Souls Entwined

Chapter Four

Chapter Four
Elle's POV

As the clock struck midnight, the black-tie affair of high-strung conversations and perfectly poised perceptions morphed into something unrecognisable. The lights were dimmed, and a low mist settled over the room as someone found a fog machine. The music changed from soft jazz to a mix of pop-rock, the volume growing until it was deafening. My body thrummed with the energy of the room. Supplied with expensive champagne and music pumping through my veins, I felt like I could conquer anything thrown at me.

Kaden was off, tucked away at a table in the corner, isolated from the music, holding mini-meetings with the leaders of other packs. They'd been seeking him out all night, and I'd spent most of the evening observing him as he seamlessly went from one person to another, charming them with sweet smiles and his undivided attention.

Everything around me moved quickly. The fray of bodies was spinning by, laughing with excitement and joy while they lost themselves in the lights and sounds.

I was conscious of how my feet stuck to a floor made of taffy, and I watched people around us spill their drinks, their voices rising to fight for validity over the music, which had to shake the penthouse suite. It was so loud.

It was a low drone in my ears, as though I were listening through water, my surroundings muffled beyond comprehension, deja-vu knocking the wind from me as Fallyn sashayed across our small portion of the dancefloor.

'Stop being such a downer!'

I blinked. Clearing my mind of melancholy thoughts and instead focused on the girl who'd stood before me several hours before and told me a friendship wouldn't work given the circumstances.

While they'd changed shift early to accommodate the Welcoming Party, and Conner had officially become my bodyguard for the night, Fallyn had let a wicked grin spread across her lips, warning me that she'd be back.

I'd never guessed such a turnaround.

It made sense, though. As the night wore on, it became apparent why she'd tagged along. Conner was trying his best, but there was only so much he could do in a crowd when he was not meant to be distracted. He was distracted, though. Distracted, because despite trying to flank my side as we delved into the thrumming body of the party, he found himself fighting against men who were too intoxicated to have much sense left, and people knocked him back, unwanted amongst the flailing bodies.

Conner was getting crushed within the crowd, their disenchantment with his separation from the party at the crux of the issue, and they tried their hardest to spit him from the fray.

Fallyn was another story, though. She manipulated the crowd with a coy smile and a game she liked to play. It was a dangerous game, but she pulled it off flawlessly as she hypnotised those around her with a bright gaze and seductive pout, her body moving fluidly to each song and change in beat.

She played the game to draw their attention away from me.

It worked.

There were too many people on the dancefloor, and I felt like the air was being pulled from my lungs, but so many bodies pressed together allowed me to go unnoticed. Unrecognisable, I'd caught the eye of three men, their eyes piercing through the crowd, showing a sliver of thoughts that caused unpleasant shivers to run the length of my spine.

It was a simple strategy that Fallyn and I had perfected. As I turned away, alluding to disinterest, she would put herself in their line of sight, and as though they had never seen me, they'd become victims to her wiles.

Conner was trying his best, though he only knew where I was by sight alone. He could only sense my panic through visual cues, as the music was too loud to betray my thoughts through my heart pounding. Kaden was the only one able to pinpoint me by scent and hear my heart as it drummed. I was almost invisible.