I took a deep breath as I navigated the flow of guests. They all seemed to not mind having me around, and before long, I was talking with a few here and there. They had all heard of the events of two years ago, of course, and they were all quite keen to find out how I was doing, and why I'd been secluded for so long.
I couldn't tell the truth, even with my precious freedom, so instead I told anyone who asked that I'd needed time to recover. But I was doing much better now, and I was looking forward to graduating the following year - having been held back a year after missing almost six months of school. I don't think anyone quite believed me, but I was okay with that. At least I knew I had more allies on my side than I realised, and it warmed me to know that, with any luck, I'd be able to call them allies in truth once I could break free from Sarah and expose her for the lying, manipulative bitch she truly was.
My own pack, as usual, shunned me, but that was nothing new. Having learned two years ago what they all really thought of me, I wasn't too hurt by their studious avoidance of me, and I busied myself at the other end of the pool, mingling with the guests and enjoying the freedom of just being myself for a little while. I still had to be careful, but after a couple of hours, I felt comfortable enough to lower my guard just a little. And I could tell by the looks in the guests' eyes that I was indeed worth more than I thought. It was a shame my own pack couldn't - or wouldn't - see my worth, despite my wolf-less state, but I didn't care. I knew I had friends outside the pack, and that made all the difference.
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As the sun rose higher, and the day grew more warm, quite a few of us were soon cooling off in the pool. I did feel a bit self-conscious as I took off my sarong, but no one seemed to mind, and in fact, I found myself the target of male admiration. It was a bit overwhelming, having not had that sort of attention ever, so I politely deflected the males, telling them truthfully that I needed to get used to being the subject of such admiration. They seemed to understand and, thankfully, backed off, keeping the attention to simple compliments which did my sore and lonely heart quite a world of good.
Sarah and her friends, on the other hand, were being their usual, cold selves, and whenever they came near me, they always scoffed and called me names, much as they'd done before the accident, and it seemed to me that they were deliberately targeting me. I ignored them, and they got bored after a while, much to my relief. Sarah still side-eyed me from time to time, but it wasn't long after she and her friends lost interest in baiting me before she was back to what she was doing best; flirting with any unmated male she could get her claws on. I grimaced as I watched, remembering what had happened two years ago, feeling as if history might repeat itself. I was, by now, thoroughly sick and tired of seeing her strut about as if she owned the place, and decided to do the one thing I'd been craving for two years.
My mind made up, I took a deep breath and sank underwater, and all my cares melted away as the water closed over my head.
I swam down to the bottom, relishing the way the water felt on my skin and in my hair. Sunlight danced on the tiles in mesmerising patterns as I swam along, and I felt all my cares disappearing. For the first time in my life, I felt as if I mattered. On the surface, I was less than the dirt on someone's shoe. But underwater - I was a princess. I no longer had to worry about my damaged feet, or the scandal that I had to prevent tonight. Even Sarah's treatment of me ceased to matter. Down here, I was free, and I revelled in that feeling as I reached the shallow end. But, rather than going up for air, I decided to stay under for a bit longer, even though my lungs were now burning, telling me I really did need to surface. But though I knew I needed to breathe, I held out for as long as I could, swimming back along the bottom towards the deep end. Bubbles started to escape from my nose and mouth as my diaphragm spasmed, warning me I was running out of air, and though I longed to stay under for a bit longer, I had no choice but to swim up to the surface, breathing heavily once my head was above water.
As I got my breath back, I frowned in distaste. Sarah had wound herself around another male, and though he seemed a bit uncomfortable at the attention, he didn't seem too keen on unwinding her either, and I grimaced. At least Jesse's not here, I thought.
But even as I got ready for another swim, I froze, feeling eyes on the back of my head, and I turned in the water, my eyes widening as I saw Jesse standing on the deck, his face pale as he stared at me, looking as if I were dreams made flesh. There was no sign of Mia, and I felt unease grow in the pit of my stomach, especially when I saw the way Jesse was looking at me. It was no look a mated male would ever give to an unmated female, and, rather than face him, I dove back underwater, swimming to the shallow end, my heart pounding as I surfaced and stepped out of the pool, trembling as I reached for a towel and dried myself off. I glanced over my shoulder as I did so, and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Jesse had engaged himself in conversation with Alpha Ben. I wasn't sure what they were talking about, and I didn't want to know. I was more worried about Mia, and I began scanning the crowd, hoping she was there.
