Chapter2
1144 Words
[ELARA’S POV]
The bass thumped beneath my feet, steady and loud, like it was trying to compete with the war going on inside my chest.
Colorful lights danced across the walls of the rooftop lounge, casting pinks and blues onto the faces of the too-pretty crowd. Glasses clinked. Loud screams of excitement coming from many angles. Perfume, champagne, and pheromones clogged the air. It was loud, warm and expensive.
I didn’t belong here.
But I smiled anyway, because Ariana’s boyfriend was paying for everything, and pretending was better than being home.
“You look like a ghost,” Lila shouted over the music, reaching to grab my wrist. Her glittery pink nails sparkled like diamonds under the lights. “What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?”
I shook my head, forcing a grin. “Nothing. Just thinking.”
“Still about school and your old man?” Ariana chimed in from the velvet couch beside us. She was curled under Desmond’s arm, drink in hand, hair like gold silk swept over one shoulder. “Babe, tell her what you told me earlier.”
Desmond, Alpha Prince of White moon's Claw, second-born, cocky as hell—tilted his head toward me with a sly smile. “My brother still wants you.”
I blinked. “Your what?”
He leaned back, sipping lazily from his whiskey.
“My older brother, Caleb. He says if you’re done waiting around for some imaginary love story, he’s ready to make things official.”
Lila snorted and almost choked on her drink.
“You? Turning down the Alpha’s heir? Elara, girl, you must have hit your head.”
“Maybe I just have standards,” I muttered, grabbing my glass and knocking back a shot that burned down my throat.
Ariana arched a perfect brow. “Standards? That man is six-foot-five of literal power. He could have any woman, and he wants you.”
“Yeah, and he smells like burnt rubber and talks like he’s reading from a rulebook,” I grumbled.
Desmond laughed. “He's a warrior, not a poet. You should be honored.”
“I should be free to choose,” I shot back. “Not auctioned off like a necklace.”
They all stared at me for a second. And then, as always, laughter smoothed over the awkward silence.
“Elara and her fairytale brain,” Ariana said fondly, raising her glass. “To the girl who still believes in love.”
“To the girl who’s too stubborn to get mated!” Lila added, giggling.
I rolled my eyes but raised my glass anyway. “To the girls who are leaving me behind.”
That one landed. They didn't see it coming.
Ariana’s smile dimmed a little. “We didn’t mean to drop that on you so fast…”
“You kind of did,” I said quietly.
Desmond ran a hand through his dark curls. “They’re not abandoning you, Elara. The city’s small, but dreams are big. They’re just heading to different packs for school.”
I nodded, teeth clenched behind my drink. It wasn’t their fault.
Ariana had a scholarship through her father’s side of the pack. Lila’s uncle ran a private college in Redfall Valley. They had routes. Support. Options.
I had none.
Just a dad who couldn’t go a week without chasing some game he’d already lost.
Seeing them leave me behind in this hellhole wasn’t something I saw coming. They were my sisters before the world taught us we weren’t blood. They were my normal in a life that never stayed still. But now it seems as if I have to learn how to survive all by myself, alone.
“Well,” I said, reaching for the bottle, “If I’m losing you two, I might as well lose my liver too.”
Lila cheered, raising her shot. “To the last night together!”
“To hot girls and dangerous decisions,” Ariana grinned.
“To no regrets,” I added, and we clinked.
The next hour unraveled in a blur of music, dancing, and drinks I stopped counting. My laughter got louder. My thoughts fuzzier. My body lighter. I let the rhythm carry me until I couldn’t tell the difference between sadness and joy. All I knew was that I didn’t want the night to end. The joy was real, but the sadness and pain were evident. So, I decided to drink myself to stupor.
After a few hours of buzz and booms, the light started going down gradually, together with the fun. I was exhausted, we were exhausted of strength but full of alcohol.
Eventually, we stumbled through the grand halls of the luxurious hotel Desmond had booked for us. Fifth floor. Golden carpet. Chandelier lights.
“Elara, what’s your room again?” Ariana asked, dragging her heels off her feet.
I squinted at the glowing numbers on the hallway wall.
“Seven... zero... two,” I said slowly. “Yeah. 702.”
Desmond chuckled. “Are you sure you can walk?”
“Course I can,” I slurred, tripping into Lila’s arm.
Ariana kissed my cheek. “We love you, okay? Don’t fall asleep in the hallway.”
I mumbled something back as they staggered down the hall together, laughter echoing between the doors. I watched them vanish down the hallway with my blurry eyes. Difficult to admit, but I was missing them already.
I reached into my purse and pulled out the sleek black card. Room 706, I think. The numbers were too blurry to tell. I squinted, frowning. “That’s not what I said…”
But then something shiny caught my eye.
A second card key… sticking out of the doorknob right in front of me.
Room 702.
The door was cracked open, slightly. One key in my hand. One in the door.
I furrowed my brow. “Did they… give me two?” I mumbled to no one.
The alcohol decided that made perfect sense.
I pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The room was cold. Dark. Bigger than I remembered. But everything swayed in my vision, and all I wanted was water. Or a bathtub. Or both.
Shrugging out of my dress, I kicked off my heels and stumbled toward the bathroom, tossing my bag somewhere near the bed.
Hot water. That’s all I needed.
I turned the tap and stepped under the spray with a sigh, letting the steam rise and the night melt off me.
"Brown skin girl......dark skin just like pearls, the best in the mmmmhmm, I'll never trade you for anybody else....." I hummed, Euphoria sinking in. There's nothing as sweet as a warm shower after some booze.
Unaware, unbothered and uninvited.
“I didn’t know I was already cooked—served up and ready for the wolf.”
- Writer
