DISCOVERING
1017 Words
The car door opened with a soft sound.
And in that instant, the air around the Travious Corporation Gala shifted.
Kaira stepped out, a vision wrapped in midnight silk, she looked elegant, composed and ethereal. Her heels clicked quietly against the floor with steady steps. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears but she remained cool and controlled.
Inside, the ballroom glittered with elegance at every corner. Laughter filled the room while music played, giving the atmosphere a gentle touch under the bright lights. And Viktor stood at the centre of it, with broad shoulders, exuding control. He commanded attention without even trying.
He didn’t know she’d come.
He had hoped. Every second since the invitations were sent out, he had hoped against reason, against everything.
Even when her scent had begun to fade from his memory.
Even when his assistants didn't give him any relevant information on whether she would come or not, he just hoped.
But when the air changed, he knew.
He felt her. His mate. His solace.
His fingers froze around the wine glass in his hand. His wolf stirred violently beneath his skin. Every one of his senses pulled toward the entrance like a magnet locked into place.
And then... She walked in.
Alone, beside no one. Not even beside the Thompsons, he had expected she would come with. The aunt and cousins who wore stolen names and pretended to be blood.
She walked like someone with a purpose. Every inch of her declared courage, even if her insides trembled.
Viktor exhaled, slow and unsteady. It was her.
From the far end of the ballroom, Mark, Bianca's husband turned livid with shock. Bianca's mouth parted in disbelief while Laura’s hand clenched around her wine glass so tightly, it nearly cracked.
"I knew something was off," Lex murmured, his eyes narrowing.
They had never expected her. What gave her the confidence to stand on her own. To take such a bold and challenging decision.
She wasn't even relevant in Thompson's enterprise. And yet here she was radiant, unreadable, and dressed like she was the main event.
Ezra noticed Viktor’s reaction before she saw Kaira, she followed his line of sight and felt the room temperature drop a few degrees cold.
“No way” she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. “She's the mate?”
Leonard entered behind Kaira with the confidence of a man who had just played checkmate on the chess board. He kept a respectable distance, offering no introductions, no explanations. Just a look that said: I brought her, so deal with it.
Kaira walked further into the ballroom, her expression composed despite the chaos that made her heart racing violently.
She hadn’t come entirely because of Viktor.
She’d come because she needed to see. What was so important that they had to push her off like that, the legacy they wanted to erase her from. She had also come because Viktor had answers no one else could give her. Answers about what exactly he wanted her.
But the moment their eyes locked, none of that mattered.
Because he just stood there, in all his perfection. And he wasn’t just the man from her dreams. He was real and larger than memory itself. Dressed to perfection and staring at her as if she were the only thing in the room worth looking at.
Viktor finally moved but not with urgency, he moved like a man with intent. Every guest seemed to sense the weight as he walked, the way the air changed with each step. He stopped in front of her, towering and silent.
Kaira didn’t speak. And neither did he.
For three seconds, they just stood there, raw unspoken longing passing in the space between them.
Then finally, he broke the silence.
"Kaira” his voice soft and filled with adoration.
Kaira faltered slightly. “Mr. Travious."
No matter how much determination she gathered when she walked through those doors, it went crumbling the minute he looked at her.
"I'm grateful you came," he said quietly.
She raised a brow. “Grateful?”
“You weren't with your family.”
The words landed heavily twisting Kaira's stomach. Viktor had watched her family arrive over an hour ago, he waited to see if she had followed behind them. She hadn’t. And the disappointment had nearly crushed him.
But now, he was standing in front of her, and his wolf growled with need, for touch, for possession and for understanding.
He still hadn’t explained. Still hadn’t apologized properly for scaring her. Why he had let her avoid him, instead of chasing her the way he should have.
But now wasn’t the time.
Across the room, Kaira's family circled like vultures trying to make sense of what was going on.
Laura hissed at her mother. “What is she doing here?”
Mark's jaw clenched, and he turned to Lex sharply. “Handle it. Now.”
Ezra, stood quietly watching the tension unfold before she stepped forward. She looked beautiful and composed yet threatened.
“So, this is the mystery girl?” Her voice was smooth but without warmth. “You’ve caused quite a stir, girl.”
Kaira turned her head slowly, her cold gaze landing on Ezra.
“And you are?" she asked smoothly.
Ezra blinked, completely caught off guard.
Viktor didn’t even flinch but internally, his wolf purred in excitement.
Kaira looked back at Viktor. “I think we need to talk.”
“Privately,” he agreed, already shifting to lead her away from the prying gazes of the guests.
But Kaira paused. Just for a second.
Her gaze swept through the room, from the chandelier light shining high and radiating the wine in the champagne glasses to the silver-stitched banners bearing the Travious corporation logo boldly written. And she knew, in that instant, that nothing about this night was going back to how it was.
Not for her. Not for Viktor. And certainly not for her so-called family.
Because she had taken a bold step with every courage she could muster, and she wasn't stepping away.
- Writer
