048
1411 Words
~Alice
I can't believe my girlfriend, my Iris disagreed to a party.
I'm very sure she just wants to spend time with ky, since have been busy with packs.
The shopping of outfits was just an excuse for the sadness within.
I didn’t realize how heavy the drive home felt until I pulled into the driveway and turned the engine off.
Dad was back. Alpha Duncan. That alone should have filled me with nothing but excitement. The house felt alive again,guards moving around, voices in the distance, the quiet hum of preparation for tonight. The pack would gather. Music would play. Everything would feel right again.
Except Iris wouldn’t be there.
That thought sat uncomfortably in my chest as I stepped inside.
I found Dad in the living room, sleeves rolled up, speaking quietly to one of the pack members. He looked… good. Strong. Grounded. Like he belonged exactly where he was. When he saw me, his expression softened immediately.
“Alice,” he said, smiling. “You’re home early.”
“Yeah,” I replied, returning the smile as I walked toward him. “I wanted to help with the preparations.”
He nodded approvingly, dismissed the pack member, and turned his full attention to me. “Good. Tonight matters.”
I hesitated.
There it was. The moment I’d been dreading.
“Dad… there’s something I need to tell you.”
Yes it was his business, because he was the same person that told me to invite iris. When clearly he knew an omega cannot interfere in another's pack party.
His smile faded just slightly. Not gone. Just… alert. “Go on.”
I took a breath. “Iris won’t be coming tonight.”
The shift was instant.
It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t dramatic. But I felt it,like the air in the room tightened. His jaw set. His eyes hardened just a fraction.
“Why?” he asked.
I clasped my hands together. “She doesn’t want any trouble. You know… with Eunice. She thinks it’s better to stay away.”
That was true. At least, it was the truth Iris had given me.
Dad was quiet for a long moment. Too long.
“Eunice,” he repeated slowly.
“Yes,” I said quickly. “She’s just being careful. You know how things get when Eunice is involved.”
His eyes dropped briefly, then lifted again. Something dark passed through them,irritation, maybe anger,but it wasn’t directed at Eunice the way I expected.
“She’s avoiding the pack,” he said flatly.
“No,” I said immediately. “She’s avoiding problems. That’s different.”
He studied me, like he was deciding whether to believe me or not. I didn't even know if I'd believe myself.I shifted under his gaze.
“She didn’t say anything else?” he asked.
“No,” I said. “Just that she didn’t want any drama.”
His jaw clenched.
I frowned. “Dad…?”
He turned to leave.
“Dad?” I called.
“ Nothing Alice, you and Thorne should work together.”He said.
But as he walked away, heading toward his study, I couldn’t shake the feeling that his anger wasn’t really about the party… or Eunice… or even Iris not showing up.
It felt personal.
And I didn’t know why.
Later, as the house filled with voices and music, I tried to enjoy myself. I laughed when I was supposed to. Smiled when people greeted me. Let the rhythm of the night carry me.
But every time I glanced toward the door,half-expecting Iris to walk in.I felt that same strange tension twist in my stomach.
She didn’t come.
The music grew louder as the night settled in, the house filling with laughter, movement, familiar faces. The pack knew how to celebrate,warm lights, low bass, conversations overlapping until everything blurred into one steady hum.
I hadn’t planned on drinking much.
But somewhere between the second song and the third conversation about Dad’s return, a glass had found its way into my hand. Then another.
Not enough to lose control,just enough to take the edge off, to soften the tight knot that had refused to leave my chest since I walked in.
Iris should have been here.
I told myself not to keep thinking about it, but every time the front door opened, my eyes flicked toward it automatically. Every time someone laughed nearby, I wondered if she would have laughed louder,or not at all.
“Hey.”
I turned at the sound of a voice beside me.
He was tall, dark-haired, dressed neatly but not stiffly. Someone I’d seen around before,pack-adjacent, maybe a cousin of a cousin, the kind of person who always seemed to show up at gatherings like this.
“Hi,” I said, smiling politely.
“I’m Rowan,” he said, lifting his glass slightly. “I don’t think we’ve actually talked before.”
“Probably not,” I replied. “Alice.”
“I know,” he said easily. “Hard not to.”
I laughed despite myself, shaking my head. “Smooth.”
He grinned. “Had to try.”
We moved a little away from the noise, closer to the edge of the room where conversation was easier. He asked harmless questions,how school was going, whether I was glad Dad was back, what it was like growing up in a house that always felt too big and too watched.
He listened. Really listened.
I realized, a little distantly, that I was tipsier than I thought. Not sloppy. Just warm. Just open enough that my guard wasn’t as sharp as usual.
“That’s a lot of pressure,” Rowan said after I finished talking about expectations, about being Alpha Duncan’s daughter. “People don’t always see that.”
“Yeah,” I said softly. “They see the title. Not the person.”
His gaze lingered on me a second longer than necessary. Not uncomfortable. Just… intentional.
“You handle it well,” he said. “Confidence suits you.”
Heat crept up my neck. “You don’t even know me.”
“I know enough,that you shall make a great luna.” he replied lightly.
I smiled, but my thoughts drifted again,uninvited.
Iris would have raised an eyebrow at him by now. Would have leaned in and whispered something sarcastic in my ear. Or maybe she would’ve stayed quiet, watching, protective in her own unreadable way.
I missed that.
Rowan tilted his head. “You keep looking toward the door.”
I blinked. “Do I?”
“Yeah,” he said gently. “Like you’re waiting for someone.”
I hesitated, then shrugged. “Just… habit.”
He nodded, not pushing. “Fair.”
We stood there for a moment, the music pulsing around us, his presence easy, non-threatening. He leaned in slightly,not close enough to crowd me, just close enough to signal interest.
“You know,” he said, voice low so only I could hear, “if you want a distraction tonight, I’m pretty good at those.”
I laughed softly. “Is that your way of flirting?”
“Maybe,” he admitted. “Is it working?”
I considered it.
He was charming. Kind. Attentive. Exactly the kind of person I should be open to.
But my chest felt… wrong. Not guilty. Not uncomfortable.
Just empty.
“I think I’m a little distracted already,” I said honestly.
He studied my face for a second, then smiled, less flirtatious now, more understanding.
“Whoever they are, they matter.”
“They do,” I said quietly.
Across the room, I caught a glimpse of Dad watching us.
Not closely. Not obviously.
But his gaze lingered just long enough for me to notice.
Something in his expression tightened,not protective exactly. Not angry in the way I expected. Just… unsettled.
He turned away a second later, disappearing into conversation with someone else, but the moment stayed with me.
Rowan followed my line of sight, then chuckled softly. “Alpha dads,” he said. “Always watching.”
I smiled faintly. “Yeah.”
The music shifted. Slower now. People were moving closer together, voices dropping, the night settling into something more intimate.
Rowan offered his hand. “Dance?”
I hesitated.
For a second, I thought of Iris. Of how she would tease me later. Of how she would read my expression better than anyone else.
Then I nodded. “Okay.”
- Writer
