Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Tyler's POV

Lola descended down the stairs in a flowing blue gown that held her body at the core. Her hair was loose over her bare shoulders. She carried herself with a majestic air as she held a small purple purse that glittered with shining stones in one hand.

I found myself staring at her, completely out of breath. Two days was definitely more than enough for her to prepare for the gala. At this rate, she was going to draw a lot of attention to herself, and I found myself loving every bit of it.

Yes, everyone else was going to look and stare for sure. But if any of the alphas dared to make their gaze linger on her longer than necessary, I'd make sure to gouge their eyes out of their sockets.

Lola, the formerly abandoned traitor, now made a comeback, and it was the best yet. She stepped down the last of the stairs gracefully and walked closer to me.

"You look stunning," I breathed in a low voice.

A small blush ran up her cheeks. "I think it's a little too much," she says.

"It's perfect," I whispered, eyeing her. "Now, shall we?" I offered my hand, which she took.

We stepped out of the manor together. Diego and Alex were waiting for us by the limousine.

"It's going to be a long night," I said to Lola as we approached them. "If it gets uncomfortable for you, make sure to let me know, and we'll go home immediately. We don't have to stay there for long."

She nodded, her hand squeezing mine, ensuring that she appreciated the gesture.

"Ready?" Diego asked me, his tone formal.

I nodded and turned to Alex. I was wondering what he was doing here. He was more in charge of my technical stunts and handled matters that leaned closer towards the violent side of me, while Diego was more of a butler, attending to issues and negotiating for peace in their own terms. He was made more invaluable.

But I wasn't planning for anything violent tonight—at least that was the plan. I had alternatives if anything were to crop up.

Alex simply nodded at me as we entered into the limo. Okay, spoiler alert: he never quite got over the visit to the warehouse. He knows I'm planning something, but I still haven't told him about the most recent development. Frankly speaking, I don't know how to react to it myself. Silver bullets—it still made a shiver run through my spine.

There was a separate compartment for us in the car that was shielded from the view of the rest of the men, allowing for our privacy. The ride officially began as we zoomed out of the premises.

I couldn't help but notice that Lola seemed to be nervous throughout the ride. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that this was her first time, I thought, trying to find an explanation for it. But this didn't seem to be her first time—after all, she was the daughter of the Beta. She's surely walked through events like this in the past.

"Don't worry about me," she said in a small voice. "It's just a bit of nerves."

"I know," I said and wrapped my hand around hers soothingly.

Soon enough, we arrived at the large event center where the gala was being held. Fireworks highlighted the otherwise dark sky, casting different glows down below. The building was lined with neon lights and colorful banners.

The door of the car opened and we stepped down, our guards following close behind us. Brian stepped forward once we approached the main entrance and handed our tickets to the guards there—not that they needed to go through it. One look at me and they recognized me as the Alpha, stepping aside to allow us past.

The smell of society filled the air as we entered into the large hall that seemed to stretch on forever. Dignitaries shuffled around, shaking hands with pleasant smiles that could blow up into a war within an instance. I made sure to keep Lola by my side. I didn't like parties like this myself but only attended when I had absolutely no other choice.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I found myself searching for someone—well, two people actually—if they had the nerve to show up. I finally spotted them: the representatives from the Blue Ray Pack that should have been invisible among the crowd of Alphas and Gammas. But there he was, Brian fucking Ragnar and his babysitter father by his side, the two of them grabbing wine glasses from the waitress and smiling like everything was alright.

My eyes immediately hardened; however, a soft tugging by my hand made me look away. I looked down at Lola. Her knowing eyes told me that she had already spotted them.

"Let's not make them matter tonight," she whispered softly.

I hummed in acknowledgment. She was right though—there was no need for me to be bothered by them. For this one night, I could pretend that they didn't exist. Or I could stomp right up to them and continue what I should have ended a long time ago, another voice in my head said. No violence tonight, I warned my inner wolf.

"Alpha Tyler!" a hearty voice spoke as some men approached us.

I raised my eyes, recognizing most of them. Alpha Rufus, the host of the gala, wore a purple tuxedo that radiated vibes from some '80s jazz punk. His hair was braided down in locks, and golden chains hung on his neck. If I was to give him a culture, he was most definitely American.

A shorter man stood by his side in a black suit—Senator Handler. I recognized him also. Much as the world liked to believe in our secrecy and that we were set apart from the human world, we were more or less the same as every other gang in Northern America. We needed the shoulders to survive, and they were there most of the time from the shadows.

I gave a nod, learning toward Senator Handler. "Nice to meet you both again." We shook hands formally.

Then their attention first turned to Lola. "My Luna," I said, introducing them, "Lola Williams."

"Quite a pretty one, a delight," Alpha Rufus nodded. I resisted the urge to smack him as he leaned down and kissed her hand.

"We have matters to discuss," Senator Handler interrupted, finally catching my attention.

"Don't we always?" I asked.

Diego was beside me in seconds as the men started leading me away.

"The Lunas are having a little meeting over there," Senator Rufus pointed out to Lola.

"Are you trying to get my Lola to take a hike?" I asked, my voice dangerously calm.

"You know I would never," Rufus laughed.

"It's fine," Lola spoke up. "I would like to see what the other women are like, after all. I'm new to the whole Luna business," she said and began to walk off, but not before I pulled her back and stole a quick kiss from her.

The music faded as Rufus and Senator Handler guided me through the side doors of the gala hall. We stepped onto the Plato, a raised stone platform that overlooked the dark stretch of forest below. The air here was quieter, a stark contrast to the music and light chattering that was in the hall.

Rufus leaned on the railing, his gold chains glinting in the moonlight. "Tyler, there's something you should know," he said, his voice uncommonly grave.

I crossed my arms, feigning disinterest. "Go on."

Senator Handler shifted uncomfortably, adjusting his tie. If the senator was bothered, then I might want to pay attention to this, I reasoned.

"There's been a shipment, unauthorized cargo moving through the northern ports. Dangerous stuff."

I raised an eyebrow, waited. He spoke again and his voice had fallen to a whisper. "Weapons. Man-made. Specifically designed to hurt wolves."

For a moment, the night seemed to grow colder. I cocked my head to one side, and a smirk curved my lips. "Something like... silver bullets, perhaps?"

Handler and Rufus froze, staring at me with shocked expressions.

"You knew?" Rufus growled, clenching his fist.

I shrugged, waving my hands. "I heard rumors. Doesn't mean I'll spill what I know just because you asked nicely."

Handler stepped forward. "Tyler, this is serious. If the humans are creating these weapons—"

"Don't lecture me, Senator," I interrupted, my voice cutting. "I know exactly how serious this is. I also know you're not telling me everything."

The tension thickened, but before they could respond, the sound of boots against stone drew our attention. Brian and Alpha Sullivan strode onto the platform. I narrowed my eyes as they approached.

"How convenient," I muttered under my breath as my eyes grew cold.

"Am I interrupting?" Sullivan asked with an irritating smile.

My wolf stirred, anger bubbling just below the surface. "What the hell are you doing here?" I snapped, my fists clenching.

"Did the lesson I taught you at your pack not get through those skulls?" I asked, stepping forward.

"Gentlemen..." Rufus began, stepping between us.

"We need answers," Sullivan said, his voice too casual.

I would have lost it there if Diego didn't put a hand on my shoulder, calming me down.