Chapter 20 Alicia
Rowan
I never thought I’d see Lira put in this much effort to look good. When she showed up that night, I almost forgot how to breathe. This was the same girl who used to drown in baggy shirts and hide behind a curtain of hair, and now she stood there like she owned every inch of the room.
Her hair curled just right, lips painted red, skin practically glowing. For a second, I didn’t even know her. Then she spoke, and it all came back. Yeah, this was Liras, the girl who couldn’t shift, the one everyone felt sorry for. The one who used to trail after me until I got tired of her sad puppy eyes.
But tonight? There was no trace of sad. She looked... incredible. And I hated that I noticed.
“Well, would you look at that,” I said as she climbed into the car. “Ugly duckling cleans up pretty good.” I whistled, grinning just to cover up the way my skin burned in her presence.
She didn’t even blink. Just shot me that fake, polite smile. “Tonight’s important for the pack. The least you can do is act your age.”
That smile, God, it got to me. She really thought she could talk down to me. To me. My hand moved before I could stop myself, but she caught my wrist in a flash, her grip was strong, her voice dropped, almost cold.
“That means no stupid stunts, and don’t disrespect me. Not here, not anywhere.”
She let go like she couldn’t stand to touch me.
It threw me off. Since when did she have a backbone?
“You fucking twat!”
She just clicked her tongue. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. That’s not very nice.”
“Just because you’re pretty doesn’t mean you can talk to me like that.”
She shot me a smirk. “That’s exactly why I can. I’m pretty, and you can’t do a thing about it.”
For once, I had nothing. The way she said it, so sure of herself, caught me off guard. Lira never used to stand up to me. She barely even held my gaze before. But tonight? She did both, and, honestly, she looked incredible.
“You’re going to regret mouthing off to me,” I snapped. Anger felt easier than whatever else was bubbling upinside me.
She just turned away, not bothered at all. My threats bounced right off her, and that got under my skin.
When we walked in, she went ahead of me. Every head turned. The men stared; the women frowned. I felt something strange twist in my gut. Without thinking, I slid my arm around her waist. She tensed right away. Even at the ball, I kept her close, telling myself it was just for show. But seeing her tonight, I couldn’t shake the way everyone watched her. I joked around, tried to act like I was only trying to get a rise out of her, but truth was, I couldn’t look away either.
Then Anton showed up and called her hot. And in response I introduced her as my date, way more possessively than I meant to. When he kissed her hand, I wanted to wipe that smug grin off his face.
So I yanked her away. She shot me this glare and accused me of trying to embarrass her, and I snapped right back, told her I was only doing what any guy would do with his date. But honestly, even as the words left my mouth, I had no idea why it pissed me off so much to see another man looking at her.
I wanted her to pay for it. She’d gotten under my skin tonight, made me feel things I didn’t ask for, and I hated that.
When I caught Ace smirking at her, I thought, alright, this’ll be fun. At least, that’s what I tried to tell myself.Except, watching her shrink away from him didn’t give me the satisfaction I’d expected. Not even close.
Ace was always a bigger trouble than me, louder, meaner, just... worse. I used to call him my brother, but some nights, even I couldn’t stand him. Still, I kept my mouth shut, while admitting to myself that Lira’s fear got to me felt harder than just letting it go.
“Ace,” she said, her smile so forced it nearly split her face.
Her voice shook. She tried to hide it, but I heard it.
“Yeah, but technically,” Ace said, turning to me with that nasty grin, “she’s gonna be mine tonight. Right, Rowan?”
He wanted a reaction. And I gave him one anyway.
“Yeah, man,” I said, as cool as I could manage, smirking like none of it mattered. “She’s all yours. Whatever you want.”
I watched his eyes crawl over her, and I felt my blood spike. I hated the way he looked at her. Hated that he could say what I wanted to say, just in his own twisted way.
A few minutes later, I was searching the ballroom for her. I caught a glimpse of her curls in a quiet corner near the back, clutching a shot glass and tossing it back like it was nothing. Her shoulders were stiff, and her eyes kept bouncing around, like she wanted to vanish.
Something twisted in my chest. Guilt, maybe? Regret? I couldn’t pin it down, and honestly, I didn’t want to. I shoved it aside.
The crowd hushed as the MC called for the Alpha’s dance. Everyone turned to the dance floor, so I did too, right as Alicia walked up and tried to pull my attention away. No luck there. Even when she leaned in and whispered that she needed the bathroom, I couldn’t stop watching Lira.
Then she snuck out through the side door. I followed, not too close, close enough to see her, far enough to stay out of sight. She sat by the pool, knees pulled up to her chest, shoulders shaking just a little. She was crying. I almost went to her, but another voice cut through the empty space.
Alicia.
So that’s the “bathroom” she needed.
“I guess you realized you didn’t fit in and decided to bail,” Alicia said, mockingly.
“Just leave me alone, Alicia,” Lira said. Her voice shook, but she stood her ground.
They went at it, neither one backing down. Suddenly, Alicia grabbed Lira’s hair and yanked her close, hissing something I couldn’t catch.
Everything after that blurred together.
Lira panicked, her voice breaking. “No, no… please. I can’t swim. Don’t throw me in there.”
That’s when I finally moved.
“Alicia—”
But I couldn’t get to them in time. Alicia screamed, “HELP!” and shoved her in the pool. The splash was huge. Lira hit the water hard, causing more splashes as she gasped for air.
I didn’t even think, I tore off my jacket and dove in. She was sinking fast, she wasn’t moving at all.
I swam as fast as I could, but before I got there, my dad came out of nowhere and dragged her out. I scrambled out too, and suddenly everyone was crowding around the pool, staring and whispering.
Alicia didn’t miss a beat. As soon as Dad started talking, she clung to me, shaking just enough to look helpless. Then, right on cue, she lost it, loud, messy sobs that echoed across the pool area.
She started bawling about how Lira pushed her in, how she almost drowned, how scared she was. Every tear made the crowd lean in closer, fawning over her, nodding along like they believed every word.
Meanwhile, Lira stood there soaking wet, arms wrapped tight around herself, like she was trying to hold together what little dignity she had left. Her hair stuck to her cheeks, her lips shook, but she didn’t say a word. She just stared at Alicia, and at me with eyes that were both hurt and hollow.
I could feel my dad’s stare burning into me, and the whispers around us continued. Alicia kept crying, grabbing every bit of sympathy she could, while Lira’s silence just made things worse for her.
On my dad’s order, the guards took us out, and I trailed after them, tiredly. my head was spinning. Alicia grabbed onto me, still sniffling, still pretending, while Lira just marched ahead without a word.
On the drive back, nobody talked. I watched the road. Lira stared out the window the whole way, her reflection appeared ghostly in the glass, barely moving except to breathe. I kept sneaking glances at her. She almost died tonight and it was my fault. I let Alicia push her too far. I just stood there and watched until everything went wrong.
When we pulled up at home, Dad’s car was already in the driveway. Despite having said he’d stay behind to deal with the pack. Alicia hopped out and put on that stressed limp, her little show. I didn’t bother helping. Couldn’t even look at her.
Lira didn’t wait for anyone. She headed straight to her room, leaving wet footprints behind. I wanted to say something, do something, but I just stood there, useless. In the end, I went to bed with conflicting emotions.