Page 28 of Knot in Their Wildest Dreams: Part 1

As we pulled up to the venue, I reached into my purse for another suppressant. The day had been so hectic that I’d completely forgotten to take one at lunch. Rifling past my wallet and makeup, I frowned. Where was my pillbox?

Dread settled in as realization struck - I must have left it at my family’s compound when I swapped purses before the event. I checked the time - I had a few hours remaining before the last dose wore off. If I timed this right, I could slip out before midnight - before things became a problem. Not that I planned to linger any longer than necessary.

I glanced out the window. The event was being held at a sprawling historic manor, its grand entrance already bustling with elegantly dressed guests. At the center of it all stood Vigo, effortlessly charming as he greeted everyone.

As soon as I stepped out, he strode over, keeping up appearances with polite nods to the guests while directing a look of mild annoyance my way.

“Finally decided to grace us with your presence?” He asked with a mocking tone.

“I had a long day, cool it.” I snapped back, wrapping my hand around him as he offered me his arm. We moved through the crowd, smiling and waving as heads turned in our direction. I focused on maintaining my composure, doing my best to ignore the intoxicating scent radiating from him. Breathing through my teeth, I held onto my carefully crafted smile.

"Oh, I have a feeling the fun is just getting started," he murmured, and I braced myself for whatever the night had in store.

Chapter 20

Vigo

Tonight was ours.

It had been far too long since this many people had surrounded us. After the fallout from the Darlington Ball, our social lives had all but vanished - most had avoided us like the plague.

But now, those same people were here, toasting to our success as we showed the world that we were back and here to stay.

The crowd was primarily made up of other prominent packs, people who we’d known before our downfall. There were local politicians, other businessmen, and even former clients who had left us when we were accused of the kidnapping. But now, with Celeste’s endorsement, everyone wanted to be seen at our party. I knew some of it was pure curiosity and prying eyes - after all, Celeste was arguably one of the most famous omegas in the world, and now she was with our pack. I couldn’t help but be thrilled that our plan was working.

Speaking of Celeste, I wanted her to stay front and center tonight. She’d put on a good performance earlier, smiling and welcoming everyone, but I could tell she was seething inside. She’d gone off to take a breather, probably moping about how amazing our comeback was turning out.

I spotted her lingering at the edge of the room, her posture as impeccable as ever. She was dressed to kill, naturally. A fitted emerald gown hugged her body, its color a brilliant choice to complement her features. She always knew how to command attention, but tonight, she had to share the spotlight with us.

“Enjoying the party?” I asked as I strode over. Her eyes flicked to mine, and for a brief second, I saw the defiance in her gaze.

“Well, judging by the overly dramatic display of alpha posturing, I'd sayit’s... mediocre,” she replied smoothly, her tone cutting as she gave me a fake smile. “I see you’re eager to reconnect with the right people, and let the world know you’re back in their good graces.”

I took a slow sip of champagne. “And why wouldn’t we? Thanks to you, we’ve made quite a comeback. You should see the invitations pouring in since we went public with you. It’s almost overwhelming.” I bragged, and saw Celeste stiffen, so slightly that I almost didn’t catch it. It must have bothered her so much to see us winning. I’d enjoy it more, except that being near her was affecting me. She was right - I was alpha posturing. For the most bizarre, unexplainable reason, I wanted her to be jealous. I wanted her to bristle at the idea of us going to omega balls. I wanted her to wantus. And absolutelynoneof that made sense.

“What’s overwhelming? The chemistry brewing between the two of you?” A loud, boisterous voice interrupted us. It was Charles Woodard, a wealthy member of an older pack in Roebri. He’d distanced himself from us during our downfall, but had been quick to reach out once we’d gone public with Celeste, once the world heard that the allegations had been dropped. He came up and slapped me on the shoulder, raising his bushy eyebrows as he glanced between me and Celeste. “Now that’s a perfect match if I‘ve ever seen one!” He said, and from the way he gestured to Celeste with his glass I was sure he was at least a few strong drinks in. Celeste smiled gracefully, even though her cheeks turned the barest shade of pink.

“Charles, so nice to see you. How is Sidney doing?” Celeste asked. Sidney was the omega of Charles’ pack, and he lit up at her name.

“Oh she’s doing lovely. She wanted to make it here tonight, but our youngest has the sniffles. She’s an amazing mom, our Sidney.” He said, glowing as he spoke of his love.

“Please tell her I said hello. I’d love to catch up with her sometime.” Celeste replied, and Charles nodded with a smile.

I was always amazed to see how charming she was in person, working her way through the conversation and endearing herself to the older alpha.

“And you!” He turned, his finger raised as he wagged it in front of me, grinning like he knew a secret. “You and I need to meet for a round of golf. Invite the rest of your pack too. I want to discuss that new software some more. It might be time we had an upgrade.” He gave me a knowing smile, and I felt the familiar excitement of near success rise up in me.

Charles and his pack had several large but older companies, and they all used some very outdated systems. I’d been working on him for years trying to get him to give Manticore Tech a chance, and the last time we spoke I tried my pitch again, to no avail. It seemed that now he was finally willing to opt for a change.

“And Celeste, I foresee a wonderful future for you as well. With a pack like this, I can only imagine how many cubs will be chasing you around!” He said with a joyful smile. “You’d be a wonderful mother. When that happens, Sidney can give you some pointers. She loves raising our pups.”

His mention of Celeste’s hypothetical children with my pack sent a satisfying feeling through me before I could even process it. For a moment my mind flashed to an image of Celeste surrounded by my pack, holding one of our children as a few other toddlers scurried around. I snapped myself out of the thought. That was absurd. Celeste was a monster - not a loving, caring person. Certainly not someone who would ever be the mother to one of our children.

I looked over at her, and the smile was frozen on her face. I could tell she was perturbed at the comment, though she hid it well. I almost felt a pang of pity for her. I knew Celeste would have loved to have Charles and his pack as clients, but despite all her goodwill with him, he apparently only saw her as an omega. He only pictured her home with kids, not as a business leader. And for that little moment, I felt the tiniest bit of awe at how much she must have fought to gain respect in her position. It must have been so exhausting to deal with alphas like this all the time. And despite her reputation as a party girl, I had only ever seen her work hard for her company so far. But it still didn’t excuse any of her underhanded actions.

Her lips tightened, but she maintained her composure. “Be sure to give Sidney my regards.” She replied, and Charles seemed satisfied before greeting another colleague, leaving Celeste and I alone again.

She turned toward me, her eyes now showing her irritation, and also, some sort of awe. “How did you get him to agree to talk about updating his enterprise system?” she asked, and though I wanted to gloat, I also felt good that she was impressed.

---