The Alpha's pretend mate

chapter 27

AVELORA

My mouth dropped as I stepped out of the main hall and into the compound.

In just three hours, the rowdy space had been transformed into a work of art. Strings of fairy lights hung from the stone arches. The air was thick with the scent of roasted meat, expensive champagne, and the thick pheromones of hundreds of shifters. Music, a mix of deep drums and melodic strings vibrating straight into my chest.

Khyrix’s arm was a grounding weight beneath my hand as he led me through the crowd. Every conversation died the second we passed. Heads bowed, eyes lowered, and the whispers 'Is that her?' followed us.

"You can go back in if you're too..."

I didn't let him finish. I squeezed his hand to cut him off, a fake smile plastered perfectly onto my face. All while I was breaking apart like a porcelain doll.

"It's just wolves," I joked softly, trying to ignore the chills running down my spine and the way my heart hammered against my ribs. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"A lot," he replied bluntly. "It’s a full moon, and you're wolfless."

I scoffed, but I couldn't stop the small smile that broke through. He cared about me. In his own ridiculous way, he was showing it.

"You say that like it's a disease."

He stopped and stared down at me intensely. The noise of the party faded. For a second, the world quieted down until it was just the two of us wrapped in an unbreakable bubble.

Then, the bubble popped.

"Alpha," Zayn's voice interrupted. Khyrix looked away, his expression instantly hardening. "I have news fro...."

"No," Khyrix cut him off, glancing briefly at Zayn before focusing back on me. "We can discuss court matters later."

Without waiting for a reply, he dragged me along with him.

We reached the high-tier section of the compound, the area reserved exclusively for the sovereign students. I braced myself, expecting the same cold glares and biting condescension I had received from Jade in the dining hall. Instead, a girl with striking silver hair and a sharp intelligent looking face stepped forward from a group of well-dressed students.

"Alpha Khyrix," she said, bowing respectfully before turning her gaze to me. There was no hostility in her eyes, only intense curiosity. "And you must be Avelora. I’m Selene, from the Western Peaks."

"Nice to meet you," I said, waiting for an inevitable jab.

"I can't believe you stood up to Jade. Dang."

Okay, so we were just getting right into it. I looked up at Khyrix, silently begging him to save me, but he just flashed a smile and shrugged innocently.

"I'll be back," he said. "Stay with Selene for a while."

My eyes widened. I tightened my grip on his arm, hoping the way I was squeezing the life out of his fingers conveyed the message that I wanted to be anywhere but here.

He didn't care. Reaching down with his other hand, he slowly pried my fingers off, never breaking eye contact the entire time.

Good grief.

If this had been Miles trying to talk to me, Khyrix would have turned into a fire-breathing werewolf. But he happily abandoned me with Selene just because we both possessed boobs.

I mean, what if Selene was gay?

"I literally cried in the bathroom when she started her nonsense," Selene continued, drawing my attention back.

My ears perked up.

Rich people cry too?

"And oh, I love your dress," Selene complimented, her tone completely open. "I wish I had a body like that."

Everything about her seemed genuinely nice, which made me actually want to talk to her. I needed to say something back, compliment her outfit the way she just did mine, but she was coming on so strong I didn't even know which part of the sentence to respond to. My fingers were sweating and my fake smile was starting to twitch.

"Thank you," I managed. "And no, I wish I had a body like yours."

I prayed it sounded like a genuine compliment and not a backhanded jab.

"What? Don't be ridiculous," Selene laughed, waving it off. "Anyway, this is Amy, my best friend. And that gruff-looking one over there is Jonathan, my mate."

I waved at them, doing my best to ensure my smile didn't look entirely constipated.

"Hi, Luna," Amy said, pulling me a step closer. "And oh my God, your curls are gorgeous."

A real smile finally broke through my fake one. My hair was my favorite part of myself. It actually looked elegant compared to the rest of me. It was curly, long, and healthy. Every time I cut it, it just grew back thicker and longer, as if it were angry I had maimed it in the first place.

"This is Elias...." Selene started, but Amy cut her off.

"Goddammit, Selene, enough with the introductions. Let her breathe."

Selene reminded me of Minara. They were energetic in entirely different ways, but the vibe was exactly the same. I suddenly found myself wishing the lower-class students weren't in a different hall.

