Page 196 of Halfblood Deceived

Aylana thwacked him this time. “Ugh! You’re unbearable.”

Sebastian sauntered toward the kitchen. “You don’t mean that.”

Aylana laughed and shook her head, her expression indulgent and full of affection.

Aella couldn’t help but laugh along with Aylana. She followed the werewolf-fey and the vampire to the kitchen, feeling almost at home, and lighter than she had for such a long time.

She needed to find the courage to talk to Zeydan, but it didn’t feel like an impossible task anymore.

Aella knew she could be brave now.

And she would be.

Soon.

CHAPTER 40

Aella crouched, barely dodging a flying half-full bottle of wine. It crashed against the wall a few feet behind her. Some of the liquid sprayed against her back, but she didn’t flinch.

She was stuck in a corner, half behind a group of friends. The closest to her was a redheaded werewolf built like a football player. The werewolf, a lean, goth vampire, and a petite fey with tan skin who wore her pink hair in cute Leia-like buns, bracketed their other two friends protectively. One was an athletic, handsome vampire male named Ethan. The other was Luna—a werewolf female with long, curly black hair and brown skin. They’d all been celebrating Luna and Ethan’s engagement until a pack of werewolves interrupted them.

Luna’s father led the pack of aggressive werewolves, and he was not happy.

Half of Hecate’s security personnel formed a line between the party of friends and the pack of werewolves. The rest were holding the nosy crowd at bay.

Aside from the shouting coming from each side, there was no other sound. The DJ had stopped the music. Humans and supernaturals alike were watching the confrontation with avid, nosy, but silent interest.

The rainbow-colored lights flashed on the faces of the werewolves, making their golden eyes look extra frightening.

Aella gulped.

Hecate’s wards hid some of the supernatural’s traits from the humans. But the magic wasn’t strong enough to hide a full werewolf transformation, and secrecy was still a need.

“You took my daughter away from me, you fucking leech!” screamed Luna’s father. The male’s black hair was turning silver near his temples, but he was the largest of them all.

Werewolves had a lifespan of a few hundred years, depending on their lineage, Aylana had explained to Aella. So this male was probably in his second or third century of life.

Ethan growled at the werewolf. He had his hand firmly entwined with Luna’s. The beautiful young female’s medium brown skin had taken on a yellowish tint. She was shaking like a leaf, half hiding behind her fiance, her golden eyes wild on her father.

Ethan flashed his fangs at the werewolf. “Your daughter chose me. She chose freedom from you and your archaic fucking bullshit. Why can’t you just leave us the fuck alone?”

“She doesn’t know what she wants!” The werewolf roared. “She’s still a child!”

Ethan scoffed. “Oh, she’s too young to make her own choices, but not to be forced to marry some fucking beast who threw her in a dungeon?”

Luna flinched, but she didn’t shy away from her father’s gaze. “I am not a child anymore. I stopped being your child the moment you sold me.”

Her father opened his mouth to answer, but a werewolf female spoke first.

“Luna, my child,” said the stunning female. She had deep brown skin, short curly hair, and light brown eyes. Her similarities with Luna were uncanny—same eyes, same full lips, and the same anguish in her expression. “Luna, it’s not too late to stop this. If you leave this monster and his pets behind and return to us, we will forgive you. Eventually.”

Anger churned in Aella’s stomach at the heartbreak on Luna’s face.

Alec, Jordan, and Tim looked disgusted. Reese was muttering under their breath, counting to control themselves from punching someone.

Rod cursed soundly and shoved back a salivating werewolf who looked a lot like Luna. Maybe her brother? Aella thought.

Vaz looked at the werewolf pack as if they were food, and he was hungry, his dark eyes bright with bloodlust.

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