CHAPTER 5
1126 Words
NORA’S POV
The great hall of Nightcrest Pack was even more beautiful up close, with its tall ceilings and sparkling chandeliers and long tables draped in rich purple fabrics, and I found myself looking around in wonder as Greta led us to our seats near the head of the table, where a woman I did not recognize was already waiting with a warm smile on her face.
“Nora, this is Lady Elara,” Greta said, gesturing to the elegant woman beside her. “She is the mate of one of our most trusted lords, and she has been dying to meet you.”
Lady Elara inclined her head gracefully and said with a very soft voice. “Greta has told me so much about you, my dear. It is a pleasure to finally meet you.”
I smiled and returned the greeting warmly, though my mind was still spinning from the events of the past twenty four hours. The club, Lucian, the note, the journey here, and now this, sitting in a palace that felt like something out of a dream, and surrounded by luxury I had never known.
Lily settled into the seat beside me, and looked around at the grandeur of the halls with wide eyes. “Mom, this place is amazing,” she whispered.
I squeezed her hand under the table and whispered back. “It really is.”
Greta signaled for the servants to begin serving dinner, and soon the table was filled with dishes I could not even name, rich and fragrant and beautifully presented. I picked up my fork, but I wasn’t really hungry, because my stomach was busy throwing flips.
Then Greta leaned towards me with a knowing smile playing on her lips. “So,” she said in a low voice so only I could hear. “tell, me about this young wolf I heard you met last night.”
I choked on my wine and shrieked. “Greta—”
“Don’t even try to deny it,” she said, laughing softly. “Tessa called me this morning and she told me everything.”
My face burned with embarrassment. Tessa. Ofcourse. I should have known she wouldn’t keep her mouth shut.
“Greta, please,”‘I begged, glancing at Lily, who was too busy examining the food to pay us any attention. “Not in front of Lily.”
Lady Elara, who had overheard, smiled kindly. “Don’t be shy, my dear,” she said softly. “You are among friends here. There is no shame in living your life.”
Greta nodded her head enthusiastically. “Exactly! We should be opening champagne right now, Nora. Because you are finally free from that useless ex-mate of yours. Do you know how long I have waited to see you smile like this?”
I opened my mouth to respond, to tell her that I was not smiling, that I was still the same broken woman I had always been, but the words wouldn’t come. Because the truth was, I did feel different. Lighter. Like something had shifted inside me.
I just didn’t know what to do with it.
Lily looked up from her place with curiosity and asked, “When will the Alpha join us? I want to see what he looks like.”
Greta laughed lightly and reached over to pat Lily’s hand. “He will be here soon, darling. He had an important meeting earlier today, but he will be joining us any moment now.”
I smiled as I tried to steady my racing heart. “He is doing a wonderful job with the Pack,” I said, hoping to steer the conversation away from myself. “Nightcrest is one of the most modernized and powerful packs in history. Every one knows that.”
Greta’s chest swelled with pride as she said, “Lucian has worked very hard to get to where he is. He took over the pack at a young age, but he has proven himself time and time again. I couldn’t be prouder of him.”
My heart missed a beat or I must have heard wrong. Lucian? That was the name of the man I had spent the night with. The man who had held me, touched me, and whispered that I was his. The man who had left a note saying he would find me. The same name. No, it had to be coincidence. It had to be.
“Your son’s name is Lucian?” I asked, keeping my voice steady even though my hands were trembling under the table.
Greta nodded with a huge smile on her face. “Yes. It was given to him by his grandfather before he passed. It is an old family name, full of history.”
I was about to respond when I heard it.
A voice from the doorway. Warm, deep and unmistakably familiar.
“Did I hear someone calling my name?”
I froze.
My heart stopped immediately and my blood turned to ice. I knew that voice. I had heard it whispering to me in the dark, had felt it against my skin and I had fallen asleep last night, listening to it.
Slowly, I looked up from my plate.
And there he was.
Standing at the entrance of the great hall, tall and impossibly handsome, his silver grey eyes fixed on me with a smile on his face that made my stomach drop like stone.
Greta rose from her seat immediately, her face beaming with joy as she hurried towards him. “Lucian! There you are!”
She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly, and I watched, horrified as he returned the embrace, with his eyes pinned on mine.
My vision became blurry and my hands trembled. I could barely breathe.
Then Greta turned back towards me, and gestured for me to stand. “My darling friend,” she said warmly, “meet my son, the Alpha of the Nightcrest Pack, Alpha Lucian.”
Then she turned to him. “Son, meet my very good friend, Nora Summers and her daughter, Lily.”
Lucian stepped forward, with his silver grey eyes burning into mine. Then he stopped in front of me and stretched out his hand.
“Hello, Nora,” he said smoothly.
I stared at his outstretched hand, with my heart pounding so loud I could barely hear anything else. I saw it there in his eyes, the same fire that had burned in them the night before, the same desire, the same hunger.
And I just realized who he truly was.
I had slept with an Alpha without knowing it.
And worse than that, I had just slept with my best friend’s son.
- Writer
