Fleeing With The Alpha's Heir

FEELING LIKE CINDERELLA

KATE

It was a masquerade ball.

Thanks to my excellent espionage, I had all the information I needed to get ready for what I was convinced was going to be the best night of my life.

The day slowly and steadily slipped away, and as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting the sky in shades of pink and orange, I could feel the excitement in the air all over the pack.

People were preparing for the night.

It was so funny how if Melody had not come to taunt me like she usually did, I would have been in the dark about it while everyone prepared without me.

Speaking of Melody, she and her friends were caught up in the whirlwind of preparation too.

I could hear them giggling and laughing in the room as they tried on outfits, booing if they did not like what the person trying the clothes was wearing, and cheering loudly when they found ‘the one’. Somehow, through the loud Taylor Swift playlist wafting all around the house at full blast, I managed to hear everything.

The only preparation I on the other hand, was making, was finishing up with my chores.

I tried not to raise my hopes too much, just in case a situation arose, and I couldn’t attend after all, but my hopes were already raised enough, it seemed, for just the thought of not going made my chest burn.

I tried not to stare in awe and mild jealousy as the girls flitted past me in their perfect fits, all ballroom-appropriate with their long, bouffant-styled skirts.

I see no expenses had been spared for this celebration.

The girls left after making fun of me as usual, calling me Cinderella and other cruel names, but it didn’t even get to me.

Want to know why?

Because this Cinderella was going to the ball too come what may.

I finished with my chores and snuck into Melody’s room to find what to wear.

She had so many clothes that I was sure she wouldn’t notice if one was gone. I just had to make sure that it was bland, something out of season that she’d rather die than be in, and I was safe.

After minutes of searching, I found the perfectly imperfect dress, a calf-length black crêpe dress with flowy ends that could almost pass for a practice gown.

It was also my size, which was surprising, considering I was four dress sizes bigger than Melody. She was an eight, and I was a 12, but who was I to look a gift horse in the mouth?

Clearly, the fates wanted me to go for the celebration!

With the stolen dress in hand, I hurried back to my room, my heart pounding with excitement and nerves.

I slipped into it, my excitement growing even more when I stood in front of the mirror only to find that it was a perfect fit.

Tonight was my chance to escape the confines of my everyday life and step into a world of elegance and glamour, one that would go perfectly well if the fates continued to be by my side just as they had so far.

But then, just like that, my little streak of luck ended.

For, just as I got to the middle of the staircase, all dressed and glammed up, I heard the front door turn, footsteps approaching. My heart sank in my chest.

No one was supposed to be home!

It had all been so fast that I hadn’t even had the time to find a place to hide, but sure enough, Shauna appeared in the doorway, her expression a mask of disdain as she took in my appearance.

“And just where do you think you're going, girl?” She sneered at me, her voice dripping with contempt. “Who gave you permission to go out?”

I fought the urge to lash out, to tell her that I was almost twenty-five years old and could do whatever the hell I wanted.

But I knew better than to provoke her.

Shauna could be vicious when she wasn't having her way, and I didn't want to experience her wrath.

And so, I backtracked up the stairs in disappointment, knowing that my plans for the night had all come to an undoubted standstill.

You know, it was good that I hadn’t placed any hopes on this night, but as I trudged lamely up the stairs, I realized that a little bit of hope had slipped through anyway…

It really, really sucked that I wasn’t going.

Even as I got to my room, Shauna followed me, making my disappointment even worse with all of her hollering about how I had no right to just get up and do whatever the hell I pleased. But as she continued on the hallway, listing off a new set of chores she expected to be done by midnight; a strange fire suddenly began to burn in my chest.

I mean, think about it, the fates had put everything in place so perfectly for me to just give up now because of a mild inconvenience, right?

I couldn’t let Shauna's petty demands hold me back any longer.

I took a deep contradictory sigh.

What was the point, anyway? I mean, what were the odds of me even getting a second with Luca Kincaid?

Had this been a normal birthday celebration, there might have been a teeny tiny chance, but this was also his coronation party, he was going to be swamped with Pack members,

Important pack members.

I let out another sigh as I slipped out of the simple, yet elegant dress, but just as I did that, I heard Shauna call for tea from the kitchen,

And just like that, a plan began to form in my mind,

A reckless and daring scheme born out of desperation, one that I knew was risky, and could put me in even much more trouble than I was in already,

But I just couldn't ignore the burning desire in my chest anymore.

