Chasing His Kickass Luna Back Chapter 321

Abby

I’m still standing completely frozen to my spot, clutching the photographer’s belongings. I’m not sure what to do with them; it seems as though the photographer thought I was some sort of assistant, and he scurried away before I could hand his things back.

I look around for a moment, finally settling on a nearby chair to set the things on; but it’s too late. Gianna has seen me, her hunter-like eyes spotting me amongst the crowd.

And she’s coming my way.

Her heels click obnoxiously on the floor and her overly sweet perfume overwhelms my senses. I feel myself stiffen as she saunters up to me, still holding the photographer’s belongings in my arms.

“Oh, there you are,” Gianna says, shrugging off her fur coat. “Be a darling and hang this up for me, won’t you?”

Before I can protest, she dumps the coat into my already-full arms. I fumble for a moment, struggling not to drop anything.

“I’m not an assistant,” I finally manage to say, handing the coat back to her. My voice comes out smaller than I intend, but I try to ignore that part. With a huff, I drop the photographer’s belongings onto the nearby chair and stare at Gianna with my hands on my hips.

Gianna blinks innocently, although her red painted lips curl into an undeniable smirk. “Oh, my mistake,” she purrs. “I just assumed you must be an assistant or something, since you were holding that photographer’s things…”

My cheeks burn with embarrassment. “That was an accident. I didn’t mean to—”

“It didn’t look like an accident to me,” Gianna interrupts, checking her nails before her cold eyes slide over my outfit. “But I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. With an outfit like that, people must mistake you for the help all of the time.”

Her words strike me to my core. I glance down self-consciously at my dress, the one I felt so sophisticated in earlier.

“How dare she?” my wolf growls in the back of my mind. “She’s so rude.”

Before I can stop myself, the words tumble out of my mouth.

“Well,” I snarl, “maybe if you didn’t wear such an over-the-top outfit to a political event, then maybe people wouldn’t mistake you for a plastic Barbie doll.”

Gianna’s eyes flash dangerously. For a second, I think she might actually hit me. But then I hear Karl’s voice behind me.

“There you are,” he says warmly, sliding his warm arm around my waist and pulling me close. “Is everything okay here?”

I turn to see him looking between Gianna and me with concern. His touch is reassuring, grounding, and maybe even a little arousing.

“Everything’s fine,” I say lightly, not wanting to upset him about Gianna’s behavior right before the press conference.

Gianna forces a tight smile. “Of course. Just girl talk.” She turns on her heel and clicks away, her fur coat still draped over her arm.

I let out a shaky breath that I didn’t realize I was holding once she’s finally gone. Karl’s arm tightens around me, and he leans a little closer.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” he murmurs near my ear. “I don’t like the way she was looking at you. It seemed tense.”

“It’s nothing, really,” I insist, even as my skin prickles from his closeness. I can smell his cedarwood scent mixed with the musk of his wolf. Intoxicating. “Just… typical Gianna.”

Karl scoffs. “That could mean a number of things,” he says. “She seems to swing wildly back and forth between ‘annoyingly snarky’ and ‘completely evil’.”

I can’t help but smirk. “We’ll go with annoyingly snarky for now, but the night has only just begun.”

Before I can elaborate any further, Karl stiffens, his lips curling upwards into a slight snarl. I follow his gaze to see Ethan entering the hall, flanked by two men who I don’t recognize. Ethan’s eyes meet Karl’s, cold and calculating.

And yet, there’s a flicker of something else in Ethan’s gaze. Regret, maybe? Apprehension? I can’t quite tell, but I know one thing for sure: tonight is bound to be interesting, to say the least.

Karl's arm around me tightens possessively. I press closer to reassure him as Ethan passes by without a word. The tension in Karl’s body remains coiled tight.

“Just focus on your speech,” I whisper gently. “Everything else can wait.”

He nods, exhaling slowly. “You’re right,” he breathes. “I just… I wish we didn’t have to be doing this.”

“Me neither.” I pause, my eyes scanning the room. Gianna is primping herself off to the side, and only glances up briefly as Ethan approaches her. He says something to her, and she barks something back, although I can’t hear what it is.

“Do you think Ethan wants this?” I find myself asking, glancing up at Karl.

Karl stiffens again as his eyes follow his brother. “If I know him like I think I do, then I doubt it,” he mutters. “If he would only see reason, we wouldn’t need to be here.”

I don’t know how to respond. Karl’s right; he shouldn’t have to be fighting against his brother like this. They should be reuniting after Ethan’s long coma, not fighting over who gets to be Alpha of this pack.

And yet, here we are.

Around us, the crowd begins taking their seats. An announcer requests that the candidates and their partners take the stage, and beside me, Karl’s arm tightens around my waist as he looks down at me.

“Ready?” he murmurs.

I nod. “Ready whenever you are.”

With a deep breath, Karl guides me up the steps to the podiums, which are arranged side by side. Gianna stands next to Ethan, practically draped over him with her precious diamonds and pearls glimmering under the lights. I take my place near Karl, smoothing my dress down self-consciously.

“I feel underdressed,” I think to my wolf.

My wolf scoffs. “You didn’t think that half an hour ago.”

I swallow. She’s right; Gianna has just gotten to me, that’s all. In fact, I should be noticing how Gianna is overdressed for a serious event, not the other way around.

And besides… even though I don’t want to admit it, even to myself, the way that Karl looked at me earlier seeps back into my mind. I guess if he liked the way I look, then I’m happy.

God, I feel like a lovesick schoolgirl when I think like this. It has to be the full moon getting to me, right?

Ethan steps up to speak first, greeting the crowd in a booming voice. As he launches into his speech about tradition and bloodlines, I study him. He oozes easy confidence, commanding the room with his presence. The crowd murmurs appreciatively as he emphasizes the importance of hierarchy in the pack structure.

When he finishes his speech, the applause is almost as thunderous as my heart pounding in my chest.

Ethan smiles smugly as questions are thrown his way. He responds to each one with practiced ease, spinning responses about duty and obedience. He’s a natural at this.

My palms grow clammy as Karl pulls his speech out of his pocket and unfolds it, smoothing it down on the podium. This is his moment, and suddenly the stakes feel impossibly high.

What if he falters? What if the crowd doesn’t respond well? What if—

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” Karl begins, his voice steady and strong. “We stand at a crossroads for our pack…”