Chapter 3 His Return

LUNA ASTERBELLE'S POV

Days have passed since the cafeteria incident. The entire class mourned for the loss of Joseph, and we have also offered our condolences to his family. The school's administration promised that they would be compensated with the finances of his burial and that they were at fault because we had to set up a meeting for our project.

I couldn't sleep for the entire night after that tragedy; I was feeling guilty. I was the leader, and I knew that I owned and carried a huge responsibility for Joseph's death because I scheduled that group meeting. His parents and even Andrea might be blaming me up to this point, which is why I chose to lock myself up in my room.

"Luna, your party will start in less than three hours. Are you sure that you wouldn't attend?" Mrs. Asterbelle asked from the other side of the door.

"I'm not sure, Mrs. Asterbelle," I replied with honesty. "Please tell Mr. Asterbelle that I will just be a little bit late."

I had to treat the both of them with the utmost respect since my parents were the king and queen of the Blood Moon Pack and I was considered their only daughter. I wasn't originally born in this place, and I was just adopted by the Asterbelles. No matter how much they wanted to have their own child, Mrs. Asterbelle was unfortunate to be given the curse of not getting impregnated by her mate.

I wasn't able to get any hints as to who my real parents were, but I just let it pass by. I was content with the current family that I had inside this pack house of mine. After carefully considering whether I'd attend or not, I mustered up the courage to take a shower and prepare for my celebration.

"Which one do you prefer, Lady Luna?" an Omega who was assigned to me asked.

She placed her hands on two gowns that were worn by mannequins. One was pure red and seemed to be alluring to the eyes of many, while the other was a simple dress that was sparkling due to the variety of accessories. Believing that I would be able to transform into my werewolf form later on, I decided to go on with the simple dress that would not gather much attention. Besides, it would be a waste if I wore the red gown since it would just be ruined and torn apart.

The caretaker assisted me into wearing the dress; her hands were too gentle, as if she were taking care of something fragile. She was also the one who gave my make-up a retouch. The only thing I refused from her was her suggestion of giving me 3-inch heels. No matter how short it may seem, I just can't walk properly without a pair of flat sandals.

I wouldn't want to embarrass myself in front of so many people that I treasure.

An hour went by before I arrived at the venue where my debut would be held. I could see Yve standing in front of the gate; she was most probably waiting for my appearance.

"Hey." I shortly greeted her with a peck on her cheeks.

"It's almost your special day, Luna. Don't worry about what happened the other day and just celebrate your heart out," Yve cheerfully said, in an attempt to lift my hopes up.

I gave her a faint smile as I nodded my head to her and just made my way inside the ballroom. Everyone seemed to be luxurious; of course, my parents wouldn't dare invite anyone who was in the lower class. It would have been great if they were here, but they told me earlier that an emergency had occurred and that they needed to protect the common wolves since the guards were away.

Speaking of which, I can't wait to see what my appearance will be as I transform into a wolf later on! I wonder if I would immediately find my mate; I heard that mates would come looking for one another unless I am a stealer.

I was making sure that each of the ones that came to my party were getting entertained when Yve called me while she was holding the logbook of attendees. "Why is Jerome the only one blacklisted in your event?" she asked as she raised a brow at the same time that she lent me the logbook.

I didn't know what the right words were to describe our current situation. It has been a couple of years since the last time that I saw Jerome. When I knew that he had transferred schools, I was genuinely delighted, as I was bullied by him from time to time. He never told me the reason why he was rude to me, but I always sensed this strong bloodlust emitting from the way that he touched me.

"We just don't get along," I reasoned. Even though I'm always the type of person to be considerate, Jerome was the only exception.

Yve sighed as she shook her head. "He hasn't been in contact with you for years. There's the possibility that he might have been slaughtered by a rampaging wolf on the outskirts of Grimstone. This might be the time for you to just forgive and forget about him, as his soul might not be able to rest in peace," she persuaded me.

Silence surrounded the entire place as the chandeliers began to lose their light. My chest tightened, and I felt like something was suffocating me to death. The crowd panicked when every source of electricity went down.

I couldn't see anything.

"You have no right to enjoy this celebration of yours," said an unfamiliar voice who spoke just right beside my ear.

He gave me goosebumps, and I was instantly frozen where I was standing when the electricity came back at the same time that I saw him.

Those ferocious eyes... I can't be mistaken; it's him.

"Jerome..." I mentioned his name as I gulped, drops of sweat flowing through my forehead.