Pawn Luna for My Three Alphas

Charming Personality

Athena's POV:

I stared at my reflection for one last time. 

The dress hugged my figure just right—tight enough to show off my curves but not so much that it looked like I was trying too hard. 

My makeup, after countless video tutorials, looked... passable. At least enough to avoid looking like a circus act. I wanted Damon to only hate me more, not make fun of me.

'And he hates few things more than girls who chase after him.'

Given his handsome looks, Damon had always been pursued by girls. There were even fan clubs for him in the college, but after a certain incident where he had a girl expelled because she kept pursuing him, no one dared to come too close.

That was until he found someone as arrogant and vicious as him.

A foul taste rose in my mouth just thinking about her, but I quickly brushed it off. 

"Tonight's the night," I murmured, smirking at my reflection. He'd brushed off girl after girl, but I wasn't here to be brushed aside. 

Oh no. I was here to ruin this engagement, even if it meant annoying the worst Toler brother. 

The thought alone made my heart race, but I was not letting anything come my way.

I had dreams of my own, and I would not allow them to be crushed by a stupid marriage to some stupid brothers.

With one last glance at the mirror, I walked out of my room... or at least tried to. My feet staggered, "Damn heels," I muttered, grabbing the doorframe to steady myself.

With a deep breath, I straightened my back and headed out again—awkward determination in every step.

Somehow, by some miracle, I made it to Glimstone Café without face-planting in public. The place was packed, buzzing with chatter, the smell of freshly brewed coffee and pastries hanging in the air. 

I glanced at my watch. Thirty minutes early? Great. More time to get in my head and second-guess my choice of lipstick.

I scanned the room for a hiding spot until the inevitable disaster unfolded. Settling in a corner booth, I ordered a latte and tried to shake the nervous energy buzzing in my chest. 

I wouldn't let the Toler brothers make me look foolish, but that didn't stop my mind from wandering to our last meeting. Damon's icy glare, Zion's indifference, Sebastian's... whatever that was.

Even though we all went to the same college, Sebastian was the only one I had trouble understanding.

By 5 o'clock, the butterflies in my stomach had turned into angry bees. Still no sign of them. And with every passing minute, the realization dawned that maybe I had been stood up. The nerve of them. But just as I was about to grab my bag and storm out, a familiar shadow loomed over me.

Sebastian Toler.

Out of the three brothers, I hadn't expected him to show. His presence was unsettling in that cold, detached way only a cursed wolf could manage. 

With a warm smile, I extended my hand, more out of habit than anything else. "You're finally here! I have been waiting for so long!"

Sebastian didn't even glance at my hand. 

He pulled a chair and sat down as if the world owed him something. The people around us shifted uncomfortably, probably from the eerie vibe he exuded. 

Sebastian didn't seem to care.

"Nice to see you too," I muttered under my breath, plastering a fake smile across my face. The tension was thick, but if he thought his cold shoulder would unnerve me, he was so wrong.

Sebastian narrowed his icy gaze at me, "What's wrong with your face?"

I blinked. Was that supposed to be an insult? "It's called makeup," I smiled innocently, "You should try it too sometimes. It can brighten up your... um, charming personality."

He didn't seem impressed, but I wasn't seeking his approval. I only wanted to know what ticked him. Damon had made his hatred for me so obvious that I knew him well enough, and well, Zion wasn't someone that I would have to worry about.

Sebastian was the only Toler brother I had never had the chance to understand.

With a sweet smile, I asked, "What about my other two finances?"

"They're not coming," he said coldly, with a touch of repulsion in his gaze. "None of us want you around. So stop wasting your time."

I leaned over the table with a playful grin. "That only makes me want to try harder."

A faint smile devoid of any warmth flickered across Sebastian's lips, "You have no idea what you're getting into."

'What are you trying to do?' I wondered, and before I could respond, the café door opened, and in walked Damon, arm-in-arm with a beautiful girl―Sylvia Woods, his girlfriend.

A bitterness pricked my heart when I saw her smug expression. I could never forget what she had done to me. 

But there was no time to linger on the past. I only had to ensure Damon wanted nothing to do with me. 

"Let me go greet him," I chirped despite the uneasing in my stomach. 

As I strode towards Damon, my heels clicked against the polished floor. He wasn't paying any attention in my direction, and Sylvia barely cast me a glimpse before I feigned a stumble, crashing right in front of Damon.

"Oh!" I gasped, my hands instinctively grabbing onto him as if I had no other choice. "Damon! I'm so sorry!" 

His grip tightened on my arms, steadying me, but his eyes were cold. I caught the way his jaw clenched, the irritation simmering just beneath the surface. Sylvia's eyes blazed with fury when she saw it was me.

"What the hell are you doing?" She hissed.

"Athena." Damon's voice was a low growl, the barely concealed annoyance enough to make most people step back. But I leaned in, closer than necessary, smiling up at him as if we shared some secret.

"You didn't tell her, did you?" I whispered just loud enough for Sylvia to hear us. Damon stiffened. "About us?"

Sylvia's grip on his arm loosened, her confusion visible. "What is she talking about, Damon?" 

Damon shot me a glare that could've burned through steel. "Stop it."

I ignored him, shifting my gaze to his Sylvia with a perfectly innocent smile. "I thought Damon would've mentioned… but ah," I softly chuckled, "Men. Always keeping secrets."

Sylvia's face turned dark with anger, her hand slipping away from Damon as she looked between us, "What's she talking about?"

Damon's fury was palpable now. His hand shot out, grabbing my wrist with a painful grip. "You need to leave," he growled, his voice dangerously low.

But I wasn't backing down. Not yet. 

I leaned in closer as Damon froze, his grip too painful as I whispered, "You can hate me all you want, but it doesn't change the fact that we're going to be married."

Sylvia's expression twisted from confusion to fury, "How dare you make such a joke?" she sneered, grabbing the nearest cup of coffee from a table and hurling it against me.

The steaming hot espresso made me wince back from Damon.

My cheeks almost stung from humiliation.

Everyone was watching us now, but I held her gaze calmly, "If I am lying, why hasn't Damon said so?"

Sylvia's face fell at his silence.

Damon did not deny my words, and as the realization dawned on her, her expression paled instantly. With eyes filled with furious tears, she stormed out of the cafe without another word.

'This can end up bad…' I thought, regretting annoying Sylvia. 

On the other hand, Damon's expression hardened. "Are you tired of living, Athena?"

My lips curved into an innocent frown, "Will you never let go of the past?" 

"Never," he spat venomously, lips curling into a cold smirk, "I would rather die than stand your ugly face."

With that, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the café, leaving me alone as everyone gave me strange looks.