My heartbeat thumped in my chest, the organ threatening to burst out of me. The Victorian-style mansion stretched up high, imposing, and grand. It was a symbol of a life I’d never wanted.
A life of extravagance and luxury; people-pleasing and pandering.
This was what it would’ve been like if Benjamin and I were together. If our bond was real and not a bastardization of what a mate bond should be, I would have been here with him tonight.
He would have kept me on his arm and shown me off, played up our relationship as perfect. It was a contest to see who was the most put-together bonded pair or pack of everyone present.
If we played the part well, Benjamin would have gotten the chance to suck up to the richer men. He’d inch ever closer to his goal of becoming a partner and hoarding wealth to give himself a leg up in the world.
I smoothed down my dress nervously. My short flared heels pinched my feet, and the updo was already causing my head tothrob slightly. It had been an hours-long task to get here—with Benjamin, I would have been coming to these every weekend.
How had I not seen that the path I was on led to this?
Everything Ineverwanted?
If things had been a little bit different, I would’ve been miserable for the rest of my life.
I still might be, but honestly, this misery was preferable to the image in my head. At least now I had my pack to dull the toxicity of Benjamin’s bond. If I’d never caught my scent match cheating, I would have been stuck with him, with nothing to help me manage his horrible emotions.
That impromptu visit to his apartment, the chain of events that led to meeting Mercer, Conrad, and West, was the best thing to ever happen to me.
I had to hold onto that thought above all else tonight.
Maybe I would have made different choices if I could go back in time, but what if making different choices didn’t lead to them? The pain was worth it if it meant I had them in the end.
The bite mark on my neck ached, as if trying to remind me of that pain. I brought a hand up to cover it, wishing it wasn’t on display to the world. Having it exposed was a necessary part of the plan, though. No happy omega would cover her bondmark.
And for the next hour, I had to pretend to be happy.With Benjamin.
I swallowed hard.
My pack was willing to fight for me, so I had to breathe through the anxiety and break free of the depression to fight for them too.
Glancing at the neighbouring mansions, I found most of them were dark but for the exterior lights casting a glow on their pristine gardens. In the backyards of those far-too-expensive houses, my mates were waiting in the wings. They couldn’t dowhat I had to do, but they were all waiting to play their part in my investigation.
Silent sentries in the moonlit evening, guarding my body, heart, and soul.
This hour of acting was going to be the theatrical performance of my life.
To avoid rousing suspicions, I had to make the ruling elite of Banfield believe that I was the perfect little omega. Not capable of anything more than looking pretty and making small talk.
I squared my shoulders, forming my lips into a polite smile. The wind brushed against the skin exposed by the satin dress, the chill much appreciated with the nerves making my body hot.
It was time to go in.
The butler led me through the grand entryway into the main ballroom. The ceiling stretched up far above the party-goers, creating an echo of the polite conversations all melded together. I held my purse in my hands, a prop to give my hands something to do.
“Please enjoy the refreshments at your leisure, Miss.” The butler bowed before leaving me standing beneath the arched doorway.
Waiters mingled among the guests, trays of champagne in their hands. I plucked a glass for myself, but I wouldn’t be drinking it. The crystal clear glass with gently bubbling liquid helped me fit in among the crowd, though.
There was minimal security presence in the ballroom itself, likely so as to not make the guests uncomfortable. A few uniformed guards stood at hallway entrances.
I’d have to sneak past them, but Mercer and Emilia wouldn’t be ready yet. We’d set ‘go time’ at 8pm, an hour after I arrived. Until then, I would have to mingle.
I took a deep breath, scanning the ballroom to find someone I could talk to without having to explain too much about myself. No one looked friendly—not in the traditional sense.
Yeah, they wore polite smiles and greeted long-time acquaintances with cheek kisses, but there were nefarious undercurrents. The occasional smirk when their conversation partner wasn’t looking. Clipped conversations when they went off to chat with someone more prominent.
