Chapter 2

I got up pretty early that morning, desperate for coffee. I hadn''t slept a wink after getting that weird text the night before. I had some time to kill before Amelia came by later to pick me up for the event, and I was going to need every bit of downtime I could get.

Sitting with my steaming coffee cup, I glanced over at my laptop on the coffee table. My thoughts drifted to my sister Marley and her family. I loved seeing my nieces and nephew, so I walked over and opened it up to start a video call.

It''s tough staying in touch since they live in New York, but they''re the only family I have left. I lost my parents in a car accident when I was thirteen, and it''s been hard to deal with, but I got through it thanks to Amelia and her family.

The ringtone caught my attention, and after a few minutes, Marley answered with a smile. "Hey, Chloe," she said. I could tell from the background she was in her kitchen, and from how distracted she seemed, I knew she was probably making the kids breakfast.

"Hey! How are you and the kids?" I asked, waiting for her response.

"They''re good! Kali''s getting ready for school, Claire''s upstairs practicing piano, and Kaden is..." she paused thoughtfully. "Not sure what he''s getting into right now. And Ben''s got a meeting with some clients to show them a house."

I shook my head in amazement. I don''t know how my sister manages everything with three kids. Sure, she''s got Ben, but let''s be honest—men are basically children too, so it''s like she''s got four. I couldn''t help but smile. I''m so happy my sister has such a loving family.

"I miss them so much. I''m hoping we can all get together for Christmas this year," I suggested, hoping we could work something out.

"That would be great," she said with a smile, but then her expression turned serious. "Hey, I hate to cut this short, but Kaden just made a mess in the bathroom. I need to deal with that, but I love you, and we''ll talk soon, okay?" she said, already rushing through the house.

"Okay, love you guys! Give the kids hugs from me," I said, blowing her a kiss before she hung up.

My apartment fell quiet as I headed to my bedroom and sat down at my vanity to do my makeup. I knew a smoky eye with red lipstick would be perfect with the dress I''d picked out. I gave myself a wink when I finished—the black eyeshadow made my green eyes pop beautifully. After checking myself out, I curled my hair and pinned it all to one side, exposing one shoulder. Finally, I slipped into my dress, grabbed my silver stilettos, and added diamond earrings for the finishing touch. Looking at myself in the mirror, I was pretty impressed. I felt confident and ready to face some werewolves.

I checked the clock and rushed for my keys. Amelia told me to be downstairs at six, so I stepped out and locked the door behind me. When I got outside, I saw a limo waiting in front of my apartment building. Then I spotted Amelia rolling down the window and letting out a whistle.

"Hey, sexy!" she called out to me.

I smirked and pretended to act shy, fluttering my eyelashes and covering my mouth, but I couldn''t contain my laughter. I slid into the limo and saw Amelia''s mom, Cordelia.

"Hi, Cordelia," I said, smiling. She returned my smile warmly.

"Hello, dear. How are you?" she asked.

"I''m good. I''ll be better once finals are over," I admitted honestly. Cordelia took my hand when she sensed my worry.

"It''ll all be worth it when you''re finished, sweetie," she said, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Yeah, I can''t wait. It''s exhausting," I sighed.

"I''m sure it is, hun," she said, patting my hand before pulling back to look us over. "You girls look gorgeous. Don''t go breaking too many hearts," Cordelia smiled.

Amelia and I started cracking up. "We can''t make any promises," I whispered to Cordelia, laughing and wiggling my eyebrows. We all laughed again and spent the rest of the drive chatting.

After a while, we pulled into the packhouse where the ball was being held. The driver followed the circular drive until he reached the front of the house, stopping at the bottom of the front steps where a man opened our door to let us out.

Amelia turned to me with a hesitant look as we walked toward the entrance. "What''s wrong?" I asked with concern.

"I''m nervous, Chloe," she admitted with a shaky breath.

"Oh, Amelia," I said sweetly. "It''s going to be okay. I''m right here with you. Let''s go inside," I assured her, linking my arm with hers as we continued toward the doors.

We walked through the entrance, and as we turned a corner, Amelia bumped into this cute guy with blonde hair and blue eyes. She looked up at him, and when their eyes met, it was like watching a romance novel unfold right in front of me.

"Hello, lovely lady," he said sincerely.

"Hi," Amelia stuttered like she''d completely lost her ability to speak, and I had to fight the urge to facepalm myself.

I cleared my throat and stepped closer to them. "Hello, my name is Chloe, and this is Amelia," I introduced her, then gave her a nudge when she remained silent. "Who''s apparently gone mute," I said with a giggle, looking back at the guy.

He looked at me with a friendly smile, then back at Amelia. "Nice to meet you, ladies. I''m Paul," he introduced himself. I raised a questioning eyebrow when a smirk played on his lips. "But you already know who I am, don''t you, Amelia?" he asked, still grinning.

I glanced at Amelia with confusion written all over my face, and she turned to me. "Paul is my mate," she explained breathlessly.

My eyes went wide with wonder. "You know just by looking at each other?" I asked, genuinely intrigued by how easy that was. "I wish humans could do that, so you don''t have to spend most of your life looking for the right person," I laughed.

Amelia looked at me like she was asking for permission to go with him, but I put my hand up before she could speak. "It''s okay. Go be with him," I encouraged her. "I''m not going anywhere. Unless a wolf gets hungry and decides I make a good snack," I giggled.

Amelia and Paul laughed before they walked off toward the dance floor, holding hands. A feeling of pure happiness spread through me. I couldn''t help but feel happy for my friend. If anyone deserved this, it was her.

I walked to the bar, keeping that same confident feeling I''d had back in my apartment. "Evening, can I have a glass of champagne, please?" I asked, resting my elbows on the glossy counter.

"Of course, miss, right away," the bartender responded, but I could see the confusion in his eyes when he realized I was human.

"Don''t worry, I know I''m surrounded by werewolves," I explained with a giggle.

"You read my mind," the bartender admitted with a laugh.

I glanced around the room and noticed the party was genuinely extravagant and in full swing, with chatter and dancing everywhere. "Who throws these parties?" I asked, leaning my side against the bar.

"The Alpha. He likes to get to know all of his pack," he informed me, placing my drink in front of me with a smile.

"Oh, makes sense," I replied casually and picked up my glass. "Thanks! Have a good night," I said, raising the glass as I walked away from the bar, but something caught my eye.

My gaze landed on a man entering the ballroom through double doors near the corner of the room. He was handsome, and I found it hard to look away. My eyes traveled over his body—he was wearing an all-black suit that seemed tailored to show off how fit he was. I couldn''t help but wet my lips as my eyes continued their assault on his body. Luckily, they traveled north first. He had brown eyes and hair, with tattoos covering his neck. When my eyes traveled lower, I could see them over the tops of his hands too. I watched him adjust his cufflinks and couldn''t stop myself from biting my lip in excitement. I''ve always had a weakness for the bad boy type.

I watched him turn, his brown eyes taking in the crowd, but he suddenly stopped when his gaze fell on me. A pit formed in my stomach, and I turned away abruptly, quickly making my exit to the ladies'' room. Even though he''d already caught me staring, I wanted to avoid any more embarrassment.

I entered the restroom and immediately headed to the sink, resting my hands on the counter. My cheeks were flushed from the encounter, and when our eyes had met, heat had spread throughout my body. I took a few deep breaths, trying to gather myself before going back out. I looked in the mirror one last time when the door opened behind me. I turned to see who it was and gasped in surprise.