Amy handed me a glass of something sparkling. I took it, but there was no way in hell I was actually drinking the bubbly stuff.

As they kept talking, I zoned out. I didn't have much to add to their conversation anyway, I felt entirely out of place. They were being nice, sure, but I couldn't just magically forget that everyone in this tier had been a silent bystander to the bullying and the class divide.

I subtly scanned the crowd for Khyrix. He wasn't hard to spot. The world had a habit of disappearing around him.

I belonged here, I knew that. I mean who doesn't deserve nice and expensive things. But he looked like he was born for it. He was perfect in this crowd.

His eyes snapped to mine. He offered a small smile, which I didn't return. Instead, I shot him a glare that explicitly said 'Get your ass over here right now or I am going to blurt out that I am your fake mate.'

Instead of hurrying, he took his sweet time. His eyes locked onto mine as the crowd parted naturally before him, clearing a path straight to me.

My breath hitched when he finally stopped in front of me. His hand slipped down, slowly wrapping around mine.

"How are you enjoying the party so far?" he asked, his voice velvety and low.

I gestured around the room with my free hand. "So-so. You could do better with the lighting, the music, and overall just not dragging me here right after I almost died at the hands of a rogue."

He rolled his eyes. My attitude was clearly rubbing off on him.

"You? Fought? With your bad back?"

"Did you really need to remember that useless detail?" I muttered, annoyed. Out of all the things he could know about me, he remembered that?

"No, sugarplum," he replied, his face completely serious. "I never forget anything about you."

My heart instantly stopped pumping blood and decided to try escaping my chest instead. A silly grin painted itself across my face.

He remembers everything about me?

"Bad back?" Selene asked, breaking the trance I was locked in with him.

"Yeah," Khyrix answered smoothly. "I've apologized for breaking it, but she always has to make me feel bad."

I blinked, confused by what he was implying, my eyes widened when I got it. I watched the exact moment the lightbulb clicked in Selene's head. Her face turned bright red.

I wanted to punch the s**t-eating grin right off his face. Khyrix never laughed. Why was he starting now? He was doing this entirely to throw me off balance.

He grabbed my hand, pulling me sharply against him until my front was pressed flush against his chest. He leaned down, his breath warm against my ear.

"I think we broke Selene," he whispered.

I chuckled, raising my head to respond, but he was so close my lips almost brushed his. My mind immediately flashed back to the night he kissed me. My gaze dropped to his lips before I snapped my eyes back up.

Goddess, at this rate I was going to have a heart attack.

"I think I broke you, too," he said, I backed away quickly. My heart was lodged firmly in my throat, and I knew if I kept talking, I’d end up saying something incredibly stupid.

"I'm unbreakable." He raised an eyebrow, effortlessly looping his hand around my waist and pulling me right back against him. He bent down until his lips were at my ear again. "You want to find out?"

"Maybe, maybe not," I challenged, meeting his gaze. "I just don't think you're up for the task."

His smirk faltered for a fraction of a second, but he recovered instantly.

"Oh? Want to find out on the dance floor?"

"Which of the dance floors?"

He stopped smiling, dragging me out into the center of the floor and shifting his hands securely around my waist.

The rest of the world dissolved. The only sounds left were the soft background music and the low rumble of Khyrix's laugh.

"I don't dance," I warned him.

"Now you do," he said, easily twirling me.

A giggle escaped me, making me feel like a teenager getting drunk on beer for the very first time. I felt lightheaded, entirely giddy. His scent invaded all my senses, and for a fleeting minute, I wished I could just exist in this exact moment forever.

"I still don't dance well," I said again with a chuckle, stepping sl on his foot. "This is a giant mess."

"Nobody will notice." He twirled me again. I stumbled backward, almost landing flat on my butt before he caught me securely against him.

"I bet they don't," I replied sarcastically.

The music finally came to an end. I stood there, admiring him while feeling a little bit sorry for his feet.

I pulled away, grounding myself and forcing my brain to remember exactly who he was, and what I was to him.

"Wow," I said, looking around. "Where is everybody?"

The crowd had drastically reduced. The ones who remained were standing around, watching us like we were a movie.

"I hate this place," I muttered under my breath.

"I do too," he repeated, his expression instantly shifting back to its usual formal mask. "We have to leave now anyway."

"To where?"

He shrugged. "The actual party."