Chapter 43

KATHERINE.

I hadn’t been expecting that so my mouth fell open and it was clear that Poppy didn’t too because her mouth did the same. The comical look on her face made me want to burst out laughing and I realized that Poppy was also from what most people in this ballroom would consider a ‘small pack’. To them, she wasn’t more important than me and we were both at the bottom of the ladder. This scene was quite eye-opening and just like when she threw her drink at me, students who saw what happened snickered.

Poppy glanced around and from the look on her face, it was clear that she wanted someone to step in on her behalf, but no one did. Not even her father who was sitting a couple of feet away from her. I hadn’t known that he was here because I hadn’t seen him and now that I had, I swallowed.

Alpha Dawson had a stern look on his face as he stared at his daughter and when I glanced at Poppy, she was also staring at him. Then she dropped her gaze to the floor just as two men in suits walked up to her and the girl that hit her, and after the latter said something to them, they led Poppy out of the ballroom.

“Wow,” I muttered just before Alpha Dawson’s gaze suddenly slid over to me and I absent-mindedly moved closer to Lenore while he frowned. Then he glanced at Lenore and his expression softened as he recognized her before his gaze slid to me once again and shock washed over his face.

“So?” Lenore asked, waiting for me to decide if I was going to sit with her family or not, and I returned my attention to her.

Before Poppy threw her drink at me, she thought I was hanging out with Lenore, Priyanka, and Josie because of alliances – something I hadn’t thought of before. Now as I stared at Lenore, I wondered if it was possible for my pack to have an alliance with hers. I mean, it was quite a ‘big’ dream and I sure as hell wasn’t going to say something like that if I sat with her family, but I just wondered.

“Sure,” I replied because I should try to put my face out there so more people would know about my pack. I hoped her family really wasn’t vain like she’d said.

She gestured for me to follow and I did all the way to the front, keeping my eyes on her back because I didn’t want to see if the people we walked past were staring at us. Unlike the tables at the back, the tables at the front of the ballroom had place cards for assigned seating and just as I was about to ask if her table had an empty seat, we got to it. There were three empty seats at the table, one was next to Lenore’s and the others were next to her parents, and the people at the table were her parents, her brothers, and Theo.

He cocked his head when his gaze landed on me while her parents looked up at us, flashing a smile at their daughter, and my heart rate picked up.

“Mum, Dad, this is Katherine, my roommate. She’ll be sitting with us,” Lenore announced.

“Oh, okay,” her mom said, smiling at me, while her dad nodded and her brothers resumed talking to Theo. I swallowed.

“Good evening,” I said and Lenore nudged me, nodding at the seat next to hers.

“Good evening,” her mom replied while Lenore and I took our seats. “Are you a first year too?” she asked and I nodded. “Oh, what are you studying?”

“Biomedical science.”

“Same as Lenore.”

The conversation carried on like that with her asking me and Lenore questions about school and her father and siblings even joined it. The first person that asked me which pack I was from was her mom and after I’d nervously answered, she asked about my family. It seemed like they didn’t know anything about my pack which wouldn’t be surprising, but my pack’s name not ringing a bell would be enough for a person that loved the hierarchy to stop talking to me. They didn’t stop talking to me though – her parents had even been sympathetic when I told them about my parents after they’d asked – and it was nice to see that Lenore was right. They weren’t vain. With how normal they acted, I even had to remind myself several times that I was sitting with the Alpha and Luna of the Dark Moon pack.

Next to their table was Blue Blood’s pack and both Blake and Hunter were seated there. Hunter was busy talking to his father but Blake was already staring in this direction and I smiled at him. Moments later, he smiled back and mouthed ‘hey’ to me.

“Hey,” I mouthed back before he focused his attention on the stage as the sound system buzzed to life. A woman took the stage and stood behind the podium, and after she gave a speech – most of which I zoned out for – conversations resumed at the table.

I didn’t say anything this time, just watched, and I noticed that Theo had basically been accepted into Lenore’s family. They talked to him like they loved him and for what had to be the nth time since I found out that he could be my mate, I hoped he was not.

I mean, geez… If I was him and I was in a relationship with the daughter of the ‘number one’ pack’s Alpha and said Alpha had already welcomed me into his family, and then I got mated to a rando from a lower pack, you best believe I’d be sticking with the Alpha’s daughter.

I looked away from Theo and began to search for my friends. Priyanka was sitting at a bigger table on the left while Josie’s family was sitting two tables behind. I couldn’t get Priyanka’s attention but I got Josie’s and her face lit up when she saw me before she made her way over.

“I’m sorry,” she said, an apologetic look on her face as she sat next to me. “My mom sucks. She wouldn’t let me leave the table.”

I shrugged, not really knowing what to say to that, before she drew her brows together when her gaze dropped to what I was wearing.

“Why did you change?”

“Poppy threw her drink at me.”

Her mouth fell open and a moment later, the surprise was replaced by anger. “That fucker.” She glanced over her shoulder and as her eyes scanned the hall, I realized she was looking for Poppy.

“She’s no longer here. She was escorted out.”

“Oh… Wait, is she the one Satomi gave a high-five?” he asked and I raised my brows slightly. “In the face.”

‘Oh.’ “Yeah.”

“Serves her right.”

Dinner came after another speech by the dean and Josie stayed at Lenore’s table for it. When it was over, the Dean got on the stage again, but this time it was just to announce the entrance of the members of the Administration.

Applause filled the hall at that before the eight members – four men and four women – came into the ballroom through a door close to the stage and sat at the empty round table that was in front of the space between Dark Moon and Blue Blood’s tables. They all radiated power and elegance, and I couldn’t help but stare at them because though I was only a couple of feet away from them, it felt like I was miles away instead.

Moments later, parents began to come up to the front to introduce their children to the members after they were called up. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a little glee when Silver Bow was called up and Alpha Dawson came up without his daughter. He whispered something to one of them that earned him a displeased look and a nod before he began to head back to his table and when he passed Lenore’s table, he scowled at me. I didn’t react, but the fact that my presence at Lenore’s table caused him discomfort filled me with joy.

Soon after, the event came to an end and we exited the ballroom.