Chapter 39

Silver’s POV

There was someone else out there like me. I wasn’t alone and yet I felt more alone than ever. There was no way I could train my abilities because they were a mistake I should have never existed. According to Charlotte, I was supposed to die. I'm a disgrace to this nation and I pose a threat to society.

She doesn’t want me with her brother because of how dangerous I am.

My father was truly right about me, and Charlotte confirmed that.

She advised her brother to leave me, but he refused. He’s been distant since that conversation and days have passed since then. He’s been held up at the office quite often; he doesn’t come home until late at night. I'm forced to eat dinner alone with Mariah and the other palace staff.

I try to occupy my time by working in my studio and creating new art pieces for Hope’s Gallery. They gave me a deadline of a couple of weeks, so I have a lot of work to do. Rebecca and my new pack friends come over to hang out sometimes. Rebecca finally met Cara and the girl and they hit it off just like I thought they would. Makes me feel good knowing my friends are now friends.

And yet, I still felt so lonely.

Shirley was hanging out with Elliot as if her life depended on it. I hated that she was the one who drugged him and she got into bed with him and yet he acted like it never happened. I wrapped my arm around my body and allowed the pain of reality to sink in. She was a longtime friend and a strong Alpha; she was always going to be in his life. I just wish he wasn’t actively pushing me away.

He hasn’t snuggled me in bed; he hasn’t passionately kissed me since our night together in the hotel. My cheeks flushed at the memory and tears welled up in my eyes.

I woke up alone this morning, which wasn’t surprising. He often comes home late and leaves early in the morning.

A knock on the bedroom door is what jolted me awake and I stretched my arms and legs before climbing out of bed and making my way to the door. When I opened it, I saw one of the maids standing before me with a large box.

“Good morning, Luna,” she said, bowing her head slightly to me. “Beta Leo wanted me to drop this off, per orders of the Alpha.”

I frowned at the box; it was huge. What could possibly be inside of it?

“What is it?” I asked her as I helped her bring it over to my bed and set it down.

“It’s a gown of course,” she answered.

I opened the box and I gasped at the gorgeous red dress inside. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen; I never wore anything this elegant before.

“Wow,” I breathed.

“Wow indeed,” she agreed.

“What’s the gown for?” I asked, confused. I couldn’t imagine what type of event I would wear this to.

“If I had to guess, I’d say that Alpha ball. It’s tonight,” she told me.

My mouth dropped open at her words. I completely forgot about the Alpha ball. Well, actually, I’ve never been invited to go before. My father made it a point to keep me shunned from anything and everyone. I was never allowed to go to such an event in the past. Stella, on the other hand, on been numerous times. Gavin promised me that he would take me this year, but we broke up before he could get the chance. It wasn’t even in my mind until this very moment.

My heart swelled at the thought of Elliot taking me to the ball.

Not before long, there was another knock on the door. I hadn’t realized the maid had left until someone else entered my room. I turned, surprised to see Alison standing at my doorway with a duffel bag.

“I was called to make the Luna look spectacular for tonight,” she told me, her eyes knitted together. “Why do you look as if you had seen a ghost.”

“I just wasn’t expecting you here. You startled me,” I admitted.

She waved me off and stepped into my room.

“I’m the pack’s stylist. The Alpha wanted me to help get you ready for tonight,” she told me.

I raised my brows.

“You spoke to him?” I asked.

She nodded.

“Yes; he called me personally,” she told me.

My cheeks flushed and stared down at the ground.

“He’s been so busy lately, I’m surprised he’s even bothering,” I admitted.

She stared at me like I had just grown another head.

“Well, the Alpha ball is being held in his pack this year so the pack is clustered with different Alphas. Not to mention with all these rogue attacks lately, I’m not surprised he’s been busy.”

I had no idea the other Alphas were staying in this pack. I’m sure they were all over the packhouse. It was no wonder Elliot’s been so busy lately. I felt foolish to think it had anything to do with me. But I wished he would communicate this stuff with me. Instead, I feel as if he’s spending all of his time with Shirley.

“Let’s get you ready for the ball; it’s going to take at least a day,” she told me, assessing my current appearance.

I frowned.

“Give me a break, I just got out of bed,” I said defensively.

She laughed.

We spent the entire day getting ready for this ball. She was right; it took a lot to get me ready for this evening's events.

By the time everything was put together, the sun was setting, and it was almost time to leave. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about such an event. When I finally put the dress on and looked at myself in the mirror, I gasped at my appearance.

I hardly recognized myself. It was beautiful.

“Wow,” I whispered, unable to form real words.

“Wow is an understatement,” she said, pleased with herself. “You are going to be the belle of this ball. Now let's go find your prince.”

I smiled and nodded as I followed her out of the room. She helped me navigate through the palace with my dress and by the time we reached the front foyer, Beta Leo and Elliot were standing at the doorway. They both turned to look at me as I arrived, and I swear Elliot’s jaw dropped.

I could see the desires pooling in his eyes and it made me blush.

“Hey,” I said to him, not sure what else to say.

‘Hey,” he replied. “You look beautiful,” he finally said after a long pause.

I blushed at the compliment.

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” I told him, motioning for his luxury suit that looked extremely expensive and the red tie he wore. I smiled at the thought of Elliot wanting to match me and my dress. He had to have done that on purpose.

He offered me his arm.

“Shall we?” He asked, I nodded and took his arm without hesitation.

After thanking Alison for her job, well done, we followed Leo to the limo that waited for our arrival in front of the palace. My heart was racing the entire drive to the ball. I wasn’t sure what to expect I had never been to an event like this before; it was all new to me.

Elliot kept a protective hold on my hand and kept himself close to me, which I appreciated.

By the time we got to the ball, my head was spinning. It was a huge event and there were so many people entering. There was a camera crew capturing everything and trying to get those entering the ball to answer their questions.

Elliot looked a bit annoyed by this sight.

“Don’t answer any of their questions. Tabloid reporters always twist things around,” he warned.

I nodded, feeling a nervous pit in the middle of my stomach.

The driver opened our doors, and we stepped out of the limo. Elliot kept a hold of my arm as we walked through the crowd and towards the front entrance.

The reporters wasted no time as soon as they saw us.

“Alpha, who is your date for the evening? That can’t be the Luna!”

“Alpha Elliot, why didn’t you come to the ball with Alpha Shirley?”

“Alpha Eliot, is it true you are secretly having an affair with Shirley?”

My heart ached to hear that. Elliot tightened his hold on me, probably knowing that the questions of these reporters were getting to me.

“Luna Silver, what designer dress are you wearing?”

“Luna, is it true you came between Elliot and his true love, Shirley?”

I opened my mouth to retort, but Elliot's words from before stopped me and I lowered my gaze as he pulled me the rest of the way into the ballroom.

He took a deep breath as he turned to face me.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

I was surprised by the question, but I nodded.

“Yeah,” I told him.

“We will talk about it later,” he told me, running his fingers down the side of my face, making me look up at him, surprised by the sentiment.

I nodded my head once.

“If you get a drink, make sure you ask them not to put mistletoe in the beverage. Remember what my sister said?” Elliot warned.

I nodded again.

“I’ll remember,” I told him.

“Good,” he said, taking my arm into his once more and guiding me away from the front entrance.

….

Third Person POV (Shirley)

Around the corner, Shirley stood with a wide grin across her face.

“So, the little Miss Perfect Luna can’t have mistletoe?” She said to herself after hearing Elliot's warning. “Let’s find out what happens if she does.”