III

How the hell was I supposed to go out like this? I knew perfectly well that as soon as Dilan saw me, he wouldn't stop teasing me with Michael and the rest.

“My God, you look beautiful! You look like a Christmas present!” said a familiar voice from the doorway.

I turned around immediately and saw Delilah, covering her mouth in amazement. “You definitely have to go out like that. Everyone will be delighted,” she added in her soft, sweet voice.

I could see the excitement on her face as she looked at me with pride.

Damn, how could I refuse this woman? Thanks to her, I was alive and had these beautiful puppies that I loved as if they were my own children.

“Dalila is right, this is your moment,” said Caroline.

Unable to respond, they both left, leaving me alone. At that moment, I let out a snort, fixed my hair a little, and decided to look at myself in the small mirror again.

Why should I care what Michael and Dilan said about me? I didn't belong to any pack anymore.

“It's time, Kate. You can't let those idiots intimidate you,” I told myself.

I lifted my lips into a smile and finally left the bathroom.

However, as I stood in the hallway, about to return to the great hall, a pair of eyes stared at me from the doorway. The hallway was dimly lit by Christmas lights wrapped around the railings.

At first, I thought it was a waitress who wanted to ask me something, but when I looked up, I saw Dilan staring at me from head to toe with a bewildered expression and his fists clenched tightly.

Damn it, damn it! This couldn't be happening.

Dilan looked desperate, running his hand through his now-messy hair over and over, his eyes wide and darkened.

His powerful aura began to emanate. It looked like steam was coming out of his pores as my chest pounded with panic.

I wanted to go on my way and leave him behind, but he took a couple of steps toward me, causing me to back away.

What the hell? Was this man going to murder me on Christmas Eve?

I didn't know how to react. I just listened to his heavy, rapid breathing as my body trembled with fear.

“Kate...” A growl escaped his lips, followed by the sound of his fingers snapping.

Damn it, I didn't even want to process what was happening when, turning around, I quickly ran to the bathroom.

With all my strength, I tried to close the door, but Dilan kicked it, making me jump back.

“No... you can't be here... it's the women's bathroom...” I tried to say, overcome with fear.

However, Dilan stepped forward and kicked the door shut with a loud bang that echoed in my ears. The fresh, cold pine scent of Christmas Eve seemed to intensify in the small space.

“What the hell are you wearing?” he asked me through clenched teeth.

I had no idea what was going on. I just saw the veins in his neck bulge and how he scrutinized every inch of my body with his gaze.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, as panic took over my entire body.

Dilan didn't seem to pay attention to my words. Instead, he moved closer to me, standing only inches away from my body. Damn, his delicious scent reached my nostrils, sending a chill down my spine.

I wanted to run away, but in the blink of an eye, his huge, muscular arms were pressed against the wall behind me.

I thought he was going to whisper something to me, but instead, he brought his nose close to my neck and, with a deep sigh, began to sniff me eagerly.

What the hell was going on? I didn't even have time to process it before I put my hands on his chest and pushed him away furiously.

“Get away from me!” I shouted, my voice trembling.

But despite my shout, he just shook his head and combed his hair back in despair. “Why the hell are you wearing those clothes? It's Christmas Eve, Katerine, you can't go out like that!” he shouted, looking me up and down.

I quickly looked down and saw that the button on my dress was about to break due to my enormous breasts, which were slightly visible through the gap between the buttons.

I immediately tried to put my hands over my chest to cover myself, but before I could move, I felt Dilan push me against the wall.

As if everything was happening in slow motion, he began to take off his suit jacket.

I had no idea what he was doing, but when I was about to respond, his hands went straight to my shirt.

I froze as Dilan, the same man who had kicked me out of his pack, was now pressed up against me, unbuttoning my shirt and undressing me in front of him.

It all felt like a nightmare, but there I was, frozen, staring at him, even more handsome than I remembered.

He was almost eight inches taller than me, so I couldn't help but notice his muscular chest under the fabric of his white shirt.

From his neck, I could see tattoos that continued down his chest and seemed to end at his huge, muscular arms.

However, just as I was rambling on about his obvious attractiveness, he finished unbuttoning my dress to the waist and pulled it down in one swift motion, leaving me in just my small bra.

I immediately raised my arms to cover my breasts, but the top of the dress got stuck on my hips.

“What are you doing?” “How dare you?” I shouted.

I stood there like a fool, my breasts almost exposed in front of his eyes. Tears welled up in my eyes as I felt Dilan's gaze on my chest.

“Why...?”

My words hung in the air as Dilan put on his suit jacket with trembling hands. The weight and warmth of the thin fabric fell over my shoulders, immediately covering my exposure.

He didn't take his eyes off my body as the warmth of his breath hit my still-exposed breasts. The jacket smelled intensely of him, of his power, and of the mate connection I had denied for years.

However, just when I thought it was all over and he would finally walk away, his hands moved toward the fabric of my dress skirt. At that moment, I shook my head and began hitting him on the shoulders.

“No! Stop! Let me go!”

“Calm down! I'm helping you take it off,” he said, pulling at the skirt of my dress, which was now stuck on my buttocks.

“No! I don't need your help! Get away from me now!” I shouted again.

At my screams, he shook his head with a roar of annoyance.

I thought he would take my dress off completely, but he just rolled up the top and covered it with the suit jacket. Now, I was wearing only my bra, the stuck skirt, and Dilan's huge, possessive jacket hanging over my body, fastened with one strong hand around my waist.

Damn it, was this really happening?

As soon as Dilan finished, he stood up and stopped a few inches from my body. He opened his mouth to say something, but I quickly interrupted him.

“Why did you do this? What are you doing here? This is the women's bathroom, and that was my uniform!” I shouted over and over, angry.

He listened to my words while his breathing was even more agitated than at first. His face, under the dim, festive lighting, was marked by a visible internal struggle. What the hell was wrong with this man?

I didn't want to waste any more time. I needed to continue serving the rest of the alphas.

“You better go back to your table. I don't want to get in trouble...” I said.

Damn it, no matter what I said, he remained uncomfortable, staring at me. His jacket on me felt like a chain, heavy and warm.

At that, a grimace formed on my lips, and without saying another word, I looked behind him. Sure enough, the door was not locked, so without hesitation, I circled around him and quickly ran toward the door.

I didn't even look back to see if Dilan was following me, I just ran to the kitchen, where I could finally breathe.

“Did this really happen? Did Dilan just undress me and cover me with his own clothes on Christmas Eve?” I repeated to myself over and over, pacing back and forth in the kitchen, smelling his jacket in every breath I took.

This was all completely crazy! Dilan had changed my clothes? Why would he do something like that?

I was rambling when I heard Daniela's voice. “Oh my God, Kate! I've been looking everywhere for you,” she said, holding a couple of trays in her hands.

I quickly shook off all my thoughts and returned to reality. Damn, how could I be thinking such nonsense?

I glanced quickly at Daniela and nodded. “Yes, I'm coming,” I said.

From that moment on, I decided to get to work. After all, the alphas were starting to order their dishes and there were only four of us working. The aroma of turkey and eggnog mingled with the tension in the air.

For a moment, I thought I was done, but then I saw that the next table I had to serve was Dilan's.