Chasing His Kickass Luna Back Chapter 355

Karl

“Enjoy the party, sir.”

I slip past the front gates with ease, right along with the rest of the well-dressed guests. All around me, a sea of people wander right into the Prince’s estate; I’m just a face in this sea, thanks to the bartender who gave me the information I needed to get in.

And to think that I was under the impression that any attempts at seeing Abby, even for five minutes, would be stopped right at that front gate.

“This is risky,” I think to my wolf as we approach the grand ballroom. “Maybe even too risky.”

“Better to be too risky than too safe when it comes to matters of love,” my wolf responds. I almost laugh out loud because he’s right, as always.

It might piss Abby off if I go against the wishes she outlined in the letter to never see me again, but if all I ask is for five minutes of her time. Surely she won’t deny that to her fated mate.

As soon as I set foot inside the opulent ballroom, I’m assaulted by two sensations: the overwhelming atmosphere of the Prince’s party, and Abby’s presence. I can’t pick up her scent amongst all of the people, but I can feel her here. I know she’s close.

“Try the kitchen first,” my wolf says. “If Abby is anywhere, she has to be in there.”

I nod, weaving my way through the throng of guests. My eyes scan the crowd, and that’s when I catch sight of it; a server, carrying a tray of food out of a side door. The kitchen must be through there.

“Champagne, sir?” a polite voice asks as I push my way through. I look over to see a waiter dressed in a posh tuxedo holding a silver tray of champagne flutes. Not wanting to raise any suspicions, I offer him a smile and take a glass before slipping further into the crowd.

Finally, after several agonizing minutes of working my way through dancing patrons and servers carrying trays of food, I manage to slip through the door that I initially spotted.

Almost immediately, the sound of the party fades behind the heavy wood and I feel as if I can breathe. I let out a soft sigh of relief and set my champagne on a nearby table, then smooth down my suit jacket as I wander down the hallway.

None of the servers who pass by even bother to look my way. Good.

Up ahead, I see another pair of servers push through a set of double doors, through which the sounds of pots and pans clanging catches my attention.

My breath catches in my throat. This is it; Abby is through those doors. I just need to talk to her, and all will be well.

But when I peer through a crack in the doors, I don’t see her. I see all of the others: Anton, Chloe, Ethan, Daisy. Everyone except for Abby and…

“Karl? What are you doing here?”

A familiar voice suddenly coming from behind me causes me to whirl around in panic. When our eyes meet, we both stare at each other with dumbfounded shock for a few moments before I can stammer out a reply.

“John,” I manage, smoothing down my jacket again nervously. “Good to see you.”

John shoots me a curious look. He’s holding a dish towel in one hand and a mesh bag of apples in the other. “I didn’t expect to see you here,” he says. “I heard through the grapevine that you and Abby…” He pauses, leaning in as he lowers his voice. “Broke up.”

I swallow and straighten my shoulders. “I actually was hoping to talk to her,” I say, my voice coming across as more confident than I truly feel. “Do you know where she is?”

He furrows his brow and purses his lips. “Are you sure she’s willing to talk to you?”

“I… I mean, I hope she’ll at least spare me five minutes,” I say quietly. “I, uh… I really need to talk to her, John. Please.”

For a few moments, John just stares at me and I feel as if he might deny me access to Abby—and for good reason, honestly. If it’s true that Abby really wants nothing to do with me whatsoever, then I wouldn’t hold it against John if he turned me away.

But then, his shoulders slump slightly and he nods his head back down the hallway, back toward the bustling party.

“She’s attending the gala tonight,” he says. “Probably out in the crowd somewhere.”

I raise an eyebrow. “She is?”

“Yup. Prince’s orders, from what I understand. Actually…” He pauses and lowers his voice again. “If you want to win her back, you might wanna hurry up. This Prince has the hots for her real bad. And when a man like that makes an offer a woman can’t refuse…”

John’s implication makes my blood boil. Abby, being wooed by a prince? So soon after our breakup, no less?

No. I won’t believe it. Abby wouldn’t… She couldn’t…

“Thank you, John,” I manage. “I’ll try to find her.”

John nods and passes by me, pressing his hand into the swinging door to head back into the kitchen. Just before he disappears, though, I call out for him one last time.

“Oh, and John?”

“Hm?”

I swallow. “Promise… Promise you won’t tell anyone that you saw me. Please.”

John stares at me for a moment longer with those weathered eyes of his, his mouth slightly parted in surprise. Once again, for a moment, I think he might refuse. But then, realization flashes across his face—realization of what we’ve been through together, of the friendship that we’ve sown despite everything.

“Aye,” he finally says with a curt nod. “My lips are sealed. Just don’t fuck up, alright?”

I almost laugh, if humor is even possible at a moment like this, when the love of my life is potentially being wooed by a prince. “Thanks, John. I won’t.”

“You’d better not, kid.”

Without another word, John pushes into the kitchen. For a brief moment, as the door swings back and forth, the sound of pots and pans mingles with that of the distant party. Then, he’s gone.

I turn on my heel then and begin storming back down the hall, back toward the party. Now, more than ever, I’m determined to find Abby. Even if she rejects me, even if she turns me away for good this time, I have to try. I have to show her that I love her, that nothing can keep me from her.

I have to show her that I’m sorry.

As I push back out into the party, my senses are once again assaulted by the din. But I keep my focus, my eyes and ears sharpening as my gaze sweeps across the sea of people in search of a head of blonde hair.

Finally, I spot a collection of honey golden curls and a pair of slender shoulders that makes my heart skip a beat. I stride over to where she’s standing by the bar, and I reach out, touching her arm.

“Abby—”

“Ugh!” The woman whips around, her eyes blazing as she yanks her arm away. “Don’t touch me, creep!”

It’s not Abby. I mutter out an apology and quickly slip back into the crowd, my heart pounding harder now than ever. Abby, Abby… Where is she?

Then, my eyes catch something across the room; a door swinging open, and two figures striding through. I recognize that hair, that slender neck, those hips swinging in that black dress.

And I recognize the man’s hand that’s hovering over her lower back, walking far too close to my fated mate.