4

Gabriella As night falls and the over hundred eligible females vying for Elijah Lahiz's affection are escorted into the mansion, I can already feel my nerves fraying. I've heard rumors from the other females about his handsome face and his rather aloof personality. While that's not something that particularly appeals to me, I can see why most of the females who have come from all over this side of the country are practically salivating over the chance at getting even just a simple conversation with him. Tonight, however, I plan on laying low to see what kind of competition will be brewing with the other bachelorettes, along with making a plan on how I can get close to one of the Northern packmates long enough to get whatever I can out of them to bring back to Alpha Storm. So far, that's the only plan I've got. The mansion is gorgeous and opulent, and so is the ballroom that we're all shuffled into while the opening ceremony begins. Other members of the Northern pack are introduced in a fanfare, most likely to entice us females into spending time with them, as the chances of us catching Elijah's attention are slim. Which is perfect for me — now it won't seem so obvious that I'm trying to sneak intel out by spending time with anyone other than the alpha of the pack himself. Strangely enough, the ceremony soon commences and the music begins to play—all without Elijah being introduced or making a grand appearance like I thought he would. As a soon-to-be king, wouldn't this be the perfect opportunity to present yourself to the other packs you'll be ruling over in the near future? Not to mention, it doesn't set a good face for his future Luna, who he'll most likely be picking to court over the next three days. I wonder if something happened. Maybe an emergency called him away? I wouldn't be surprised, given his new pack alpha status. "You've been a sitting duck since we got here," Raya notes wistfully as she moves over to me. She looks glorious in her green ball gown, and light make up. "Come on, now. Let's dance." I let her tug me along and pull me out to the dance floor. Others join us, and I close my eyes, losing myself in the music. Soon though, I feel a pair of hands touching my waist and pulling me away from Raya. As I turn, I spot an alpha grinning at me. "Care to dance?" Adrenaline shoots through me as his hands tighten on my hips. I look over my shoulder to see Raya being spun away by a beta — most likely his friend — her laugh carrying over the din of the music as her partner dips her and moves her farther into the line of other dancing couples. "Uh," is all that I can manage to say before I'm also being pulled away toward the opposite side of the ballroom. I should be happy about this. I didn't even have to go searching for one of the Northern packmates to approach me. "What pack are you from? There's so many of you that it's hard to keep track," the alpha is saying as he twirls me. "You're here for all three nights, right?" Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Alex, one of Alpha Storm's enforcers, watching me and my partner closely. Linda, though dancing with an alpha has her eyes on me as well, a scowl on her face. I have to make this good and weasel some info out of him so Alpha Storm doesn't hurt me when I get back. However, as soon as the alpha's hands begin to sneak lower on my waist, I panic. "Sorry." I shove the alpha's hands off me. "I have to go." "What? Why?" He tries to grab at me again. "Hey listen, we're just dancin —" I throw him a weak smile. "Just need some air." Stumbling back, I find a door leading out into the hallway away from the busyness of the ballroom. As the door shuts behind me, the energy slowly starts to calm, giving me a chance to breathe again. I head down the hall and find another door at the end, this time leading outside to a large patio that spans almost the entire backside of the mansion. Beyond that is a magnificent garden with a large fountain, the water sparkling in the moonlight. Breathing in deeply, I slowly take the marble stairs down and let myself wander the garden. My dress trails behind me — a ridiculously red poofy thing that Raya talked me into buying when we went shopping together earlier in the week. I don't care if it gets dirty; I'm most likely going to sneak back in after this and keep to the shadows while waiting for Elijah to arrive. I need to figure out my plan, not get swept up by some desperate Northern pack member looking for a mate. The soft sound of the water from the fountain is comforting as I approach it. It's in the shape of a huge wolf standing at the base of a large tree, howling at the moon above me. I sit down on the side of the fountain, letting my hand trail in the rippling water. The sculpture work is gorgeous and I wish I could see the details better. Something hits the water, kicking back and splashing me. "Oh s**t," a male voice says on the other side. "Sorry, I didn't even see you there." Turning to the sound of footsteps moving closer to me, I spot a male —another alpha — moving around the fountain and stopping a few feet from me. The suit he's wearing is tailored perfectly to his large body, making him look sophisticated. His hair is wavy and longer on the top and cut shorter on the sides, pale in the moonlight. His face is obscured in shadows, but even from here, I can tell he's got a strong jawline, good features, and darker, tanned skin. "You okay?" he asks, his head tilting to the side. The gesture doesn't suit the outfit he's wearing at all — in fact, now it makes him look kind of stuffy. "What did you throw at me?" I hold my arm up and jerk it to the side, letting the flecks of water fly off my skin. "I didn't — " He clears his throat. "It was a coin. I meant to toss it into the water. Not at you." "A coin?" I can already feel my brows pulling together in confusion. "For what?" He's silent for a moment, his body going statue-still as he stares at me. Finally, after what feels like an entire five minutes, he says, "For good luck." Luck? I roll my eyes and stand. How ridiculous. "What in the world does an alpha need luck for? You have the entire world handed to you on a silver platter." It's most likely not in my best interests to be talking to an alpha like this, but it's not like I'll ever see him again. Once I step back into that ballroom, I'll have to zero in on someone else higher up on the food chain within the pack and keep my eye on the prize. To my surprise, the alpha lets out a laugh. "Wow, so honest. That's refreshing." What is? "Sorry to tell you, but most females think this way. We're just too afraid to bruise your delicate alpha egos." He lets out another laugh. "Is that so?" I stand still when he moves closer to me, his shoes crunching against the gravel under us. He stops just a few feet from me, letting me get a clearer look at him. He's just as handsome as I thought he'd be — like most young alphas. There's an amused quirk to his lips, along with small crinkles in the corners of his eyes, as he watches me carefully. I hate that I immediately want to lower my gaze — an instinct drilled into me since I was a kid. I hold my ground though, not wanting to let this guy win at whatever game we're apparently playing. "Tell me your name?" he says. I'm tempted to give him a fake one...but that seems kind of stupid considering I'm a guest in this pack's lands. It would be easy to verify my identity, and the possibility of offending one of the soon-to-be alpha king's packmates seems kind of counterproductive when I'm going to be spending more time with them than I care to. "Gabriella," I finally say. "Gabriella," he repeats it softly, causing a shiver to race up my spine. "Pretty." I have to swallow to get out my next words. "And you?" Shit, I should've walked away the second I ran into this guy. Having the hots for one of the Northern alphas is not only stupid, but will get me into trouble if Alpha Storm ever finds out. He's not going to gain anything if I get into bed with someone who has no political pull. I'll be lucky to just get a stern talking-to when I get home. But...damn do I want to tell myself f**k it and have a night for just myself. Would that be so wrong of me to do? The alpha in front of me hesitates again for some reason. Up close like this, I can see that he's got a pair of lovely amber eyes that watch me carefully, assessing me for...what, I'm not too sure. Perhaps he's more important in the pecking order than I gave him credit for. A beta to the king? Maybe an advisor? That would be perfect. I'm not that familiar with who's a part of Elijah Lahiz's inner circle. Which, I'm now realizing, is biting me in the ass. "You can call me...Elijah," he finally decides. Elijah...? My eyes widen. Oh f**k.