PARTY WITH THE PRINCESS: THE BELL OF THE PARTY

"Do you believe in Karma, Scary Alpha?" Fluffy asked conversationally.

"No." Henry's answer was immediate and smug, "Just another human superstition."

Two smart raps on the door signaled Ki's return to us.

{Mate! ~❤️ }

I shot out of my seat the moment I sensed him just on the other side of the door.

Beta Pete and Fluffy stood up too.

Beta Pete stood up to open the door.

"Why are you standing?" I asked Fluffy.

Fluffy answered with his usual smile, "I don't know. Why are we standing, Pretty Alpha?"

Oh. He stood because I did. Grrr... I really should have gotten used to this by now.

I dropped back into my seat. Fluffy sat back too. Henry watched us with a smirk, "What the hell, Sam."

What? I glared at him.

"Luna is here." Ki entered and announced.

It was his professional gentle smile so I knew that he wasn't exactly having a good time fetching my Luna up.

{Mate! ~❤️ }

And I was up on my feet again. Curse the mating bond! It was like a temporary madness.

Fluffy stood up too. He bowed at Bell's entrance and greeted genially, "Oh, Scary Luna, you're just in time. Scary Alpha and I were just talking about you."

No you weren't. You were talking about Karma... Oh. Very funny Fluffy.

If this was my Karma, I wasn't doing too bad. ~❤️

OMG. I really need to get a grip. This was impossibly hard because Bell had closed the distance between us and brought my head close to his shoulder in that quick half-hug thing he did - it looked like an affectionate gesture, but it was also a dominating one since, in wolf form, it would be my wolf bowing my head to nudge his wolf's shoulder. And I've noticed since the other time that Bell would breathe in just a little deeper.

I did it too. He smelled like the best thing on earth, and probably heaven too.

But I also got the feeling that he was checking out the other scents too. It wasn't so much in the way Bell did it, but how the wolves around me would freeze - not because time froze when we embraced, but because their lives were on the line, and they were waiting for the verdict. At least that was what it looked like with the way they were acting.

It's like they were suddenly recalling every moment they might have brushed against me in the crowd or somehow transferred their scent to me. I imagined it flashed past them the way someone's life would flash before their eyes just before they die. They might recall standing next to me in the lift earlier. That would definitely leave a scent.

Which was not a big deal. We pick up scents all the time. Sit on the train and pick up a million scents of strangers.

But my luna was the death god. And he was also made of jelly. He proved it himself when he tried to drown Wolfgang in our swimming pool because my scent was in his coat. Now, my wolves talked about lending their alpha a coat as if it were the ultimate martyrdom on a cold dark night.

On the bright side, Fluffy and EJ hadn't stuck their face too close to mine all night. Fluffy was my date, and he had been nothing but circumspect.

Bell pulled away, his mouth was so close for a moment, so perfect in its curves and edges. ~❤️

He wasn't even smiling. His unsmiling expression was sexy. ~❤️

Gah! Just kill me now. I flared and stepped back. I needed some fresh air. Yeah, that's it. Just need to flush out all the smell of mate from my lungs. It was making me go gaga.

"What trouble has my princess gotten herself into now?" Bell asked, and then he produced his smile.

Oh, my mate's smile. ~❤️

It was like being surprised by the full moon on a clear and cloudless night. I forgot everything. I forgot I needed fresh air. I forgot I needed to breathe.

Bell was handsome like a god, but when he smiled...

It was like cupid was at target practice and my heart was the target board.

"THUCK!" I could hear the sound of his arrow hitting its target and from the way my heart stopped, the arrow probably went all the way through. I don't think I was going to survive this.

While I reeled from the shock of the new hole in my heart, Henry had stood up to welcome Bell.

"I was beginning to think you wouldn't make it." Henry patted Bell on the shoulder.

Bell returned the gesture, "You know how it is."

I growled Henry off. Don't get your scent on my Bell.

Henry backed off, his hands up in mock surrender, "What the hell, Sam! What are you? A rabid dog?"

No. I was a raccoon with distemper. Don't mess with me, "Mine. No touching."

Bell laughed. The sound was like the rumble of the sea. I felt my ears tingle inside just from the pleasure of hearing it.

I think this was followed by some discussion about how they were to deal with the "PR situation" and it was decided that Bell and I should be seen visibly with Henry tonight, and Bell and Henry should undoubtedly be on good terms.

I don't remember exactly what happened after that. The rest of the night felt like a strange dream, where suddenly I found myself in a glittery dress on the arm of Prince Charming.

He was so... so...so charming! ~❤️

Bell was in his element, a pale grey suit with a hint of silver, like the color of the first gleam of the day along the horizon. He was that bright and wonderful light to the dark party I had not enjoyed in the slightest earlier.

He was flirty and funny, considerate and intelligent, and I found myself laughing and smiling and actually enjoying the party and conversation. It helped that the party up at the Platinum was quieter, without a dance floor. It was the business lounge of the party. There was a wall of large screens showing the party down on the gold floor. The screens were lined to cover a full wall and each one showed the party scene from a different angle. I watched two drunk people flop around on the dance floor from the screen closest to me and wondered if they knew they were being watched.

If you were the two floppers at that party, don't worry. No one else in the Platinum Lounge was paying attention to the TV screens. They were drinking and mingling and talking about boring things like stocks and shares and how a certain change in the governing policies was going to affect the banking sector.

PR Henry brought us around as he made his rounds greeting his guests. At first, I wondered if Henry would introduce us, but it turned out that Bell didn't need any introductions. I admit I was way too proud of that fact. I was also very pleased that Bell didn't have a PR face. Bell was his usual cold and arrogant self.

Someone commented how seeing the Silver Mountain Young Alpha and the Lorent Young Alpha together was like seeing the hands of the god of wealth come together.

{There was once a time when our Luna Bell would refuse to even meet the Silver Mountain heir.} I accidentally overhead Ki's mindlink background tea to Harvey and Fluffy, {The Glorious Lorent and Silver Mountain Pack had competing businesses across several industries and although Alpha Lorent and Alpha George had diplomatic relations, the rivalry was intense. To make things worse, Alpha Lorent would often press Luna Bell to prioritize maintaining their interpack ties for the Glorious Lorent's future.}

Naturally, Bell being the rebel that he was decided not to even meet the Silver Mountain heir. Since his father kept insisting they needed the Silver Mountain Pack to survive, Bell was determined to crush them under his feet when he became Alpha.

And here they were, standing shoulder to shoulder, wearing matching smirks.

{Our Alpha has a way of bringing people together.} My good beta marveled.