Chapter 14

Celine had a hard time keeping the concern from her face when they stepped outside the mansion, she was supposed to be going to an event with Asher so why were there so many armed men? *Did she misunderstand his definition of ‘event’?* It didn’t help that the intimidating men leered at her, making her instinctively hold on to Asher.

Asher was probably getting a little too attached too fast to the Omega but her innocence made him want to tease her, it also meant that he indulged her and also did things out of character like leaving traces of his scent on her without realizing it.

He tightened his hold on her when her fingers held onto his leather jacket, leading her to his car which he held open for her and helped her in. He got in after her, Jael was right, they needed to be on their way.

Celine leaned as far away as possible from Asher as she could in the limited space of the car, her heartbeat going into overdrive at the thought of spending the entire drive with Asher. It was dark out so the interior of the car was the same, his smoky scent filling the car.

She had never been more relieved to see Jael, sighing in silent relief when the Beta got into the driver seat and promptly got into a conversation with Asher. She looked outside the tinted windows which made everything darker than it actually was, focusing on the sights outside.

Celine wished she still had her phone because this would be the perfect time to pretend to be busy on her phone but she doubted that Asher would have allowed her to keep it - considering that he first move after waking up on his bed had been to try and escape.

The event was actually a house party, or whatever the Mafia equivalent of that was. Jael pulled into the driveway of a massive house that was lit up like a festival, cars were everywhere, and the four or so cars that accompanied them didn’t seem so excessive anymore.

She sat tight when Asher stepped out, waiting to be told what to do so that she didn’t make a grave mistake. The moment he stepped out, there was a pudgy Alpha in a lavish velvet coat waiting to greet him, leaving Jael to come to get her out of the car.

He didn’t offer her a hand and Celine wouldn’t have taken it, clutching her statement purse tight as she stepped out only for her to lose her balance on the uneven grass and promptly fall forward.

Jael caught her reluctantly, like he had truly been considering letting her crack her head open on the ground. He let her go quickly, stepping backward, “Just go inside and stay out of trouble.” He said to her, slipping away to stand beside Asher.

Celine stared at his retreating back in disbelief, realizing that they truly intended to leave her to fend for herself when the pudgy Alpha that turned out to be the host led Asher off somewhere, leaving her standing all alone beside the car.

The fact that Jael had said she shouldn’t get into trouble too, *what did that even mean?* What kind of trouble could she even get into at a high-profile party?

She looked around her and other than a few men she recognized as Asher’s men, there were also some people outside the mansion, and she wondered why she couldn’t just stay outside here and wait for Asher.

She wasn’t just new to Reef City but these were also high-profile individuals judging by the flashy cars and the tight security… *She really didn’t want to be here…*

“You lost, pretty thing?” A strange Beta approached her as she contemplated her existence. He smelled like he had fallen into a pool filled with alcohol, it made her eyes burn and irritated her sensitive nose.

“I’m not lost.” She said firmly, starting for the mansion. Staying outside was no longer an option if it was going to cause creeps to approach her, so she would take the mansion over being hit on by drunk randoms.

Her exit was halted by his harsh grip on her arm, making her wince and gasp in pain as he slammed her against Asher’s car and started to press against her. Celine didn’t even get the chance to scream or retaliate because the creep was immediately pull off her by Asher’s men.

She also didn’t get the chance to catch her breath and recover because his hand that he used to grab her was promptly broken and his nose was smashed in by the duo that rescued her. The smell of blood in the air made her nauseous and she found that she couldn’t move.

A third walked up to her with a pleasant smile, “Sorry about the inconvenience, miss.” He apologized, “I hope you weren’t hurt.”

His words made her register the growing bruise on her arm and the sting in her back from where it impacted the car but all that was overshadowed by the creep getting beaten into a bloody pulp. She was worried that if she said *‘yes’*, the creep would be immediately riddled with bullets so she put on a shaky smile and straightened up, “No, I’m fine. T-Thank you,” She added nervously, hurrying in the direction of the mansion.

She couldn’t believe that they actually had her feeling bad for the creep who had tried to feel her up but staying outside was completely out of the question now, not because she was worried for her safety, because Asher’s men made sure of that, but because she was worried for the safety of anyone that tried to approach her.

There were bodyguards situation at the entrance she was supposed to go in through but they didn’t stop anyone from entering, even those proudly touting weapons. She timidly walked in under their intimidating gazes, entering a ballroom packed full of people.

A drunk man was literally kicked out just as she stepped in, sending her hurrying out of the way and he was launched through the open doors.