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.