The Masquerade Party

Atasha’s Point of View

The entire population of East land, which has been invited to the masquerade party tonight, were all excited as they prepared their outfit and things to bring at the said party. As I craned my neck to check the whole street, I had to say that it was livelier and busy. I couldn’t help but observe the faces of my neighbors. They seemed to be looking forward to finally seeing the Alpha of the Crimson Moon pack, in hopes that he would take some actions to make this land a better place for them.

As I looked down the main sidewalk, I noticed a few automobiles that were heading to the coliseum. I was patted on the shoulder by Elijah, and as I peeked at his face, I eventually realized that I was more secure and relaxed now that he was around.

With all of the events that had occurred earlier, I felt a surge of happiness when I realized that he was already here with me, and that alone gave me a piece of mind, as if he was a constant reminder that for every storm I would have to face, a rainbow would then come afterward.

"Let's get dressed and then go to the masquerade party," he stated, then his eyes made a gesture, signaling me that we should go back to the house.

He went home first and as I followed him and entered the house, I saw that Zach and Veronica had already been dressed up.

"It's time for me to ask Atasha, how do I look?" she asked in glee as she swayed her body gracefully.

I was speechless, standing at my place while staring at her stunning features. Her stylish outfit and sophisticated hairstyle complemented her overall look. As soon as she turned around with this seductive smile painted on her lips, my jaw literally dropped on the floor.

"You look very stunning as always, Veronica!" I exclaimed out in astonishment. “I’m really happy to see you again. The way you dress up in every party is really outstanding.”

"That's good to hear. I'm going to meet some hot betas around here. I want to look stunning as the Alpha’s daughter who would take their breath away! I’m ready to associate myself with them. Who knows? Maybe I will find my mate at the party. I should be prepared to be marked!" she said with a chuckle.

Elijah sighed, which I heard. "We are not here to play around, Veronica!" he said warily.

"El, you're treating things seriously. Let's all just enjoy this moment while it lasts!" As Zach stated the words, and gradually went towards me, he grinned and continued, "Right, Atasha?" he asked.

I smiled and nodded my head as a response. After all, Zach was right. This would be one of those few moments that we could be relaxed and forget other things without worrying too much. After the banquet that I attended back in the Crimson Moon pack territory, this was the second time I’d be attending a party. I thought I wouldn't be able to attend it as the original plan was to escape this land, however the tables were turned this time and I knew that deep within me, I was happy that I’d be able to witness the party which my pack mates and locals had prepared for days.

Elijah simply rolled his eyes at them and headed over to Joaquin, who aided him in getting ready for the night. I shook my head. I was still in disbelief that we were all going to the party together.

I looked at Zach who seemed to be enjoying what was happening in the house. Compared to Elijah, he didn’t seem reluctant at this moment. I looked him up and down. With his white polo shirt over a black suit and a black bow tie, he also looked quite dapper, in my opinion.

After a while, Elijah then walked out of the bedroom and he appeared to be utterly charismatic. I confessed that even though he was not dressed well on the normal days, he was still attractive. However, at this point, he appeared to be a man who was ready to break countless hearts of female werewolves. A real casanova in the flesh.

My heart went into instant panic as my eyes gawked at him. I had to scold myself inwardly for looking at him longer.

Why was he damn so gorgeous?

He wore the same outfit as Zach, a black suit with a button down shirt, but he wore a red bow tie which suited him best. I inhaled sharply as I tried to compose myself. Indeed, the children of Montreal appeared to be as lovely as ever, whilst I appeared to be a plain young lady. I sighed as I examined my reflection in the mirror.

"Quite ordinary," I muttered. Veronica then patted me on the shoulder and said she would take care of it.

“Elijah, you think I’d give up Atasha on you that easily?” Zach said all of a sudden with a sneer on his face. He stepped back a bit and sat down on the couch. He rested both of his feet on the table and glanced at Elijah. “I told father that you planned all of this with the help of Veronica’s connection, for you to get enough time to train Atasha. But of course, for me to protect her, I told him that he no longer needs to worry about her, or even kill her, because from now on, she’ll become my slave,” he said that and chuckled.

When I heard that, I was caught off guard and bewildered. Was it really necessary for him to drop some bombs right now that we were supposed to enjoy the night? I looked at Elijah with my mouth gaping open.

"Damn you, Zach," he yelled before punching him in the face. “I'm well aware that I shouldn't put my faith in you!" He groaned.

"You will be detained for six months, and Atasha and I will spend a long time together creating beautiful memories," Zach continued with a wide grin on his face as he stared at Elijah.

"Elijah, don't worry about it. I'll send you some beautiful pictures of us—"

"Zach, why the hell did you even do that?" I asked, as I cut him off and scolded him.I couldn’t stand it anymore that my voice started to quiver. "You've gotten them into trouble! Elijah and Veronica, both of them!" I said and walked away, irritated with his behavior.

When I got out of the house, I felt like crying. I sat on the ground, completely disregarding the fact that my dress would be ruined.

I was baffled as to how Zach was able to do such a horrible thing to Veronica and Elijah. The thought that they would be both detained by the Alpha for six months made my stomach sick. If that really happened, then it would sadden me greatly because I would never see them in such a long time. In addition, I would become Zach’s slave, which I never expected.

