Chapter Four

Logan

I am escorted into the hall where the party is being held. Alpha Kay has always held the best parties amongst the five packs of the land and he always organized his decor to the best standards. Things got even better when his Luna, Lacey joined the family. 

On my arrival, Alphas and other Lunas start coming my way, doing introductions and claiming how much they are delighted to see me. I respond with a similar demeanor though I am more reserved and I give nothing away. That's what makes me who I am. That's what differentiates me from all the other alphas and everyone else. 

"Alpha Logan, meet my son Luca. The one I told you has been abroad for studies," Alpha Jack tells me with a proud fatherly grin and steps aside for us to shake hands. The young man is jovial. I get to know that he has been back only two days ago and he is more detached from his pack because of being away for too long. Lucky for Jack, his elder son is always around and is very involved in the issues of the pack. He is going to be his best successor.

I am invited to the VIP section, being too bored with what is happening around me. My companions the whole time are Alphas and Betas, telling me about this and that, inviting me, in advance to their upcoming ceremonies and all that crap. 

I take it out of sincere courtesy to attend Kay's Coronation as Alpha because he is a good guy and I have nothing against him. I had to show up or else he would start wondering if the Blacktooth Guardians pack is now holding something against him.

I try to entertain myself with drinks. I take a sit and look around, picking no interest in the girls that desperately try to get me to talk to them. I get that a lot, but I hardly ever comfort their need for my company. 

A tall brunette walks towards me with a shy smile. She put in a lot of effort to dress up for this occasion. I lean back in the sit and drink more wine, paying her no attention, hoping that she takes it as a signal that I am not interested. She approaches me nonetheless.

"Hi, there handsome," she says with a smug smile. I doubt she knows who I am. I don't respond. I take the last sip from the glass and place it on the counter.

"You looked so lonely so I came over to entertain you," she explains her cause. I chuckle and shake my head in disbelief. Huh! Lonely?

"I hope you don't regret your act of kindness, ma'am. I am rather enjoying my solo company, thank you," I tell her. That seems to hurt her confidence. She taps her long red fake nails on the counter and asks for a drink. She gulps it down her throat, surprising me. She then licks her deep red lips and looks me in the eyes. Quite some woman she is!

"Your demeanor is rather cold, I would say but you are too handsome for me to keep my eyes off," she says, her eyes scanning me from head to toe. I know I shouldn't be cold to a lady especially when she thinks that I need her help, but I am not really in the mood of having a woman for entertainment. When I don't respond, she comes closer to me. Her scent filled with a mixture of strong perfume gushes into my nostrils, and my insides churn in displeasure. Her scent is nothing like Arya's. I wonder why this has to remind me of my mate.

The next thing I know, her long red nails are on my shirt and I am totally uncomfortable. She is so close I can hear her heartbeat. I look at her and her eyes are inviting. I know what she wants me to do but I don't want to do it. I pull away from her.

"I'm sorry but I have got to go," I tell her and then walk away leaving her puzzled. Well, what can I say? I kinda warned her. 

I look for Kay intending to inform him that I am living. I find him in conversation with Carl. The first thing that comes to my mind when I see him is if he came with Arya. My heart skips at the thought. I haven't forgotten anything about her, her face, her voice, everything about her is still fresh in my memory and has not faded even a bit. 

Carl spots me and stops talking. Kay also turns to see me. Kay puts on an inviting smile and beckons me to join them. I extend my hand to shake Carl's.

"Don't mind me. I just came here to let you know that I am leaving now," I say to Carl.

"You are leaving? Already? But the real fun just started!" he exclaims in disbelief. "Are you so bored? Come on, I will introduce you to some extremely beautiful young ladies. You are still single, unlike us who have mates to commit to. Enjoy it while you can," he adds with a twinkle of excitement. Kay being older than me makes it seem okay to him to suggest such an idea at the time. 

"Not really. I have something on my schedule that I have to take care of sooner than later," I tell him. 

"You are always too busy, Logan. I think you should take this time to let off some steam and have fun once in a while." He looks pretty serious, I mentally roll my eyes at him.

Carl takes a drink absentmindedly. I try to think of an easy way of asking about his sister but I can't come up with anything that won't make me sound awkward. 

"Is Arya here for the party?" the words slip out of my mouth before I stop myself. Carl looks taken aback and Kay pretends not to mind us. I decide not to repeat the question or try to clarify it because I might end up making a fool out of myself. I pocket my hands and look at him like I seriously need the answer.

"Yes." My wolf jumps. "She's around somewhere. I lost her after a few minutes when we arrived. She ran away with some girls," Carl replies.

"I hope she doesn't get herself into trouble this time," I say casually, making sure Carl gets my point.

"What could possibly go wrong around here? This place is safe, and even if someone got beat up dunk, I doubt if any harm can be caused," Kay assures us.

"I am sure she wouldn't dare get herself into another kind of trouble after what happened," Carl says. Kay's eyebrows cross in confusion, but I am not interested in taking the responsibility of saving his curiosity. I nod and look around the place hoping to catch a glimpse of her. All my intentions of leaving now are rendered useless. I have to see her. 

I head out of the hall like a man with a mission. I would trust my wolf's senses to search for her in no time but there are too many people around hear, each with their scent, perfume, alcohol, and so many smells! It wouldn't work. I need to look around each and every corner. I head towards the living room where shrieks of happy females are coming from. On entering, I find a bunch of teenage girls dancing the most obscene moves, in scanty clothes very drunk and absent from the rest of the world. Arya is not here.

All their eyes land on me like I am an intruder in their presence. Well, I had no idea the room was out of bounds for males! I feel like an idiot who just entered the ladies' restroom.

"Sorry," I murmur quickly and walk away without looking back. There is a burst of wild giggles out of the room when I leave. Shit! I shouldn't do this. How many more hideous encounters am I supposed to get before I find her? What if I don't even find her? I surely am not going to look into each room of this house. 

I conclude that it is going to be a futile effort could she wouldn't want to see me anyway. 

I head out of the house in search of my driver so I can get the hell out of there. It's cool outside. The compound is full of life, people are scattered either in couples or in groups, talking laughing, and making out. There is this dude who has cornered a brunette and the atmosphere around them is undoubtedly intimate. I look away and then back and them. The girl is leaning against a tree and the boy is standing in front of her blocking the view of her. The boy leans closer together and I know they are going to kiss but the girl shifts her head to the side to dodge him. One look at her face and my body is on attention. Mine! My wolf growls and I try so hard not to shift right here at the moment. 

I have been looking for her all this god-damned time yet she has been outside here getting herself hooked! Fury builds to the fullest and I ball my fists, for a second I think I might burst. I try to walk casually toward them. I need to keep it under control cause I might cause a slaughter on this joyful occasion. 

Arya's eyes find mine as I approach them. She smiles at something he says and then turns her attention back to him like nothing has happened. That makes me madder tenfold! Her smile gets bigger and she rises her hand to his chest. My wires break loose. Is she doing this on purpose? How dare she? 

She eyes me as if to show me that she has seen me and so what? She chuckles and then puts her head on his chest. After that, I can't control myself anymore.