CHAPTER 4

Author POV

Maurice sat at the table and sipped his wine. Ordinarily he wouldn't have bothered himself about attending the celebration even if he was the one being celebrated but he had been tricked.

Fred and Gary had found a way to pull him out so he was barely even dressed for the occasion but Maurice didn't care.

They didn't either, the important part was that he was present. For 3 years Maurice avoided celebrations and only attended extremely important functions. 

"You do know you're a handful sometimes, we go through all of the stress and you don't even acknowledge us or at least acknowledge the guests." Gary disrupted the solemn moment Maurice enjoyed.

Fred and Gary were like brothers to Maurice—co Directors with him in his latex company. They had been very instrumental in his release from jail and rise to power as Alpha so he gave them preferential treatment and also ensured everyone in the pack accorded them maximum respect. 

"You know better." Maurice simply crossed his slender legs and looked around. 

The party had been organized in "THE GRANDEUR SUITS" one of the most luxurious dens in the city — a gathering place where wolves mingled with power brokers.

Everything was excellent but not for long. The lights were deemed, there was a surprise singer.

Ry, his wolf suddenly became restless. Carefully Maurice put down his glass and paid attention to the stage for the next performance. 

Ry seemed to have picked a familiar smell, one that six years could not erase from his memory. 

Tulips, chocolate and rainfall.

'She's here,' Ry purred, running around in Maurice's head wagging his tail when the curtains parted.

'Look at the bare skin, still unmarked.'

'Sit. She betrayed us. Don't forget it." Maurice cautioned Ry as Veldana began to sing.

In the crowd was a little bit of a mixed multitude. Fred and Gary had invited Elites in Goldcrust as well so whispers went round.

People talked about how the "mighty" had fallen.

"Is that Veldihost?" someone said unsure.

"She was once the talk of the pack, now look at her, a cheap singer. Shameful." Another sneered completely unbothered.

Some didn't bother to whisper their opinions. 

"I think she looks very pathetic. She used to be a top TV host but look at her now, a cheap night club singer." Greg dropped his two cents as well audible enough for Maurice to hear.

While everyone saw a scorned woman and a fallen light, Maurice Sat unfazed. A stark contrast to the way he felt inside.

His emotions were everywhere, his heart beat irregularly at the very sight of her, at the sound of her voice, the smell of her wolf and the pull of the unsevered bond they still shared.

No matter how calm he looked on the outside, his inside was a turmoil with his wolf longing to touch his mate again. 

Veldana was able to pull off the act without falling apart. 

Just as she finished her presentation and started to exit the stage, someone called out to her.

"Stop."

She stopped. It was Maurice. 

For a second, her heart stopped beating as well, thoughts flooded her mind, empty thoughts with no answers. 

The hall adopted silence, time seemed to pause, Fred wasn't close to Maurice but Greg was and everyone waited to hear why he had stopped her.

Just then, Maurice pulled out a thick wad of cash — the kind that could pay off her daughter’s school fees and more and slammed it on the table. “Drink this bottle, and it’s yours.” He pointed at a bottle of alcohol on his table.

The hall gasped, the murmurs didn't start immediately.

Veldana froze in her spot, her legs too heavy to convey her to where he sat, her mind doubted the functionality of her ears.

"Didn't you hear him? Or can you do without the cash?" Gary wasn't a big fan of Vel so he wasted no time to worsen her humiliation. 

She looked at Maurice, the man that once adored her but he sat indifferent, he had made the offer and he wasn’t retreating.

Her heart sank, her skin breaking out in goosebumps, the hall felt too cold all of a sudden. He knew about her allergy to alcohol. 

Six years ago, he had stayed awake the entire night at her side nursing her when she almost died from one accidental sip. He had promised then to never let her touch it again. Now he acted as though he didn’t remember.

She contemplated for a short while but his defiance and nonchalance left her short of options.

'You don't have to do this Maurice,' Fred tried to dissuade him in the confides of the mind link but Maurice shut him out instead, sealing off their means of communication. 

'What the hell are you doing? Trying to kill our mate?' Ry didn't spare Maurice either, he was restless running all over his mind furious.

Ry had seen what a sip of alcohol could do to her then a bottle but Maurice was stubborn, a part of him longed to pull her into his arms and his aim was clear—to kill it—she was dead to him 3 years ago she betrayed him and took life. 3 years of his life, 3 years of his freedom. 

He had carved his heart in stone in those 3 years and he no longer had any affection for her or that was the biggest lie he prided himself with.

The lights on the stage dimmed a bit and just when he thought she'd walk away and save her life, she walked down the stage and to his table.

His breath caught when she came so close but he did a great job in masking his emotions, his expression was blank.

With an unmatched elegance, Vel reached for the bottle though her hand shook. Even if she had been reduced to a nobody, she never lost her gracefulness or poise.

'It's official, my dumb human host is about to take us on a trip to visit the goddess,' Dana purred sarcastically at the back of her mind.

'I'm doing this for Leila, you know we need the money.' She eyed the cash once more. The notes sat pretty on the silk table cloth.

Dana had learned over the years that it was useless to try to talk Vel out of any decision she thought would favour Leila—not really—Vel never really listened to Dana if not they wouldn't have been where they were. She had warned her about selling out their mate then as well.

Vel knew it was pointless looking at Maurice or attempting to reason with him so she opened the bottle and took it to her lips to drink without finding a glass.

Fred quickly stepped in, stopping her, his voice firm. “She won’t survive it.”

Maurice frowned, lifted a brow and shot a deadly glare at Fred as he made his way to the front where the drama unfolded.

Fred blamed himself for inviting Veldana to sing, he had thought that seeing her would soften Maurice's heart a bit but it turned out to be the exact opposite, what was meant to be a reunion that softened hearts instead tore the wound open deeper.

"She can't drink it, she's allergic." Fred reiterated when he got to the table.

Maurice stared at Vel with cold grey eyes sending shivers down her spine, his coldness masking the truth he could not admit even to himself — he had never stopped caring.