I nearly jump in my seat, but then I see Bee taking the seat next to me, gracefully presenting herself to my family. Plates of food are brought and every conversation stops. Everyone is eating the savory food, but not even the mouth-watering smell isn't enticing my appetite.
My family doesn't know that Asher plans to take me to the other side of the world at the end of this week, so if they want me to take part in their mission, it should happen before the Semifinals. I curse Thomas in my mind, as he must've been a weighty factor in Asher's sudden decision. Although he won't admit it in a trillion years.
But he didn't reach to me ever since he drove me to the halls, so I don't know if he still means what he said to me in Kale's cottage. But then, he also left me to believe that he'll become a full Lycan soon enough and because I made clear that I won't be his mate, he might as well don't give a crap about me anymore. He must've found another girl that wants to be Queen and whom is less troublesome.
"By the way, mother" I speak, casually moving the food on my plate, "you may drop the trial already."
"I will, the moment you and Jez are in Hy-Brasil and there's no way someone may interfere with our mission." Her eyes fall on Béatrice who was chattering with Jez and plainly ignoring our strange conversation. But my mother nearly slapped her forehead when she realised a normal person heard her.
"Bee knows, so you may proceed." I say and there's no sign of relief on anyone's faces. "She's a CSI student, she figured out herself."
"Well, if you weren't so indolent, she wouldn't have." My mother was ready to throw her fork at me, but luckily the fact that we were in public must've kept her from acting on her impulses.
"Actually, Aline is very good at keeping secrets," Bee finally says. "Will on the other hand..."
I search the room for my friend and I find him at his family table, bored to death. His cousin, Thandi, was seated next to him. I know he can't stand her, ever since people started commenting that she'd be a better heir for the Sappington family than my trouble-maker friend. He catches my eyes and uses it as an excuse to leave his table and come to me.
"Evening," he simply says, then drags a chair to seat between me and Jez. "I hate semi-formals."
He pours himself a glass of red wine and then fills mine too. "Sorry for my impudence Mrs. Thrussell, but can you sent us back to Yeti so Aline and I can't be invited to such events again?" My mother just shakes her head and sighs before sitting up.
"I've booked us a flight next Sunday, so you'll have time for some intensive trainings and the council can finish the preparations," she remembers to answer my earlier question regarding the mission. "I'll e-mail you and Jez all the details. See you then, Adeline." Just as she steps away from our table, my mother is approached by a group of women who start chattering with her.
"I was serious about ending the trial," I tell my father when I see that he also intends to leave. "You don't have to worry, Asher won't interfere with the mission."
"Well, I choose to be overly-cautious so I won't have unwanted surprises coming our way," he simply says, turning then to Jonty. "A word?"
My brother follows our father to the exit of the ballroom. Will pressures Jez into telling him about the booked flight my mother mentioned and my brother half-heartedly uncovers the details of the upcoming mission my partner wasn't invited to. I catched from their discussion that the Sappington cousins were preffered for it, before Will's accident. My brothers were chosen after that, but somehow the council decided that I should go in Jonty's place. No explanation given why, but I bet that it was my mother's doing. Although Jez is older, Jonty is DeGrey by blood and thus, our family's heir. Ever since he started hunting, my mother never allowed him to take part in life-threatening missions, and passed them to either me or Jez. We are dispensable.
"Asher is the second one, right?" Asks Bee and I nod. "Well, he just walked in."
My head snaps to the entrance and I see Asher and Chase being greeted by Yannis Timmons and a blonde girl who gleely kisses both of them on the cheeks. The next second I'm on my feet, but I just freeze next to my chair. Asher's eyes lock on mine and he slowly approaches me.
"Good evening," he says to my brothers and friends, now avoiding my questioning eyes. Chase appears next to him and I see him directly presenting himself to Béatrice. My brother just rounds around the Lycans and takes a seat next to my friend. Chase lets out a low growl when Jez asks Bee on another dance and I immediately jump in front of the Lycan. Jez and Will follow suit, both of them gripping the guns hidden behind their back. My eyes silently ask Chase to behave, but he's not the minded and charming Lycan I know anymore.
"And when I started to think we're becoming friends," I mock him but he doesn't seem in a good mood for my jokes.
"Step away, Adeline," he says through gritted teeth, looking like he's ready to rip Jez apart. I look over to Asher and he just asks me to step away. But he's insane if he thinks I'll let his friend lay as much as a claw on my brother.
