Chapter 5 Crescent Night Gala

Maya's POV

Night had come, and so was the Crescent Night Gala. After changing into some elegant dresses, Corina and I made our way to the party. While she had on a nice green dress with a crossover neck, I was wearing a navy blue dress with only one strap on the left side, and a slit on the right. 

When we arrived, the party was in full swing. I subconsciously kept one hand down by my side, trying to cover the slit that was revealing my thigh. “I really wish you would lend me that dress instead,” I said, not used to these sorts of dresses.

“Ah, don’t be shy. You look great in that,” Corina said. “Besides, you’re wearing a mask. No one would know it’s you.”

“Am I supposed to be reassured or offended by that?” I questioned, having mixed feelings with that statement. 

Corina only giggled, and gave me a pat on the back. “Chin up. You look stunning, Maya. Oh, how about the punch bowl? I’m feeling parched.”

I nodded to that, and followed her to the punch bowl. As we made our way there, though, I froze when I saw a pair of people I would rather not see also making their way there. 

Jayden and Jillian.

They might have masks on, but I could still make out who they are. Especially with the mark heating up on my shoulder. The sight of them made me remember what I overheard at the apartment door earlier. I wouldn’t crawl at their feet for ‘protection’ as Jayden put it, and I was not going to beg them for anything, either. Not when it was clear that they wouldn't let me go.

“Should we skip the punch?” Corina asked, also noticing them.

“Please,” I nodded, turned my back to the two people walking toward me, not wanting them to notice my presence. As we left, just a few steps away from the bowl, something grabbed my arm in a vice grip.

“Maya! Where were you?” Jayden questioned, his concerned voice sounding very fake in my ears.

“Not interested in your schemes, Jayden,” I bluntly said as I shook off his hand from my arm. “I don’t need some scum to watch my back. You want to be with someone stupid enough to be with you? You already have that someone."

Jayden’s face twitched as he claimed, “What? No, babe. I was really worried about you.”

“Oh, how about you give her a bit of space, Jayden?” Jillian said, walking up to us. “She’s just being petty because you haven’t been with her for a long while. No need for you to entertain her. Although, Maya, you really need to face reality. Who do you think would ever be interested in someone like you? Even here, in a masquerade ball.”

How I just wanted to slap her in the face. We were both humans, and yet she was here, acting like she had been better than me. Even though it was her and Jayden who were in need of me.

“Maya has someone who truly loves and accepts her,” Corina said, also unamused with actions. “If anyone is unworthy of real attention, it is Jayden. Who went after trash like you.”

Jillian scoffed at her claim. “Oh please. If that is true, where is that man? Exactly what loser would ever choose her?”

I heard murmurs around us, and noticed a crowd gathering around. I pursed my lips together, knowing well that things would not go well if I didn't do something to stop it. It wasn’t until I noticed a familiar tall figure nearby, though, that I saw my ticket out of here.

“You want to know who my significant other is?” I smirked, before walking to the figure. The guy who swapped phones with me. He might be in a mask, but there was no mistaking that large build. 

“Maya!” Jayden yelled behind me in anxiety. “Don’t go there, come back—”

Before he could stop me, I turned to the phone man beside me, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him closer. He was apparently caught off guard. I closed my eyes tightly so that I wouldn’t see his expressions.   

Then, our lips met. His lips were sweet, pillowy against my own. I subconsciously wrapped my arm around his neck while his hands hung lazily by his sides. He didn’t push me away. 

That was my first kiss ever.

The world fell silent. I could feel the crowds’ eyes all on the back of my head. I wasn’t entirely sure what I was thinking either, kissing someone in public like this, when I didn’t even know his name. Part of me regretted my impulsiveness, and part of me was glad that I seized the moment. I was tired of being treated as a laughingstock at the party, even if this was a masquerade. 

Breathless, I pulled him away and stared at his darkening blue eyes. I couldn’t read his gaze, but I could clearly feel his suppressed displeasure. “Don’t worry buddy, I promise I will make it up to-”

“Ugh, Maya. This is your new boyfriend?” Jillian walked over, questioning me scornfully, “Seriously? You’re clearly trying to pretend to be over Jayden. I mean, look at this guy. You must be desperate for Jayden’s attention to pay someone else to pretend to be your lover. What a laugh.” 

“Stop Jills!” Right after she said that, Jayden immediately rebuked her.

Though I grimaced to hear her already catching on to the truth, I was more confused by Jayden’s reaction. He looked at my ‘boyfriend’ with wide eyes and shaking, as though in fright. It especially seemed that way as he looked at Jillian in panic when she spoke about him.

"What's gotten into you, Jayden? Why are you yelling at me?" Tears welled up in her eyes, as if she were the one wronged and heartbroken, "You still have feelings for her, don't you?" 

I sneered. She's always adept at playing victim. After all, men were drawn to that soft, vulnerable type of woman, which I was not.

“Jayden. I’d like to question you myself about your taste in women,” my ‘boyfriend’ said, “I must say, for a Delta, you sure act like a dog constantly in heat. Not even rogues would do something so low. Do you have anything you wish to say?”

Jayden, to my surprise, only looked down as he spoke, palling and sweating. I had never seen him act this way before. He was usually so proud of himself, even in the face of other strong or high-ranking werewolves. What was so different from this one?

“M-My deepest apologies, Alpha. Jills is only human, and has been secluded for a while. S-She doesn’t know better, we will be leaving now,” he stuttered out in embarrassment, dragging the surprised Jillian away from the scene.

Corina and I exchanged glances, and both of us burst out laughing. I was basking in the afterglow of Jayden's subservience, and how he ran off just because of a few words from the phone man. My shock at recollection of what Jayden addressed him, however, outweighed that, as I wordlessly looked up at him.

‘Alpha…? He’s the Alpha?!’