Seducing My Werewolf Hockey Captain

Chapter 9: Preparing for war

Chapter 9: Preparing for war

~ Gwen ~

It had been four days since my first day at college and I was genuinely scared of going back.

Four days of hiding in Aunt Anne's house, eating her nice meals, crying at random intervals, and trying to process the fact that my entire existence was apparently a lie.

Aunt Anne had spent those four days briefing me on everything.

My parents. Their rebellion. The wolfsbane they had used to make their wolves dormant. The fact that I was technically a werewolf but also completely not because whatever they had done to themselves had apparently passed down to me.

I also told her about the intruder, which had bothered her more than I expected. She made calls, asked questions, walked the perimeter of the house three times checking for scents I could not smell. Whoever that wolf had been, they were not supposed to be there. And the fact that they had targeted me specifically was concerning.

"You are a dormant werewolf," Aunt Anne had explained on day three, sitting across from me at the kitchen table with tea neither of us was drinking. "Which means you have the bloodline but none of the abilities. No shifting, no enhanced senses, no healing. You are vulnerable in ways that other werewolves are not."

"So basically I am useless," I said.

"No." She reached across and squeezed my hand. "You are a Casteel. That name carries weight here, even if you do not understand it yet. Your parents were… complicated. Loved and hated in equal measure. Their rebellion made enemies. But it also made them legends."

Great. So I was the daughter of legendary rebels with a target on my back and zero ability to defend myself.

This was fine. Everything was fine.

Despite my repeated threats to book a flight back to Boston, Aunt Anne had been patient. Kind, even. She never pushed. She just kept showing up with food and information and the kind of steady presence I desperately needed.

On the evening of day four, she appeared at my bedroom door dressed in a beautiful evening gown, her hair done up properly, looking like she was about to attend something important.

"You sure you do not want to join me?" she asked. "It is a big ball. And you have been home for days now. Trust me, it would not be that bad."

I looked up from my laptop where I had been watching the same episode of a show for the third time without actually processing any of it.

"A ball?"

"The Autumn Gala. Everyone in RavenBane attends. It is tradition."

I thought about it.

Four days of hiding had not made me feel any safer. It had just made me feel small and scared and completely powerless. Maybe going out would help. Maybe seeing that world again with Aunt Anne beside me would make it less terrifying.

And maybe — just maybe — if anything happened, Aunt Anne would protect me.

"Okay," I said. "I will come."

Aunt Anne's face lit up. "Really?"

"Really." I stood up. "But I need a dress."

She grinned. "I have just the thing."

…

The dress was stunning.

Deep blue, fitted perfectly, with a neckline that was elegant without being too much. Aunt Anne had a whole wardrobe of evening gowns apparently, and she had pulled this one out with the kind of certainty that said she had known exactly which one would suit me.

I did my makeup carefully, let my hair fall in loose waves, and looked at myself in the mirror.

I looked good.

I looked like someone who belonged at a ball.

I looked like someone who was not completely terrified.

Close enough.

We arrived at the venue — a massive estate on the edge of the city, all stone and glass and dramatic lighting — and stepped out of the car together. Aunt Anne was immediately greeted by what seemed like half the city. People kept coming up to her, shaking her hand, kissing her cheek, saying her name with the kind of respect that made it clear she was important here.

And they were all looking at me.

I could not tell if they were staring because I was new or because they could smell that I was not quite right. That I was human in a room full of werewolves. That I did not belong.

I lifted my chin and smiled anyway.

Then my eyes caught Yates.

He was standing near the entrance with Fanny beside him, both of them dressed perfectly, looking like the kind of couple that belonged on magazine covers. Fanny's dress was beautiful — a deep red that complemented her skin tone perfectly — and she had her hand possessively on his arm.

I wanted to acknowledge him. Maybe nod. Maybe smile. Something.

But he looked away immediately.

Like he had not seen me at all.

Something hot and angry twisted in my chest.

Fine.

"Hmm," I said out loud to no one in particular. "Maybe it would not be that bad to have someone to challenge if I go back to that school."

I could beat Fanny at her own game. I could be Queen of College. I had spent four days being scared and I was done with it.

"Gwen!"

I turned and saw Elodie rushing towards me, her face lit up with genuine happiness. She pulled me into a hug that nearly knocked me over.

"I am so glad to see you again," she said. "I thought you must have gone back to Boston."

I hugged her back, grateful for at least one friendly face. "Not yet. Still here. Still surviving."

The host of the gala announced that there would be dancing, and I smiled.

I had taken dance classes back in Boston. Years of them. Ballet, contemporary, ballroom. It was one of the things my mother had insisted on, and I had loved it.

Maybe this was going to be my chance.

To steal the spotlight from Fanny.

And maybe — just maybe — to steal Yates too.