"Step away, sister. I can handle a moon-howler," Jez says, receiving another threating growl from Chase.
"Actually you won't," Asher cuts in, dragging from where I was standing. "Not when his soul mate is involved."
Even if he now has a free way to Jez, Chase doesn't attack him, but keeps himself in front of Béatrice. Will comes beside me, looking as confused as me. Jez seems like the only one to understand the situation and puts her hands up in defense. "I didn't know," he excuses himself and Chase barely spares him another look.
"Ahm, Ally?" I hear my room mate's voice from behind the still-angry Lycan and I slip through Asher's arms to go next to her. "What is happening?" She asks me and I don't have a chance to answer her, because Chase turns to face her. Béatrice's attention is immediately grasped by his eyes on her and she literally glowed under Chase's gaze.
"Can I be the one to explain everything to you?" He asks and she accepts, following him out of the ballroom. My instinct pushes me to go after my friend, but Asher's arm stops me.
"She'll be alright, Aline." He assures me, but my heart is still unsure.
"He's right, Ad." Says Jez, sitting back on his seat.
"How can you be so sure?" William speaks my thoughts. "He just wooed her out of the room. What kind of shifter charm is that?"
"That was their soul mate bond." I'm surprised because it is my brother who answers Will's question. "She trusted him enough to leave with him, because her soul recognised his."
"But she's human," I also say, and my brother just shakes his head.
"So? It doesn't dims the power of their bond. She may not know why she followed him mindlessly out of here, but she knew it was the right thing to leave with her soul mate."
I want to ask my brother why he know so many things about mates, but I decide that I don't necessarily want to know right now. Maybe I'll remember to ask him some other time.
"This explains a lot," mumbles Will and I frown at him. He also found his soul mate?
"You too?" I ask my friend, but he shakes his head.
"I was talking about you and Asher. I had a déjà vu when his friend nearly attacked Jez," he tells me, then turns to Asher. "He is more well-mannered than you."
"Jez here is smarter than you and didn't played with Chase's patience," come-backs Asher and I roll my eyes. Judging by the hateful looks all three of them are throwing at each other, it seemed like a good idea to take the Lycan away from the hunters.
"Let's dance," I take Asher's hand and drag him away from my brother and my partner. Will seems disgusted when he hears my words and turns back to the table. But Jez keeps his eyes on us, although he is trying to be discreet about it.
And he's not the only one who was staring. Asher spins me around the dancefloor and I see my father and Jonty looking at us from the corner of the room. A few steps to the right and I'm under my mother's cutting gaze. She was merely paying attention to the women talking to her, but they didn't seem to observe as they continued chit-chatting. Another spin and yet another pair of eyes arousing chills down my spine. Thomas had returned to the ballroom and was watching us from the comfort of a dimly-lit part of the room.
"You seem tense," Asher says, putting a hand on my hip, while holding my hand close to his chest with the other. I'm grateful he didn't pick the bruised side of my middle to touch.
"There are many people who hate me in here, so I'm just staying en garde."
"There are many people who hate me in here too; but I preffer to ignore them."
"Until you find yourself with a knife in your back," I tell him, finally tearing my gaze from the people who were watching me and meeting my eyes with his. The green is his irises was brighter tonight, he seemed soothed and merry. Just the opposite of how I was feeling. I was knackered to the bits and couldn't wait to leave this place and the awful people that were here.
"Do you want to leave?" He asks and my eyes must've blinked because he chuckled. "Why didn't you say so, Aline?"
"Because my family is here and it'd be disrespectful to call the night before them." I manage to make an excuse. Truth is, I was too afraid to walk to that door because I would have passed by an awaiting Thomas. And we already know what happened the last time our paths crossed.
"I wouldn't take you for an etiquette-devotee," he mocks me and I bite my tongue so I won't stick it out to him.
"I wouldn't take you for a jokster, my prince," I say with fake courtesy and he's the one to roll his eyes in annoyance this time. Oh, so we doesn't like his title? Noted.
"Where do you want to go?" I pounder at his question, because I have no idea. I've grown bored of my room, as I spent the last few days locked in there, but I'm not eager to go anywhere public. I've had my share of social interactions for a week with this semi-formal.
"Surprise me," is my response, which I regret just as soon as it slips my mouth. But Asher seems enjoyed by it so I just decide against taking my words back.
"As you wish," he tells me, his hand tugging a few wild strands of hair behind my ear. His eyes fall to my neck and I curse even before he sees them.