Chapter 2

I got up pretty early in the morning and was in desperate need of a coffee. I couldn't sleep a wink after receiving that strange text last night. I had some time to myself before Amelia came over later today to pick me up for the event. I was going to need all the downtime I could get before then. Over the steaming rim of my coffee cup, my gaze falls on my laptop sitting on the coffee table. My thoughts drift to my sister Marley and her family. I love seeing my Nieces and Nephew, so I stroll over and open it up to start a video chat. It's hard to keep in touch because they live in New York, but they are the only family I had left since I lost my parents in a car accident when I was 13. It's been hard for me to deal with, but I get through it because of Amelia and her family.

The ringtone catches my attention, and after a few minutes, Marley answers with a smile. "Hey, Chloe,"  she says. I could tell by the background she was in her kitchen, and from her distracted attention, I know she must be making the kids breakfast. "Hey! How are you and the kids?" I ask, waiting for her reply. "They are good! Kali is getting dressed for school; Claire is practicing her piano upstairs, and Kaden is...” she paused for a thoughtful moment, “Well, I'm not sure what he is getting into at the moment, and Ben has a meeting this morning for a couple to see a house," she explains. I can’t help but shake my head in disbelief. I don’t know how my sister juggles everything with three kids. Of course, she has her husband, Ben, but sometimes he even acts like a child, so I would say she has four kids. 

I can’t help but smile. I’m so happy my sister has a loving family. “Oh, I miss them so much. I hope to see everyone for Christmas this year,” I suggest, hoping we could figure something out. “That would be great,” she says with a smile before her face becomes serious. “Hey, I hate to cut this so short, but Kaden made a mess in the bathroom. I need to get him, but I love you, we will talk soon. Okay,” she says, rushing through her house. “OK, Love you guys! Give the kids hugs for me," I say, then blew her a  kiss before she hung up.

My apartment falls silent as I move to my bedroom and sit down at my vanity to do my makeup. With the dress I picked out, and I know a smokey eye with red lipstick would be perfect. When I finish, I give myself a wink because the black eyeshadow makes my green eyes stand out beautifully. After I’m done checking myself out, I curl my hair and pin it all to one side, exposing one shoulder. Finally, I pick up my dress and slip it over my body before grabbing my silver stilettos, adding diamond earrings for the finishing touch. I look at myself in the mirror and amaze myself. I feel confident and ready to face some werewolves.

I look at the clock and rush for my keys. Amelia told me to be downstairs at six, so I stepped out and locked the door behind me. When I get outside, I see a limousine waiting in front of my apartment building, and then I see Amelia rolling down the window, sounding off a whistle. "Hey sexy," She calls out to me. I smirk and pretend to act shy, fluttering my eyelashes, and covering my mouth with my hand, but I can’t contain my laughter. I slide into the limo and see Amelia’s mother, Cordelia. "Hi, Cordelia," I say, smiling. She returns my smile with one of her own. "Hello dear, how are you?" she asks. "I'm good. I will be better once finals are over," I admit honestly. Cordelia takes my hand when she senses my worry. "It will all be worth it when you have finished, sweety," she declares, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. "Yeah, I can't wait. It can be exhausting," I sigh. "I'm sure it is, hun," she says, patting my hand before pulling away to look us over. 

"You girls look gorgeous, don't go breaking too many hearts," Cordelia smiles. Amelia and I start cracking up. "We can't make any promises," I whisper to Cordelia, laughing and wiggling my brows. We all laugh again and spend the rest of the drive talking. After a while, we pull into the packhouse where the ball is. The driver follows the circular drive until he reaches the front of the house. He stops at the bottom of the front steps, where a man opens our door to let us out.  

Amelia turns to me with a hesitant look on her face as we start walking to the entrance. "What's the  matter?" I say with concern. “I'm nervous, Chloe,” she admits with a shaky breath. ''Oh, Amelia'' I say sweetly. ''It's going to be OK. I'm right here with you. Let's go inside,'' I assure her, linking my arm with hers as we continue toward the doors. We walk through the entrance, and as we turn a corner, Amelia runs into this cute guy with blonde hair and blue eyes. She looks up at him, and when their eyes meet, it's like watching a romance novel unfold before my eyes.

"Hello, lovely lady," he says sincerely. "Hi," Amelia stutters like she lost her wording, and I fight to facepalm myself. I clear my throat and step closer to the pair. "Hello, my name is Chloe, and this is Amelia,” I  introduce her then give her a nudge when she remains silent. “Who is all of a sudden mute," I say with a  giggle as I look back to the man. He turns to look at me with a friendly smile then back to Amelia. "Nice to meet you, ladies. I'm Paul," he says. I raise a questioning brow when a smirk plays on his lips. "But you  already know who I am, don't you, Amelia?" He asks, still grinning. 

I look at Amelia with confusion all over my face, and she turns to me. “Paul is my mate,” she explains,  breathlessly. My eyes grow wide in wonder. "You know just by looking at each other?" I inquire, genuinely intrigued by how easy that was. "I wish humans could do that, so you don't have to spend most of your life looking for the right person," I laugh. Amelia looks at me like she is asking for permission to go with him, but I put my hand up before she can speak. "Go be with him. I’m not going anywhere unless a  wolf gets hungry and decides to eat me,'' I giggle, and Amelia and Paul laugh before they walk off toward the dance floor, holding hands. 

A feeling of pure happiness spreads throughout my body. I can’t help but feel happy for my friend. If anyone deserves this, it’s her. I walk to the bar, keeping the same feeling of confidence I had back in my apartment. ''Hi, can I have a glass of champagne, Please?'' I ask, resting my elbows on the glossy counter. ''Of course, Miss, right away,” the bartender says, but I can see the confusion in his eyes when he realizes I’m human. "Don't worry, I know I'm surrounded by werewolves," I explain with a wink. "You read my mind," The barkeep admits with a laugh.

I glance around the room and notice the party is genuinely extravagant and in full swing with chatter and dancing. ''Who throws these parties?'' I ask, leaning my side against the bar. ''The Alpha throws them to get to know his pack members more,” he informs me, placing my drink in front of me with a smile. “Oh,” I say casually and pick up my glass. "Thanks! Have a good night," I say, raising the glass as I walk away from the bar, but something catches my eye. 

My eyes are set on a man who is entering the ballroom from a set of double doors in the corner of the room.  He is so handsome, and I find it hard to look away. My eyes travel over his body and I see he’s wearing an all-black suit that seems to be tailored to show off how fit he is. I can’t help but wet my lips as my eyes continue their assault of his body. Luckily, they travel north first. Starting from the top, I see he has brown eyes and hair with tattoos covering his neck. When my eyes travel lower, I can also see them over the tops of his hands. I watch him adjust his cufflinks and can’t stop myself from biting my lip in excitement. I’ve always had a weakness for the bad boy type.  

I watch him turn, his brown eyes taking in the crowd, but he suddenly stops when his gaze falls on me. A  pit forms in my stomach, and I turn away abruptly, rushing to the lady’s room. Even though he already caught me staring at him, I want to avoid any more embarrassment. I enter the restroom and immediately head to the sink, resting my hands on the counter. My cheeks looked flushed from staring at him,  and when his eyes met mine, a heat spread throughout my body. I take a few deep breaths, trying everything I can to gather myself before going back out there. I looked in the mirror one last time when the door opened behind me. I turn to see who it is, and I gasp in surprise.