Chapter 5 Party Troubles

Aria

"Deal." Damon's words rang over and over in my head. No matter how hard I tried, it felt like it was on loop and etched deep into my brain.

What exactly was I thinking? Why did I even agree to that?

At that moment it felt like the right thing to do, but now, as I stared at my reflection in front of the mirror, I couldn't help but wonder what kind of mess I'd gotten myself into.

Why did Damon even come to me? Me of all people. If I was being honest, after that night at the hotel, I knew something had changed, even if he wouldn't admit it. So I doubted I could be blamed for being confused and trying to figure out if there was a motive behind it.

A sigh slid past my lips as I slipped some bangles onto my wrist. The moment the cold metal pressed against my skin, I flinched. It was a present from Damon. After I'd taken him up on his deal, he'd given me that. I wasn't sure why he did that, but I took it nonetheless.

I took in my reflection in the mirror and a small smile made its way to my lips in satisfaction. Despite the fact that I wasn't really concentrating, my makeup had come out almost flawless. I ran a tongue over my ruby red lips as I got up. I got a full view of my fit and almost started doubting my choices.

I was wearing a blue dress and matching heels. Originally, I'd wanted a red dress, but a thought changed my mind.

I was wearing a red dress when Callum broke up with me.

I inhaled as I shook the thought away. It was next to impossible though, because even if I succeeded in getting him out of my thoughts now, I was still going to bump into him in a couple of hours.

Yes, today was that event I'd originally asked Callum to accompany me to.

A loud buzz from my table pulled me back to earth. A quick glance showed a text from Damon.

"I'm here." I read it out loud. "Waiting for your downstairs."

I rolled my eyes. I told him all of this wasn't necessary, but I guess he was only holding up his part of the deal. Grabbing my purse and every other essentials, I walked out of my room and into the compound. True to his words, Damon stood just a stone's throw away from my house.

"You look..." Damon trailed off as I walked towards him. When I finally stopped in front of him, he added. "Nice."

"Thanks." I nodded. He didn't look too bad in his Shirt and pants, but I wasn't going to tell him that. Usually, I would have judged what he was wearing, but since the party we were attending was barely one of the functions before the main thing, I guess his outfit would do.

A tense atmosphere hovered around us as we awkwardly avoided each other's gazes.

"Let's go then?" Damon broke the silence couple of minutes later. Again, I nodded before being led to the garage where his car was parked.

The drive to the venue was long, so long I wasn't sure I was going to make it at some point. Perhaps it was the traffic we encountered on the way, or the thick slice of silence that followed us into the car as well. Whatever the reason was, it was already out of my system the moment we arrived.

I hid my shock as I slowly got out of Damon's Mercedes. The view of a large building that I could swear was touching the moon came into view, The huge neon D sign glaring a warm yellow. The D stood for the Diallos, which happened to be Damon's last name too.

The Diallos, thanks to a long line of generational wealth, had been able to build more empires and make their mark in the business world. Tonight, Damon's father, Alpha Kieran was going to be handing over one of his companies to his son. To the outside world, it was nothing more than a son inheriting his father's business, but to the werewolves amongst us, tonight would actually determine if Damon was going to be crowned the next alpha or not.

"Ready?" Damon chimed next to me. I nodded but I had a feeling that the question was more for him than it was for me. "Come on, let's go."

My eyes widened in awe as I gazed on the decorations the moment we stepped in. Huge chandeliers lined the ceiling of the Grand hall. A giddy smile made its way to my lips as I realized the ceiling was mirrored, casting a beautiful glow on to the tiles below. Different people milled about, and from the dresses they wore and the way they carried themselves, you could tell they were rich. Filthy rich.

I sunk into my skin as I walked hand in hand with Damon. The more we walked, the more I realized how out of place I was. And to think I was looking forward to going with Callum. Would I have felt this way if he was by my side and not Damon? I'd attended....

"Excuse me, Aria." Damon was out of my sight before I could react. "I'll be back in a jiffy."

"Relax." I breathed in and out. It was just a party and I could definitely stand being in a room with hundreds of people who could buy my entire generation if they wanted to. "It's just a party. You'll be fine, so long as you don't bump into...."

"Aria?" I froze at the sound of my name. That wasn't even the surprising part. Growing up with Damon had exposed me to a few of his father's clients who visited, so I wouldn't be surprised if a couple of them recognized me. What shook me to the bones was the fact that even if I had just woken up from a dangerous coma, I still wouldn't have trouble recognizing his voice. "Is that you?"

I stood unmoving. For some strange reason, I found it hard to form words as my mind went blank. What was he doing here? I mean, I knew I was going to have to run into him sooner or later, but I just didn't think it would be now.

"Aria." Callum called out again and this time I had no other choice but to look in his direction.

My breath hitched in my throat as I turned. Callum, in flesh and blood stood in front of me, looking as dashing as ever. A painful tug pulled at my chest almost immediately, immediately popping the ray of hope that was beginning to swell.

"Hi." My breaths came out ragged. For a minute, I doubted he even heard me.

"I didn't expect to see you here." An expression I couldn't quite read stood out in his eyes as he downed the content of his glass. "I thought you wouldn't come, giving...."

The fact that you broke my heart and rejected me, I wanted to add, but decided against it.

"Are you alone?" Callum spoke up again and this time, I recognized the mockery in his tone. " l wouldn't be surprised if...."

"I'm not alone." I rushed the words out. Callum raised an eyebrow as he examined me closely. "I came with someone."

"Oh really?" I took two steps back as he took a step forward, but even that wasn't enough to stop him from coming close to me. Too close if you asked me. "I wonder who...."

A shiver ran down my spine as his fingers trailed my arm. I shut my eyes as I allowed his familiar fingers to draw and etch sweet nothings into my skin. It was wrong, yet felt so right. I shuddered as he snaked higher and higher and higher until...

"Callum!" My eyes flew open at the sound of Damon's voice. "Get away from my Luna."

Oh shit.