Chapter 186: My Angel | 079

NOELLE

The bass vibrates through my bare feet as I step onto the pool deck. The night air is warm, thick with the scent of chlorine and too-sweet cocktails. Coloured lights dance across the water, and bodies are already moving. Everyone is laughing, splashing, and grinding to the music.

I feel... alive.

I let the rhythm pull me in. My hips sway as I move closer to the pool's edge, in the bikini top and high-waisted bottoms. The denim shorts are long gone. For once, I don't cover up. I just dance.

The music is loud. The lights are bright. And for a few blissful minutes, I let myself enjoy it.

But I feel eyes on me.

They are heavy and persistent, crawling over my skin like fingers.

For a moment, I let myself wonder if Azren is here. But, his gaze never feels invasive. This one does.

I glance around carefully, scanning the crowd, but I don't see anyone obvious. I shake it off, thinking it’s probably just paranoia after everything that's happened.

"Noelle!"

I turn at the sound of my name. Blair is pushing through the crowd towards me, looking... off. Her face is tense, her eyes wide with worry. She's wearing a cute red bikini, but her usual bright energy is gone.

"Hey! Is this the same pool party you told me about?" I ask, smiling as I reach her.

Blair swallows hard. "Yeah... it is." She shifts on her feet, clearly uncomfortable. "Listen, we really need to talk. Like, right now. There's something I—"

"Noelleeee!" Azalea's cheerful scream pierces through the music like a knife. She appears out of nowhere, grabbing my wrist with a gleeful laugh. "There you are! Come on, bestie-in-law! The special drink is ready and the games are starting!"

She yanks me away before Blair can finish her sentence. I shoot Blair an apologetic look over my shoulder. She looks even more worried now, her mouth opening like she wants to call me back, but Azalea is already dragging me towards a long table set up with glowing cups.

"Drink up!" Azalea hands me a bright pink concoction that smells like strawberries. "My secret recipe. You're going to love it."

I take a cautious sip. It's sweet, fruity... and burns nicely going down.

The group around us cheers. Someone starts the music louder. Before I know it, we're sitting in a big circle on oversized cushions near the pool.

Spin the Bottle.

I keep glancing toward where I last saw Blair, but she's disappeared into the crowd. My wolf stirs uneasily in my chest. She lets out a low, warning growl only I can hear.

‘Where did she go?’ Blaze asks and I quietly search for her.

But it feels like she randomly vanished.

The bottle spins. It lands on me.

The group erupts in playful whistles as I groan. The one time I decide to play, I get to be the first unfortunate one. A tall guy with messy brown hair and a cocky grin leans forward. His eyes rake over me slowly, lust clear in them.

"Kiss me," he says, his voice dripping with confidence. "Unless your husband's here to stop it?"

Azalea jumps in immediately. "Nope! Absolutely not!" She waves her hands dramatically. "My brother will literally kill me. Pass!"

The guy doesn't back down. He's still staring at me with hungry eyes. "You're really married? That's a shame... you don't look taken."

I lift my left hand and wiggle my fingers, letting the wedding ring catch the light. The girls around us giggle and coo.

The guy chuckles. "Relax. Your husband isn't here, right?"

Before I can answer, Azalea snatches my cup and downs my “punishment” drink in one go.

"Hey!" the group protests.

Azalea grins, wiping her mouth. "My house, my rules. No kissing the married ones tonight." She winks at me playfully.

I laugh, the tension easing a little. Azalea throws an arm around my shoulders and pulls me close.

"See? I've got you," she whispers.

But even as I smile, I can't shake the feeling that something is wrong.

Blair is still nowhere to be seen.

And those eyes... I still feel them watching me.

….

The music pulses through my veins like a second heartbeat as I sway with the crowd near the pool. The water reflects the coloured lights in dizzying patterns, and for a moment I let myself get lost in it, my hips moving, my arms raised, the warm night air kissing my bare skin.

I feel... good. Confident too.

Until I turn my head and see him.

Cooper.

He's standing on the far side of the pool with a drink in his hand, his eyes locked on me like I'm the only person here. The same smile he always wears is on his face, but something about it feels off tonight.

My stomach tightens instantly.

Where the hell is Blair? She looked so worried earlier, like she was about to tell me something important. I scan the crowd again, but she's nowhere. The unease presses tighter in my chest.

