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    Chapter 0638


    Enzo


    *Enzo! Come here, my boy!"


    I was just passing by the array of tables when I heard Aldric''s voice boom across the space between us, causing me to perk my head up. He was sitting at a long wooden table with Nina''s mother and a few other Alphas that I recognized from the Alpha Council, and he was beckoning to me.


    Matt, who was standing beside me, gestured back toward the dance floor with his thumb. "Want me to-"


    "No," I said, shaking my head. "Come and say hello."


    Matt nodded and followed me with purpose. We had already discussed this earlier today when we were wandering the sprawling mansion; Matt was my Beta, and he belonged by my side. We were trying to show how the pack was real, not just a game amongst college friends.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    And yet, as we approached Aldric and the Alphas, I couldn''t entirely deny the feeling of inadequacy that was beginning to settle itself in my stomach. Here were Alphas who had aplished so much, fought ten times as many battles and overcame a thousand times as many obstacles.


    And here I was, a college hockey yer with a ragtag group of friends as my pack and a tiny ind town to protect from rogues.


    "Ah, Enzo," one of the Alphas, a man named Cerys, said as we approached. "How nice to see you again. We were just talking about you."


    *Nice to see you too, Cerys," I said with a polite nod. "I hope you''re enjoying the party."


    One of the other Alphas, a burly man named Lucian with a grizzled beard, turned to Matt and eyed him up and down for a moment. "And who is your friend?" he asked, ncing at me.


    I nced over at Matt, who was standing proudly beside me. "This is Matt, my-" I began, but then I saw it.


    Aldric was ring at me over the rim of his sses, and the gaze in his eyes was nothing short of a warning. My voice cut off, and I froze for a moment, transfixed by the intensity in his gaze. It was as if he was saying, "Don''t say it, Enzo. Not now."


    I swallowed, snapping back to reality. The warning was heard loud and clear, and no matter how much it pained me, I felt the need toply.


    *This is Matt, my close friend," I said, addressing Lucian once more.


    *Ah, how nice to have a good friend as a young man," Cerys chimed in with a terse smile. "Brotherhood is important."


    "Yes," Aldric said, his gaze still intensely focused on me although I could see an apologetic gaze behind his eyes, as though he, too, felt just as bad as I did at that moment. "Brotherhood is indeed important..."


    As the conversation continued among the Alphas, Matt pulled me aside, his brow furrowed with concern. "Enzo, what was that about back there?" he asked quietly. "I thought you were going to introduce me as your Beta.*


    I sighed, struggling to find the right words. "I don''t know if it was a good idea just now," I said. "I don''t know those Alphas very well. I don''t know what their intentions are. Aldric seemed to be against it."


    Matt gave me a searching look, as if he could see through my words to the real reason behind my reluctance." Enzo, we''re supposed to be a pack. You don''t have to hide it. We''re proud of who we are. Aren''t you?"


    I swallowed, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I am proud of it," I said. "But... I feel like there''s something at y here that I don''t know. Maybe I was foolish to see tonight as an opportunity to announce our pack to the world."


    Matt sighed, running a hand through his dark hair.


    "Yeah, I can''t entirely fault you for that," he said. "At the very least, though, we''re making our presence known in some way or the other. That''s gotta mean something, right?"


    I nodded. "I''m sorry, Matt. I''m not ashamed. I promise."


    Matt shot me a disbelieving look, but said nothing. I watched as he excused himself and slipped away into the crowd, only adding to my guilt.


    Was I ashamed? Deep down? Was I afraid of the judgment associated with our pack, or was it something else?


    I needed to talk to Nina, to confide in her about what I was feeling, but when I looked around the crowded party, I couldn''t seem to see her anywhere. My eyes scanned the room, but I couldn''t spot her red dress or her dark hair anywhere.


    I approached Lori and Jessica, who were chatting near the hors d''oeuvres table. "Have you seen Nina?" I asked as I approached.


    Jessica furrowed her brow, and Lori shook her head. "No, we haven''t seen her for a while. Maybe she''s in the restroom or something. She said she was feeling a bit nauseous."


    I nodded, realizing that that made the most sense. She was pregnant, after all, and had been dancing pretty hard. I thanked Lori and Jessica and made my way out of the grand banquet hall, through the servants'' passageways and up the back staircase, figuring that if Nina had slipped away, she would have taken this more private route. But as I knocked on our bedroom door and slipped inside, she wasn''t there.


    *Nina?" I called out, stepping inside and looking around at the empty room. I checked the bathroom, but it was just as empty. The room looked untouched since she hadst been in here.


    Where could she be?


    I descended the stairs once more, my heart beginning to pound in my chest. I hoped she was alright; and then I remembered that she had gone to get some ginger ale. As I approached the bar again, I decided to ask the bartender, hoping he might have seen Nina.


    *Excuse me," I said to the bartender, who was in the midst of mixing a drink. "Have you seen a petite girl, about this tall, with long ck hair wearing a red dress?"


    The bartender smiled knowingly. "Ah, the Princess," he said. "Yes, she went outside a little while ago. I believe she headed to the gardens."


    Relief washed over me, and I thanked the bartender before rushing outside. The cool night air greeted me as I stepped into the garden, and I expected to see her wandering along the pathways or maybe sitting on a bench.


    But as I looked for her, she still was nowhere to be found.


    "Nina?" I called out again, my head on a swivel as I searched for her.


    But there was no answer.


    "Huh," I muttered to myself, stopping with my hands on my hips. "Where the hell did she go?"


    As I stood there, my eyes scanning the gardens, something suddenly caught my eye; something sharp, clear, and shiny on the ground.


    Furrowing my brow, I made my way over to it. Crouching down, I saw it for what it was.


    A broken ss-and spilt ginger ale, judging from the smell. I stood immediately, my gaze following the direct line of sight toward the dark forest as the worst thought of all began to enter my mind.


    "Nina!"


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