Chapter 23 Beginning of the end
ARLENE
My lips stretched into a smile when I saw Miles trudge into the hall with his brothers.
His hair was styled to the side, and his white, spotless shirt was folded at the sleeves, while some of the buttons were left open, revealing the upper part of his broad chest.
“Hold on, Celeste," I interrupted my friend and began to push past the guests in the hall to meet him.
“Hey," I called out softly when I neared him.
He raised his head, and when his eyes darted in my direction, the smile on his face faded. My smile dropped when I noticed the never-fading coldness in his eyes.
The words I wanted to say to him evaporated as I stood rooted at the spot, staring into his cold eyes.
“Arlene!”
A gasp escaped my lips, and my head snapped to the side to face Lucas, Miles's elder brother.
His eyes, full of lust, narrowed over my body, and his lips tilted.
"You look beautiful as always,” he commented.
My heart constricted as I tried so hard not to glare at him. Ever since I stepped into the Pack of Miles’s father, Lucas has shown his perverted behavior towards me. I hated him so much that I often felt like snapping him in two. He wasn't any different from the rest of his family members. From their mother to their sister, all of them had been nothing but devils.
“Thank you,” I mumbled, forcing a smile on my face.
My head swung back to face Miles, but he was gone. My shoulders slumped down in disappointment, and I sighed loudly before going back to Celeste, the only one who cared about me in the Pack.
While my eyes searched for Celeste, they locked with Nathaniel's eyes, and a lump formed in my throat.
He quickly looked away after a brief meeting of our eyes and disappeared into the crowd of people dancing at the center of the hall.
“Arlene?" Celeste called from behind, and I turned around to face her.
“Did you meet Miles? Did he like your make-up?” Celeste asked.
I shrugged, too disappointed to reply.
Celeste understood from my sad expression that she didn't succeed in luring Miles to give his attention to me.
It has been six years since we became mates, but he still hasn't forgotten about her.
We barely shared nights unless he wanted to make pups, and it was not even a night to keep as a memory.
He had told me plainly that the mating we had wasn't out of love but for the sake of keeping his mother's name alive, and he always stuck to his words. The last time we were together, he had mentioned her name several times at the peak of his climax.
I shuddered and rubbed my bare arm, slamming my eyes and cursing for letting those locked-up, painful nights find the way back into my mind.
“Are you even listening to me, Arlene?" Celeste's voice sneaked into my head, and my eyes raised.
“What?"
She frowned and rolled her eyes when she realized that I wasn't listening to whatever she was saying.
“I'm sorry," I muttered and rubbed her shoulder, pacifying her with a smile.
"I know of a way you can make Miles love you again,” she muttered, and I chuckled.
Poor Celeste. If only she knew that the one Miles loved wasn't me but my sister.
“How about you drug him? He won't be able to resist you when the full moon rises and he gets in heat,” she whispered, and my throat.
“The full moon will only appear in five days during the beginning of the mating season,” I said, and she nodded.
"That's it! His father will definitely hold another worthless event when the mating season starts, and we can do that,” she muttered, and I sighed, unable to agree with her plan.
"That… that will be deceiving him, Celeste," I muttered, and she scoffed loudly, waving her hand in the air.
“Who cares!"
I looked over to the corner where the Sinclair brothers were gathered around their parents, conversing quietly.
My eyes traveled to Miles, and my breath hitched when I noticed the woman he was holding by the waist.
"That bastard!” I whispered, gripping the glass in my hand so hard that it cracked.
His father pointed at the woman beside him with a wide grin on his face, and he looked down at her with such tenderness in his eyes that my heart cracked. The only one he had looked at like that was Adriana.
I watched him whisper something to her as he looked down at her, and the woman smiled widely before replying to him.
His hand rubbed her back and slowly traced up to her neck, and pulled some strands of her hair in place before leading her out of the hall, his hand still wrapped around her body.
I staggered back and almost fell, but Celeste grabbed me and helped me maintain my balance.
“I think you should leave before something bad happens," she whispered.
I nodded and handed the cracked glass to her, then pulled my hair back.
My head stopped swirling, and I didn't waste another second on the spot.
Celeste followed me till I exited the hall.
“I shouldn't have forced you to come," she said as she escorted me to the large doors.
“Don't blame yourself, I was supposed to be here at least,” I muttered.
"Hey, don't worry, he's going to come back to his senses soon,” she whispered and rubbed my cold arm.
"Goodnight,” I responded, and spun around, then walked away while I heard my mother-in-law call Celeste for a group photo.
I was an outcast here, hated by everyone, including my mate. Sometimes, I wondered if it was because of the way I treated Adriana.
I should have told her the truth instead of making a fool of her and lying to her. I guessed this was her karma, and I wasn't wrong.
When I walked into my room, I reached for the box inside my wardrobe and headed to the table.
I plopped down into the seat and pulled the lid open, then took out the gift Adriana had dropped off before she left.
“Be happy," I whispered the words written below the large, red smiling face drawn on the paper, and my heart broke into a thousand pieces.
I wronged her in so many ways and didn't deserve her forgiveness, but I still wished I had an opportunity to apologize to her.
It had been eight months since her death, but the pain still felt like it was yesterday. I hated myself so much for the way Adriana ended, and whenever I thought about the horrible things she had to go through because of me, I wished that I would face more hate from Miles and his family. I deserved it.
Since I couldn't beg for her forgiveness, I had devoted myself to finding out who killed her. I knew it was not just a mere accident. Someone had blown up the car she was in, and I would do whatever I could to find out who did this and why.
“Don't worry, sister, I will make them all pay, even if it means being unhappy for the rest of my life," I whispered and let the tears drop.
I sniffed and dropped the paper into the box of flowers, then closed it.
As I began to stand up, an unknown number flashed across the screen of my phone, and I paused.
I picked up the phone and accepted the call.
"Hello? Who is this?” I asked as I trudged to my wardrobe.
"Lady Arlene Nox, this is the janitor from your high school. I have something to tell you concerning your sister, Lady Adriana Nox,” the caller said, and the box fell from my hand while my breath ceased.