As Vessara exited the hall, the noise faded behind her as she moved further away. She did not know where she was going. She just needed to move. So she walked around the enormous pack house for a while.
She reached a corridor, the walls were lined with framed photographs of Crescent Pack's history—old alphas, pack gatherings, border markers from decades ago. She stopped to look at each of them.
After some minutes, she walked away, and the corridor ended at a set of glass doors. Vessara pushed them open and stepped into the garden.
It was large and well-kept. Soft lights were placed along the walkway's trimmed hedge lines, providing sufficient visibility without being too bright. She stopped to study beds of flowers that she could not name.
At the center of the garden, there was a fountain. It was not running. A few benches were placed not too far from the area.
She let out a slow, deep breath. For the first time since arriving at the party, she felt a bit better. The tightness in her chest had loosened slightly. The ache in her ankles was still there, but the cool air helped distract her from it.
What she wanted was to go home. She wanted to be in her room with the door closed. She wanted to take off this dress and these shoes and wash the makeup from her face. She wanted to lie in her bed, pull the blanket up to her chin, and sleep. She did not want to go back inside. She did not want to talk to anyone else. She did not want to smile at anyone else. She did not want to stand in that hall for one more minute pretending she was having a good time.
Vessara wrapped her arms lightly around herself. She looked around the garden and noticed no one was nearby. She moved toward the bench with the thought of taking off her heels for a moment. She was almost sitting down when she heard footsteps behind her.
Vessara turned around immediately. Her body tensed. It was Durian. The one who had commented on her dress. He was standing a few feet away from her, his hands in his pockets. He had removed his suit jacket and was now just in his white shirt, sleeves rolled up.
Durian smiled, one that didn't reach his eyes. "Hey, Vessara. Did you have fun exploring the pack house?"
Vessara stared at him. Her chest tightened slightly. "Have you been following me?" she asked.
"Yes," Durian replied. "You didn't notice?" He arched his brows.
Vessara was silent. She had not noticed any movement behind her. She had not heard footsteps. She had been too focused on her thoughts, ignoring her surroundings. That was careless. Her father would be disappointed. Her stepmother would call it foolish.
Durian face-palmed himself. "You are a fucking omega! It's no wonder you couldn't notice me. Apologies." He raised his hands in mock surrender.
Now, Vessara did not know how she should feel about him following her. The word itself made her uneasy.
Durian took a step forward. "You left in a rush back there. So I just thought you needed company." He smirked.
And something about it made her skin prickle. She did not feel safe.
"I am fine. I do not need company. I was just about to go back inside." Vessara said she kept her voice as calm as possible. But she could already feel herself trembling.
Vessara kept a distance as she walked past him; her heart was beating fast, and her hands had suddenly gone cold.
She didn't make it far when Durian reached her, grabbed her wrist, and swirled her to face him. Vessara froze.
"Not too soon, omega. You don't have to run. I don't bite."
"Let go," She tried to jerk free.
His grip tightened around her wrist. His fingers pressed deeply into the soft skin of her wrist, hurting her. She could not pull her arm back without struggling or hurting herself even more.
She tried anyway. "I said, let me go!" Vessara repeated with more force.
Instead of releasing her, Durian pulled her closer. She stumbled forward, losing her balance for a second before he steadied her. And before she could react, his other arm wrapped around her waist, holding her in place.
"What do you want from me?! Let me go," she said. Her hands pressed against his chest, trying to create space, but Durian didn't move. He was stronger.
"Stay calm. You are too tense."
His hold on her waist tightened, bringing them even closer. She could feel the warmth of his body through his shirt. She could smell his cologne.
Vessara tried to twist out of his hold, but he wouldn't budge. Fear settled in her chest.
"Please…let…me…go." She begged, her voice shaking.
Durian leaned his face closer, and his lips brushed against her ear. "Stay calm, or I will hurt you."
Vessara flinched. Her heart beat faster. She stopped pushing. She stopped moving entirely.
"That is better," he said.