But there was no sign of her, and I felt my heart sink right to the bottom of my chest. Had they broken up? Had they had a fight? Or was there some other reason for Mia's absence? I tried telling myself that maybe she'd been delayed, but even as that thought crossed my mind, I dismissed it. Mia would not miss out on her own engagement, and I felt the dread rise up again when I turned and saw Jesse standing only a few feet away, again looking at me as if I were the answer to life's mysteries. And as much as I wanted to run into his arms, I refused that urge. I didn't want to be the cause of a break up, either through Sarah's machinations or my own stupid hormones.
"Jesse! You came!"
I groaned as Sarah came tearing out of nowhere and threw her arms around Jesse, who staggered back a few steps. He recovered quickly and gently unwound Sarah's arms from around his neck. "Thanks," he said, his eyes never leaving mine. "Listen, could I have a few minutes with Charlie, please?"
Sarah turned, her eyes gleaming with barely-concealed rage when she saw me standing there. "Cousin," she greeted me effusively. "I didn't see you there."
I managed a smile. "I was just passing by to get something to drink," I said. I nodded to Jesse. "It's good to see you," I added, and I meant it, despite my conflicting feelings. "Where's Mia?"
"She's unwell," Jesse said, now looking at me oddly. "But she sends her best wishes."
"To whom?" Sarah asked in a too-sweet tone.
"Oh, to you," Jesse assured her. "She's sorry she couldn't make it, but she hopes you're well."
Sarah smiled. "Oh, that's very good to hear," she said. "Now, why don't we go off and talk? I want to hear all about how your betrothed is doing? Or is it soon-to-be-betrothed? I can never get my head around all that."
Jesse grimaced, but managed to turn it into a smile. "We can catch up later," he promised, "but I really want to talk to Charlie first."
"Oh, you don't want to do that," Sarah said, smiling even wider as she wound her arms around his neck again. "Trust me."
I frowned in confusion, but then the dread rose again as Sarah delivered her next blow, and I realised in a flash she was taking her revenge for being forced to drop her mind link with me. "I heard the most terrible thing," she said, her smile turning cruel as she pressed herself close to Jesse, who looked as if he wanted to be anywhere but trapped in her embrace. Sarah didn't seem to notice, or care, as she landed her final attack. "Charlie told me she was going to confess her feelings to you tonight," she said, and I shivered in revulsion. "And she swore me to secrecy," Sarah added, throwing a nasty smirk over her shoulder at me as Jesse's face went pale. "I don't suppose you told her you were going to be betrothed to Mia tonight? No, I didn't think so. Well, it's a good thing for you and your lovely mate that I'm here, isn't it? I can save you, and deliver you from my horrible cousin, who has mistreated me so shamefully."
Jesse's face was very white, and I felt my own face turn red as everyone within earshot turned to look. I wanted to sink into the ground at the glares my own pack gave me, but the other guests were all frowning at Sarah, who paid them no mind as she smiled up at Jesse. "Mia will be so glad I saved you from my horrid cousin," she said. "I don't suppose I could ask for a ... small token of affection in gratitude for sparing you from a fate worse than death? After all, I'd never want to see you get hurt by the likes of Charlotte. She's a manipulative little bitch, and she tells terrible lies. She claims I attacked her deliberately at my last party, but I was only trying to stop her from doing something stupid!"
"That's not true."
Dead silence fell, and I realised with a start I'd been the one to speak out. I ignored the muttering from my pack as I stepped forward, heart pounding. "You attacked me because you were forced to give Jesse up," I said, my voice tight with two years of suppressed anger. "But you painted yourself as the victim so you could finally start taking revenge on me for supposedly pushing you out of Uncle Ben's affections when he took me under his wing after Dad passed away."
Sarah let go of Jesse and turned to face me, her eyes glittering with hatred. "I think you need to shut the fuck up," she hissed.
"No," I said firmly. "I'm not going to be bullied or abused into silence. Not this time."
Sarah's face contorted in pure animal rage, and I had only enough time for one breath before she lunged at me, and my world turned upside down. 131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2wzY8JqRUH
