Beneath a Blood Moon (32 page)

The Shadow Pope choked and spluttered. “I’m sorry, you want to do
what
?”

“I want to leave this stupid, fucking obnoxious pack.”

“Packs are an integral part of Fenerec society, Miss Madison. Why do you want out of Seattle’s pack?”

I swallowed, fighting back the burn of tears in my eyes. “They hate me. All of them. I can feel it. It’s a cold thing writhing under my skin. They all want me gone.”

“I see.” There was a long moment of silence. “I take it this has something to do with you vanishing out of O’Hare?”

There was no point in denying the truth. “Yes, sir,” I whispered.

“Let me tell you something about Fenerec, Miss Madison. Perhaps it will comfort you, at least a little.”

“What?”

“I’m afraid you’re stuck with Matthew Sanders as much as he is stuck with you. Mating bonds are rather permanent. In that regard, you will have nothing to worry about, no matter which pack you’re in. That said, packs do not typically accept only one part of a mated pair. Considering your situation, I have no problem authorizing you as a lone wolf under your mate’s direct guardianship. If you end up without a pack, you will be a sanctioned rogue.”

I drew in a deep breath and let it out in a relieved sigh. “Thank you,” I whispered.

“Fenerec belong in packs. They find comfort, stability, and family in packs. Should you require one, I will authorize Mr. Desmond to bring you into his as a temporary fix while I figure out a suitable resolution to this situation. Alternatively, I will transfer you to Yellowknife’s pack, as your mate and Yellowknife’s Alpha are on amicable terms. How long has this been an issue?”

“All along,” I admitted.

“I see. I’ll deal with it, Miss Madison. I expect you to show up to the party this evening. Do not test my authority again. I’m allowing it due to your circumstances. Do not force me to take action. You will not enjoy the consequences, and I do not think you want to put your mate through such a thing.”

“I’ll be there,” I promised.

“What happened to the phone you were given?”

“I was angry. I broke it turning it off.”

“Broke it how?”

I flushed. “I crunched it.”

“You crunched it.”

“In my hand. The screen shattered and the case caved in, so I threw it away.”

“You know what? I’m just not going to ask, Miss Madison. What sort of phone are you using?”

“I bought one in New York. A cell. It’s kind of like the other one, except this one isn’t quite as stupid.”

“You really are a little savage when it comes to technology, aren’t you?”

“Bite me,” I grumbled.

“I’ve seen your picture, Miss Madison. I value my life, so I will simply leave all biting of your person to your mate.”

I laughed and hung up on him.

Chapter Sixteen

My wolf hungered, but in my effort to make it to the hotel and get checked-in on the sly, I didn’t have enough time for dinner. I guzzled water to hold the worst of my hunger pangs at bay before calling for a limousine.

When I did arrive at the party, it would be in style. The trick would be getting out of the hotel without my mate knowing I was there, if my scent in the lobby hadn’t already tipped him off. Putting on my coat, I flipped the collar up and headed downstairs to wait for my limousine.

It arrived within minutes of me reaching the lobby. The driver held the door open for me, and I slid inside, pleased at having made my escape. After confirming the address with the driver, I settled in for the ride, staring out the tinted window at the city I had left behind years ago.

It hadn’t changed. It was as noisy and full of bustle as I remembered, the streets crowded with honking cars and New Yorkers in a hurry to get where they going. Vegas bustled, but not in the same way.

The drive to the Hamptons took two hours, putting me on the unfashionable side of late, although, to my relief, I wasn’t the last of the guests to arrive. A man dressed in a suit hurried to open the car door for me. Careful to show as much leg as possible without crossing the lines of decency, I slid out of the limousine, accepting his help as was proper.

“Your invitation, Miss?”

I revealed it with a flourish and offered it to him.

After checking it over, he handed it back to me. “They will take your coat inside. Please enjoy the party, Miss Madison.”

I thanked him with a slight nod, lifted my chin, and headed up the walkway to the staircase leading up to the mansion’s double doors. Whoever owned the place had more money than they knew what to do with, I decided while I pretended to admire the gold leafing decorating the entry.

A pair of ushers waited inside. One took my coat while the other confirmed my invitation, made a note on his sheets behind his black podium, and gestured me to go down the hallway. At least they weren’t announcing everyone as they arrived, a contrite little ritual I hated almost as much as the fact I was back in New York in the first place.

Those were the sort of parties my parents loved attending. The few times I had gone, it had been for one purpose. Like the boss, they had wanted to sell me off to the son of the richest bidder, securing more wealth for themselves. Maybe they had been right about Rory all along, but at least Rory had been
my
bad mistake, not one of theirs.

Following the few people who had arrived before me, I kept my steps small and graceful, my chin lifted so I could look down my nose at the other women, most of whom were shorter than me by at least a couple of inches.

The hallway opened up into a grand ballroom. To access the floor, I had to walk down a flight of curved steps. I recognized the arrangement for what it was: a way for all of the guests to see who was coming and going in the most public fashion possible.

It gave me a chance to scan the crowd, which consisted of at least a hundred people mingling together. If my mate was in the room, I didn’t spot him among the suited gentlemen loitering in the ballroom. When he made his appearance—if he made his appearance—I’d make him look at me and only me.

I made it all of two strides before the first of the bachelors descended on me. So far as the New York elite went, the brown-haired young man wasn’t bad looking, though he carried himself with the snooty, chin-raised manner of someone well-used to getting what—and who—he wanted.

“I wasn’t aware Cinderella wore a black dress to her ball,” he murmured, dipping into a bow. As etiquette demanded, I held out my hand, which he gently kissed. “You’re positively enchanting, Miss…?”