He lowered his head and pressed his mouth to her neck. His lips pressed wetness to her skin. He kissed the sensitive spot of her neck, then he moved up toward her jaw to kiss her lips.
She turned her face away. "No, please—"
Durian leaned back to look into her blue eyes. "You are beautiful. You know that? When I saw you, I could not look away."
"Please just let me—"
"Have you ever been with a man?" He blurted.
Vessara tried to push him away harder this time. But he kissed her neck again. His hand on her waist slid lower, trying to lift her dress. She tried to push him away again, but he grabbed both of her wrists with one hand and held them against her stomach.
"Do not fight me! It will be easier if you do not fight!"
She opened her mouth to scream. Before any sound came out, he released her hands and covered her mouth with his hand. She bit his fingers, and he suddenly pulled back.
"You bitch!"
His hand came across her face. The impact knocked her off balance, and she fell hard to the ground on her side. Tears filled her eyes immediately.
"You'd regret this!"
Vael walked through the hallways of the pack house at a fast pace. He had lost track of Ares.
One moment, Ares had been standing behind him while he spoke to Alpha Marcus, then Ares had excused himself to get a drink, promising to return. The next moment, he was gone, totally out of sight.
Vael had turned around to beckon to him in a bid to fetch his tablet from the car so he could show Alpha Marcus some plans regarding the deal, but Ares had vanished from the hall.
This was not unusual. Ares did not like being watched. He came and went as he pleased. But tonight was different. The party was full of powerful people. One wrong move from Ares—one loss of control, one shift he could not stop—and it would cause problems.
Vael had checked the restrooms. He had checked a small sitting room where a group of older men was smoking cigars and laughing.
No Ares.
Then he caught the scent. It was faint at first, mixed with the smells of food, perfume, and cigar smoke. But he followed it. The scent led him down a dark corridor near the back of the pack house, where the lights were dimmer. There were several doors. Ares's scent became stronger.
Vael opened a door. Then another in a quiet manner, trying not to raise an alarm yet.
Finally, he found him. Ares was shoving his tongue down a girl's throat and squeezing her butt as if his life depended on it. They were both on the bed. The girl was riding him with so much vigor.
Vael watched for a moment. Then he relaxed. Ares was fine. Ares was not losing control. Ares was doing what Ares always did at parties like this.
Ares let out a loud moan as he threw his head back. The girl bounced on his cock, her core swallowing his whole length.
Vael felt the urge to ruin the mood and drag Ares away, but he changed his mind. He closed the door gently and walked away.
He intended to head back to the party, but his wolf kicked against it. Vael was already tired and bored, just wanting to leave. But thanks to Ares, he has to stay back longer than he planned. He changed direction and headed towards the corridor lined with the pack's history, then saw the glass doors.
As he got closer, Vael heard a sound that made him stop. Soft sobs. And a voice. A girl's voice, saying something he could not quite hear. Then he stepped closer, and the voice came again, clearer this time.
"Please. Let me go. Please. I don't want this."
"I'll give you money. Lots of it. Just stay still."
Vael stood still. He caught a weak scent.
"I don't want money."
Vael groaned quietly. "Bloody omega."
Through the glass door, Vessara was on the floor. Durian grabbed her arms and forced them above her head, pinning them down to the ground. She struggled to get him off her.
He should walk away. It was not his problem. He did not know this girl. He did not owe her anything. The party was full of people who could help her.
As Vael took a step back, his wolf tugged at him. A sharp pull in his chest. He tried to ignore it.
"No! Not this time, Runn. It's not my business." Vael said to his wolf.
His wolf growled, tugging harder this time.
He swore under his breath. Then he walked through the glass doors into the garden.
This time, Durian was straddling her hips, and his hands were tearing at the front of her dress. As the fabric ripped apart, Vessara cried even more.
"Please. Don't!" Vessara begged.
Vael hissed. He crossed the garden to where they were in a few strides.
"Let her go." He commanded.
His voice was low but enough for someone to hear him.