87

I felt like a freak, the way everyone looked at me.

I shouldn’t have packed that Zara dress in my bag, along with the lipstick and perfume that he almost made me accept. Even less should I have put it on that night, bitten by jealousy and vanity I never had.

I knew deep down that I didn’t want to feel inferior to Balthazar’s fiancée.

I imagined that everyone would be very elegant and pompous. But I barely noticed anyone since I entered, and my gaze met Balthazar’s. It pulled my attention, even more so with his intense expression, a mix of surprise, desire, and later, some anger. Awakening the worst and the best in me.

I promised myself that night I would prove that he wasn’t important. So, I pushed my overwhelmed feelings down and greeted the others.

“Lioara, good evening. Allow me...”

Alexandar, who had risen along with another vampire, pulled out a chair next to him for me. I could feel the heavy energy from Balthazar, and I liked that it bothered him. I accepted, finally, my gaze observing the Draganovs.

The vampire I met that afternoon was without the bear cloak, but still looked intimidating and enormous. His rebellious black hair matched his beard of the same color. His clothes were a combination of thick fabric and leather, with a fur-lined jacket, a mix of something wild with sophistication.

He looked like a robust and imposing warrior. The boots, made of thick and reinforced leather, showed signs of wear, but had a noble style, with detailed buckles. If it weren’t for the good, characteristic scent of a pure, I would never say he was a vampire.

“Thank you.” I smiled, and he returned a sensual smile as he settled beside me and introduced the one to his right.

“My brother, Dimitar Draganov.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is mine.” I tilted my head, genuinely impressed.

If Alexandar was a masculine, dark beauty, Dimitar was all in old gold. Hair down to his shoulders in a rich bronze brown, just like his piercing eyes. Tanned skin, tall, and strong. Elegant in a gray suit without a tie. A powerful voice.

I found it hard to believe there was an ugly or smelly pure. Even though they were different from one another, they were a pleasure to look at and smell. That’s when my eyes landed on the woman beside him.

The family followed a kind of gradient: Alexandar in darkness, Dimitar as the in-between, and the sister very pale. Almost all of her, like nothing I had ever seen. Her pale gray eyes like water fixed on mine.

Beautiful. Very beautiful.

Her whitish hair down to her waist matched with her eyelashes and eyebrows, which barely appeared on her translucent skin.

A long silver silk dress shimmered softly in the light, with a small neckline and a band of transparent crystals adorning her chest. The light, transparent sleeves were made of a fabric that seemed to float.

“My sister, Kassandra Draganov,” the eldest continued the introductions.

I felt many things, a pull inside that crushed me. She was Balthazar’s fiancée, she would marry him, give him children. They would be beautiful. Pure. For millennia he would touch her, penetrate her. Do everything with her that he did with me.

Jealousy, tearing and pulsing, almost took my breath away. That was the name of the feeling I didn’t want to have, but there it was, making me want to leap at him and punch him for making me purge and suffer that way. But I maintained my neutral façade and avoided him at all costs.

“How are you?” Kassandra greeted me with a delicate nod of her head, her voice soft.

“Fine. And you?”

She smiled in response. Attentive to me.

I forced myself to turn to the others, speaking with each one. I felt Balthazar’s gaze fixed on me. But he was the only one I deliberately avoided, fully aware of his presence and ignoring him only seemingly.

“You look beautiful, Lio. The red dress made your hair even more red,” Calíope complimented.

Her sincerity did me good, and I focused on her, trying to feel stronger.

“I loved your blue-black hair matching your dress of the same color.”

She thanked me. Celestia gave me a soft smile. Caliban, interested in my breasts, which irritated me since I felt cold in that outfit. Antares serious as always.

“It’s good to have you all here,” he said, waving his hand.

Soon the servants appeared with trays and pitchers, serving everyone.

Of course, I was the only one different there. A wolf, with plates of food. Still the target of attention and curiosity.

When I entered, everyone was standing still and silent. But as soon as the servants left, the conversation began. Dimitar turned to me, observing me cut a piece of meat.

“Tell us about your life with your pack, Lioara. Very different from here?”

“Quite.”

“And how did this friendship between Constantini and Severus form?” he continued. “Vampires and wolves don’t always get along!”

As I suspected, it would be an interrogation. And the tension weighed heavily.

I couldn’t resist. My eyes, of their own accord, went to Balthazar. His, silver and burning, fixed on mine.

Everything churned inside me. What we had was never friendship. It was visceral, crazy, passionate. It made me hate him at that moment, feel betrayed. And I shouldn’t. I always knew he was engaged, except for the first contact. Whether in heat or not, I went to his bed knowing.

Hatred and pain collided. Shame too, since his fiancée was there, and I should know everything.

I chewed the food, swallowed, and turned back to Dimitar.

“I met them at the Alliance Party. It’s a celebration my father and uncles have every month in their territories.”

“And that’s where the friendship began.” Alexandar’s gaze seemed to want to read my mind.

“Exactly.”

“Here we have a peaceful coexistence,” Antares reinforced, all stiff. Perhaps afraid I would speak of their proposal between a pure and a supreme. “I heard you had conflicts with wolves from your region.”

Immediately, I stared at the two brothers, analyzing them as possible enemies. At least the Severus kept the old wars aside.

Alexandar glared at him with some anger but then smiled and turned back to me.

“We’ve had some disputes, but nothing to worry about. Temporary problems that would never extend to you or your family, Lioara. We, the Draganovs, would also be honored to be your friends.”

They were all fake. None of them desired that. Only their own interests.

The subject from then on was light, for the most part with the two brothers talking about their clan, Calíope comparing it a little to theirs, Caliban irritating me by constantly looking at my nipples and giving me silly grins. There was a moment when I bared my teeth in a silent snarl, and he stopped.

Balthazar didn’t say anything. Even Celestia occasionally muttered some monosyllable. But he remained in a heavy, rigid silence, practically not taking his eyes off me. No matter how much I avoided him, I was about to scream and leave.

I didn’t see him talk to his fiancée. Kassandra watched, murmured something softly, also staring at me a lot. Everything felt strange and cold between them, and for a few seconds, I wondered if he was telling me the truth. He wasn’t in the same room with her, they wouldn’t sleep together.