Chapter Five: Half-blood

Celestine Sterling

His towering frame radiated overwhelming strength, his broad shoulders stretching the fabric of his dark clothing as though it had been tailored specifically to contain the sheer power beneath it. 

Every inch of him was sculpted with solid muscle, making him look more than capable of carrying hundreds of kilograms of stone without breaking a sweat.

His sharp features were almost too perfect, but they were overshadowed by the cold intensity in his piercing eyes, which seemed capable of looking straight through every lie, every secret, and every hidden thought buried within a person's soul.

Without saying another word, he simply stood there, his unwavering gaze fixed entirely on me, and for reasons I couldn't explain, I felt as though the air itself had suddenly become too heavy to breathe.

“Um, do I know you? And how do you know my name?” I asked coldly.

Who knew if he was a rogue or some other stranger with questionable intentions? I knew everyone in the pack, and I was certain I had never seen him among us before.

Besides, his good looks weren't going to have any effect on me.

At least, that was what I told myself.

He continued staring at me for several long seconds before his expression shifted, genuine surprise flashing across his features.

“You're not afraid of me?”

I narrowed my eyes at his question.

Afraid? The thought almost made me scoff. What exactly could he do to me that would make me afraid?

I had already faced death itself. After everything I had endured, what could possibly scare me now?

“Why would I be?” I replied firmly. “You're standing in my territory.”

I held his gaze without backing down, refusing to let his intimidating presence get the better of me.

“Tell me your name before I call for reinforcements,” I added.

For a moment, he simply stared at me. 

Then the corner of his lips lifted into a faint smirk, and for some inexplicable reason, my heart skipped a beat.

He extended his hand toward me, his expression calm and almost amused. “Aeizor Montero. Alpha of the Montero Pack.”

My eyes widened. Aeizor Montero?!

I had always heard that he rarely showed his face unless there was something that required his personal attention, especially matters involving bloodshed, battles, or anything that demanded the direct intervention of the Alpha himself.

And yet, here he was.

I stared at him in disbelief, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. I had to be imagining things.

Right? 

We barely knew each other; there was no way he would actually show up here just to attend a debut. 

And besides, this really surprised me, as this was the first time we’ve come face to face with each other, even in my past life. 

Dad did mention we met at a party when we were pups, but my memories about it were cloudy. Plus, Vanessa and his wedding took place somewhere private that I wasn’t able to attend.

Where was it back then? I shook my head.

“A-Ah.” I stammered, realizing that I had been a little too bold with him earlier. I quickly straightened myself and tried to compose my expression. “I didn't know you were coming. Are you here for the party?”

He simply nodded, expressions cold as ice. “I came to escort you inside for your coming-of-age ceremony, as your dad told me, so shall we?”

I squinted my eyes. Dad asked him? 

Didn’t he ask Tyler a long time ago while he was planning my birthday?

Aeizor’s hand extended between us; I hesitated for only a moment before slowly placing my hand in his. I had intended to give him a polite handshake and let go immediately, but before I could withdraw my hand, his fingers gently tightened around mine.

My breath caught.

Instead of releasing me, he pulled me slightly closer, then casually guided my arm around his. I froze.

My heart began pounding so loudly that for a moment, I was convinced he could hear it.

“I don't want to waste any more time,” he coldly stated. “Let's head inside.”

Before I could even gather my thoughts, he started walking.

He guided me toward the entrance with such effortless confidence that it almost seemed as though we had done this countless times before. As if walking into a crowded party with his arm intertwined with mine was the most natural thing in the world.

I glanced at him, still trying to process what had just happened. The moment we reached the entrance, the doors swung open.

Warm golden light spilled over us, washing away the darkness outside as the distant sounds of music, laughter, and lively conversations grew louder. 

The scent of food and flowers drifted through the air, mixing with the familiar warmth of the pack gathered inside to celebrate my coming of age.

And right on cue, I heard Waynar's voice.

Tyler's younger brother was my host for the evening, and more importantly, he was one of the dearest friends I had ever had.

