Finally, after much anticipation, the night of the Luna Ball arrived.
I put on an expensive suit I'd bought perfectly for the occasion, though I wasn't entirely thrilled with the idea of hanging around a bunch of stuck-up high-class werewolves for an entire night.
But it was alright... The drama expected to happen tonight would be compensation.
"Run over Catherine's cooky plan to me," I whispered to Rowland once we'd hopped into one of my cars and he drove me to the venue.
Clearing his throat, Rowland explained with an excited tone. "Well, Catherine and Elsa have it all planned perfectly. There's this special magically concocted poison they got from a witch or something that's pretty harmless in small doses. They plan on distributing the first dosage to everyone in the Ball."
My brows furrowed into a frown as I turned my gaze to Rowland to ensure I was indeed hearing what he was saying correctly.
He noticed my shocked expression and nodded, laughing with more excitement. "It sounds crazy, I know. But the magic of the poison doesn't kick in when you take the first dosage. However, the key is in Phoebe taking the second dosage probably when she's heading out for some air or a break."
I nodded, waiting for him to continue.
"Then they'll stage it to make it seem like she got tired of their bullshit and decided to take her own life. The poison works by kicking in when the victim is asleep, shutting down all their organs, and taking them out painlessly." He finalized.
Fascinating!
The witch that concocted this poison must be really skilled.
"Do you happen to have a sample of this poison with you?" I asked expectantly.
Rowland nodded, carefully placing his hand into his suit pocket and bringing out a vial with a purple powder.
I took the small vial from his hands, scrutinizing it closely.
The fascinating thing about this poison was how I couldn't feel the magic coming out of it. If there was, I might've been able to track the witch who made it by using their magic as a signal of sorts.
But oh well...
"Phoebe will not be taking that second dosage," I revealed boldly, just as the venue of the ball, a hall within the same estate as the Alpha's mansion, came into view.
Rowland parked the car in a reserved parking space in front of the hall after which I stepped out while adjusting my cufflinks.
"Do you have a substitute for the second dosage in mind?" Rowland asked when he also stepped out of the car.
I clutched the vial of the poison in my hands tightly, scanning my gaze around.
Dignitaries from other packs had already begun trooping into the hall, with Phoebe at the entrance welcoming them with a plastered smile on her face.
Oh, she was learning fast.
"I'm guessing Catherine plans on distributing the poison through the ceremonial wine," I muttered as we walked toward the hall.
Rowland nodded, confirming my suspicions.
A smirk curled up my lips.
The 'ceremonial wine' was literally just a large bowl of wine present in almost every ceremony or event within this pack.
It was wine blessed by the Moon goddess through Elder Gita herself.
But to me... It was simply just wine.
The thing about the ceremonial wine, however, is that it was taken only once by everyone present in the ceremony.
After that, whatever remained of it was discarded.
Catherine was a devious little cougar.
Anyway, I coughed lightly before speaking. "Just leave that last part to me, Rowland. For now, just blend in and enjoy the upcoming show. I can't wait to see the look on Catherine's face when her plan blows up in her face."
Without another word, we walked toward the entrance of the hall where Phoebe was waiting looking breathtaking.
I had to remind myself to calm down as I smiled, whistling. "Well, you look ravishing."
She turned to meet my gaze just then, her face flushing with a shy blush as she stretched her hand and shook mine. "Welcome, Beta–"
"Don't even think about it, Phoebe." I dangled a finger at her face playfully, causing the both of us to chuckle.
However, while she probably saw a cute moment out of that interaction, I saw a medium to escalate the seeds of chaos I'd meticulously planted a while ago.
My gaze scanned the hall, noticing a few high-class members of the pack staring at us with curious whispers.
Among them was Elsa Thatcher who eyed us with a scowl on her face, already taking a sip from a glass of wine.
'I knew I could rely on that maid.' I thought to myself as I slowly withdrew my hand from Phoebe's hold.
Just then, right on cue, I noticed her gaze shift to something behind me, causing me to turn my gaze there as well.
Oh, it wasn't a 'something'. It was a 'someone'.
"Here comes the Alpha," I muttered, a discreet smirk curling up my lips as I watched Kaene approaching alongside his mother.
I noticed the frown on his face as he placed his focus on Phoebe and me. The poor girl looked down nervously but I wore a smile on my face as I walked forward to meet my close 'friend'.
"Kaene, you don't look well. I take it you were unable to close that deal with Liam Enterprises?" I asked, bringing up business.
Rowland had moved ahead of me into the hall at this point, leaving Phoebe standing there with an anxious expression on her face.
Yikes, didn't the girl know how to act?
Finally, after taking my outstretched hand and shaking it, Kaene sighed. "I don't want to talk about it, Negan. I just want to drink away my burdens tonight while standing side by side with my Luna." He glanced at Phoebe briefly before fixing his gaze on me.
The emphasis he placed on 'my Luna' wasn't lost on me.
Hehe... Was he showing his claim on his rejected mate already? Was that jealousy I heard behind his words?
Withdrawing his hand from mine, Kaene gave me one final pat on the back before walking to Phoebe who'd welcomed a reluctant Catherine already.
"Shall we?" He whispered into her ears as he led her into the hall.
Let the games begin...