Chapter 55

Olivia

Just as Nathan promised, we were pulling up to his family’s mansion hardly an hour later.

The ride up to the mansion was just as quiet between us as the ride to the park was. However, as we pulled up and saw the sea of people flooding into the banquet hall and heard the loud, charming orchestral music, I felt my thoughts of our arguments slipping away.

The grandeur of the banquet hall enveloped me as we entered the luncheon. The air buzzed with chatter and the clinking of silverware against fine china filled the atmosphere.

The room was filled with influential figures, their presence a stark reminder of the power dynamics at play in this intricate social web. I immediately recognized all of the Alphas and the Elders, and their respective families, seated at an enormous table.

There were other, smaller tables scattered around, which were quickly filling up with people. I looked around and noticed that there was a line of people standing by a huge buffet, upon which was laid a spread of delectable foods that made my mouth water.

“You can go and get yourself something to eat,” Nathan said, touching my shoulder tentatively. “I’ll find our table.”

I nodded slowly, feeling a knot form in my stomach as Nathan walked away. Despite our anger toward each other today, he was still a rock that I sorely needed during times like this.

I was still unused to these sorts of events, and I was even more unused to people staring at me and whispering under their breath.

As I navigated through the crowd, keeping my head down and my eyes averted, I eventually made my way over to the buffet table.

Grabbing a plate and a bundle of silverware wrapped up in a crisp white napkin, I got in line.

Almost immediately, the girl in front of me turned to look at me over her shoulder; and I unexpectedly found myself face-to-face with Angela and her group of friends.

Their judgmental gazes and the hushed whispers that followed were enough to make my skin crawl. It seemed that their penchant for gossip hadn't waned since our last encounter.

“Look,” Angela said, nudging her friend as they moved forward in line. “It’s the ‘Luna’.”

Angela’s friend glanced over her shoulder, then scoffed. “What a sight to behold,” she whispered snarkily, her voice dripping with disdain.

I felt my face turn red. In my mind, I decided that it was best to take the high road and ignore their words, but the onslaught continued. They weren’t even trying to whisper anymore; their jabs were outright and direct, and they wanted their sharpness to cut deep.

“I wouldn’t be perusing this table if I were her,” Angela said, casting me a dirty look over her shoulder. “She should be on a diet. All of this food is too rich for someone who needs to lose so much weight.”

Still trying to ignore them, I made a point to fill my plate with all of the foods that I loved: pasta, bread, and rich meat.

“Hey!” Angela hissed, turning to face me. “Didn’t I give you a detailed diet plan at your appointment? Are you dense in the head or something? You can’t be eating pasta and bread!”

Angela's voice dripped with condescension as she made snide remarks about the food on my plate. Tired of their shallow attempts to belittle me, a surge of defiance welled up within me, and I thrust my chin forward with contempt.

With a hint of sarcasm lacing my words, I shot back at them.

"You know, ladies, there's no need to project your own insecurities onto me,” I said, smirking. “I'm quite proud of my physical appearance, and I firmly believe that eating enough and exercising are the keys to good health.”

Angela scoffed. “You don’t know the first thing about good health,” she growled disdainfully.

I had to laugh. “Maybe I don’t,” I said. “But if I don’t, then that means that you know even less, because you look sickly and pale. Maybe you should try eating a little more. Besides, I would think picking on what a pregnant woman eats is rather low, don't you think?"

Angela’s eyes went wide. She kept opening and closing her mouth as though she was trying and failing to come up with a retort, which only made her look rather fishlike.

“When you’re ready to make amends, I’m all ears,” I said, sweetening my voice like honey. “Perhaps we could be friends someday if you grow out of your childish, nasty behavior.”

The girls fell silent, their smirks fading into awkward glances exchanged between one another.

A sense of satisfaction washed over me as I confidently walked away, reclaiming my dignity in the face of their pettiness.

Once I melted back into the crowd, however, I felt my shoulders sag with relief. My confidence when I confronted those girls was only skin-deep, and now that I was away, I was just glad that it was over and that my pounding heart could get a break.

Taking a deep breath, I scanned the Alpha table for Nathan — but he wasn’t there.

I furrowed my brow and searched a little more. Eventually, I spotted a familiar head of tawny blonde hair approaching me from the buffet table.

“This way,” he said as he approached me, nodding his head toward one of the round tables.

I made a confused face as I followed him. He walked over to one of the round tables and set his plate down, then pulled my chair out for me.

I expected to find myself among the esteemed members of the Alpha Council. However, my heart sank in confusion as I realized that Nathan and I were seated apart from the rest, our isolation palpable.

“Why here?” I asked, sitting down beside him. “I thought you’d be sitting up there, with the other Alphas.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Nathan’s voice was terse and distant, but when I looked at him, his face seemed grim. I watched for a few minutes as he picked at his food with his fork.

For a little while, we sat in silence as we ate our food. But every time I looked up, however, I could sense the other Alphas’ eyes on us; other people were making glances at us as well, equally as confused about our seating arrangement as I was.

Confusion etched across my face, I turned to Nathan, searching for an explanation.

“Something’s going on,” I said, reaching over and touching his forearm. For those moments, I set aside my annoyance and anger with him because I found myself worried about my friend. “Talk to me.”

Nathan’s arm tensed beneath my touch. His eyes remained fixed on his plate, his appetite diminished, and his voice tinged with a somberness I had never heard before.

"I'm not welcome on the Council yet," he muttered, his words heavy with a weight I couldn't comprehend.

I felt my eyes widen with shock. A mix of surprise and concern flooded my senses, and I was immediately reminded of the look on his face when he came home last night from his meeting with the Alpha Council.

I couldn’t help but glance up at the Alpha table. Colin, his eyes filled with contempt, stared back at me with his champagne glass gripped so tightly in his hand that I was certain it would break.