The Banquet

...Niomi's POV~...

The banquet hall looked like something carved out of wealth.

Crystal chandeliers. Soft golden lighting. Laughter that didn’t quite reach the eyes of the people speaking it.

Everyone here was pretending.

Including me.

I stood near the edge of the hall with a glass in my hand, scanning the room like I didn’t already know who I was looking for.

Cynthia would be here.

Stella too.

And they would try something.

I didn’t come unprepared.

My files were already queued. My assistant was already in position. One signal and everything would go live.

But I wasn’t thinking about them right now.

I was thinking about the feeling I couldn’t name.

Like I was being watched.

Not in a threatening way.

In a familiar way.

I moved toward the refreshment table to get another drink.

That’s when I saw her.

Mel.

She was standing like she belonged nowhere and everywhere at the same time. Calm. Composed. That same unreadable expression from the club.

She wore a black and red suit that hugged her slender curved figure perfectly, her hair was in a ponytail highlighting her sharp jawline.

My steps slowed before I could stop them.

Of course she was here.

For a second, I considered turning away.

I didn’t.

She looked up at the exact moment I reached the table.

“Niomi Sterling,” she said, like she had been saying my name in her head before she ever said it out loud.

I frowned slightly. “You know my name.”

A faint smirk. “I know a lot more than that.”

That should have made me uncomfortable.

It didn’t.

Instead, I felt… aware of her.

Too aware.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Same thing as you,” she replied. “Surviving rich people in expensive rooms.”

That made something almost like a laugh slip out of me.

Almost.

Silence settled for a moment between us.

Not awkward.

Just charged.

“You look different from the club,” she said.

“I could say the same about you.”

Her eyes lingered on me for a second too long.

Like she was reading something underneath my expression.

Like she already knew something I hadn’t said.

Then she stepped slightly closer.

And I didn’t move away.

Across the hall, I saw them.

Cynthia.

Stella.

Cynthia smiled when she saw me, like nothing had ever happened. Like she hadn’t destroyed anything.

Stella’s eyes flicked between me and Mel.

That was all it took for me to understand.

They were already planning something.

Of course they were.

Cynthia approached first.

“Niomi,” she said softly, acting like she still had the right.

I didn’t respond.

Stella joined her, eyes sharper. “We should talk.”

I tilted my head slightly. “About what?”

Cynthia sighed like she was the victim. “About everything. This misunderstanding.”

I almost laughed.

Misunderstanding.

That word again.

Stella stepped forward slightly. “People have been asking questions, Niomi. About your behavior. About… aggression.”

That was the moment I understood their angle.

They were trying to flip the story.

Make me the problem.

Cynthia added gently, “We don’t want this to escalate.”

I finally looked at them properly.

“You already escalated it,” I said quietly.

There was a pause.

Then I smiled.

Small. Controlled.

“And you chose the wrong night to do it.”

I excused myself before they could respond.

Not because I was running.

Because I was done listening.

Mel followed me without asking.

That annoyed me slightly.

But I didn’t stop her.

We ended up near one of the quieter side halls.

Far enough from the crowd that I could think.

“What was that?” she asked.

“Business,” I said simply.

She studied me again.

Like I was something she was trying to solve.

“You don’t let people push you around,” she said.

“I don’t let people disrespect me,” I corrected.

That made her smirk slightly.

“Noted.”

Another silence.

Different this time.

Heavier.

More personal.

Then she spoke again, quieter. “You’re not as calm as you pretend to be.”

That caught me off guard.

I turned slightly toward her. “And you are?”

She didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, she looked away for a second like she was listening to something I couldn’t hear.

Then she said, “My wolf gets loud around you.”

I blinked slowly. “Your what?”

She exhaled like she regretted saying it out loud.

“Never mind.”

But her eyes told a different story.

Something deeper.

Something instinctive.

Something that didn’t belong in logic.

......

...Mel's POV~...

I stood near the balcony, letting the noise of the banquet fade into the background.

My friend leaned on the railing beside me, watching me instead of the crowd.

“You’ve been acting weird since you saw her,” she said.

I didn’t look at her at first.

“I’m not acting weird,” I replied.

She gave me a look. “You are. You’re tracking her like she’s a mission target.”

That made me exhale through my nose.

“It’s not like that.”

“Then what is it like?” she pushed.

I hesitated.

That was the problem. I didn’t have a clean answer.

So I said the first thing that came out honestly.

“It’s like my wolf won’t shut up.”

That made her pause.

She turned slightly toward me. “Your what?”

I frowned a little, realizing how that sounded out loud.

“My wolf,” I repeated more quietly. “It’s been restless since I met her.”

She stared at me like I had completely lost it. “You’re serious.”

I leaned back against the railing, eyes drifting back toward the banquet hall.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” I admitted. “But it keeps reacting to her. Like it already knows her.”

A beat of silence.

Then I said it before I could stop myself.

“She’s my mate.”

My friend went quiet for a moment.

Then she let out a low laugh. “You’re down bad.”

“I’m not joking,” I said flatly.

That shut her up a little.

Because I wasn’t.

And worse… I didn’t even feel confused about it anymore.

Just certain.

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