I WOKE UP AS MY HOCKEY ALPHA'S GIRLFRIEND

Chapter 18

Emily's POV

I stood from the table with a smile glued to my face. The moment I turned away, the smile died. I was officially one step away from a heart attack.

Who the hell was Mary's father?

Alpha Saint Laurent was a powerful man. Everybody knew that. Unfortunately, I wasn't everybody. I didn't follow pack politics. I followed chemistry.

If the man hadn't discovered a new element, invented a revolutionary formula, or accidentally blown up a laboratory, I had no reason to know who he was.

And right now, that was trouble.

My gaze swept across the crowd. There were too many people—too many men in suits. Too many potential fathers.

An idea popped into my head and I immediately pulled out my phone . If I searched him online, I could at least know what he looked like. And for my sake, I hoped he didn't look like everyone because I had issues with faces.

Maybe he had a distinctive scar.

Maybe he was eight feet tall.

Maybe the moon goddess would finally pity me and make this easy.

I had barely typed Alpha Saint Laurent when a voice came from behind me.

"Mary."

I nearly launched the phone into orbit. I turned and found Ethan standing there. Apparently, he had followed me after I left the table.

I quickly shoved the phone behind my back and his eyes followed the movement.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten your father."

I laughed nervously. "Of course not. That would be silly. My own father…"

Ethan stared at me like I was something amusing. Then he pointed behind us.

"That's your father, Mary."

I followed the direction of his finger. A man stood less than twenty feet away. I had literally walked past him. The embarrassment almost killed me.

"Oh,” I said. Because, what else was I supposed to say?

Ethan raised a brow. "Oh?"

I forced another laugh. "Crazy how nerves can make you forget your own father."

His expression said he wasn't buying a single word. I decided retreat was the better option. Before he could ask another question, I hurried away.

“Thanks, Ethan.”

There were two men standing together. Immediately, a new panic attacked me. Ethan hadn't actually specified which one was my father.

I was still debating whether to fake a fainting spell when one of the men smiled.

"Mary. Is something wrong?"

Thank the moon goddess.

Found him.

I exhaled internally. "No. Mom asked me to get you. Dinner is ready."

His smile widened. "Of course."

I turned to leave when the other man called me.

"Mary."

I froze and turned slowly. The second man was looking at me.

Oh freaking, f*****g no.

Had I spoken to the wrong father?

The man chuckled. "Have I offended you somehow? You haven't even greeted me."

Right. He was probably family friend. Somebody Mary obviously knew, and somebody I absolutely did not.

I forced a smile. "I'm sorry.”

The man looked at me surprised, then laughed.

"Your father told me about your fall…I don't think I would ever heard you apologize."

Oh, crap. Another mistake.

"I mean..." I scrambled for an excuse. "I'm just nervous. It feels like my wedding day."

Why did I even say that? At this point, I was blabbing for survival.

The man laughed even harder and my father shook his head. "You look beautiful tonight, sweetheart."

The other man nodded. "Beautiful like a goddess."

My father smiled proudly. "She'll make an excellent Luna one day. Don't you agree, Mary?"

The pressure in my chest instantly doubled and I nodded. Then they finally began walking back toward the dining hall. I followed them like a criminal being escorted to sentencing.

Dinner itself went surprisingly well. Or maybe it only went that way because I was too terrified to speak.

I had decided silence was my safest option.

The less I talked, the fewer opportunities I had to accidentally adopt a new family member or discard one. Unfortunately, Luna Sparrow had other plans. Because every few minutes she asked me something.

How was school?

How were my studies?

How was cheerleading?

How was my recovery?

How was everything?

Every time she opened her mouth, my heart skipped. I was super convinced I would suffer cardiac arrest before dessert. Strangely, the moon goddess seemed determined to keep me alive.

Every answer landed correctly. Nobody frowned. Nobody questioned me. And most importantly, Vivian was smiling approvingly. And if Vivian was smiling, then I was doing something right.

Eventually dinner ended, and relief flooded through me. I had survived and the night had to be over. And now, I was looking forward to returning to the Saint Laurent’s mansion.

Then the music changed.

The Luna turned toward me with a warm smile. "It's time."

I stared blankly.

Time for what?

"The dance we've all waited for."

My soul left my body.

The dance?

Nobody told me there was a dance.

Actually, somebody did. Mary had spent an entire hour explaining things to me yesterday. Unfortunately, my brain had deleted ninety-eight percent of the information. I knew there had been something about etiquette, something about posture and introductions.

Apparently there had also been dancing.

This was a disaster because I couldn't dance. The only dancing I knew involved headphones, loud music, and flailing like I was fighting invisible bees.

Before I could object, Ethan was already standing enthusiastically.

"It's our dance,” he said.

Our dance?

There was an ‘our dance’? Nobody told me there was an ‘our anything’.

He held out his hand. I stared at it, then at him. Refusing wasn't an option. So I placed my hand in his. The next thing I knew, he was leading me toward the center of the room.

A spotlight immediately found us. Apparently, the universe had decided my humiliation deserved proper lighting.

The room darkened and the crowd disappeared. I couldn't even see Vivian anymore. All behind me were silhouettes of people.

It was just me, Ethan, and an impending disaster.

The music started and Ethan took one step. I immediately realized I had no idea whether I was supposed to move left, right, forward, backward, or simply die where I stood.