I hated parties. I hated organizing them, hated attending them, and hated dealing with the mess they left behind.
Normally, I would only have to worry about two events per year—the Yule Ball and Solstice Assembly.
It was important for pack members to meet their Alpha in person from time to time, to chat with him about anything that crossed their mind, to simply shake my hand.
The upcoming dinner would most likely be even more annoying than the other events.
This time, there would be fewer people in attendance, all of whom were probably curious as to why this event was happening to begin with, and I was in no mood for the scrutiny.
“So do we want the raised platform or not?” Josh asked, pacing, looking over his clipboard.
“On the one hand, giving you a seat above the commoners will further cement your superiority. On the other hand, being level with them will make you more relatable—”
“Josh, please,” I growled, shaking my head in pain. “Can we talk about anything other than seating arrangements?”
Josh stopped, put down the clipboard, and looked me squarely in the eye. I didn’t take this as a challenge since I knew he wasn’t trying to be aggressive.
When Josh gave me a look, it was as my best friend, not as a challenger. I knew the difference.
“Normally, you want to go over every single detail,” he said, a frown on his face.
It was true. Normally, I would be completely in control, making all the decisions, doing what an alpha should. But right now, I only felt a migraine coming on.
“I’m just not feeling it, Josh. That all right?”
I knew what was really causing the migraine was my separation from my mate, but I couldn’t talk about that with Josh.
He seemed to hesitate before he said, “Of course. It’s just… I think tonight will be good for you. For the morale of the pack. And, who knows, maybe for some lucky lady…”
His mischievous grin made me narrow my eyes. “You’re playing matchmaker, really? Or was that Jocelyn’s idea?”
I noticed his body stiffen at the mention of his current partner. We generally avoided the subject.
Almost a year had passed since Jocelyn had broken up with me. That I was able to get over because I knew it wasn’t going to work, but when she started dating Josh…
That was a lot fucking harder to accept.
But as the alpha, it was really my job to let Josh know there were no hard feelings. We were both adults, after all, and you couldn’t choose who you fell for.
Josh sat down across from me, and I knew from his crossed arms that I was in for one of his trademark ‘pep talks’ that made me feel about as great as if I had to throw a party every day.
“Look, Aiden,” he said. “I know you’ve been through a lot lately, man. The East Coast Pack has faced a lot of challenges over the past few months.
“Now you’re in another season with no mate. Hell, you haven’t even picked a partner to shack up with.”
Josh must have noticed my change in expression because he looked down and quickly changed the subject.
“The point is,” he continued, “you haven’t been yourself lately. I’m saying this not just as your beta but as your friend, man.
“I’m worried about you. If you don’t find a mate soon… If your love life’s off balance, then—”
I looked aside. Josh was right to be worried. I knew that.
When alphas didn’t have a partner during the mating season, their leadership suffered. When alphas went longer and longer without their mate, their powers dwindled. There was a lot at stake here.
But I was dealing with it, in my own way. I just had to be extremely cautious because one wrong move and I could lose my mate forever.
“Your concern is noted, Josh,” I said. “But don’t interfere in my private life, understand? I’m speaking now as your alpha.”
There was palpable tension between us. For a second, Josh’s gaze lingered on me, and not just as my friend.
Before my wolf could take charge, Josh finally looked down in submission and nodded. “Of course, Alpha,” he said quietly.
“Good,” I said, grabbing the clipboard from him to look at the seating arrangements. “If we’re talking details, there is one small adjustment I’d like to make…”
I paced in my office, wearing a formal tux and my lucky green tie that ensured I always survived these parties without an issue.
I was good to go, but as the alpha, I was to have a grand entrance, establishing my status.
Or at least that was what Josh thought I should do.
What I really wanted was to be in the dining hall and see Sienna. I swear I could already scent her, and it was driving me insane. It drove my wolf insane. It made my Haze levels spike.
Forcing myself to calm down, I repeated the plan in my head.
First, I would greet everyone as I usually did. Then we would eat, make small talk, and I would meet each and every guest individually.
Then I would have Sienna all to myself, away from prying eyes, so I could talk to her, flirt with her, turn on whatever charm I had to make sure I got, at the very least, a good-night kiss.
My phone buzzed, and I sighed. It was time.
If I could’ve run to the dining hall, I would’ve, that was how excited I was to see my mate.
Instead, I forced myself to walk, unhurried, as if no one was waiting for me, as if my mate wasn’t just at arm’s length. I still had an image to maintain.
I couldn’t act on my emotions whenever I felt like it. I had a duty, and I needed to act like an alpha.
I strode into the dining hall, avoiding looking at anyone, and her scent hit me as if she’d covered every inch of the hall. It was as if there were no other scents in the room, only hers.
She was everywhere, her poignant smell like a whispering temptation, drawing me to her. I wanted to ignore everyone else, ignore all reason, and just grab her and take her away from here.
Shoving the Haze down before I made a spectacle of myself, I tried to focus on something else. If I made eye contact with her, the woman whose mere scent was enough to make me hard, it would make me lose it.
Once I was on the stage, I turned to everyone and planted my eyes on a random person in the audience.
“Welcome, pack members,” I said formally, a slight snarl in my throat as I sucked in a breath and smelled my mate. “Dinner will begin shortly, so please take a seat.”
Realizing my snarl might’ve come off as bad-tempered, I threw them all a forceful smile and sat.
My mate’s scent lingered, laced with an undercurrent of sex that hadn’t been there a moment ago.
I turned to Josh and Jocelyn, who took their seats next to me. “You two look good. Happy,” I said half-distracted, trying to occupy myself with anything but the damned smell of her.
The two of them seemed surprised at my compliment, and Josh smiled, warmth lighting his face. “Thanks, man,” he said. “You don’t look too shabby yourself.”
“Did you expect anything less from the alpha?” I replied offhandedly.
Josh rolled his eyes but snickered. I didn’t even know what Josh said next because, as conspicuously as possible, I let my eyes casually roam over the room.
I knew exactly where she was sitting, but I took my time to get there so as to not seem too eager.
And there she was.
The source of the intoxicating scent.
My mate.
Sienna Mercer.
She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen in my entire life, even more so than in our first meeting.
Her smooth red hair glistened down her bare back, its fiery shade stark against the ivory of her skin.
She was wearing a stylish green dress that didn’t leave much to the imagination as it was pasted against her body, hugging every curve with care.
And fuck did she have curves. So many of them that it made my mouth water.
And what I saw made me want to throw any and all caution I might’ve had to the wind, to go down there, take her in my arms, brush her silky hair through my fingers, put my lips on her smooth skin…
“… And then I told Mason, ‘Man, what Aiden says, goes.’ Isn’t that right, Aiden?”
I snapped out of my daze, giving Josh a blank stare. It took everything in me to tear my eyes away from Sienna and look at him.
“Yeah, totally,” I murmured, having no idea what he was talking about.
Josh opened his mouth to say something else when a sudden movement drew my attention. Sienna was standing up, breathing heavily, her hands on the table as if she was about to collapse.
She muttered something under her breath before practically running out of the room, her fiery hair disappearing behind the hall’s doors.
She left behind a strong scent of arousal that everyone nearby could smell.
A scent that made my cock rise to rigid attention.
“I’ll be right back,” I said as I shoved back my seat and walked quickly toward the exit, unable to think clearly about the repercussions of what I was doing—the stares, the whispers.
I just knew I had to get to her as fast as possible—to follow the scent and find her.
Because my mate had just been overtaken by the Haze, and I was going to give her the relief her body so desperately needed.
