Chapter 3

The next morning…

Giselle slowly began to stir from her slumber. She blinked her eyes, trying to clear the haze of sleep that clung to her mind. As she shifted in bed, her senses started to return, and that's when she noticed something unusual. She was completely naked, and her memory of the previous night was fragmented and blurry.

Confusion gripped her as she looked around the dimly lit room. It was unfamiliar, and she couldn't recognize any of the furnishings. Panic began to set in, and she clutched the blanket that covered her body tightly.

Desperate for answers, Giselle turned her head to the side, and there, on the bedside table, was an unexpected sight. A stack of crisp $100 bills, totaling $500, lay neatly arranged. There was no note, no explanation, just the money.

Her first thought was that it must be from Vexeon, a gift or a gesture from the man she had spent the night with, or at least she thought she had. A sense of relief washed over her momentarily, and she allowed herself to feel happy.

However, just as her heart began to settle, her phone rang suddenly, breaking the silence of the room. It was an incoming call from her mother, Mia. Giselle's initial happiness quickly turned to trepidation as she answered the call.

"Giselle, where are you? Alpha Vexeon is concerned. He says you never came to his room last night," Mia said, her tone tinged with anxiety.

Giselle's heart pounded in her chest as she tried to gather her thoughts. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had been so sure that she had spent the night with Vexeon, but now it seemed that something was amiss.

“What?” Giselle said and trying to remember what happened last night to her.

Giselle's heart raced as she recalled the vague memories of last night's incident. She had been intimate with a man in the dark, and the details were hazy at best. Her confusion deepened as she tried to piece together the fragments of her memory.

With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she knew she couldn't tell her mother the truth about what had happened. Her mind raced for a way out, and then it hit her, she needed to protect herself from the consequences of her actions. With a heavy heart and a lump in her throat, she made a decision.

Taking a deep breath, Giselle lied, "Mom, don't worry. I didn't sleep in the bar. I ended up in Tiffany and Reverie's room. We had a bit too much to drink, and I just crashed there."

Mia's voice on the other end of the line held a mix of relief and concern. "Oh, Giselle, thank goodness you're safe. I was really worried when Alpha Vexeon told me you didn't make it to his room. Please be more responsible next time."

Giselle felt a pang of guilt for lying to her mother, but the weight of her actions from the previous night was too heavy to bear. She needed to keep her secret hidden, at least for now.

"In that case, quickly take a shower and change your clothes. Don't forget to contact Alpha Vexeon; he must be worried about you," Mia said from the other end of the phone.

"Yes, Mom. I will contact Vexeon," Giselle replied.

After promising her mother that she would contact Vexeon, Giselle hung up the phone and let out a long sigh. She knew she had to face Vexeon and find out what had really happened, but the thought of it filled her with anxiety.

Giselle slowly rose from the unfamiliar bed, clutching the blanket tightly around her body. She glanced at the nightstand beside her and noticed the stack of $100 bills neatly arranged. Her heart pounded in her chest as a sense of unease settled over her.

The room was dimly lit, and the memories of the previous night remained elusive, shrouded in a haze of alcohol and confusion. Giselle couldn't ignore the fact that she had given up her virginity, and that realization filled her with fear and uncertainty.

Swallowing hard, she carefully picked up the $500, her fingers trembling slightly. She couldn't help but wonder who had left the money there and what it meant. It was a stark reminder of the mysterious events of the night, and it left her with a growing sense of unease.

As Giselle wrapped the blanket securely around herself, she tried to push aside her worries.

"What actually happened last night? Why did I end up with someone else?!" Giselle muttered, berating herself.

She shifted her focus to stashing the money into her bag, not even considering that the cash might be payment for her services from the previous night. Giselle's mind was in turmoil, grappling with the fact that she had given her virginity to someone other than Vexeon, despite her intention to save it for him and spend time together.

**

Giselle made her way through the lobby, the knot in her stomach tightened. She spotted Alpha Vexeon, who was already wearing his jacket, standing there, waiting patiently. His presence was both comforting and intimidating, given the secrets she carried.

Vexeon turned as Giselle approached, his eyes locking onto hers as he offered a warm greeting. "Good morning, Giselle," he said with a slight smile.

Giselle returned the greeting, her voice laced with a touch of nervousness. "Morning, Alpha Vexeon."

Vexeon's keen senses could pick up on Giselle's unease, and he couldn't help but sense that something was amiss. He decided to broach the subject cautiously. "Giselle, I heard that you ended up with Tiffany and Reverie last night.”

Giselle nodded her head, her relief palpable. "Ah yes. We had a bit too much to drink, and I ended up in their room. They were kind enough to let me stay."

Vexeon studied her for a moment, his gaze piercing. He could sense there was more to the story, but he chose not to press her further. Instead, he decided to trust her word for now.

"Alright, Giselle," Vexeon replied, his tone a mix of understanding and concern. "I'm just glad you're safe. We can talk more about it later if you're comfortable."

Giselle exhaled a silent breath of relief. She knew that she owed her two friends, Tiffany and Reverie, an explanation for the story she had crafted to protect herself. But for now, she was grateful that Vexeon had accepted her explanation and that the truth remained hidden, at least for the time being.

Giselle sat on the sofa in the lobby, waiting for Vexeon to settle the bills for her party and her friends' rooms. The weight of the previous night's events still lingered in her mind, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.

As she gazed around the lobby, her eyes fell on a man who had taken a seat across from her. He appeared to be about ten years older than her and was engrossed in his cellphone, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings.

"What is this scent? Why does it feel like I've smelled it somewhere before, and it lingers in my nose?" Giselle muttered quietly while discreetly observing the man across from her.

Suddenly, a shiver ran down Giselle's spine as a realization struck her. The man's scent was oddly familiar, and it sent her mind racing back to the events of the previous night. It was the same scent she had encountered in the dark, the man she had been with.

Panic gripped Giselle as she tried to make sense of the situation. Could it be a coincidence that the man from last night was here in the same hotel lobby? Or was there something more sinister at play?

The man, whose scent triggered Giselle's memories, suddenly shifted his gaze towards a younger man nearby.

 "Mr. Nightshade, your car was ready," he said.

Without responding, the man named Nightshade immediately stood up and slipped his phone into the pocket of his suit.

Before departing, the man casually glanced in Giselle's direction, causing her to hurriedly avert her eyes, her heart pounding with anxiety. However, the man seemed indifferent to her presence and continued on his way, leaving Giselle in a state of confusion.

As Giselle watched the mysterious man depart, he climbed into a sleek black car and drove off, leaving her with unanswered questions. The younger man who had approached her earlier got into a different car, adding to the intrigue of the situation.

Lost in her thoughts and still wondering about the connection between the man from the previous night and this strange encounter, Giselle was jolted by Vexeon's sudden arrival. She hadn't noticed him approaching, and his presence took her by surprise.

Vexeon greeted her with a warm smile and said, "It's time to go, Giselle. I've settled everything."

Giselle immediately stood up from her seat and welcomed Vexeon's outstretched hand, which he deliberately directed towards her. Together, they exited the hotel lobby, heading back home.