Chasing His Kickass Luna Back

But as we're sipping quietly, a sudden growl rumbles from my stomach. My eyes widen, and I place my hand over my belly, shooting Karl an apologetic look.

"Hungry?" Karl asks with a laugh.

I can't help but blush a bit. “I haven't eaten since breakfast,” I admit quietly. “And after earlier...” "Say no more.” Karl grins and takes my hand, leading me away. I sip my champagne some more as I follow him, just grateful for the feeling of the alcohol and the way it makes my mind fuzzy around the edges, causing my racing thoughts to start to go quiet for once.

Finally, after weaving through the thick crowd, we make our way to the hors d'oeuvres table. It seems as though the food has been popular tonight, because many of the plates are beginning to go empty.

Thankfully, Karl and I carefully prepared two rounds of everything earlier, which means that there will be enough food to last the whole night; but I'm just glad to see everyone enjoying my food after the Alpha party debacle.

“Enjoy the fruits of your labor,” Karl says, handing me a plate. “You were the one who made all of this delicious food happen.”

“Yeah,” I say, already loading my plate with food, “and you helped.”

Karl shrugs. “I was there for... moral support,” he says.

“No, Karl,” I say with a laugh. “You were a huge help. A real sous chef.”

Karl opens his mouth to say something, but before he can, his eyes widen slightly. “Act natural,” he says quietly. And before I can ask what the hell he's talking about, I hear it.

“Hello, Karl. Abby.”

It's Ethan. I turn around to see Ethan and Gianna standing there, both dressed with their masks covering their faces. My eyes flit over to Karl, who's the perfect picture of poise.

“Ethan, Gianna,” he says. “I hope you're enjoying the party.”

Ethan nods. “I know I didn't receive an invitation, but everyone has been talking about this party,” he says. “We had to see what it was all about.”

As Ethan speaks, Gianna is silent, but her eyes speak volumes behind her mask. Her gaze flickers down to the hem of my dress, which is still slightly damp from rolling around in the woods with Karl. She gives me a smirk, as if she knows what I've been up to tonight. And I can feel her judging me. For a moment, I almost expect Karl to tell his brother and Gianna to leave. But to my astonishment, Karl handles the situation with remarkable grace and composure. His welcoming words, devoid of resentment or hostility, take me by surprise.

“No need for an invitation,” he assures them, a warm smile on his lips. “This is a gathering for the entire pack. Please, enjoy the party. And the food.”

"Who prepared the food?” Gianna asks, eyeing the plate of hors d'oeuvres in my hand.

"Abby, of course,” Karl proudly announces.

As Karl speaks, Gianna's face drains of color. There's a long silence between us; then, she hurriedly ushers Ethan away without another word.

"What was that about?” I whisper, turning to face Karl. “They just ran off.”

Karl's smile has faded now that they're gone, but he shakes his head. “Ignore them,” he murmurs. “They're not worth it.”

I nod, even though my instincts are burning. Together, Karl and I finish preparing our plates and turn to rejoin the party.

But as we're crossing the room in search of a table, something happens

A stranger in the crowd, someone who I cannot see and who is already gone by the time it happens, bumps against me. I stumble in my high heels, and my plate and my champagne flute go flying from my hands, shattering on the floor and causing nearby partygoers to fall silent, turning to see what happened.

But my plate and my glass aren't the only things that have fallen; my mask has jostled off, too, and now lays on the floor, amongst the wreckage.

And everyone is staring at me, murmuring my name.