Chapter 27

Matt

The Moon Goddess Festival Ball was held in a vast ballroom with an adjacent greenhouse.

It had been mostly abandoned for a long time, but ever since Nina made contact with her Alpha King father, he had been sinking a good amount of his endless money into fixing up this little town. This ballroom was one of his first projects.

I still remembered clearly seeing the sudden flood of workers, all of them werewolves, seeping into the building and restoring it to its original beauty.

It was a project that only took them a week, maybe two; it would have taken human workers much longer, but between the strength and stamina of the workers and the Alpha King’s vast stores of cash, it was over quickly.

Now, to honor his donation, we moved the annual tradition of the Moon Goddess Festival ball over to this beautiful building. The humans in Mountainview were none the wiser, thinking that it was just some anonymous donor who decided to fix the place up and fund the lavish parties.

But I knew better.

The warmth of the greenhouse was a delightful contrast to the crisp winter outside. Twinkling fairy lights adorned the cascading plants, casting a soft glow that bounced off the shimmering outfits of the guests.

But out of everyone there, only one person had caught and held my attention: the girl in the exquisite blue dress and the equally intriguing mask.

All evening, I had been trying to connect with her, hoping to catch a glimpse of the face behind the mask. I had danced with her, laughed with her, even shared a few personal stories, but she remained a mystery.

A beautiful enigma.

It wasn’t just mere curiosity. As the night wore on, I felt drawn to her. The little details she shared made me wonder if there was a deeper reason for her secrecy.

The kiss we shared was warm, beautiful, passionate. But even when we pulled away, the enigma remained. It was both intriguing and depressing at the same time.

Maybe she was hiding a scar? The thought saddened me; everyone had their own burdens, their own stories.

The announcement for the crowning ceremony pulled us closer to the stage. The crowd cheered for the winners, who were of course Nina and Enzo. They had been the winners last year, too. Nina’s father rigged the system to make her win, despite her protests. I thought it was hilarious, though, and so did Enzo. Besides, they were graduating this year, and so was I.

As we watched them dance, the Mystery Girl almost made me reveal my true connection to Nina and Enzo. I almost slipped, thanks to the cocktail that loosened my tongue, and told her about our shared history…

Not just as friends, but as a pack. Werewolves. Battles fought and won together. Scars earned. Friends lost.

It was still something that I grappled with in the back of my mind, although those days were behind us and our main purpose now was simply to maintain order and keep humans from discovering the truth about werewolves again.

Wanting to lighten the mood, I leaned in to share a joke with the Mystery Girl about the over-the-top crowns and the spectacle of it all.

But when I turned, she was gone. She had vanished without a word and without a trace. The empty space where she stood moments ago filled me with an odd sense of loss.

I spun around for a moment, searching for her; I didn’t even have a name to call her by. Maybe she went to the bathroom? Or maybe her carriage was about to turn into pumpkins and she had to leave? It was nearly midnight, after all.

“Looking for someone?” a voice suddenly chirped, breaking me out of my stupor.

Turning, I met the eyes of a young girl. A freshman, Sabrina, if my memory served me right. I only recognized her from the store when I went with Nina and Enzo while Nina was dress shopping. I remembered how she kept staring at me.

“Oh, hey,” I said, attempting to mask my disappointment over the fact that I was hoping for it to be my Mystery Girl standing there.

She smirked, a glint in her eyes. “Fancy a dance?”

Taken aback by her forwardness but not wanting to be rude, I agreed. “Um… Sure. One dance.”

As we began to dance, however, I noticed Sabrina's eyes constantly scanning the crowd. She leaned in closer, her voice dripping with mischief. “Looking for your mystery girl, huh?”

“You can tell, huh?” I asked, trying—and failing—to conceal a bashful smirk. “Is it that obvious?”

Sabrina chuckled. “Oh, please. Everyone noticed you spending the whole evening with her. Some other girls are a bit jealous, if I’m being honest. But I can help you.”

My heart skipped a beat. “Help me?” I asked. “What do you mean.”

Sabrina laughed. She leaned forward, her red-stained lips practically brushing my ear as she whispered.

“Maybe I know more than you think. I could tell you who she is. Then you won’t need to play this whole Cinderella game to figure it out. But…” She leaned back, pushing her lower lip out in a slight pout. “It’ll cost you. Everything comes at a price, you know? Especially sweet, sweet information.”

My grip on her hand tightened, but I couldn’t help but smile a bit at the thought of figuring out who this Mystery Girl was. I wanted to know her so I could tell her that I didn’t care who she was or what she was hiding; I liked her.

“How do you know her?” I asked. “And what is this ‘price’?”

Sabrina pulled back slightly, creating distance between us. Her voice dropped to a sultry whisper. “Just one night with me in my room, and we can... get to know each other better.”

Disgust churned in my stomach. I stopped dancing and pushed her away gently. “That's not happening, Sabrina.”

“Oh, don’t be silly,” Sabrina cooed. “I know how much it means to you. It would only cost just one night with a girl you barely know; a one night stand. You’ve had those before, right?”

“Well, yeah, but—”

“Then why balk at it?” she interrupted. “We’re both hot and young, and you only live once. One night of fun, one night, and then I’ll tell you who your Mystery Girl is. A small price, really, for a piece of information like that.”

I shook my head, taking another step back. “No, Sabrina. I’m not interested.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Your loss. I guess you'll never know who she is.”

I took a deep breath, anger and frustration bubbling up. “Screw off, Sabrina.”

Before she could react, a flash of blue caught my eye. The hem of a familiar dress disappeared into the crowd. Without a second thought, I made my way through the throng of people, hoping against hope that it was her.

The crowd seemed to part in slow motion as I weaved through, getting closer to the blue that had captivated me all night. Finally, I spotted her near the exit, her back turned to me. She was running. Running away.

I had to stop her!