“Sara,” I replied, careful to keep my smile small and dignified. “I’m afraid I misplaced my glass slippers earlier this evening. I simply can’t wear that sort of dress without my glass slippers.”

“Of course not,” he replied, tucking my hand into the crook of his arm. “I am Edward, Miss Sara. Please, join me for a drink.”

I drew in a deep breath, and my wolf went to work, sniffing out any signs Edward wasn’t as he appeared. All she could detect was a faint hint of his arousal, which repulsed her. “While I’ll join you, I’ll pass on the drink, but thank you. It’s a little early in the night for me.”

“Waiting for the clock to hit midnight so you can find your charming prince?”

“Perhaps.”

“Had I known such a beautiful lady was attending tonight, I would have dressed more for the occasion,” he said, leading me across the ballroom to a bar taking up one of the far corners. “Are you sure I can’t tempt you into some champagne?”

“No, but thank you.”

The bar had stools enough for thirty, most of which were unoccupied. Edward picked a pair, pulling one out for me before sitting. There was a trick to climbing onto a stool in a short dress without flashing my lingerie at everyone, and I pulled it off with the grace and dignity of a woman born into high society.

Edward’s disappointment marred his expression, although he recovered with respectable speed.

I regretted my lack of glass slippers. If I had them, I knew exactly where I’d shove them. Despite my refusal, he ordered two flutes of champagne, sliding one to me.

“It wouldn’t be much of a party without at least one drink, Miss Sara.”

I spun my finger around the rim of the flute and made the crystal sing. “So I see.”

“What is such a gorgeous woman doing a party like this on her own?”

If he wanted to play the flirting game, I’d play—and leave him the eternal loser. “Perhaps I’m waiting for my prince charming to show himself at midnight.”

“Perhaps you’ve already found him.”

I wanted to brace my elbows on the bar, but to maintain my role as a lady, I settled for lightly resting my wrists on the polished surface, toying with my flute of champagne. “What brings you here tonight, Edward?”

“What brings any of us out to one of these parties? Perhaps I need a Cinderella to share my empire with.”

“And what sort of empire do you have?” I replied, fighting my urge to throw my champagne in Edward’s face.

“Guess,” he murmured, sipping from his glass.

 “You were born into a wealthy family,” I stated, pushing my champagne away from me and straightened my back as I swiveled to face him. I met his gaze before looking him over head to toe. “You’re well spoken, which tells me you’ve been to the type of school only the truly affluent can afford. A private boarding school, and judging from the slight bit of accent, somewhere abroad. Your first choice of drink is champagne, so you’re from old money, a true blue blood in every sense of the word.”

I smiled at his startled expression. “You’re likely the eldest son of a businessman, who was the eldest son of a businessman, passing on knowledge, experience, and a true empire from generation to generation.”

“You’re even more enchanting than I initially believed. How astute, Miss Sara. What else have you deduced? You’re correct thus far. I’m impressed.”

“You hate champagne because it’s too sweet, but you don’t dare ask for the scotch you prefer,” I commented, sliding off the stool, once again careful of my short little cocktail dress. “Cinderella prefers men who take their drinks straight up and listen when she says no.”

I turned to leave and came nose to nose with my mate. I sucked in a breath, my eyes widening as he seized my hand and brought it up to his lips.

“I heard a rumor the world’s most beautiful woman was in attendance tonight, but I hadn’t thought it was true,” he murmured, his eyes blazing amber. “Then to discover she’s Cinderella as well? What good fortune.”

My mouth went dry as I gaped at Sanders, unable to string two thoughts together to form a coherent sentence. With a gentle touch, he placed one hand against the small of my back and pulled me closer to him, the corners of his mouth twitching up into a smile.

“Is he bothering you, Cinderella?” my mate asked, his gaze turning to Edward.

Instead of running, Edward straightened, his eyes narrowing. “I? You believe
I
would bother her? You, sir, are the bother. Do you know to whom you speak?”

“I know who you are, Mr. Salind. I spoke with your father not five minutes ago in one of the salons. He requests your presence as soon as you’ve finished flirting. You missed some rather important business negotiations, although you might be able to make yourself useful if you can be bothered to attend to your responsibilities.”

When Edward made his escape, muttering curses under his breath, my mate grumbled, “Babbling idiot.”

“Sanders,” I whispered, brushing my fingers across his clean-shaven cheek.

Turning his attention back to me, he kissed my palm. “When the gossiping hens were clucking over the beauty in attendance, I, of course, had to see who could possibly be more beautiful than my Sara.”

I lowered my gaze to my mate’s suit, admiring the way it clung to his body, hinting at his lean muscles. With him touching me, the smothering pressure of the pack faded until only a faint but tolerable chill remained.

“There’s probably at least a hundred people staring at us right now,” he said, his tone light with his amusement. “You, by far the loveliest creature ever to grace this planet, are standing so docile and demure in the arms of a man they likely consider an uncouth lout.”

“Bullshit.”

Tilting my chin up, he pressed his lips to mine, and unable to resist him, I stepped close, delighting in the feel of him against me. When he pulled away, he left me as breathless as always. “Now they know you’re mine, woman.” He paused and sighed. “I didn’t think you were going to show.”

I huffed. “I forgot how long of a drive it was to the Hamptons,” I confessed.

“The strangest thing happened earlier today. I received an interesting package, which smelled remarkably like you.”

“Do you like them?” I asked, grinning at him.

“I’ll like them a lot better when you’re wearing them,” he growled at me.

“Tomorrow,” I promised.

“You’re an evil temptress, woman.” His eyes brightened to a burning yellow. “So, where did you come from that it took you so long to arrive?”

“Oh, some little hotel somewhere near Fifth Avenue,” I murmured.

My mate’s expression went blank. “You were at the Plaza. You were right under my nose the entire time?”