentional.

“Got her!”

I blinked at them. “Got who?”

“You got hit.” The tallest one pointed at me like it was obvious. “That counts.”

“By a foam ball?” I said flatly.

“Still counts.”

“So what now?” I asked.

“You choose.” The middle one, wearing a silly grin, said it like he’d explained this a hundred times. “Either you pay five dollars into the pot or you take a dare.”

That made me pause before scoffing as his words fully registered.

“That’s… not a real rule.”

“It is for this game.”

My brows furrowed slightly. “And what game is this exactly?”

They looked at each other like I was the weird one for asking.

“Target Night.” The tallest one gestured toward a board behind them that I hadn’t noticed until now. “You step into the zone, you accept the rules. No passing through without resolution.”

The board was lit up with neon tape and messy handwriting.

I tried to read it, and the third guy noticed and tilted it a little like he was helping.

It didn’t help. The letters were swimming, causing my head to throb. I just gave up because, honestly, it looked shady.

I let out a humorless laugh.

“I don’t have any money.”

That actually made them pause.

“Like… at all?” the middle guy asked.

“Like at all.”

Silence passed between them, and I could practically see the gears turning in their heads. Most people probably just paid and walked away. That was clearly what they were used to.

The third guy sighed dramatically. “We actually have to give this one a dare.”

They huddled together, whispering low enough that I couldn’t make out the words. Still, I caught enough to know they were deciding what kind of embarrassment to hand me.

It didn’t feel serious. It felt like a game. Like I was supposed to laugh and walk away afterward.

Finally, they turned back. The tallest one cleared his throat, trying not to smile.

“Alright. Fine. Dare it is.”

“You have to kiss a guy in this room,” the tallest one said.

The third guy let out the kind of laughter people make when they’re certain you’ll refuse, while the middle one shook his head like he’d already decided I wasn’t doing it.

I didn’t process it the way they expected because my brain was foggy with alcohol and slow, still stuck somewhere between heartbreak and anger.

I nodded once and said,

“Fine.”

That wiped the laughter away instantly.

“Wait… seriously?”

I didn’t answer. As I turned away, I heard their voices rising behind me like they were trying to call me back, but I didn’t stop to listen.

I scanned the room without really focusing on anyone. Then my gaze settled on a guy, with dark shiny curls and broad shoulders, straining the black snug he was wearing. He was talking to a group of friends, his back partially turned to me.

Good enough.

I didn’t think about it as I walked up behind him, tapped his back, and when he turned, I kissed him.

For a second, he froze.

Then he responded briefly, like instinct took over before logic caught up. But almost quickly, his hands settled on my shoulders, gently but firmly creating space between us.

I blinked up at him, still not fully processing what I’d done as his perfectly sculpted face shifted to confusion and something far more intense in his dark eyes made my breath catch.

“Ellie!” Olive’s voice snapped me back to reality.

She was suddenly there, grabbing my arm and pulling me away like she was afraid I might do something even worse if she let go.

“Oh my God, I am so sorry,” she said quickly, turning to the guy I’d just kissed.

I didn’t even get a chance to speak before she dragged me toward the exit.

Outside, the cold air hit my face hard enough to make my head spin differently.

Olive let go of me and immediately rounded on me.

“What is wrong with you?”

I frowned, trying to understand why she sounded so horrified.

“It was a dare.”

“A dare?” she repeated like she was about to lose her mind.

“Yes. It was part of the game.”

“You could’ve said no.”

I shrugged.

“It wasn’t a big deal.”

That made her stop completely, and then she scoffed incredulously.

“Not a big deal?”

I nodded again, slower this time.

Olive let out a breath like she’d been holding it for years.

“Ellie… everything is a big deal when it comes to Chase NightShade.”

“Chase NightShade?” I repeated, not exactly sure why.

I had no idea who the person was, but the name… it just landed differently and shifted the air around me.

Olive closed her eyes for a second like she was praying for patience, then looked at me again.

“The guy you just kissed,” she said slowly, like she wanted the words to sink in. “Is the highest-ranked Alpha in Nightfall.”