Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Lola's POV

A shoulder passed through me as Tyler leaned even closer. I felt my heart race and my breaths quickening. A little smirk on his face told me what I needed to know - he knew exactly what he was doing, and he enjoyed every breath of it.

"Well, what's the matter now?" he asked with a sly smile. His fingers reached forward and traced the curve of my chin, tilting it up to face him.

I could swear that something was happening, something that I couldn't quite control, and it was going to change everything about us. And goddammit, I was willing to see just how far we could go, but just at that moment, a knock sounded on the door.

Tyler cursed under his breath and let go of me. The door opened to reveal one of the elders. I stepped back behind Tyler, a blush covering my cheeks.

"Are you ready, Alpha?" the elder asked with a bow.

Through the corners of my eyes, I could see Tyler's irritated expression clearly, but his control seemed to have slipped back in place. He was back to his usual work self - the major events were well and in order. He was back to his business-before-pleasure demeanor.

"Of course," he spoke without hesitation. A piece of me wanted to hope that he would tell the elder off and decline whatever meeting he was supposed to be attending at the moment, but who was I kidding?

Tyler turned back to me and planted a kiss on my forehead without warning. He smirked as he pulled back, watching my shocked expression and relishing in it.

"We'll pick up from where we dropped off once I get back," he promised and gave me a flirtatious wink before stepping out of the room.

The door closed behind me, and once again, I was alone. I let myself lean against the wall and heaved a huge sigh.

Everything that happened just now was, at the very least, a lot to take in at once. The realization that if we had not been interrupted, the little innocent moment would have morphed into something else. My eyes flickered towards the king-size bed in the middle of the room for a moment, and I cursed myself for entertaining those lewd thoughts.

Mentally, I wasn't prepared for anything sexual with Tyler, but it was like my physical body had a mind of its own. Deep down, I knew what I wanted, and it definitely wasn't to get intimate with someone that I didn't even love yet.

"Yeah, right," a tired voice in my head spoke up. Love? What did that word even mean anymore? Much good it had done me for the long months where I dated Brian, believing without a moment of doubt that he was the one the wolf goddess had preferred for me.

Where did those feelings lead me? At the end, I was a castaway, thrown out of the royal family like a piece of trash. At the end, I was faced with the scary reality that he never reciprocated those feelings - that he only wanted me and didn't even care if I didn't have a choice in it.

I blinked and forced myself to stand up, desperately wishing that the thoughts would fade out of my head, but this time there was no running away from it. It was like I was reliving all the cold nights, the number of times he betrayed me, all over again.

I blinked back the tears, realizing just how fucked up my past was. I was pushed into a one-night stand with a stranger, and that had been the sole beginning of all my problems.

"Dammit," I simply cursed again. There was no going back on this one.

I finally managed to gather the momentum I needed to leave the room. There was no use staying there and waiting for Tyler to come back; even without thinking deeply into it, something already told me that he would spend a long time with the elder.

I made my way back to my room and was about to settle for another boring day just sitting there and waiting for the time to pass when I received a notification from Marcela.

I already have severe trauma from our last meeting, and I'm definitely not ready for another round of sitting down under the disguise of a doctor's appointment while she listed out all the things that were critically lacking in my life and how they could instantly spell death under any other circumstances. So yeah, I wasn't ready for another meeting in that tiny cozy office of hers at all.

However, I felt relief wash through me as I opened the message: "Outing at 9:00 a.m. Meet me at the garden that I showed you last time," it read.

I didn't know that my life would be this much dictated, but at the moment, I couldn't really care any less about it. It was far better than sitting in my room and counting the hours as they ticked by anyway. Any reason to leave was immediately welcomed.

So without bothering to stop and wonder if Tyler would be against me going out of the mansion unsupervised without any guards, and without even bothering to text her back, I already slipped my phone into my handbag and slung it over my shoulder.

I added a few layers of makeup on my face, just to smooth everything out before stepping out of the room.

I had one destination in mind, and it didn't take me long to arrive at the secret garden, as I liked to call it. The air here seemed fresher for some reason that I couldn't quite place.

I stopped for a while and just stared at the huge bed of poppies that lined the ground. The beautiful flowers surrounded the many statues that decorated the garden. This time, I spotted the moon goddess statue almost immediately. It stood there, a head taller than all the rest, with a water fountain just a short distance away.

I took a few steps into the garden, stepping inside the pretty space properly. Then from the shadows, almost blending perfectly with the surroundings, was Marcela, her head bent over a book, and she didn't even notice me.

"Marcela," I whispered softly as I approached her, careful not to startle her.

She raised her head immediately. "Well, you're early," she commented, a bright smile on her face.

"Oh please," I simply waved my hand. "You have no idea how utterly boring that manor is. Sometimes I wonder if people are supposed to live there."

"I would think you would have gotten used to it by now," Marcela said with a little smile still on her face, and I wished that I had the energy to argue it out with her. She simply had no idea what I'd been through within the past month. The reality was so bad that it left me wondering if I was a Luna or simply a girl in a fancy prison.

"Shall we get going?" Marcela asked, shutting her book before I had a chance to look at the cover of what she was reading. She stored the book away in her bag, a fancy pink bag that matched perfectly with her pink pants. She wore a huge vintage shirt that was pure white except for the pink stripes here and there. It had me wondering if the theme for today was pink. I didn't ask her though, fearing that it could sound weird. As weird as it sounds now, Marcela is the only friend I have in the Mystic Pack. And not only do I have the perks of befriending a doctor, but she's also incredibly fun to hang out with, not to mention the fact that she knew her way around the pack. If I ever needed a guide, then she was the one.

The city teemed with vitality, and I felt free as I walked alongside Marcela. She engaged in lively conversation, her hands expressive as she delved into the latest pack rumors. Her enthusiasm was infectious, although I struggled to keep pace with her rapid updates.

The streets pulsed with energy, vendors vociferating their offerings, children flitting between stalls, and the distant murmur of vehicles. It contrasted starkly with the stifling quiet of the manor.

"Are you even paying attention, Lola?" Marcela's voice sliced through my reverie. She fixed me with a playful glare, hands planted firmly on her hips.

"Absolutely," I said, flashing her a wry smile. "Something about Alpha Magnus's son and a rather scandalous dance at the recent banquet?"

"You're incorrigible. It was actually about his mate causing a scene."

Marcela's laughter filled the air, and for the first time in weeks, I felt the tension in my shoulders ease. We meandered into a boutique, its windows adorned with exquisite dresses. Marcela's eyes gleamed as she plucked a billowy lavender gown from a display.

"Try this on," she insisted, offering it to me.

"Me? This seems more suited for royalty."

"You do reside in a manor, so close enough," she quipped.

Moments later, I stood before the mirror, scarcely recognizing the reflection staring back at me. The gown embraced my silhouette elegantly, its cascading fabric evoking a sense of... transformation. A touch of beauty, perhaps.

Marcela clapped gleefully. "You see? You're a vision. Or at the very least, you exude regality."

Chuckling, I shook my head. "It's just a dress."

I wasn't prepared to confront notions of beauty or joy—not after everything.

Yet maybe, just maybe, a shopping expedition and a loyal companion marked a new beginning.

"Your turn," I announced, a grin playing on my lips as I tossed her a vibrant crimson dress. "Let's see if you can outshine me."

Marcela snickered but took the dress anyway.