Lora's POV
I stood motionless as I stared at the message. Thinking of the possibility that he only allowed me to come with him because he wanted to use me as a shield.
I shook my head.
It was impossible, and either way, I still had to go, or else I would come off as suspicious.
I sighed, taking a deep breath before I got ready.
***
The crowd falls silent as we walk in. My hands tangled around Cyrus. The guests paused in their activities as they stared at the duo that had just walked in.
The lady's eyes brightened, all on the dress and the necklace he had put on me when we left.
The jealousy was evident as some rolled their eyes. Muttering words like—Who is this?
"Alpha." A voice called out, turning my attention towards him. I looked up and saw a middle-aged man approaching with a wine glass in his hands.
"I appreciate that you honoured our invitation and came to this gathering." The man said, his tone calm and relaxed.
Cyrus nodded, muttering some words that I just filtered out.
I looked around, in hopes of finding the person who would try to take action against him.
"And this fine lady is…" he drifted, awaiting me to say my name. I smiled before I spoke.
"Lora," I said, feeling a nudge from Cyrus. That was the first time he had heard my name, and it wasn't directed to him.
"What a fine…" the man said, but was cut off by Cyrus, who pulled me out of there without a word. I waved at him, in hopes of conveying my apologies.
Suddenly, he came to a stop. He turned around and grabbed my shoulders, staring deep into my eyes. He paused, tightening his grip as he spoke. "Why?" He asked.
His voice carried a hint of betrayal, disappointment, and sadness.
My eyes drifted, guilt engulfing me as his grip got tighter. "Ouch," I mumbled, and he looked away, almost like he had come to a realisation.
He pulled his hand back. Placing them in his pockets before he apologised. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking about it."
"I forgot you weren't…" he paused mid-speech. Almost like he was afraid to continue speaking.
I stared at him, lost in his eyes. The so-called evil wolf didn't seem so huge anymore. I could see a little bit of longing, hope. I could see that he hoped I would accept him.
"You came." A voice came through, snapping me out of my daze. I snapped out of it. My eyes drifted towards the person who talked.
"Hey." He called, now standing right in front of us.
My eyes moved towards Cyrus, who still stood staring at me. I coughed, feeling shy as I tapped him.
"You said?" He asked, obviously not aware of what happened.
The other person looked at us both, his eyes moving from left to right before he chuckled.
"You didn't bring Stella this around, what happened?" He inquired.
Stella? Who was she?
I looked towards Cyrus and found he was already looking, almost like he knew I would be confused.
"You don't have to talk about her," Cyrus said, his eyes drifting away like he was avoiding the topic.
He looked at him and chuckled yet again. "Okay, anything you say. So who's this?" He asked, shifting his gaze towards me. "She looks very special." He added.
"I'm Casper." He said, putting his hands forward.
I smiled, moving mine closer to his, but only to see Cyrus had beaten it down.
"She's Lora, a friend. And like you said, she is very special." He said his gaze was sharp.
Casper stared at him, trying his best to hold in his chuckle, but after a few minutes, he broke and laughed a bit. "I've never seen you like this. What makes this one special?" He asked.
Cyrus's eyes drifted towards me, and I felt goosebumps. What if he said it out?
"She's…" He paused, unsure of what to say, when a voice came from behind.
"Why didn't you bring me?" The voice was feminine and demanding. It came from an angry person.
We turned, and I could hear Casper's voice from behind. "There she comes."
The lady looked graceful, her white dress highlighting her curves as she walked towards us. Her face was squeezed and serious. Despite that, I could still tell she was a BEAUTY.
"And who is this?" She asked, staring at me with shock and disdain. I didn't need anyone to tell me that this was Stella.
And with that attitude, she was in trouble.
"What do you want, Stella. I thought I confined you to your chambers?" Cyrus asked, his brows knitted in frustration.
"You did. But I was expecting you to bring me out tonight, I was even thinking something had happened to you. I went to check up on you, and you left me shocked."
She said, her voice rising.
I looked at her in shock, then at Cyrus, who still looked patient with her behaviour.
Was this the same person I knew?
"I can't believe you left me just to bring this lady out." She said, looking at me like I was a piece of trash.
"Hey, stop it," Cyrus said. His voice was stern and harsh.
"You already made a mistake by leaving your chambers, and you're coming here to make a scene?" Cyrus asked, glaring hard at her.
His words left her shocked as she stood there for a few minutes.
She scoffed as she looked around in disbelief. "You're talking to me like that, because of her?" She asked, her eyes filling with rage.
I shifted backwards, wanting to get myself to safety when I saw him. One of the group's members.
He held a knife below the tray and was moving towards us.
I took a deep breath in as I looked forward, trying not to make it obvious that I had seen him.
"I have no time for this, return now," Cyrus said as he grabbed my hand and turned away, moving forward.
A smile grew on my face as I saw him moving closer, but I still couldn't help but feel my eyes twitching.
Just a few inches away from us, I saw him pull out the knife, ready to step.
And then, A push. Today?"
I asked, and he nodded.
"Isn't that too close. I don't have time to prepare, I can't.." I stammered, feeling pressure all over me. I was expecting a satisfactory reply, but all he did was smile.
"I've gotten everything ready; you don't have to do much." He said as he walked towards the door.
"All you have to do is attend the gathering." He said and smiled before he walked out.
I slumped into the chair, my head banging with the thought of the gathering he talked about. Just at that moment, my phone buzzed, and my eyes widened as I saw the message.
The headquarters was finally able to get to me.
"Signify if you're still alive, else another person strikes tonight." The message read.
I stared at the message for a while before I was hit with the reality.
I could also die if I went with him. I was at stake.