Chapter 7 7.Alpha Emery's stepdaughter

Tabitha's POV

"You're Yoseff Beckett's son?" I gasp.

He sheepishly rubs his nape. "I guess you know my father."

"Everyone on this island knows your father!"

The Becketts own the majority of the fishing and shipping lines in Kaelara island which puts their family on equal footing in terms of wealth and influence with the Aldairs! Plus, Yoseff Beckett is the Alpha of Stormblood pack which makes this guy...

"You're the heir...the future Alpha of Stormblood pack?" My mouth blurts out the fact before I can stop it. Holy shit. This man is as much royalty as my asshole step brothers. That's why he's got the same powerful air around him-he's got the Alpha blood too!

"You sure know a lot about the packs around here," he notes. "Especially for someone who's..."

"Human?" I finish for him with a tilt of my head. "Well, yes. My father is human, and I got that from him. But my mom is a she-wolf which is the reason why I'm quite versed about all the pack stuff. I'm Tabitha Huxley."

Recognition flashes in his eyes. He snaps his finger in realization.

"You're Alpha Emery's stepdaughter!"

"Yup, that's me."

"That's awesome. Congratulations on your mother and Alpha Emery's engagement. This party is magnificent." Arthur says and raises his glass for a toast.

I chuckle and bump my glass lightly against his. "Thanks, my mom worked hard for it.."

Arthur offers a small smile.

"Have to say, you look a little familiar."

My brows lift slightly. "Really?"

"Yeah. Can't quite place it though. Have we met before?"

"I used to live here. My mom and I left the island five years ago. We only just came back recently." I shrug.

"Ah," Arthur nods. "Then that might be it. We probably crossed paths back then."

"Maybe," I say. "Though I doubt I would've forgotten you."

That earns a quiet chuckle from him. "A lot has changed on the island since then. Has anyone shown you around yet?"

I shake my head. "Not really. I don't think anyone's offering."

"Then maybe you're just waiting for the right guide." Arthur raises his glass again, a small grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Oh, he's charming and polite. Not what I expected from someone with Alpha blood. Guys like him are supposed to be too busy to waste time on girls hiding behind cakes, yet here he is, generous enough to offer his time without acting like I'm beneath him. He doesn't carry himself like a snob either, not like my broody step brothers who walk around like everyone owes them air.

Maybe this is finally my chance to meet a decent friend now that I'm back on the island.

"You know what? That sounds-"

"There you are." Jace suddenly pops out of nowhere and cuts through our conversation.

"J-Jace?" What is he doing here, interacting with me? It doesn't look like he's here to strike up a friendly conversation, not with his brows tugged into a frown as he glances between Arthur and me. His lips curve into a grimace like he just smelled something sour.

"Jace." Arthur nods at him. "I was just talking with your step sister here. She's got a way of making this place feel a little less stiff, I'll give her that."

Jace's jaw tightens and his eyes flick to me with a cold, sharp glance before he speaks. "You're out here flirting with a guest while our parents are looking for you?"

"W-What? I'm not flirting!" My face flushes in embarrassment as I shyly glance at Arthur.

"Hey, man. I was just striking up a friendly conversation. That's all," Arthur explains calmly.

Jace scoffs. "That didn't look friendly to where I was standing."

What's his problem? He's bulldozing in the middle of our conversation and now he's throwing this crap at me?

"Let's go. My dad and your mom are looking for you," he mutters without waiting for a reply, and completely ignoring Arthur who is staring at us in confusion. He looks one step away from arguing with Jace.

I stumble a little as Jace pulls me along, my fingers still caught in his grip. We barely make it a few steps before a familiar presence blocks our path.

"Well, look who decided to show her face." Yennifer steps right in front of us, her red gown clinging like blood to skin.

Yennifer's smirk stretches so wide it nearly splits her face. But nothing about it is friendly. If anything, she looks ready to tear me apart, especially when her eyes flick down to where Jace's hand is still wrapped around mine, then slowly rise back up to meet my gaze. She is being flanked by Vina and Eris.

"Well, hello there, Chubbyta." The insulting nickname rolls off her tongue like it's still scrawled on a bathroom stall in the Crystal Ridge High girls' restroom. "Not gonna lie, I didn't recognize you at first. I thought your mom had another daughter or something. You really gave up the snack drawer, huh? What happened? Did you run out of pastries back in the mainland?"

Bitch.

"Maybe that's why she decided to come back here," Vina seconds, snickering beside Yennifer. "She's probably looking for another fridge to raid."

