Chapter- 2

Chloe's POV

It felt like a different world when I was standing in that hall. It seems like people here are happy and enjoying their lives to the fullest. It's true if I didn't come here, I would have missed the chance to distract my gloomy mind.

My eyes scanned the room, people were laughing, playing, and drinking.

Surrounded by all these pack members, I finally felt like I am back on this earth, not in another dimension where I felt only sadness and alone even though Lily was with me.

"This is cool," I say to Lily while looking at the food arranged for us.

When there was no reply from Lily, I turned to her and found that she was looking somewhere else. All her attention was on that side.

I turned my gaze to that direction where's looking, to find the handsome beta of the Dark Woods pack, Mark. He's staring at Lily with a small smile. I don't know what's happening here.

I know who he is because, a week ago when I was searching for the library, he helped me to find it. He introduced himself as the beta of this pack and he seemed to be a nice guy.

"Chloe, I think I need to talk to him," Lily said, finally turning to face me. Her cheeks were colored pink and she looked excited.

"Why?"

"My wolf tells me to go, she's growling inside,"

I smile. "Then you must go,"

"What about you? Maybe you should come with me, I can't leave alone here,"

"Oh, come on, Lily. I am not a small kid, I can manage on my own,"

I send off my best friend with a big smile on her face. Once she was gone, I felt awkward to stand alone there. People are in groups and I am too awkward to mingle in one of those groups. I wish someone could strike up a conversation with me but people only glanced at me, they didn't look so interested in me. They must have sensed I am new here.

I took a glass of champagne from the table and looked around the paintings that were covering the wall.

I looked at Lily again, she was talking to Mark with a shy smile and the look on his face told me that he likes my best friend. Perhaps are they mates? I thought and smiled, feeling happy for Lily.

When I raised my gaze to the fireplace opposite me, I saw a very handsome stranger standing next to the fireplace. He's alone and engrossed deep in his thoughts.

I don't know why but I am so spooked by this stranger and I kept staring at him. His eyes were grey with a slight tint of blue which was dazzling in the illumination of the fire.

He's tall, has broad shoulders and his firm muscles were covered in a black shirt tucked inside a pair of black trousers. A strand of his chin-length hair fell before his eyes and his fingers slid back as it disturbed his thoughts. His chiseled jawline and sharp nose complemented his attractiveness. He doesn't look like one among this crowd, he's different and something about him caught all my attention.

I can't help but wonder why he's alone.

He must have sensed my curious gaze, he stared straight into my eyes and I felt shameful to be caught like this.

I quickly shifted my eyes to somewhere else and I don't know what to do. My legs were glued onto the floor and my cheeks were heated up by this sudden embarrassment. My heart raced and the tingling sensation on my stomach made me squirm.

What the hell is happening to me?

I know he's still looking at me and I have nowhere else to go. Oh, God! I should have stayed away from this side, I thought.

"Stop being shy, Chloe. You have to be happy that a handsome guy is looking at us,"

I can't help but smile at that remark. Sometimes Jina makes me laugh at situations like this. Because of that, sometimes I look arrogant and most of the time I look like a fool.

I glanced at the stranger to find whether he was considering me a fool or an ignorant person, I'm surprised to see a small smile on the corner of his lips.

"I know it, he must be thinking you're cute," Jina screamed.

"Cute? I look foolish," I muttered.

"Okay, foolishly cute," Jina says and I smiled again.

I turned my gaze to Mark and Lily who were flirting and were even holding hands. I don't want that stranger to think that I am alone here.

"Who is he?" I ask Jina.

"I don't know, maybe we should call him Mr. Charming,"

I chuckled but that's apt for him.

"I feel something strange," Jina says.

"What?"

"You should go and talk to him so that I can find that," she suggested.

"No way, I am so intimidated by that man," I refused and continued watching my best friend being happy.

Mark suggested that they should go out and Lily pointing to me said something. Mark smiled, remembering me and I smiled back.

"God! He's my mate, Chloe," Lily said, coming to me.

"Yes, I can see that. Congratulations, I am so happy for you," I say and hug my friend.

"Thank you, I going out with him," Lily said.

"Sure, you should go," I cheered her up. I am happy that my friend found her mate, who's a powerful beta of this pack, she's so lucky. As they passed by, I could hear Mark's happy growl saying he thought he'd be single forever and never going to find his mate but he's tremendously happy now to find Lily.

I waved my hand and Lily smiled in joy. I was happy after a long time even though nothing special happened in my life.

After the love birds left the hall, I felt even more alone and so was Mr. Charming.

"It's time, you should go and talk to him," Jina kept saying that not realizing that isn't easy for me.

I sat on one of the chairs, and he took a seat on an antique armchair near the fireplace.

I again questioned why he's sitting here instead of joining one of these groups. He seemed distant from the others yet if someone passes by they smile and nod at him as if they know him very well.

Is he a refugee like me or is he a loner in his pack?

This is so new to me, glancing at a stranger and him, trying to entice me with his gaze.

"You're having a crush on him," Jina says.

"No," I snapped.

Mr.Charming smiled at me as if he heard us. He got up from his seat, I thought he was going to leave and there's no way he's going to come here, is he?

The less I expect, the more it occurs. Mr. Charming came to me with a smile.

"Hi," he reached out his hand.

"H-Hi," I took his strong hand with a smile. I don't know what else I should do. I stood up as my neck hurt to look up at him.

"My name is Marcus,"

"I am Chloe,"

"I know who you are,"

"How?" I ask.

"Because I am the one who offered you and your sister a place in my pack, and I invited you to this ball," he said. Lily and I said that we are sisters to the Beta who collected our information. We don't want to get separated, that's the reason Chloe asked Lily to maintain the lie to everyone but Lily said, 'It's not a lie, you're my sister, Chloe,'

I came out of the thoughts and asked,

"You?"

"I am the Alpha of Dark Woods Pack," he said with a smile.

Now I understand why the aura around him is so powerful.

"Nice to meet you, Alpha," I said.

"Nice to meet you, Chloe. You look beautiful tonight," he complimented which no guy ever said. I bite my lower lip to control these feelings.

That time, a man came to talk with Marcus, giving me a moment to compose myself.

As I was taking shallow breaths, "Chloe, it's him. I think he's our mate," Jina said to me.

"No way," I muttered and glanced at Marcus to find him gazing at me. I think he knew it all along.