Chapter 4 Ch Four

• Freya
• “Very well, then,” I sighed in resignation, “Freya Octavia Demont is going to attend the Alphas’ Ball.”
• Dario beamed with delight, his intelligent blue eyes sparkling.
• “But,” I began, raising a finger, “if I am to endure the torture of that ball, I am going to need my children with me to make the event bearable.”
• He was silent for a moment before nodding thoughtfully.
• “Of course. I do not see any harm in them going along with you to the ball. They need to get used to the formalities of such occasions after all.”
• “It's settled then,” I said with a bright smile.
• “Though I strongly suggest that your assistant tags along so that he can help you watch over the kids. You are certainly not going to be able to keep a watchful eye on them every minute, and you know your kids, they are more than a handful.”
• “Great idea,” I murmured and he gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze before strolling out of the room.
• The night of the Ball came too fast in my opinion.
• I had to give myself a pep talk to resist the urge to tell Dario that I had changed my mind about attending it.
• “Don’t be a coward,” I murmured to myself, standing a few metres away from the ballroom’s entrance. “You are now an Alpha Princess. There is nothing to be afraid of.”
• “Mom, let’s go in already,” Cane’s eager voice pierced through the fog of my thoughts.
• Cara tugged at my hand impatiently. “We’ve been standing here for hours.”
• “You do not have to exaggerate, dear,” I replied, rolling my eyes before I remembered that I was trying to quit doing that.
• Cara had taken to rolling her eyes at everyone and it wasn't her fault. She had learnt it from me.
• My naughty little girl gave me a knowing smile as though she had read my thoughts and I couldn't help the smile that spread on my face.
• “Fine,” I said after taking a deep breath, “let’s go.”
• The twins gave an excited squeal.
• “You two mustn't forget what I told you earlier. There is to be no running around. Stay close to Jace at all times.”
• “Yes Mum,” they chorused and I inwardly smiled at the slight note of irritation in their voices.
• Jace, my assistant, stayed close behind us as we made our way towards the ballroom.
• I wobbled slightly in my heels and knew I had to do something about my nerves.
• The last thing I wanted to show Blaine Mortimer was fear.
• We entered the room and unsurprisingly, a few glances were cast in our direction.
• Bringing kids to an Alphas ball was a highly unusual occurrence.
• I adjusted the mask on my face and moved forward with my kids.
• Even with the masks, I could recognize a few of the Alphas and I was certain that some of them knew who I was as well.
• If they could recognize me so easily, it wasn't going to be hard for Blaine to do the same.
• After all, he was my mate and could easily pick up my scent even if the entirety of my face was covered.
• “Remember that you are supposed to socialize with them,” Jace said politely.
• “Thank you,” I murmured and then turned to look down at the twins whose eyes were gleaming with mischief.
• “I have to go talk with the other adults. Stay close to Jace.”
• They nodded absent-mindedly, their gazes fixed on something they apparently found more interesting than their mother’s instructions.
• “You do not have to worry. I'm not going to let them out of my sight,” Jace said with a reassuring smile.
• I gave him a nod and confidently strolled to join the group of Alphas that were clustered together at one end of the ballroom.
• Surprisingly, I found it easy to converse with them. It made me realize just how equipped I was.
• Thanks to Dario’s teachings and all the books on strategies and leadership I had to consume over the years.
• My mood improved a lot more when I surreptitiously allowed my eyes to scan the entirety of the room and discovered that Blaine wasn't there.
• I didn't care to think about the reason he could have decided not to attend a very important ball.
• All I felt was blessed relief that he was absent.
• After a couple of minutes of dancing with some business partners, I had to admit to myself that the ball wasn't half as bad as I had thought it was going to be.
• Dario was going to feel conceited if I dared to reveal to him how much I had enjoyed the ball so I decided that I was going to keep it to myself.
• A few moments later, I realized that I should have known to suspect how smoothly everything was going.
• Just when I decided to give my legs a break from all the dancing and return to the area where I had left my kids, I discovered that they were nowhere to be found.
• My Assistant was missing too.
• With mild alarm, my eyes roamed every corner of the room, even as I told myself not to panic.
• Perhaps, Jace and the kids had only stepped out for some air.
• After a couple of seconds, I pulled out my phone and dialled my assistant's contact to make sure that my children were safe.
• He picked up almost immediately and my heart dropped to my stomach when he told me that he was also looking for the twins.
• “Weren’t you supposed to be keeping an eye on them?” I said harshly and without waiting for a response, hung up.
• I hurried out of the room and sprinted towards the West side of the building as I tried to quell the negative thoughts that were roaming free in my head.
• My knees went weak with relief when I discovered them chasing each other around a rather impressive sculpture.
• As I drew nearer to them, I also noticed the two figures who were standing a couple of metres away from the kids.
• I could sense their disapproval.
• “Who brings their children to an Alpha ball?” an annoyingly familiar male voice queried with the perfect amount of disgust.
• I had always thought that my major reaction to seeing Blaine again was going to be one of fear, but instead, I felt a surge of white-hot anger at the sound of his voice.
• “A woman who can shuffle between her business and her life,” I retorted without hesitation.