Captive: Hopeless

Chapter 20 - Glitter

Kay felt completely out of her element, and until she glanced over the balcony to observe the packed ballroom below, she had not grasped how rich and powerful Marcus and Claudia's families were.

Her mind had not translated what she saw of their lives into the glittering spectacle of the mega-rich, the famous, the infamous, even the titled that made up the sea of men and women below. Both mortal and immortal.

Panic rose in her chest; she was in no mood to be judged and talked about by four hundred entitled strangers for the rest of the evening.

Kay turned to flee, but a woman casually blocked her way and smiled at her.

There was something familiar in her bearing, stride, and the color of her eyes, but Kay had only one thing on her mind: escape.

"Kay, darling, I'm Adrian. Claudia's mother," she said, holding out her hand in formal greeting, and Kay could not pass her without being rude.

"Mrs. Lupine, a pleasure to meet you! Please excuse me; I do not mean to be rude, but I forgot something in my room," Kay took her hand, intending to let go and find her way somewhere no one would think to look for her.

That elegant, immensely strong hand locked on hers and prevented her from escaping without causing a scene. The grip was not painful; it only firmly detained her as the woman smiled pleasantly, conveying a confusing mix of both pity and amusement.

"You mean you want to run away and find a hole deep enough to crawl into and never come out again?" she asked shrewdly, and Kay flushed as Adrain caught her gaze.

"Come," the woman tugged on her hand, guiding her back to her previous vantage point, simply by trusting that she would be too polite to pull her hand free, which she would require force.

"Do you see those people down there?" Adrian asked, drawing Kay to her side.

"They do not differ from you and me. Who would they be without their egos and their money?"

She leaned forward as if to get a better view of them, and Kay made herself look down. No malice tainted Adrian Lupine, as there was none in her daughter.

"There's only one difference between them and you; their lives and secrets are kept out of the public eye by their wealth and power. When things come out, what you see and hear, rarely touches on the truth.

"Tragically, you were not afforded that luxury, and they kid themselves into thinking they are better than you because their skeletons are firmly locked in closets, reasoning that if the world doesn't know, it never happened." A slight bitterness laced those words, the leftovers of past pain.

"When I met Darius, he just came out of a messy divorce and already had a mistress. Shortly after we were married, he took another mistress. Fortunately, I understood the man and the politics, and believe you me, he was never as noble about it as Marcus." That grimace told a story of its own and told Kay that despite everything, this woman loved her husband.

"Although he was never the type of man to be with only one woman, he was stuck with us if he wanted to survive. Father would have killed him if he ventured any further than Denise and Marcella, but the world ostracized us in those days. Times were not as they are now." A tightness in Adrian's frame spoke of suffering and humiliation, and understanding that what she felt was nothing new, eased Kay's fears.

"Darius was mighty but not the man he is now. He put his head down and kept to his path, like a boat plowing through the water. Soon these self-same men and women, who would not walk on the same side of the street as us, came crawling, needing his influence, money, and contacts," Adrian revealed with a certain grim satisfaction.

"There were problems, and it took years for us three women to learn to live together. Then Maureen, Darius's ex-wife, found herself in a jam, and because her son was Darius's heir, she had to return to his home. That shocked the world, and they drew all the wrong conclusions.

"At that point in her life, she hated him, and her presence rocked the boat, causing violent outbursts between us. It took a long while for things to settle, but it did." Something in her manner changed, sadness and dark shadows hiding in her eyes as she watched the crowd.

"Unfortunately, Chelsey, Maureen's younger daughter, and not Darius's child but a very nice kid, died at the hand of our enemies. She was only sixteen years old, and it changed everything." She remained silent for a moment, having to take control of her emotions.

"It floored Darius that his protection had not been enough. Gone was the wild Alpha male who no one could tame, along with his thirst for revenge and power. He had loved that kid as if she were his own, and losing her broke something in him." Adrian let go of her hand.

Kay was enthralled by the story of their lives as she watched the emotions play beneath that elegant exterior, and Adrian caught her gaze.

"Darius saw something of Chelsey in you, and I do, too. You are honest and compassionate, with a sense of right and wrong that is uncorrupted by our world. They will never change what is at your core, but you have something she never had; courage and strength enough to face them."

Kay could not avoid the intensity of Adrain's expression.

"But you are as close to a pure-blood as it gets, and no immortal down there has blood purer than yours. You are a member of the Lupine pack, and that has a weight none of them would dare challenge, and you belong to Marcus. The power of the bonds you have behind you is a barrier none of them would dare cross. Do you understand that?"

Kay slowly nodded, starting to see the bigger picture now that she had the answers to her questions.

"Those people can think whatever the hell they want, as long as they say nothing or imply it. Even if none of us are with you, there will always be one of ours within earshot to make sure they remember their place. Now, do I tell Darius he will follow Marcus and Claudia alone down those stairs to start the proceedings?" she asked, but her expression told Kay that she already knew the answer.

How could she slink away to hide like a coward after Adrian shared all of that with her? Not when her focus on the world had been shifted by the unvarnished truth in just the way she needed.

I like Adrian. She'll be good for Kay. Newest Version ©2014-2023 All rights reserved. If you find this on any other platform but Wattpad under @CSDreamer, please report it. No part of this book may be copied or reposted without the author's permission.