Four

RAELYNN

       "Is everything going fine over there?" Klaus asked. I could sense his concern through the phone. Despite the fact that he was the Lycan king, we were like family.

"He wants me to go on a blind date, except...it doesn't seem like a mere blind date. According to him, I'm supposed to meet my date at a party," I said, and Klaus frowned at me, his green eyes clouding up with distrust.

"That does sound off. What are you going to do?" He said.

"I made up my mind already," I told him, and he raised a brow.

"And that is?"

"I'll attend the party. I need to know what is really going on," I said to him, and he sighed.

"Please be careful. I do not like this. But, I'll let you do what you want. You're a grown woman after all," He stated, and I grinned at him.

"Thanks, Klaus. What about my little princesses? How are they doing?" I asked, and he chuckled.

"They were both asleep an hour ago. They both just barged into my room. It's as though they could sense---"

"Is that mummy on the phone?" I heard my twin girls say.

However, before Klaus could respond, they called out for me, and their faces popped up on the screen of my phone. 

"Mummy!! We miss you! When are you coming back?!" They piped, and I smiled, gazing at their beautiful faces. 

I missed them. 

They had amber eyes just like their father, but they mostly took after me.

"Mummy! Did you go to Daddy? Suzie told me you went to see him," Savannah, the younger twin, said, and I cringed. 

"I didn't. I went to see my father," I replied, and Savannah pouted. 

"What about our father?" Suzie asked. 

"Maybe some other time, just not today," I replied. 

"Okay. Buy some chocolates for us, please," She said, and I grinned.

"Alright, sweetie. I love you both. Now, go back to bed, okay?" 

They both nodded.

"Goodnight, mummy," they chorused. 

"Goodnight, Lynn," Klaus said, and the line went dead. 

I let out a sigh and laid down on my bed, my gaze fixed on the ceiling.

Five years ago, I'd been rescued by Klaus and had lived for a while in his palace. According to him, he'd gone to the neighbouring werewolf pack for an official business when he'd sensed my distress.

Klaus grew fond of me. Apparently, I had a close resemblance to his first mate, whom he'd lost at a very young age. 

After the birth of my beautiful twins, he grew attached to my children.

He had been there for me as a father figure, even when I'd chosen to become a healer. 

Closing my eyes, I thought about the party I was to attend. No matter how I tried to ignore it, it just felt wrong. 

....

The next day,

I stared at my reflection in the mirror while I fiddled with the white pearl necklace sitting around my neck. Dressed in an sleeveless red dress and a pair of stilettos, I was ready to attend the party. 

Caroline had been avoiding me since the previous day. It didn't bother me. I just wanted to get this over with. 

Taking a deep breath, I grabbed my purse off the dressing table and headed out of the house. The drive to the venue of the party was a long one. 

Once I pushed the glass door open and stepped into the hall, I scanned the whole place. I wondered why there were so many young men in the gathering. I was supposed to be meeting a date at this party. Even so, I couldn't understand why I was getting the attention of everyone in the venue. My annoyance surged when I realized that I was the only female in the room. I could have invited Judy as well. But, she was too far away to attend the party. 

Despite my discomfort, I flashed a smile and kept my head held high. 

"Finally, the star of the welcome back party is finally here," the MC, who was also a male, stated, gesturing at me to climb onto the podium. 

More confusion stirred up within me. I'd believed that this was an ordinary party that I'd been invited to. Why the hell didn't my father tell me that he had organized a welcome back party for me? Was he messing with me?

A few males offered me their arms to assist me in ascending the platform, but I politely declined. Then I made my way to the podium. The MC handed the microphone over to me, his fingers brushing against my hand in a not-so-subtle-way. 

"Thank you all for attending this party. I want to also thank my father for organizing such a surprise to celebrate my return. It's good to be back after so many years. Cheers!" I said. 

"Cheers!" the men echoed, raising their glasses of champagne.

After descending from the podium, the MC took over.

Thirty minutes later, three men walked up to my table and sat down.

"You look exceptionally gorgeous," one of them said. I could smell his alpha pheromones, it made me sick to my stomach. 

The other men were watching me with lust in their eyes. I kept getting the feeling that something was going on. Something I wasn't aware of.

One of the men placed a hand over mine, he was fairly good-looking. But I felt off about him. 

"What do you say? Should we go somewhere more... private?" He asked, and I forced out a smile.

"I don't see why we should do that," I said, and he leaned closer to whisper in my ear.

"Don't be shy."

I clenched my fists, willing myself to be calm. 

"Quiet, boys. You'll scare her away," the third alpha said. His grey eyes held a glimmer of mischief. 

"Ignore their behaviour. My name is Stefan, I'm the Alpha of the Black Diamond Pack. I'll get straight to the point," he said, and I blinked. 

"Okay?" I stated as I awaited what he was about to say. 

"Marry me," he said. 

I stared at him, bewildered. 

"What?"

He shrugged.

"It is just as I said. I want you to marry me. I don't mind that you've been married before or that you were once rejected. You are a stunning woman," he said. 

"That's it? You want to marry me because I'm a stunning woman?" I asked. 

"What did you expect? It's not like you have any achievements that I know of," he stated. 

At this point, I was past my limit. If he thought I would marry someone like him, he had to be insane. 

"You know what? All of this is a mistake. I'm done. I'm leaving," I said, rising to my feet.

His gaze darkened, a shadow of fury falling over his features. 

"What? That's it? You're just going to run?" He said, shooting to his feet.

"Didn't you hear me? I should never have come here," I said, turning away from him. 

He went after me, hot on my heels. I quickened my pace as I headed towards the elevator. 

"Don't walk away while I'm talking to you," he growled, grabbing me by the wrist. 

While I attempted to yank my arm out of his grip, he raised an arm to hit me. I stiffened, lowering my gaze as I prepared myself to defend myself.

 However, the impact never came. A different pair of black shoes stepped into my line of vision, and I looked up, my gaze clashing with a pair of familiar amber eyes. 

He had a tight grip on the other Alpha's arm. He yanked hard, and a loud crack filled the air, followed by the Alpha's scream as he crumbled to the ground.

I dug my fingernails into my palm, my stomach tightening. 

What the hell is he doing here? I thought as I stared at the newcomer.

Surely, he wasn't invited to the party as well, was he?

His intense gaze roamed over my face, a mix of both confusion and rage stirring in his eyes. 

"Raelynn," he said, his deep voice bringing back memories I'd desperately tried to bury.

"Rai," I said through gritted teeth, our gazes locked.