Cayden was standing in the room, pulling at the collar of his dress shirt with one hand while simultaneously attempting to untangle his tie with the other. He fastened the tie around his neck, but then struggled with both ends for a minute until he uttered a sigh of exasperation and flung the tie on the ground. He had not put on a tie to any of his prior parties.
The corner of Selena's mouth turned up in an amused smile as she took a step forward. "Do you need help?"
His gaze flickered toward her as he appeared dazed. Her gown was not brand new; rather, it was the dress that Cayden had brought for her earlier. It was silver. In contrast to humans, werewolves do not feel self-conscious or uncomfortable when attending weddings dressed in white.
Werewolves never choose to wear white for their wedding robes. It came in either red or gold. Her hair was tied up in a simple bun, but a few tendrils of hair escaped her bun and brushed against her cheeks. Her makeup was light with peach lips and a hint of blush on her cheeks. Her long eyelashes fanned out, shadowing her eyes.
She swiftly averted her gaze, clearly shaken by the significance of his facial expression, and pointed to the tie that was lying on the ground.
He said with a touch of scepticism, "Are you able to knot a tie?"
As she approached him, she answered, "Of course," and continued walking. His gaze followed every step that she took. There was no question what he was feeling: lust. It caused a jolt to run through her entire body.
Her every action had an air of refined elegance. She was a young woman who had been destined to become a princess, a Luna, but she was forced to work as a slave. Her upbringing by her mother was excellent. Despite the severity of the situation, no one could remove her elegance and beauty from her. Whereas he was a damaged demon. Would always be so. He was attempting to be kind to her. Although it was never as nice as she deserved, it was always as good as he could make it. He was aware, daily, that it was not sufficient. He could never measure up to her.
She reached out and grabbed the tie before moving closer to him. He inhaled deeply her sweet, floral fragrance as she got closer, and it made him want to bury his face in her beautiful brown hair.
Her long, graceful fingers deftly knotted the knot in the tie. When she was finished, she patted the tie to give a more even appearance. She admired her work before turning her beautiful eyes on him and looking up at him. "Done."
He couldn't recall a time when he'd felt so unworthy as he did at that moment. The gown that she wore looked flawless on her, as if it had been made specifically for her to wear. She was a perfect fit for posh soirees and sophisticated cocktail gatherings. If it weren't for Hawk, their lives would never have collided in such a way.
Even though it had resulted in him being a monster. He was grateful that he could have someone like her in his life.
He rasped, "You look stunning."
"Let's hurry." She said, ignoring his compliment. Despite this, there was still a faint trace of blush on her cheeks.
He looked down at his watch for a moment. "Yeah."
"When did you gain a Rolex, man?" Max suddenly materialised next to them. He appeared to be ready for a ride on his motorcycle because he was clothed entirely in leather. "You never get me delicate stuff like that," he pouted.
"Are you going to take part in the mating ceremony dressed like this?" Cayden asked.
"Sure, why the hell not? Since I have no choice but to go there, at least I can dress whichever way I choose." He insisted.
Max spoke to Selena in a hushed tone. "I have dressed in this manner so that I can get out as quickly as possible."
Selena giggled.
"I am not sending you there to look for a mate, Max," Cayden remarked while displaying an air of exasperation.
"I know Cayden." Suddenly, Max's face changed its humorous expression, and he appeared to be quite serious.
"I will meet with Councilman Ruben." He gave Cayden a little touch on the shoulder. "Have faith in me; I'm good at my job."
Selena looked on curiously.
After Max had departed, there was a brief period of stillness, and then Cayden made a sound that was harsh and deep as he cleared his throat. "We must leave."
She nodded. It didn't matter to her if they were running late. She felt like she was about to pass out at the mere thought of attending that party, but she knew she had to preserve her composure for the evening to go smoothly.
When Selena saw Cayden pull out of the driveway, she immediately grabbed both of her hands into her lap and began rubbing them against each other. Despite the warm weather and her werewolf body, her fingertips felt as cold as ice. When rubbing them didn't help, she took them up to her face and breathed warm air into her hands while holding them there. Cayden diverted his gaze from the busy street to glance at her.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing," she said hastily.
Cayden grabbed one of her hands, which caused her to jump in surprise. He said with amazement, "You're freezing!"
"I am just nervous; I haven't been there in 5 years." As soon as the words exited her mouth, she felt sorrow for having said them. She had been reluctant to reveal so much information to him.
"Nerves?" He repeated.
She was relieved when he was eventually forced to divert his focus back to the road. "Nobody will hurt you."
She laughed dryly.
"I am not concerned about that. Put, I have no desire to go back to that place or talk to those people."
She implied it brought up painful memories of everything she had lost.
He kept his eyes glued to the streets.
"You need not worry about anything, as Hawk won't pose a threat to us in this huge gathering. If you change your mind about doing this, we can go back."
"No, I want to do this," she responded. "If you make a promise, you must keep it." She reassured him. "I wish for him to go through what you are going through."
Cayden stared at her blankly. How could she still be so forgiving?
He cautioned, "Don't say that at the party."
"I'm not dumb. I wouldn't say anything like that."
She remembered the last time she saw her dad and how she had shouted at him. Her hatred for him had only grown since then. It would be hard to stop herself from gauging his eyes out.
"I know well that you are not dumb. But being stupid has nothing to do with the situation at all. Emotions are governed by their internal logic."
How could you possibly know that? She thought, but kept it to herself.
As ridiculous as it may sound, Selena was still pissed at him for being with Natasha. Yes, they had decided not to be mates and part ways after his revenge was done, but a tiny part of her wanted him to desire her. She craved his love. He didn't even attempt to persuade her or fight for her. As if she meant nothing to him. Cayden was perhaps her only alley at that party tonight. She wasn't sure what to expect from her dad.