Chapter 4 THE MATING BALL
1486 Words
ZOLA'S P.O.V
I wasn't sure why I was attending tonight. I wasn't even a wolf, so why would it pertain to me? The answer was simple. It didn't. But Irelyn wouldn't stop begging me to go with Emily and her. Maybe I could find someone for myself, since Elias and I would never happen. I wasn't sure why I thought we could make it work. Everyone knew the rules. His mom never let us forget them.
"Don't be so sad, that's not the vibe we are shooting for," Irelyn said in a cheery voice.
Says her, she has never had a relationship. Well, technically speaking, neither have I. But I was closer to it than she ever was.
"Seriously, Zo. You're ruining the fun with your depressive face." Emily said next while brushing her long brown hair.
Sometimes I wondered what it would be like to be them. They were so perfect in every way, whereas I was not. They had perfect hair, perfect facial structures, and the most perfect hourglass bodies. I hated being a human. Technically, I was considered a hybrid. I was part witch, but still only human. I would never be what they were. I could never have what they would have.
"Remind me again why I am being forced to attend?" I asked.
"Well for starters, it's Elias's 25th birthday. Plus, you could be mated to a hot-ass wolf." Emily replied, but all my mind could think about was Elias. How his dark hair was just long enough that someone's fingers could run through it.
I took a deep breath, pushing those intrusive thoughts to the side. What was I thinking? He made it clear he didn't want me, so why am I still fantasizing about him? Damn him and his stupid gorgeous face!
"I doubt that," I replied as I picked a brush up, running it through my shoulder-length blonde hair.
"Never hurts to be optimistic."
My eyes connected with Irelyn's as she looked at me through the mirror. A knowing look in her eyes.
"I tried that, look where it got me."
I knew that my mood wasn't good company, but f**k I was hurt. Completely broken inside. How else was I supposed to act when that was how I felt?
"How about this, tonight isn't about finding our mates. It'll be about uplifting each other and having fun?" Irelyn suggested, trying to lighten my mood. Which always worked.
"But-" Emily started to speak, but Irelyn's death glare immediately shut her up. "Tonight will be just about us," Emily repeated not as ecstatically.
"Thanks, girls. But if you do find your mate, don't disregard the pull because of me."
"I wouldn't dream of it," Emily said before slapping her hand over her mouth.
She could be sort of a b***h sometimes, but she came by it naturally. It didn't make me love her any less.
"It's time to go down, are you girls ready?" Irelyn's mother asked from the doorway.
Once we finished, we followed the Luna down to the ballroom. She may no longer be the acting Luna of our Kingdom, but she will always be the Luna Queen to all.
Upon entering the ballroom my mouth nearly hit the floor. It was breathtaking from the magic floating fairy lights to the elegantly placed centerpieces.
"Wait, why are we seated away from you guys?" Irelyn asked her mom.
"I guess there was a last-minute seating arrangement change."
"Well, switch it back."
"I can't pumpkin. Elias did this. He wants you to be able to socialize with others without his presence looming over you all."
AKA, he wanted me as far away from him as possible.
"Fine, but I am not happy about not being asked what I wanted." She replied while sitting down at our table more aggressively than she normally would've.
"Fix your attitude before I fix it for you. You are the princess, act like it." Luna Tegan responded in a harsh voice before walking away.
"Fix your tiara. Sit like a lady. Talk properly. Be elegant." Irelyn mocked her mother's words before continuing to speak. "Have they ever stopped to consider that I don't want to be this person?"
"You're born royalty. It's the price you pay for this life." Emily replied nonchalantly as she looked at herself in a pocket mirror.
Irelyn was a humble person. You'd expect a princess to be snooty. But she never was. She never treated someone of a lower rank any differently from how she treated the King himself. She wasn't what you'd picture a princess to be like.
We sat there quietly before more people began to arrive. I kept getting stares which made me feel out of place. For someone who was raised with wolves, you'd expect me to be more comfortable around them. And normally, I was. But not today. Today, I felt misplaced and unwanted.
"Dude, he is checking you out," Irelyn said in a hushed voice.
I looked up to see a gorgeous man staring back at me. A dangerous vibe was surrounding him.
"b***h that's Alpha Isaac, if you don't jump his bones, I will."
"You got a little drool right on the edge of your lips. Right there," I said, poking Emily in the face.
She swatted my hand away, making me laugh. That's when a deep voice spoke.
"Your laugh can make a tense room much lighter."
My eyes shot up to meet a set of dark green ones.
"Um, thanks?"
"No need to thank me, I was just stating facts." When I didn't respond, he spoke again. "Would you like to dance with me?" His hand was stretched out for mine.
I looked over at Irelyn and Emily. Both had huge smiles on their faces. But tonight was supposed to be about us, not about guys.
"Sorry, my friends and I are-"
"Actually Zo, we have to do something," Emily said while shooting a look I could only decipher as 'Don't f**k this up.' She then grabbed Irelyn's arm, tugging her away.
"Looks like I am free to dance, after all, Alpha…"
"Isaac. Just Isaac." He said, casting me his pearly smile that went so well with his dirty blonde hair.
My eyes shot across the room to see Elias's eyes glaring daggers at us. f**k it, if he could sit there hand in hand with Shanti, then I could dance with a gorgeous stranger.
"Well, just Isaac, I'd love to dance," I responded while placing my hand in his.
"I didn't catch your name." He then said as he led me to the dance floor.
"Zola."
"Zola. I like that." His hand laced around my waist, pulling me flush with his body. "So, Zola. What are you doing here of all places?"
"As in, why is a human such as myself at a mating ball?" I asked, even though I knew what he was referring to.
"Surely it isn't to find a mate."
"Goddess no. I came for good music and good food." Did I seriously just say f*****g food!?
A deep chuckle pulled me out of my thoughts.
"I guess the food is a good enough reason for anyone to attend."
"What about you, no mate?" I asked curiously.
His face scrunched in thought before he spoke again. "No mate for me. I'm starting to wonder if she even exists."
"You and me both," I replied when he twirled me in a circle around him.
"You think that you have a mate?"
"Maybe not in the same sense as a wolf's mat. But sure, why not? If your species has a destined mate, then why not mine too? I like to think that the other half of my soul exists out there somewhere."
He smiled his gorgeous smile as he dipped me downward. When he pulled me back up he whispered in my ear.
"Give me a shot and I can show you the world. If you give me the chance I would love to be the other half of your soul."
Why would he offer a stranger like me such a thing? Especially when his fated mate could still be out there.
"I-"
"I'll take it from here." A deep voice said, cutting me off.
"Alpha King," Isaac responded by releasing his hold on my waist. "Save another dance for me, yeah?" He then asked me while placing a gentle kiss on my hand. After I nodded in response, he bowed and walked away.
Once he was gone, my eyes shot back over to Elias. He then responded by grabbing my hips and pulling me flush against his body.
"Only my hands should be touching you." He whispered in my ear, sending a wave of thrill through me. "You belong to me and me alone." He then said possessively.
How was I supposed to ignore the unspeakable things his words were doing to my body right now?
- Writer