I shouted out a reply that I was coming, and then I quickly snuck into her and Shane’s room, rummaging through her drawers until I finally found what I was looking for;

A bottle of Valium and a pouch of wolfsbane.

Shauna often struggled with insomnia, and since regular human medicine did not work for us werewolves, combining it with wolfsbane always seemed to do the trick.

I made my way downstairs to make her the tea just as she had requested, and when the water was boiling hot, just as she liked it, I poured some into her cup and mixed the two substances in it, upping the dosage just enough to make sure that she was knocked out deeper than normal.

My heart raced in my chest as I carried the tray over to her, and my hands trembled just as I set it on the table right in front of her.

For a moment, I was afraid she would smell the concoction and suspect something was amiss, but Shauna was completely oblivious, too caught up in her task of beating me down to notice the subtle change in her beverage.

“I can’t believe a lowlife like you thought you could sneak into Alpha Luca’s Coronation.” She sneered at me bitterly, “No, seriously, can you imagine what everyone would say to me if they saw you there?” She took another sip of the tea, “Honestly, if it wasn’t that the Luna thought me pure and kindhearted for keeping a worthless ragdoll like you, I would have tossed you out long ago. Thank the Moon Goddess and Shane, for stepping in for you and not letting me, because left to myself alone, you would have been long gone.”

The tiny pang of guilt I felt completely dissipated at her harsh words.

To think I’d been having a silent battle with myself questioning why I was doing this and how this wasn’t who I was, but to be honest with you, the real question was why hadn’t I f*****g done something a long time ago.

After all the years of suffering and abuse I had endured at Shauna's hands, this was the least of the payback options she deserved, and there was no need to feel guilty about it at all.

With grim determination, I watched Shauna ramble some more, insulting me and my unknown parents.

She soon started to yawn uncontrollably, her eyes growing heavy in the process and I watched as she slumped in the chair, one last yawn escaping her lips as the effects of the Valium s***h Wolfsbane mix began to take hold.

And then she was asleep.

An almost sadistic smile formed on my lips as I hurried to my room without a second thought, quickly changing back into the stolen dress, and applying the only makeup I’d saved up to buy myself… a deep red lipstick, the cheapest I’d been able to find at the mall. I’d decided not to use it the first time, but my little win back there was making me feel braver than usual.

I dashed out of the house, thanking the goddess that the Packhouse wasn’t so far from our place.

As I neared the Packhouse, I put on the full-face mask I’d stolen from Melody’s room in addition to the dress, not wanting anyone to find me and send me back home, putting all my acts of rebellion to waste.

I don’t know how it happened, but when I got to the front door, the security post was completely deserted, and I slipped in without detection, a sigh of relief leaving my lips the instant I stepped into the huge pavilion transformed into an elegant room for the night.

I’d done it.

I had seriously underestimated how formal and organized everything would be, and the most annoying thing was that everywhere I looked, people stood in cliques of twos and threes, chatting and laughing loudly as they socialized.

What killed me out of it all was that Luca Kincaid was probably so surrounded by important wolves he had to talk to and discuss pack issues with.

Looking at the way things were going, I’d be lucky if I caught even a glimpse of him, now that he was our new Alpha.

Because of Shauna’s stunt, I’d missed the Alpha Transfer Process, where the former Alpha hands his power over to the next in line, making everyone fall on their knees as the change registered in their wolves. I hadn’t felt any power shift back home, but maybe that was because one had to be close to feel it,

Or have a wolf.

Which I unfortunately didn’t have.

All of a sudden, the huge space was too stifling.

I had come here needing a break from my normal life only to be reminded of the very thing I was trying to escape,

That I’d never really be one of them until my wolf showed up.

I snuck out to the terrace for some fresh air, hoping that the cool breeze would calm my nerves.

It worked.

I don’t recall how long I stood there for, just enjoying the breeze and the soft music wafting in from the celebrations, but then just as I started to relax, I heard a voice behind me.

“Beautiful night, isn't it?”

At first, I froze as my mind registered the voice, and then slowly, and steadily, I turned, my heart skipping a beat, a tiny gasp escaping my lips as I found myself face to face with the reason why I had beaten all odds to make it here tonight:

Luca Kincaid.