Chapter Three

Drugged

POV: Elena

The grand ballroom of the Vance Hotel was a dizzying sea of glittering crystal chandeliers, high society billionaires, and powerful werewolf royalty. The noise of clinking champagne glasses and classical violin music filled the air.

I stood at the top of the grand staircase, looking down at the crowd. I spotted my stepmother, Vivienne, standing near the center bar, draped in diamonds and looking immensely smug as she whispered to a group of trustees. Beside her was Chloe, wearing a pure white, angelic dress that completely contradicted the blackness of her soul.

I took a deep breath, lifted my chin, and began my descent.

The moment my high heels clicked against the first step, a strange silence went over the ballroom. One by one, heads turned. The same elite pack members and board trustees who had spent months looking down their noses at the "disgraceful, unwed pregnant heiress" were suddenly staring at me with wide, stunned eyes. It was nearly beautiful.

"Elena?"

Julian appeared at the bottom of the stairs, his smile freezing the moment his eyes raked over my exposed skin and tightly fitted waistline. His gaze darkened with toxic possessiveness, mixed with confusion. He didn't like the way every Alpha and Beta in the room was suddenly tracking my scent. He stepped forward, grabbing two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter's tray and handing one to me.

"What the hell are you wearing?" he muttered under his breath, his fingers tightening around the glass. "Where is the maternity dress? This isn't what we agreed on. You're exposing yourself to the entire room."

"I decided it was time to stop hiding, darling, remember I'm not pregnant again. You were right, it's for the best," I purred, accepting the glass. My skin crawled at his proximity, but I kept my expression perfect.

Chloe walked over to join us, a fake, sweet smile plastered on her face, though her violet eyes were practically vibrating with a hidden, malicious glee. She knew tonight was the night they were going to finish me. "Oh, Elena, you look...bold tonight. Doesn't she, Julian? You should definitely drink up to calm your nerves before the announcement."

I looked down at the pale, bubbling champagne in my hand. I didn't need a wolf's scent to know exactly what was laced inside it. It was the aphrodisiac. In less than twenty minutes, this drink was supposed to turn my blood hot, forcing me to flee the room into the waiting, filthy hands of the rogue Xavier Black, staging the ultimate mating scandal to prove to the board I was completely unfit.

"You're right, Chloe. We should celebrate," I said softly.

I stepped closer to Julian, pretending to notice a speck of dust on his lapel. "Hold this for a second, Chloe," I murmured casually, pressing my champagne glass into her hands which was already holding her own glass, while I reached out to adjust Julian's tie.

After a while, I stepped back, smoothly taking the glass back from her. She didn't notice the one I'd taken was hers not mine. "To a truly memorable night," I said, raising my cup.

"To the future," Chloe eagerly countered, completely unaware of her own doom. She tilted her head back and took a deep, greedy gulp of the champagne.

I watched the liquid slide down her throat, a cold, vicious satisfaction settling deep into my bones.

Enjoy the trap, sister. It was made just for me, but it fits you perfectly.

Within three minutes, the effects came. Chloe’s pupils dilated until her violet eyes were nearly black. A dark, unnatural flush crept up her neck, and her breathing suddenly became shallow and ragged. She stumbled backward, dropping her empty glass onto the carpet with a soft thud.

"Julian..." Chloe gasped, her hand clutching her chest as her skin began to sweat profusely. "I...I don't feel well. It's too hot here. I need to go upstairs right now."

"Chloe?" Julian frowned, reaching out to hold her, but she violently pushed him away, her eyes wild with desperate lust she couldn't control. She turned and practically ran toward the private elevator suites, completely frantic.

The aphrodisiac was also mixed with the rogue's scent meaning only him could calm it and her following it will lead straight into his arms.

Julian stared after her in utter confusion. "What the hell is wrong with her?"

I didn't answer and turned on my heel, intending to use the distraction to slip out through the doors and make my escape toward the VIP penthouse floor where the Moretti pack resided to continue my plan.

But before I could take a single step, three massive, broad-shouldered men stepped out from the crowd, completely blocking the terrace exits.

They wore the silver crest of the Cross pack on their lapels, Julian's personal gammas. Their golden eyes flashed dangerously in the dim light, and I could hear the faint, terrifying sound of their claws slightly extending against their palms.

Was I somehow caught?

I quickly spun around to try the other way, just to find another two guards stepping into the hallway behind me, sealing off the ballroom exits.

I was completely trapped.