002|| The New Guests

DANA

I know that all it would take is for the prince's gaze to flicker in my direction for him to see me, but I can't seem to take my eyes off him.

This can't be real. Did the pain of my heartbreak cause my mind to splinter? Is this what insanity feels like?

My focus is now entirely on him and not on how Carter is staring at his bride-to-be like a lovesick puppy. Another knot forms in my throat, but this time, it's all fear and not sadness.

My mind transports me back to that night at the bar. I see myself at eighteen years old, drunk and desperate, and eager to escape a reality that was catching up to me fast. My father had always been irresponsible with money. He was a disgraced Alpha, and at that point, he had no allies left because he was known for never paying his debts.

He told me I was going to serve as a maid for the Fallen Moon Pack, and that it was only going to be for a short time since he couldn't pay their Alpha back, but I knew he was lying to me, and I tried to run away. I just packed a bag, jumped out the window, and told myself I'd never come back.

I remember not caring that I would be officially considered a packless wolf. Who cared? I'd rather be alone for the rest of my life than be used as payment. I stumbled into that bar for water, but something happened. Thinking of it now, I think the asshole who served me water probably spiked it, because I was suddenly filled with an urge to dance and sing.

That was when I saw him.

He was smoking a cigarette at the very end of the room, his face shrouded in shadow, but even though I couldn't see his eyes, I could tell he was looking at me, and just then, my blood began boiling in a way it never had before. Desire stirred in my core, and when he stood up and walked toward me, I had no doubts left in my mind that I wanted him to fuck me.

It would be my first time, but whatever drug those weirdos slipped into my drink made me bold. At least, that's how it felt at the time.

"What's your name?" I remember him asking. I think I must've given him a fake name, but I don't remember what it was anymore.

"What's yours?"

He smirked, and the sight of it shot heat straight down my spine. "I don't think you want to know my name, doll."

Doll. That's what he called me. I remember that now.

"Why not?" I'd asked audaciously.

He raised his glass to his lips and gulped his drink down. I don't think he ever answered my question, but the look he gave me spoke volumes.

Anyway, one thing led to another, and we started cozying up. The guys who spiked my drink didn't like that one bit, so they picked a fight with the tall, handsome stranger whose hands were trailing up and down my sides as we swayed together in that shitty bar.

I won't go into details, but he won, and even the sight of him fighting those guys turned me on.

He grabbed my hand afterward and dragged me toward his car. We went to his place—I remember it being a dimly lit dump—and he offered me another beer. I just asked for water. I was sitting on the couch sipping it while he went into the tiny bathroom down the hall and took his shirt off. The sight of his muscles rippling under his skin made my desire swell, and I placed the glass down on the coffee table before walking up to him. He was running his bloody knuckles under water when I approached, and he turned to look at me in a way that left no doubts left in my mind.

His eyes were a sparkling blue, rimmed with dark, thick lashes. His gaze scanned my face before he turned around and kissed me until I grew hot and breathless.

And then, we went into his room.

The morning hit me hard with a clarity I didn't expect. I looked over at his sleeping figure and horror trickled down my spine. The sight of blood on the sheets from my lost virginity didn't help one bit. I knew I had to get the hell out of there.

Little did I know that, a few blocks away from his place, my father would catch me, shove me in the trunk of his car, and drive me back home, where he kept me locked up like a prisoner until it was time for Carter's late father to take me to my new home.

I never saw that stranger again. Until now, that is.

I back away from the window before he looks up and sees me. That's the last thing I need right now. Panic shoots through me and there's no stopping it. I think I might be having a full-blown anxiety attack because my heart has no business beating this fast.

What in the actual fuck do I do now?

I know that the last thing I should be worrying about is a one-night stand from seven years ago, especially considering how Carter's behaving, but that doesn't make any of this less terrible. I'm confused and scared.

I have this desperate wish for things to go back to the way they were, but I also know that will never happen.

So, what now?

A knock on the door makes my heart leap right out of my chest. I open it and find Mathilde, the head maid, standing on the other side with a smirk on her lips. "Luna Dana, the Alpha has requested your presence downstairs. He wants you to meet the princess and her brother."

Great. Just when things couldn't get any worse.

"Tell him I don't want to."

I slam the door right in her face just as she's about to say something else. I don't care. I'm not going down there. But of course, Carter isn't happy with that because he comes to fetch me himself, and this time, the patience that I saw written all over his face last night is long gone.

"Dana, I thought we had a deal," he forces through clenched teeth. "You have to come downstairs to meet the princess. Where are your manners?"

I scoff and narrow my eyes at him. "They're right down the drain along with our marriage, Carter! I don't want to meet her. I don't have to!"

"Yes, you do!" he exclaims. "She knows you're going to be running this household, even though we're married. For the Goddess's sake, woman. Why are you making this more complicated than it should be?"

"You're only making me do it because you're all charmed by her. Are you going to deny it?" I ask, changing the subject. "I saw the way you were looking at her."

Carter sucks in a breath and shakes his head at me. "You don't know what you're talking about, Dana. I didn't look at her in any way. Just come downstairs so we can get this done and over with, alright?"

I fold my arms across my chest. "You do realize that this is humiliating for me, don't you?"

His gaze softens suddenly and he expels a breath. Rubbing his eyes, he tells me, "I understand your position. You know I do. But with this war that's heading our way, we have to protect ourselves. I explained this to you already, didn't I? Look, it's just until the war is over, alright? Then, we'll go back to our ordinary lives. She knows that, too, alright?"

"Does she?"

"Of course, she does," he claims as he steps closer to me. This time, I let him. "You're my whole world, alright? Don't let this change what's happening between us. You'll always be my Luna. Always."

Carter kisses the bridge of my nose tenderly, and just then, my fear of meeting the princess and that stranger returns. I know it isn't something I can escape from, though, so my mind starts holding onto everything it can to make coping with all this easier.

That night happened seven years ago. What are the chances that he'll even remember me? I changed a lot since then.

Yes, maybe I'm panicking for no reason.

"Let's just get this done and over with, alright?" he says softly as he drags his lips along my earlobe.

So, Carter takes my hand in his and we head downstairs together. Though my heart is still beating wildly, I try to convince myself that I'm right and the prince won't look at me twice.

I realize just how wrong I am the second we reach the bottom of the stairs.

Though my eyes are on the princess, I feel the way his gaze is burning through me. Carter does the introductions, and I notice how he isn't holding my hand anymore, but I barely hear a word he's saying.

"And this, Dana, is Prince Ferran Nevaryan, Princess Nadira's brother."

The second our gazes lock, a stunned look crosses his face. Goddess, I was kind of hoping that I'd been wrong about it really being him, too, but here we are.

"It's so lovely to meet you," the princess says, and I can't help but notice the look that she and Carter exchange. "I'm sure we're going to be great friends!"

My attention returns to her brother, who doesn't say anything, but keeps looking at me in a way that makes my skin crawl. Then, with no warning at all, he dips his head and says, "It's wonderful to meet you, Dana."

My mouth is too dry for me to speak, so I just nod.

Carter breaks the tense silence by saying, "Oh, and that over there is Lenny, Dana's brother. He lives with us. Lenny? Come and say hello to the princess and her brother."

Lenny moves away from the front door and makes his way to our side. Honestly, things couldn't get any worse for me. As I watch Lenny make his way toward us, my gaze returns to the prince's face, but thankfully, he's still looking at me so he's hardly paying attention to Lenny.

My biggest fear right now would be for him to look at Lenny too closely and see the truth that I've been hiding for the past seven years.