Alpha's search for his Luna

Chapter : A Night to Forget

Villa at Naini:One month later.
Priyal's POV:

A month had already passed, yet Priyal couldn't shake off her first meeting with Tanishq. His aura, the way he carried himself-it was something that kept lingering in her mind. Those piercing blue eyes, so sharp they felt like they were cutting through her, still haunted her thoughts. Daksh and Vyom were incredibly handsome too, but Tanishq had something different, something... magnetic. She smiled, remembering how his light brown skin looked under the dark blue shirt he wore that day, outlining every sculpted muscle. Not your mate, she reminded herself with a sigh. Her smile faded as she remembered how tense the situation had been.

Uncle Arjun had already taken the Rinnay Pack into confidence, but Priyal couldn't forget the mistrust in Tanishq's eyes. And why wouldn't they be suspicious? After all, they had lied to them about their identities. She had to admit, their doubts were justified.

The clock showed 4:00 PM. Priyal closed her laptop and rose from her seat at the study table. Tonight was the college fest, and her friends had already bombarded her with calls and texts. Anika had checked in twice since the morning, and Riya sent a message confirming if Vyom would attend, despite knowing he wouldn't-probably because of her crush on him.

Priyal headed to her wardrobe and pulled out a sleek, sleeveless black bodycon dress. She smiled at her reflection. The dress hugged her curves perfectly. She opened a drawer, picked out matching earrings, and decided to go with a bare neck look for the night. As for shoes, she knew Maya had the perfect black stilettos that would complete her outfit.

Once dressed, she admired herself in the mirror. The black dress made her fair skin glow. You look beautiful, she thought. And then, I'd look good standing next to Tanishq. She snapped out of it, mentally scolding herself for even considering that thought. He wasn't her mate. He couldn't be. Shaking her head, she grabbed her eyeliner and padded barefoot down to Maya's room.

Maya didn't need to ask why she was there. "Come here," she said, already reaching for the eyeliner. Priyal sat down, closing her eyes as Maya expertly applied it.

"Perfect," Priyal said, inspecting herself in the mirror.

"Need my stilettos?" Maya grinned, already knowing the answer.

Priyal nodded, watching as Maya fetched the shoes from her wardrobe. "Here, try them on."

Priyal slipped into the stilettos, feeling taller and more confident. "Looks good!" Maya complimented her.

"Going with Vyom?" Maya asked, a teasing smile on her face.

"He'll drop me, but he's not coming," Priyal replied, frowning slightly.

"Because of Riya, right?" Maya guessed.

"Yeah, she bothers him. He rejected her proposal, but she just doesn't get it." Priyal rolled her eyes.

"Poor girl, drooling over a werewolf," Maya chuckled.

Vyom's voice interrupted their conversation. "Priyal, you ready yet?"

Priyal checked her watch. "It's 5:30. Coming!" she called back.

Vyom appeared at the door, giving her an appreciative once-over. "Looking sharp, Alpha," he teased.

"Shut up," Priyal retorted, though she couldn't help but laugh. Maya giggled at their banter.

As she prepared to leave, Maya's tone turned serious. "Should you really be out alone this late?"

Priyal understood the concern behind Maya's words. "Tanishq's pack hasn't made any moves in the past month. I don't think they're a threat."

Maya seemed satisfied with the answer, and with a final smile, Priyal left.

Vyom dropped her off at the college gate and sped away. Priyal called Anika. "I'm here," she said.

"Cool, I'm sending someone with a pass."

Minutes later, a small group approached her-three boys, including Rudra, the stoic member of Tanishq's pack. One boy smiled as he handed her the pass. "You're Priyal, right?"

"Yes," Priyal confirmed, noticing Rudra's lack of expression.

She entered the fest grounds, greeted by flashing disco lights and the booming music of live performances. The energy was contagious, a blend of Bollywood and Hollywood tunes that had the crowd dancing like there was no tomorrow.

Riya spotted her and looked visibly disappointed that Vyom wasn't with her. Priyal ignored it. The fest was a whirlwind of events-people were either dancing, laughing, or already tipsy. Priyal herself had four shots of vodka, but it barely affected her, thanks to her werewolf metabolism. Perks of being a wolf, she mused.

As the night wore on, the fest turned wilder. Girls from her class started throwing up from drinking too much, and Riya-poor, love-struck Riya-made a fool of herself on stage, drunk and giggling as she embarrassed herself. Some guy from her class-Priyal couldn't remember his name-kept eyeing her all night, trying to flirt, but she ignored him.

By 12:30, the event wrapped up, with college authorities herding everyone out like sheep. Priyal helped Anika carry a stumbling, giggling Riya back to their hostel.

"You'll be okay, right?" Anika slurred, clearly concerned for Priyal. "Don't go home alone. You live in a forest, for crying out loud."

Priyal smiled at her friend's drunken concern. "I'll be fine. I'll call you when I get home."

As she watched her friends leave, Priyal couldn't help but feel a little proud. She had built a good circle of friends here.

Priyal stepped out of the college gate, her eyes scanning her phone as she tried dialing Vyom's number. "No network," she hissed under her breath.

She glanced around-the campus was eerily quiet. Most of the students were hostellers, their dorms located within the campus. The few day scholars who had attended the fest had already left, or their drunken selves had crashed in their friends' hostels for the night. Priyal cursed her luck for staying back too long. She'd helped Anika take a completely wasted Riya back to the girls' hostel before deciding to leave herself.

Frustrated, she restarted her phone, hoping that would fix the network issue. No luck. She remembered that the college had installed jammers for the fest, and they were probably still active.

"Great," she muttered. "Just perfect."

Not wanting to wait around, Priyal decided to walk a bit toward her home. Maybe once she was a little farther from the college, her phone would pick up a signal. After all, she wasn't some helpless human girl. If some jerk tried anything on this deserted road, she'd take care of him with one punch.

The only problem was that she wasn't dressed for a long walk. After about 25 minutes, her feet were aching, and she was cursing her decision to wear heels. Just as she was about to give up, a glimmer of hope appeared-her phone finally picked up a signal.

"Yes!" she beamed, quickly unlocking the phone to call Vyom. But just as she was about to dial his number, she froze.

Her senses kicked in-wolves. And they weren't familiar.