Eris snorts. "I'll give her a month, tops. And she'll be back to her porky habits."

"I don't have time for this. Why don't you girls find another one to bitch with?" I snap.

"Oh look, she's learned to talk back. What is it, Chubbyta? You think you're part of the Aldair clan now, so that makes you untouchable? Is that it? You think you're one of them?" Yennifer takes a step forward as she mercilessly hurls the words at me.

"Yennifer..." Jace calls her in a warning tone.

But she only turns her grin on him, utterly shameless. She even has the brazenness to point at me as if to emphasize her point.

"Can you believe this, Jace? This clown is your new stepsister?" Her eyes narrow as her voice dips into that syrupy malice I remember too well. He stares at me with nothing but pure disdain. "No matter how you dress her up, she's still the same pathetic nobody who used to cry in the locker room."

"Yennifer! Mind your tongue," Jace hisses, stepping in like he's two seconds away from dragging her out of the party himself.

But Yennifer doesn't even flinch. She folds her arms and gives me a slow once-over, clearly enjoying the attention. The longer she stares, the more my skin crawls. A few nearby guests have started to glance our way, murmuring under their breath. I catch Evren and Luca a few meters away, their eyes trained on us with growing interest.

"I guess the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree," Yennifer says, then leans in closer to whisper so only I can hear. "Must be nice, slipping into the Aldair name like it's a free pass. No effort or backbone, just shamelessly riding on power that was never yours to begin with... just like your mother."

"Of course you'd be mad. You've been trying to claw your way up the social ladder since high school. And now someone else got a shortcut you didn't," I clap back.

Yennifer's eyes narrow. Her lips twitch in anger but no words come out of it as if she's taken aback by my words. Even Vina and Eris falter for a second, their smirks flickering as they glance at each other in awkward silence. For once, Yennifer doesn't have the audience laughing with her.

"Y-You bitch-"

"Oh, save it, Yennifer." I cut her off with a roll of my eyes. "You can have Jace all you want. Enjoy the drama. I'm going to see my mom. Unlike you, I don't have a habit of ruining parties just to be the center of attention."

I pull my hand free from Jace's and step away without looking at him. I keep my chin up as I stride towards the stage where Mom and Emery are still chatting with some of their guests.

Behind me, Yennifer hisses, "Watch her strut like she owns the damn pack now."

I don't look back, but the shuffle of heels against the tile and the sharp scrape of a table dragging across the floor yank my attention. My eyes flick toward the dessert table.

Yennifer's fingers are pressed against the edge, a glint in her eyes that sends a jolt through my chest.

"Oops," she mutters as she nudges the cake, causing it to wobble in the air and slide off the table.

Shit!

Gasps rise through the crowd as the cake descends to my direction. But before it can crash into me, a figure darts out from the crowd. Evren cuts between us and swats the cake midair, redirecting it toward the side. The towering mess of sponge and icing explodes against Vina, who shrieks as frosting splatters all over her pale yellow gown.

"What the hell, Yennifer?" Vina screams, icing dripping off her curls.

Yennifer stares at the scene in stunned disbelief, eyes wide as the cake splatters all over her friend's gown. Vina angrily stomps her teeth while wiping her cake-drenched dress. Around them, shocked murmurs rise and heads whip toward the chaos. Even Eris looks like she wants to disappear.

Yennifer snarls and shoves past Evren, dropping to snatch a chunk of ruined cake from the ground. "You can't even get humiliated right, you pathetic parasite!" she spits, then hurls the mess straight at me.

I gasp as the bits of the ruined cake smacks across my chest and neck, splatting all over my blue dress. I just stand there, stunned, while icing clings to my skin and soaks into the fabric of my dress. The guests around us gape at us in shock. The cozy music that has been playing since the start of the party halts to reveal the chaotic mess that is us.

"Yennifer!" Jace snaps, his voice cutting loud across the courtyard. "What have you done?!"

"Jace, it's her fault-"

"Enough!" Evren's shout follows right after. I've never heard him sound this furious.

But I can't focus on any of it. All I see are the rows of eyes of the guests that are glued to me like I'm some kind of circus act. Some of them whisper behind their glasses, others smirk like they expected this all along. I catch my mom's face in the distance, her head tilting as she cranes her neck to see what's happening. Emery stands beside her, following her gaze.

Too many curious eyes, too many ridiculing smirks.

Too many people around me...

I can't take it.