Nicole stepped out of the restroom, the cool air of the hallway doing nothing to settle the fire in her blood. The brief encounter with Lina had left her senses reeling. She had expected to find a spoiled socialite, but instead, she had found a girl who was drowning in her own life. Nicole straightened the cuffs of her jacket, her face settling back into a mask of cold, unbothered steel as she re-entered the ballroom.
She didn't have to look for April Lyon. The woman was already marching toward her, her face a mask of indignation that barely hid her underlying fear.
"Nicole Blair. You have some nerve showing up, your generation doesn't understand a jest initiation, it seems," April hissed, her voice low enough to keep the guests from turning, but sharp enough to cut. "Well, since you are here, you might as well take in what success looks like."
Nicole didn't flinch. She stood her ground, looking down at April with a pitying tilt of her head. "Your little success doesn't bother me, April. Perhaps if you spent less time curating the guest list and more time noticing that your company is about to go bankrupt, I wouldn't have had to step in."
April's eyes flashed with venom. "Do not lecture me on family business. Everyone knows your father has gone missing. Rumor has it Michael finally grew tired of trying to train a brat like you and simply walked away. Or perhaps he finally realized the Blair legacy was a sinking ship."
Nicole's jaw tightened, the only outward sign of the rage bubbling beneath the surface. "My father is exactly where he needs to be. And as for the legacy, he left the company in my hands because I am capable of leading it. Unlike you, April. We both know the board gave the Lyon chair to your cousin instead of you. You are a figurehead in your own home, throwing parties to pretend you still have power."
The sting of the truth was too much. April's hand moved in a blur, the sound of the slap echoing through the immediate circle of guests. Nicole's head snapped to the side, but she didn't fall. She didn't even raise a hand to her cheek. She simply turned her head back, a terrifying, slow smile spreading across her lips.
"Is that all you have?" Nicole asked, her voice a deadly whisper.
"Please! Stop it!" Lina appeared suddenly, stepping between the two women. She looked horrified, her eyes wide as she looked at the red mark on Nicole's pale skin. "What are you doing? This is supposed to be a celebration."
April pointed a trembling finger at Nicole. "She is a poisonous, arrogant girl, Lina. She is just like her father. She thinks she is better than us."
Nicole let out a short, dark laugh. She didn't argue. She didn't need to. She simply adjusted her collar and looked past April, her eyes locking onto Lina for a split second. The heat in her gaze was enough to make the girl flush. "I'll leave you to your theater, April. It's becoming a bore."
Nicole turned and walked away, her stride purposeful and elegant. She pulled her phone from her pocket as she reached the grand entrance of the manor. "Freddi, bring the car around. I am done here."
She stood on the wide stone steps of the estate, the night air biting at her skin. She welcomed the cold. It helped suppress the violent urges of her wolf side. Or so she thought.
"Wait!"
Lina came running out of the house, breathless, her silver dress shimmering under the porch lights. She stopped a few feet away, looking guilty and small. "I am so sorry. My mother... she shouldn't have done that. She's stressed about the merger and she takes it out on everyone."
Nicole turned, her expression softening just a fraction. It was then that she realized the truth she had missed in the bathroom. "So you are the celebrant. The daughter April hides away. I didn't know. I didn't bring a gift for the birthday girl."
Lina offered a small, sad smile. "It is okay. These parties are usually not about me anyway. They are about my mother's standing in the city. I'm just the reason for the cake."
"You look nothing like her," Nicole noted, her golden eyes scanning Lina's face.
"I know," Lina agreed, looking down at her shoes. "I look like my father. Everyone says I have his eyes and his quietness."
Nicole felt a strange, heavy thud in her chest. "I will make sure you get a gift, Lina. A real one. Not something curated by a decorator."
Suddenly, a sound like a physical explosion echoed inside Nicole's mind. It was a voice, ancient and wild, a voice that had been silent since the day Nicole turned eighteen and failed to find a spark in her soul.
Mate.
Nicole gasped, her hand flying to her chest as she nearly stumbled. Luna? she whispered in her inner voice, her heart racing. Is that you? Are you talking to me?
The wolf inside her didn't answer directly. Instead, a wave of pure, primal recognition washed over Nicole's senses. I am awake because my mate is close by, Luna rumbled, her voice like grinding stones. Beautiful. Ours. The Alpha has chosen.
"What mate? I don't have time for a mate right now." Nicole's vision blurred at the edges as her wolf's sight began to overlay her own. "plus I had a mate, Nato, remember him?" Nicole spoke to Luna. "Whom you rejected."
Luna hissed. "He was weak, just like the rest of them. Fine, do what you like, you always do anyway. And I am not talking to you until you get my mate." Luna went silent.
"Fine." She spoke outwardly, startling Lina.
"Fine, what?" Lina had concern on her face.
"Sorry, not you."
The black car pulled up to the curb, and Freddi stepped out to open the door. Nicole took a deep breath, fighting to keep her eyes from glowing red in front of the girl.
"I have to go, Lina," Nicole said, her voice strained with the effort of control. "Happy birthday. We will speak again soon."
Lina waved tentatively as the car pulled away. Inside the vehicle, Nicole collapsed against the leather seat, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
"She's a human, Nicole," Nicole hissed under her breath. "She will be hurt. She isn't a wolf."
''Get our mate. You must complete the bond. Or we will both starve. The wolf replied.