Back then, when Tyler failed to escort me inside, Waynar escorted me while announcing my arrival. 

Now, it’s different, maybe because Aeizor escorted me instead.

“The moment we have all been waiting for, the star of the night has finally arrived!” Waynar announced dramatically, his voice carrying across the entire hall. “Let's all welcome our lovely debutante, Celestine Sterling!”

The moment he said my name, everyone's attention shifted toward me.

Applause erupted throughout the room.

Smiles appeared on familiar faces, while curious whispers immediately followed when everyone noticed the man walking beside me.

I could practically feel their eyes moving between Aeizor and me.

“Who the hell is that?” someone whispered loudly, though clearly not quietly enough.

“Oh my goodness, he's so hot!” one of the she-wolves exclaimed, earning a few giggles from the others around her.

I kept my eyes forward, trying my best not to let their reactions get to me. 

Still, I couldn't help but smile, waving at the younger pups and members of the pack who kept trying to catch my attention with their cheers and enthusiastic waves.

Beside me, however, Aeizor remained as stiff and cold as ever. He barely reacted to anything happening around us, his expression unreadable as he calmly walked at my side. 

It was almost amusing, especially when everyone else seemed so excited by his presence while he acted as though none of it mattered.

Then I felt it.

The sudden weight of someone's stare.

It was cold enough to make the hairs on the back of my neck stand.

Slowly, I turned my head to the side, and there they were.

Tyler and Vanessa.

Both of them were staring directly at me.

Tyler looked as though he was barely holding himself together. His jaw was tightly clenched, his eyes burning with something I couldn't quite identify. 

Judging by the way his fists kept tightening at his sides, I wouldn't have been surprised if he completely lost control and exploded right there in front of everyone.

His wolf must be jealous to see me in someone else’s arms. Specifically his wolf, not him.

Vanessa, on the other hand, looked completely different.

She seemed almost pleased.

There was a strange glimmer in her eyes as she watched me standing beside Aeizor, as though whatever was happening in front of her was far more entertaining than it should have been. 

That alone made something uneasy twist inside my stomach.

Before I could dwell on it any longer, we finally reached the center of the hall.

Dad immediately approached us, a bright smile spreading across his face as he looked at Aeizor Montero.

“Alpha Montero, I didn't expect you would come!” Dad exclaimed and immediately extended his hand toward Aeizor. “I’m glad you're here to celebrate my daughter’s birthday, and thank you for escorting her. I was worried no one would escort her inside as Tyler came in with Vanessa.”

I squinted my eyes, then looked at Aeizor and dad. But didn’t he say Dad asked him?

Aeizor just looked at my father for a moment before calmly accepting his handshake. He merely gave him a polite nod, his expression remaining as unreadable as ever.

“Ah, everyone!” Dad called, capturing the attention of the entire hall. “I’d like all of you to meet and welcome Aeizor Montero, Alpha of the Montero Pack!”

I expected applause and whistles, but instead, silence descended over the hall, quickly followed by a wave of whispers.

“The Alpha who lives inside the Forbidden Forest?!”

“Isn’t he the terrifying half-blood?”

“What is he doing here? Did rogues attack, so he’s here to help?”

I smiled and quietly sighed in relief; this was what I liked most about the Sterling Pack. They didn't hold on to the bad things they heard about people; they remembered the good instead.

Whatever frightening stories they had heard about the half-blood living inside the forbidden forest weren't enough to make them treat him like a monster.

And it’s mostly because of how Dad leads this entire park.

Dad quickly raised both hands, silencing the growing crowd. “Silence, everyone! He is here with us to celebrate my daughter’s birthday!”

The whispers slowly died down.

“Oh, right. Now that you're here…” Dad turned toward Aeizor again, a playful smirk appearing on his face. “You can—”

I left the two of them to talk, deciding that whatever Dad had planned for Aeizor was none of my business. I turned to get to my seat just as Waynar began announcing the agenda for my party. 

“Without further ado…” Waynar happily announced, his voice echoing throughout the hall. “The eighteen roses!”