THE ADOPTED LUNA

Chapter 3

Aurora's POV

I made my hair myself and with a little bit of help from my adopted mother - the Luna. My hair was styled in a high bun with delicate braids and loose strands framing my face. Some strands of my curls flowed down my back, to complete the look of elegance as Xander had put it.

The dress Xander had gifted me, fitted me so perfectly and I felt like a princess.

Xander was the one who accompanied me to the dance. He was dressed in a sleek black tuxedo, paired with a crisp white shirt, a black bow tie, and patent leather shoes. His dark hair was styled perfectly, and his bright smile completed the dashing look.

“You look so beautiful,” he said as soon as he stared at me from down to up and then up to down. “You're definitely going to attract all eyes at this dance.”

Xander and I were in one car while the alpha and the Luna took another car to drive the car to the venue. When we got there, Xander stepped out of the car and came to the other side to open the door, stretching out his hand to take mine and I obliged him as I helped him out of the car.

I could see people gawking at us, but Xander briefly whispered to me, “Forget about them. Focus on just you for you tonight.”

I nodded, looking up to smile at me, and he responded with another one of his.

Xander soon after stepped out, he told me he had something to do quickly, but he'd be back. I was left all alone with the act of staring at others.

A bitter taste crept up my throat as I watched others laugh and chat with such ease, I felt like an invisible ghost in the party.

I was looking around, waiting for the Unmated moon Dance to start, when I felt a sudden push. I almost lost my footing, but I managed to catch myself just in time. I turned to see Anna and her minions smirking at me.

"Arrgh! Why does it have to be you?" I whispered, hoping she wouldn't hear me, but I knew she probably did.

Anna's smile grew wider, her eyes sparkling as she said, "Well well well, who do we have here?"

I felt my heart sink, knowing this was going to be a confrontation. Anna and her friends always seemed to take pleasure in making my life miserable.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here," Anna said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "The dirty half-breed, all dressed up and trying to fit in."

Her minions snickered, and I felt my face heat up with anger and embarrassment.

"Yeah, like you belong here," one of them chimed in.

I tried to keep my cool, but it was hard, especially with the attention Anna kept attracting. "Just leave me alone, Anna."

But she just kept going, her words cutting deep into me. "Oh, I'm just getting started. What's with the hair and dress? Trying to impress someone?"

“Don't you have anything better to do than to waste your time on me?” I asked, hoping they'll just leave me be.

“You know for once you said something worthy of being referred to as sensible,” Anna said, waving her hands and obviously showcasing her well-manicured nails. “Well girls, let's go. We have better things to do than waste our time on this… thing.”

As they walked away, I felt a mix of emotions: anger, hurt, and frustration. Why did they always have to be so cruel?

I quietly found a corner to make myself very invisible. I watched as different wolves dressed in very beautiful suits and dresses walked past me, none willing to come any closer to me.

‘Soon you'll know I have a wolf,’ I thought as I watched everyone pass.

I was biding my time to pass quickly when I heard an uproar at the entrance. Straining my neck to see who it was. Amidst the sea of ladies, I quickly caught the face of the most eye-catching Alpha of the Pack Alliance — Kaiser Claye.

This was my first time seeing him up close, and I marveled at how handsome he really looked. His tall frame and broad shoulders screamed confidence. He smiled at some of the she-wolves, even waving at them and hugging the rest. I could swear his smile was so heavenly it lit up the whole room.

With the way people had thronged to see him, cheering him up and were all straining to touch him, I was soon swept up in the chaos. I tried to move to the back of the room where I was before the chaos ensued, but as I turned to force my way back into the crowd, a group of excited she-wolves pushed me to the side, trying to get a glimpse of him, but by then, I had already placed one of my leg forward. Before I knew it, I stumbled and fell forward, my feet tangled in the throng.

Everything seemed to go in slow motion as I felt myself hurtling towards the ground. But instead of landing hard, I found myself caught in a pair of strong arms. I looked up to see Kaiser's face inches from mine, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he peered into my face.

For a moment, I forgot to breathe. I was acutely aware of the warmth of his body, the scent of his cologne, and the gentle way he held me.

Just as I was about to stammer out a thank you, Kaiser's expression changed. His eyes narrowed, and his mouth twisted into a sneer. "Filthy half-breed," he spat, his voice loud enough for the whole crowd to hear.

I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. The warmth of his arms turned to ice, and he dropped me like I was a sack of hot potato. My butt hit the ground with a soft thud, and I just sat there, stunned and blinking repeatedly, as the room erupted into whispers and laughter. The onlookers jeered and pointed at me, loud guffaws resounding from every angle.

Color crept up my face as I reddened in embarrassment, humiliation settling in my heart. I felt like I should dig a hole and hide myself there. I quickly scrambled to my feet, covering my face, desperate to escape the mocking gaze of the crowd.

I pushed past the mass of people blindly as I struggled to get to the back of the crowd and hide there, but some of them kept shoving me away from them until I finally hit the back of the crowd.

Tears stung my eyes threatening to come out, but I blinked back, careful not to ruin my mascara. The people were no longer jeering at me, they had better things to focus on.

I watched him resume his exchange with the others, but he no longer appeared like an angel in my thoughts. I could barely stop the tears as his words kept echoing in my head.

‘Maybe I should just go home,’ I wondered, gazing at the entrance, but on cue, I shut down that part of me. ‘No! I have to wake my wolf and prove to all of them that I was as much of a werewolf than anyone else.’

While I was lost in my own thoughts, I suddenly realized that everyone had gone silent and their gaze was directed to one place — the entrance.

There a group of men about four in number stood, watching the crowd.