I WOKE UP AS MY HOCKEY ALPHA'S GIRLFRIEND

Chapter 17

Emily

The Sparrow mansion was large. Ridiculously large. The kind of large that made you wonder whether the people living inside occasionally got lost and needed maps to find their bedrooms.

Unfortunately, I was too busy having a nervous breakdown to appreciate the architecture. I sat rigidly in the car, mentally repeating the same thing over and over again.

I am Mary.

I am Mary.

I am effing Mary Saint Laurent.

I am not Emily Carter…definitely not that girl.

Because if I accidentally introduced myself as Emily in front of the Luna, I was pretty sure my soul would leave my body and ascend directly to the moon goddess.

The pressure wasn't helping either.

The previous night, Mary had spent nearly two hours drilling me on proper behavior. How to greet the Luna, the Alpha King, how to sit, when to talk…. basically how to breathe around them.

At one point I was surprised she hadn't given me instructions on how to eat. The problem was that I couldn't remember any of it right now. My brain had apparently decided that survival info was optional.

The car finally rolled to a stop. And before I could move, Vivienne turned toward me. Her gaze swept over me critically.

"Mary," she said quietly. "You may have had a fall, but tonight is important."

My stomach tightened because I knew what she was about to say.

"You cannot mess this up."

I nodded. The driver opened the door and I stepped out. Immediately, I felt too tall, and the heels felt so wrong. Earlier they had felt perfect. I had practically modelled around Mary's bedroom in them. Now they felt like torture devices. The ground suddenly seemed uneven and my balance felt wrong. Every step felt like I was carrying the weight of the pack on my feet.

"Mary?"

Vivienne glanced back at me. Unlike me, she was doing a good job with her heels.

"Aren't you coming?"

I straightened instantly. "Yes."

"Then walk smartly." She frowned disgustedly before adding sharply, "And stop slouching. You insisted you were fine. That's the reason we didn't take you to a doctor."

I forced my gaze forward. There were staff everywhere—more people than I expected. There were servants, security, guests, people carrying trays, those opening doors…and I didn't know where I belonged in all the chaos.

My mother's voice suddenly drifted through my memory. It was the day before my first school presentation, and I was feeling as nervous as I was right now. I remembered how she pulled me to the side and advised me.

“Don't look directly at the crowd, sweetheart. Look above their heads. Pretend they're not there.”

So that was exactly what I did. I stared over everyone's heads. It only made me feel like I was walking through a very expensive forest of human beings.

I had no idea who I was supposed to greet.

Who I was supposed to ignore.

Who outranked whom.

Who worked here.

Who was related to whom.

Everything was confusing.

Then another terrifying thought hit me.

Ethan had a sister.

Mary had told me that.

I was supposed to know that.

I was supposed to recognize her.

At some point I had planned to look up pictures.

Then Vivienne happened.

And once Vivienne happened, my entire day stopped belonging to me.

So now I was walking into enemy territory without knowing what Ethan's sister even looked like.

Fantastic.

Absolutely, effing fantastic.

Vivienne moved ahead, already spotting some friends. She instantly transformed. The stern woman who terrorized maids over steak disappeared. Now she was smiling, laughing, and socializing. Like she hadn't spent the last twenty-four hours threatening my sanity.

I hurried after her.

Then somebody called out.

"Mary."

I froze. Slowly, I turned. A group of girls stood nearby. One of them smiled.

Well… Not smiled if you looked closely. It was more of a smirk. The type that usually spelled trouble.

"I guess that fall knocked some pride out of you."

The girls laughed. Something about the way she spoke immediately made me suspicious. This had to be Ethan's sister. Or somebody who hated Mary.

I wasn't sure.

I glanced toward Vivienne for help. But she had already disappeared into a crowd. I turned back to the girl.

"Sorry," I said politely. "I didn't see you there."

The reaction was immediate and so unexpected. The entire group stared. One girl actually blinked like I had said something scandalous.

The smirking girl's eyebrows shot up. "Oh." She laughed. "That fall really damaged your brain."

More laughter followed from the others.

"I didn't know Mary Saint Laurent apologized."

Oh, crap. I had already messed up, hadn't I? The Luna hadn't even seen me yet and I was already failing.

I forced a smile and straightened. "I didn't apologize."

Then I immediately started walking away before anybody could ask further questions. Because tonight was already getting out of my control. And I hadn't even reached the main event.

Inside was worse. There was a whole freaking crowd inside.

I stopped near the entrance and stared, suddenly feeling anxious.

Wasn't this supposed to be an intimate dinner?

The Luna had invited me for dinner. And the way I remembered, dinner happened with close family members. Maybe eight people. Ten, if you were doing too much.

But this looked like a pack meeting.

Did rich people have different definitions of intimacy? Because this was definitely not intimate. I was still trying to understand what was happening when a silky voice called out.

"Sweet Mary!"

I turned. The Luna was walking toward me. She looked beautiful, elegant, and her smile was warm. And somehow more intimidating than every exam I'd ever taken combined.

Her smile widened. "You look absolutely stunning."

I smiled nervously. "You're very generous."

I could do this.

"Thank you, Mary. You always have the right words."

Then I added, "And you look lovely. Completely ageless."

The Luna paused. For a second she simply stared. Then she laughed softly. Something about that reaction told me I'd said something unusual again.

Then I looked away and saw Ethan. He was descending the staircase. And for one brief second, I forgot how annoying he was.

Yes, Ethan was attractive. I had always known that.

The problem was that his personality usually diluted the whole handsome experience. But tonight, he looked unfairly good. His hair was neatly styled and

his suit fit perfectly in a way I hadn't seen before. Every bit of confidence he carried somehow made him look even more attractive.

And my heart reacted when his gaze fell on mine. That skip. I felt it. And the churning of my stomach like everything I ate was about to come out.

"What is wrong with you?" I mentally asked my heart and gut. "Do you not remember middle school?"

Apparently it didn't. Because it continued beating like it had lost its mind as Ethan advanced towards us.

I hoped it was fear. I hated crowds, and I hated being in the spotlight in this type of crowd. So maybe it was fear.

Ethan reached me moments later. His gaze swept over me slowly. Then he took my hand and kissed it.

It was just a kiss on the hand but my brain was probably interpreting it as a full making out because my heart was fluttering. And the worst part? He didn't let go.

“You look really pretty tonight, Mary,” he said.

He looked absolutely captivated. And somehow this version of Ethan continued feeling wrong because it was a side I had never seen. This wasn't the Ethan who made my life miserable. This Ethan was attentive, gentle, and protective. The complete opposite of everything I'd spent years experiencing.

For the next several minutes, he introduced me to friends, relatives, and pack members. I hardly remembered who they were.

I simply smiled, nodded, and pretended I understood anything happening. Eventually we reached the dining room. The table was enormous with everyone's name carefully placed on their side of the table.

I had barely settled beside Ethan when Vivienne's voice cut through the conversation.

"Mary dear"

I looked up.

She smiled. "Could you go call your father? It's time for dinner and he's still engaged in business conversations."

A few on the table laughed at the supposed joke but my soul had left my body. Because I had absolutely no idea who Mary's father was.