At the same time, my wolf stirs.

Blaze doesn't speak with words this time. She just growls in my head. The sensation is new and electric. My senses sharpen all at once.

I can hear every single heartbeat around me, including the quick, excited thumps of the dancers and the slower, drunker ones of people lounging on floats. I can smell everything: coconut sunscreen, chlorine, spilled fruity alcohol, sweat, perfume, and something sharper underneath it all... anticipation.

My skin prickles.

A small, secret smile tugs at my lips. I feel powerful and sexy. Like I actually belong here. And that’s a first for me.

Before now, I was too busy surviving. But after Azren, I found that I was finally living.

And I’m grateful every day for him. My personal Romeo.

'Someone's coming,’ Blaze growls, and I look up.

Cooper is moving. He weaves through the crowd, still smiling that friendly, harmless smile, heading straight towards me.

I brush the unease off. It's just a party. He's just a guy. Azalea's here. Everything's fine.

Right?

"Hey, Noelle," he says when he reaches me, his voice warm and casual. "You look amazing tonight."

"Thanks," I reply, keeping my tone light. "Small world, huh?"

He laughs and takes a sip of his drink. "Yeah. Azalea throws the best parties. Are you having fun?"

Weird. He talks like he’s attended quite a number of Azalea’s parties. Are they really that close?

I nod, forcing a smile. "Trying to."

“Oh, there you are, babe.” We both turn to see Azalea smiling.

My jaw nearly drops. Holy fucking shit.

Wait. What the hell is going?

I watch with wide eyes as she leans up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the lips. He hums in satisfaction, kissing her back.

I feel dizzy just watching them. I can’t explain it, but something about this is so weird.

“How long have you two—” I start to say, and she grins.

“It’s been months,” she tells me, shrugging.

My chest tightens. She looks completely smitten.

Do I tell her or not? Will she truly accept that her boyfriend might be a creep without being mad at me and thinking that I’m just an enemy to her happiness?

“I’ll be right back. It looks like we’re out of drinks here. I’ll go get some more,” Azalea says and hurries away.

“So, you’re dating her?” I ask and Cooper smirks.

“Jealous?”

I barely resist the urge to shudder.

“No. I’m just…surprised.”

Does he even like her? Or is he just using her?

My body suddenly feels warm, a wave of dizziness rolling over me.

Maybe I should call it a night.

The moment I turn away from Cooper, the guy from earlier approaches me with two drinks in his hands.

“Hello, sexy,” he drawls, and I blink, not finding him the slightest bit attractive.

I find myself appreciating my husband’s mouthwatering physique more and more. These kids do not even stand a chance.

Wait…kids?

Am I really that drunk?

“Earlier, did you really turn down the dare because of your husband or because you were too shy?” He asks, stepping into my space.

Okay, ewww… He reeks of sweat.

I need to go. Whoa, everything is suddenly spinning.

A hand steadies me from behind. Cooper. Yikes.

“Man, I’d like some privacy with her. Please move on,” the dude says, and I blink at him.

Polite predator, huh? That’s new.

I want my baby already. Ugh!

“Come on, pretty. I know you want me too.”

Why won’t this kid stop talking?

I laugh nervously, trying to play it off. "Uh, pass. I'm married, remember?"

"Come on, that’s just a petty excuse. No one's telling your husband.”

Why isn’t he listening to me?

The strange guy hands me one of his drinks but Cooper snatches it first and downs the rest of Azalea's special drink in one go.

He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and pushes past the kid.

“Why don’t you walk it off? You’re drunk. She’s clearly not interested,” he deadpans.

My skin itches where he touches me. So, I pull away from him. I cannot be anywhere around him right now.

Gosh, everything is so loud.

I start to head towards the house, my movements unsteady. I can feel Cooper following behind me, so I quicken my pace.

But the bastard keeps following me!

My heart starts pounding faster, annoyance gripping me. What the hell is he doing for goodness sake?!

I’ve barely gotten to the stairs when a hand suddenly grabs my wrist. I gasp, whirling around.

It’s Cooper again.

“Let go,” I hiss, and he smirks.

“Go ahead, Noelle." His eyes turn pitch black, chills sliding down my spine. “Scream.”