The Alpha's Rejected Girl

7. Killing Me Slow

: : : Sophie : : :

“And it’s new~ the shape of your body~ It’s blue~ the feeling I’ve got and it’s ooh~ whoa oh~ It’s a cruel summer~”

Taylor and I are belting it out in the car as she drives down the highway. Tonight’s the night of the party. Yes, that party.

Taylor’s wearing this spicy red dress similar to what Camila Cabello wore in the Havana music video, and I’m wearing the white dress I got from mom. We rolled down the window as we’re cruising down the highway in Taylor’s Toyota corolla, belting out everything from Ed Sheeran to Taylor Swift and Lil Nas X.

“Yeah, I'm gonna take my horse to the old town road, I'm gonna ride 'til I can't no more!”

We’re both laughing as we’re pulling off this carpool karaoke. It’s a beautiful night tonight. The moon is high in the sky, the air is cool and breezy, and we’re both feeling pretty. So okay, I’ll admit, this is kinda fun. The most fun I’ve had since my mom was admitted into the hospital.

Taylor and I have been driving around for quite a while. The party is located at the Alpha’s estate and it’s in a totally different neighborhood from where I live. I’ve never been to the Alpha’s house before, and I imagine it’ll probably be like a mansion of some sort. I know it’s going to be extra, it’s the home of our Alpha, after all. But when Taylor takes a turn and we start going down this long driveway, I’m floored to see where we are. We go past a huge golden gate and their driveway is sooo damn long, it’s like the length of a football field! It’s secluded too, covered by tall trees on either side.

“Where are we…?”

“We’re here!” Taylor replies as we pull up in front of this mega-mansion that looks kind of like Hogwarts, except better.

The music comes to an abrupt stop and I look at the tall building in front of me. This is not a house, it’s a castle! And it’s located on a huge plot of land that’s secluded from the main road. It’s surrounded by greenery and it’s quite a sight to see. I’ve lived in Long Island all my life and I never knew a place like this existed here.

Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore…

The house, no, scratch that, the castle, is decorated with glittering fairy lights all over. There are tons of cars parked outside and I see people piling through the front door. Everyone’s dressed to the nines, guys in suits and girls in pretty floor-length dresses. I look down at the knee-length dress I’m wearing and I wonder if I’m a little underdressed?

“Oh my God, that’s Connor Chen!” Taylor squeaks, pulling me out of my thoughts.

She briskly grabs her purse and fishes out her lipstick. She puts them on quickly, but with laser-eye precision.

“Come on, Soph, it’s show time!” she smacks her lips and opens the car door.

I follow her lead and step out of the vehicle. A man in a valet uniform comes at us and he gets the key from Taylor.

Wow. A valet at your own house. Can you imagine that?

Taylor then pulls me and with quick steps, we go up to the front door. There are guards standing outside, watching everyone coming in with eagle eyes, and I can only wonder what kind of trouble they are anticipating. Then, the doors open for us and for the second time that night, I am floored.

There’s music blasting, crystal chandeliers hanging from the sky, waiters and waitresses with glasses of bubbly drinks floating around, and everyone who is anyone from the Mighty Seven are there. The grand living room is decked out with flashing lights and a disco ball as the dancing floor stands in the middle. Behind that, we see the garden as the backdrop and the party continues there too.

“I think he’s heading to the garden,” Taylor says as she follows Connor’s movements. There’s a pool out in the garden and some people are hanging out outside. “I’m gonna talk to him tonight, wish me luck!”

I nod at Taylor as I know what an important step that is for her. You see, Taylor is convinced that Connor is her mate. I don’t know what that means, but she says she hears voices in her head telling her so. And his scent is so extraordinarily powerful to her, she doesn’t know what to do when she’s around him. The only problem with this, though, is that Connor hasn’t turned eighteen yet. His birthday is in October and we won’t know if Taylor is his mate until then.

“Good luck,” I grab her hand and squeeze it gently.

“Same to you,” She replies with a big smile.

And just like that, Taylor dashes towards the garden, leaving me alone in the big grand room. And as soon as I’m left alone, a sense of overwhelming isolation creeps in. People all around me are staring and whispering and I’m not sure why. There are some guys that’s looking at me and smirking, and there are girls who are glaring daggers at me. The air feels heavy and I can't help but feel like an outsider in this sea of people.

It’s okay, Sophie. Just relax and try to blend in…

Putting on a brave smile, I take a step forward, grabbing a drink from a passing waiter and sipping on it, trying my best to act normal. With the drink in my hand, I bob my head lightly to the music and I look around. I know for sure I’m not going to that dance floor, and I don’t see any friendly faces that I can talk to, so I guess my only option is the food table.

I look to my side and I see the dining room is next door. There’s a huge cake standing in my periphery and it’s calling my name. Without thinking twice, I turn to my heels and walk in that direction,

Passing through the opulent corridors, I come across family photos that adorn the walls. There are photos of young Kieran and I can’t help but smile when I see it. He’s such a good-looking kid, and still is. As I keep walking, I stumble upon a photograph of a young guy and he looks a lot like Kieran, but it’s not him. I stop in my tracks to look at it and I remember it must be Kai, Kieran’s older brother who passed away six years ago. I remember Kai’s death being very mysterious and the whole pack was devastated. I don’t know much else about it though, it seems like they kept it a secret for a reason—

“Hey!”

Suddenly, a loud yell pulls me out of my thoughts and I look to my front, only to bump into a person.

“Watch where you’re going, half-breed!”

I see Krystina standing in front of me and her face is furious. I look down and I see my glass of champagne is half empty and her black sequin dress is damp. The unmistakable scent of spilled champagne lingers in the air and Krystina glares at me accusingly.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?!" she accuses, her voice dripping with disdain.

"No, I swear I didn't—" I begin to protest, but she cuts me off.

"Save it, half-breed. You don’t even belong here!" she sneers, pushing blame onto me with an icy stare.

Before I can defend myself, Krystina takes matters into her own hands, shoving a piece of birthday cake into my face with malicious glee. Laughter erupts around us, turning my embarrassment into a spectacle for everyone's amusement.

I’m so shocked at what’s happening, I can’t even react. I can only stand there stupidly with vanilla icing all over my cheek. Smiling in satisfaction, Krystina then shoves past me, and her crew of minions follow behind her.

Their laughter echoes behind me and I still stand there, unmoving. There are some people still standing around me and of course, no one is helping. They’re just pointing and laughing and my eyes begin to water.

“That’s enough!”

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- - - - - To Be Continued - - - - -