What's Your Name?

Julia silently laughed at my absurd question. "Didn't you read the invitation card?"

"Er…" I crinkled my nose and replied sheepishly, "I was too busy looking at my name on the card."

Julia face-palmed herself and answered, her eyes now fixated at the huge front door of the mansion, "The alpha and the luna are finally expecting their first pup after being mated for years. So, this obviously called for a huge celebration."

"Oh! That's a great news!"

I was happy for the couple, but I also wondered how the alpha's fan girls would feel after hearing this news. Happy? Bitter? I don't know about the others but Samantha would definitely be eager to see the newborn's face in newspapers.

Both Julia and I got out of the car; she got out excitedly while I lingered. Seeing a plethora of people, all dressed up and eager to attend the party made me feel jittery all over again.

What if they figured out I don't belong here? What if they found out I haven't transformed even after crossing the age of eighteen? And worst of all, what if they humiliated or bullied me for some reason? It happens all the time in dramas and movies.

'Aah! Calm down, Valerie! Else you're going to puke before even drinking a sip of wine.' I lightly slapped my cheeks and looked at Julia.

She was a few steps away from where I was, smiling and greeting the other guests. As if sensing my gaze, she turned to look at me and gestured for me to come over.

I suppressed my urge to retch when Julia's action was followed by multiple pairs of judgmental eyes on me. Why were they all scrutinizing me? Were they already onto me? Why weren't they looking away?

Please look away!

"Valerie!"

I abruptly released the breath that I didn't realize I was holding.

Julia had come to me when I didn't go to her. "Don't be so nervous. They are my friends. Come, I will introduce you to them," she said as she linked her arm with mine and guided me towards those werewolves.

"Everyone," she made me stand while facing that small group of werewolves and continued, "This is Valerie Lane, my best friend slash sister." She then stood next to me and one by one introduced all of her friends to me–whose names I forgot immediately after we left them.

Julia kept her promise to me and accompanied me alone instead of inviting her friends to join us. She probably noticed the nervousness and awkwardness that was written all over my face as I tried to make small talk with them. So, I was thankful when we went our separate ways.

As soon as we set our feet inside the huge hall of the mansion, I was hit by a wave of booming music along with the chattering and laughter of people donned in glamorous clothes. I hid behind Julia when we garnered the attention of a few people who were standing close to the door.

Just when I was starting to feel suffocated by the sensory overload, a crisp and familiar voice tore through the clutter.

"Julia! You've just arrived?"

I peeked from the back to see Alpha Helblaze towering in front of us. He was dressed in a black tuxedo, minus the bowtie. His large build, and his unruly dirty blond hair and beard made him look like some mafia don in that tux.

"Yes, alpha. I hope I didn't miss much."

"No, you're right on time. I was just about to address the crowd." Alpha Helblaze's next sentence caught me by surprise. "Oh, you're that girl from the diner! So, you are Ms. Lane, huh?"

I slowly emerged from the back and replied after gently bowing to him, "Yes, Mr. Helblaze. Thank you for inviting me to the party."

He gave me a smile, not a polite one but a gleeful one, and then said while shifting his gaze between me and Julia, "It's been a while since I last saw Julia's enthusiastic side. So, thank you for coming here."

As Julia had mentioned before, he indeed looked friendly and caring. I don't know why I was comparing him to a golden retriever in my head. A big fluffy golden retriever.

Someone came rushing to his side and whispered something to him. Alpha Helblaze then looked at us and said before leaving, "Alright ladies, please enjoy the rest of the night."

Soon, the music that was playing in the hall quieted down and so did the chattering of people. Alpha Helblaze was standing at the center of the imperial staircase at the front of the hall, along with his beautiful mate.

My eyes automatically traveled down to the luna's belly–she wasn't showing yet.

Alpha Helblaze lovingly held his mate's hand and welcomed everyone to the party. He also expressed his undying love for his wife, and said how overjoyed and eager he was to welcome their firstborn.

After that, the party resumed at full blast. Couples began dancing to the beautiful song at the center of the hall. To the left, people were enjoying their drinks and snacks. And to the right, it seemed like Alpha Helblaze and his Luna were entertaining some important guests and high-ranking pack members.

As Julia and I stood at one corner of the hall–watching the couples dancing while waiting for the song to switch to a more suitable one for us to join in–my eyes unintentionally lingered on the alpha and his luna. They appeared to be madly in love.

Love…

The kind of love that wasn't written in my fate.

It's only logical that a wolfless person like me wouldn't be blessed with a mate.

I sighed deeply at my ill fate and looked away from the lovey-dovey couple, only to accidentally catch a tall young man intently staring at me.

I inhaled sharply and whipped my head down in panic. Why was that man staring at me like that? Like he was going to… to eat me alive or something. But wait! Was he even staring at me? I turned around to check if anyone was standing directly behind me–no one was there.

"Val, let's dance now. This song is perfect!" Julia suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me to the dance floor.

Some more guests joined the dance floor along with us, and we all began grooving to the music.

While softly tapping my feet to the beat–though I was facing the other side–I felt as if that man from earlier was still staring at me. I don't know where I got the courage from, but I twirled to confirm that gut feeling.

Holy Goddess! My heart almost jumped out of my mouth when I made direct eye contact with that dreamy man again.

But was he really staring at me or was he staring at Julia? I might have simply caught his attention because I twirled out of the beat. I looked at Julia, who was ruling the dance floor with her sexy dance moves, and shook my head, smiling.

He was probably checking Julia out and I happened to be in his way.

Awkward!

In order to shake that awkward feeling from my chest, I closed my eyes and tried to immerse myself in the new upbeat song that started playing. As I had promised myself, I was going to dance until the heels started to hurt my feet.

Well, that was my plan but I flung my eyes open when I suddenly felt someone's presence behind me. Someone was standing so close to me that I could feel the body heat emanating from them. I was about to move thinking some creep was trying to get handsy with me, but a voice stopped me. A voice so enchanting that my heart skipped a beat and goosebumps spread throughout my body.

"What's your name?"

W-Was he asking that question to me? I-Is he the same charming man from earlier?

I got so nervous that my throat turned dry and my stomach churned. I got so nervous that I didn't even have enough courage to turn my head and look at him. So, I did the most logical thing. I ran.

"Val! Where are you running off to?" Julia shouted at me when she caught me scurrying away from the dance floor.

I shouted back at Julia while resisting my urge to look back, "Um… I'll go get us some drinks."

"That's a great idea! Come back soon though."

I slightly lifted my gown and slipped through the crowd like a mouse being chased by a cat. The moment I reached the bar–where glasses with a variety of drinks were already on display–I picked up a glass of white wine, moved a few steps away, and took a big gulp.

Just when I thought I could catch my breath, I heard the same seductive voice from behind me again.

"Ah! I finally caught you."

This time, out of instinct, I turned around to face the owner of that voice. The first thing I noticed was the way his metallic bronze hair gleamed against the yellow light. In the next second, I was intoxicated by his scent–a mix of citrusy and floral tones with a musky base.

Yes. It was him. That dreamy man whom I accidentally made eye contact with.

I felt as if time had stopped as I stared at his silhouette against the bar light, the silhouette that was overshadowing me.

My breath hitched when he slowly lifted his hand and pinched my chin to make me look up. When I looked at his face, I saw a playful smile dancing on his lips. My heart fluttered upon seeing that enchanting smile of his.

He leaned closer to my face and then… He said something that would change my life forever.

"You didn't answer my question earlier. What's your name, mate?"