What exactly did he have in mind? I wanted to understand where he was coming from but he couldn't explain why he was so enraged with Elijah! And the fact that the same thing could be seen from Elijah, made me feel worse. The two Montreals were getting on my nerves, and I was getting caught in the middle.

Many thoughts were whirling around in my head. It was at that point that the door to my house opened and Zach stepped out, joining me as he sat on the ground.

"Zach, you owe them a damn apology!" I gave him a death glare.

"Look, Atasha. I'm only doing this for your own good," he replied while shaking his head and sighing. “In six months, Elijah will be detained in the dungeon. During that time, I will help you in escaping and remaining safe from the Alpha's hands. Alpha's time is running out, and he will soon be forced to give up his role, which Elijah would take over for him. Then once Elijah is trapped inside that situation, Alpha Gregory would then execute you along with his other slaves. That’s how things will turn out, believe me,” he explained while looking me in the eyes. I turned away and took a deep breath.

Why did Zach's voice sound so soothing and calm? I wasn’t even sure why I still found comfort in him. Despite the fact that the words he said were terrifying, what my mind was telling me was I should still move ahead with Elijah, no matter what Zach would say about it.

The other thing was, while I despised what he had done to Elijah and Veronica, I couldn’t be upset with him right at this point because I knew to myself that he was only concerned.

"Zach, you are under no obligation to do this. As I planned things with Elijah, we both agreed in carrying out clear plans to solve such issues and I know that it was the best for both of us. I trust Elijah. I believe this is the best solution not only for me but also for the people of Silver Moon pack, " I said as I went into detail.

"Do you desire to become his Luna with all your heart?" he questioned.

I massaged the back of my neck using my right hand and took a deep breath. I was anxious about responding to his question.

Was he under the impression that I was so desperate to become Elijah’s Luna knowing that I would have the ability to follow his plan in order to save myself and my sister? Perhaps, Zach had thought that it was my reason all this time.

"I understand why you have to go to such lengths, Atasha. However, you should know that falling in love with Elijah is one of the last things you should ever do, as I said before,” he said with his tone conveying such warnings.

He then got to his feet, and as I stared at him, he held out his hand to me, indicating me to stand up.

"I will always be here for you, Atasha. Just keep that in your mind at all times." Then he kissed my cheeks.

I took a few steps back and was taken aback by what he said and what he just did. I had to admit that Zach's words were so comforting to my ears that I wanted to put my faith in him as well. But I already made a pledge to Elijah and I was completely dedicated to becoming his Luna.

It was then that Elijah opened the door, which caused me to panic because I assumed that there was going to be another fight between these two. However, he suddenly reached out to me and grabbed my hand, directing me back into the house. We walked in and told me to sit down because he would try to explain his plan to the rest of us.

"Zach, please come here. Don't say anything stupid, and shut the door behind you,” he ordered to his brother.

In order to fully understand what actually occurred at the gate, Elijah asked Veronica to tell us what really happened.

Veronica began explaining what they did as soon as they found out that the Alpha and his men had arrived in the East land. She alerted her men of what had taken place outside the gates, as every warrior of the Crimson Moon pack had marched toward the entrance in a swift move.

They knew they were already caught off guard and so they resorted to the situation by facing their father and his entire army, bravely stepped in and spreaded both arms to stop them from entering the East land and told them that they had taken down the enemies already.

Veronica, on the other hand, did not expect that Zach would say something different to the Alpha as soon as he opened his mouth.

According to Veronica, Zach did inform the Alpha that the war was a total fabrication made by his own children. As a result, we would join a party for this night that would celebrate nothingness as the Alpha already had become aware of the entire deception Elijah and Veronica had done in order to buy some time to train me.

Zach, on the other hand, had tried to explain himself too. He said that he did all that because he wanted to stop what they were trying to do. He and Veronica even both recalled how the Alpha was enraged when he heard the truth, while they were in front of gates but for whatever reason, the Alpha was able to calm himself because it appeared that he couldn’t stay mad at Elijah’s action.

Upon hearing this, Elijah appeared more relieved, and he was no longer enraged after hearing Veronica's side of the story. Veronica's description of what happened at the gates solidified my belief that the Alpha genuinely cared about Elijah, and for that reason alone, I believe Zach who decided to tell the truth to their father made their situation much easier. He intervened bravely so that all of us would no longer worry about putting up with these lies and prevent us from facing bigger issues when the truth comes out eventually.

When I looked at Zach, he gave me a friendly smile.

"See? I guess we’re all on the same page now that you learned what I did and my reason behind doing such actions,” he said and chuckled a bit. "Truth will always set us free, and our father wouldn’t be that cruel to us!" he uttered, shrugging his shoulders off.

Later on, Veronica pointed out that Zach didn't specify to Alpha Gregory that someone, presumably Leo, was plotting to assassinate him. This was also to ensure that the Alpha would not declare war at any point soon.

"All right, pay attention. Even though everything appears to be under control, we must remain vigilant at all times,” Elijah said.

Elijah had a plan to ensure Leo would not do anything that could result in the deaths of innocent people in the Coliseum because if he ever did something out of hand and the Alpha declared war, I was not sure what would happen next, and I was certain that no matter what it was, it would break my heart into a million pieces.

I believe that none of us in this room would want to find ourselves in that situation in the future. After only a short period of time spent with the Montreals, I've come to realize that, regardless of the conflict arising between the Montreals, we should have faith in our fate and hope that somehow everything would turn out just alright.