Academy Of Mates novel Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Chapter 38

I can tell my room was thoroughly cleaned before I arrived. The smell of strong cleaning products was all over the walls and floor. My bed had new sheets and all the other products that used to be there had new ones, replaced like nothing happened.

So much has happened that I forgot all about my stuff getting thrown out onto the lake.

Benedict… he really did have someone fix everything.

He even had new dresses placed on my closet as well as cotton bathrobes and sleepwear that were so soft it felt like a dream.

And then like a cherry on top, my golden wreath sat on a velvet cushion on my bed, as if waiting for me and like a painful reminder of who gave it to me in the first place.

Benedict… he’s so complicated. One moment I feel like his favorite person in the world and the next, I feel like I am but an accessory or even less than that.

I don’t understand him.

All I know is that despite everything he is still all I can think about.

As I sit in bed, wearing nothing but my underwear, all I can see is us. Together. A faraway impossible dream that will never be.

I have feelings for him. I think refusing to realize that is only making it worse.

If I only had the option, he is who I want to leave with.

As I sat there, imagining our life that will never be, I watched the sun go down and start to hear the sounds of people getting ready for the night.

I waited until the moon was hovering over the mansion before I started my rigorous attempt at getting ready for dinner tonight. The schedule said that it would be inside, in the grand ballroom and the dress code was strictly formal, wearing only long gowns and suits.

I took my time getting ready, soaking myself in the bathtub filled with roses. My eyes were on the open window as I watched the woodlands sway to the wind. When I was done, I dried myself and chose from the new dresses in my closet.

That is until something catches my eye.

My vanity had something on top of it, something I forgot about after the contests that happened this afternoon; the wolf I sculpted.

Thankfully, it wasn’t broken as it stood facing me, the blue eyes just as I imagined it.

I’m sure it wasn’t on my vanity before my bath and I’m almost sure that it was Benedict who placed it there. Or maybe it was someone else.

I kept the wolf there as I did my makeup and even after, when I wiggled into the dress I chose this evening. It was a powder blue gown dusted with crystals all over the bodice. My hair is up for tonight, letting a few strands fall to the side and by the time the bell rang to let us know dinner was ready, I was done.

When I open my door, Sebastian is there, waiting for me.

He has changed as well. Dressed in a tailored black suit, he looked important and exquisite. “Did you see your wolf?”

My lips parted. “Yes. Did you do that?”

He didn’t answer, his eyes staring at me like I was his next meal.

It made me nervous.

He was such a mystery.

Now that I think of it, I’ve barely seen him in the competitions. “How come I never see you during the contests?”

1/3

Chapter 38

Sebastian shrugs. “I don’t like to participate in such things.”

Yet again I’m struck with how… striking he is. I already knew how handsome he was, having sneaked a peak from time to time, but now with the bright light of the mansion halls, with nothing to obscure my vision, I am taken aback by just how breathtaking he really is.

And I swear, this time, my heart really did a flutter as everything in me went abuzz.

He watched me as well, his razor sharp interest zeroing on me like a beacon, carving into me. “Are you okay? That girl… she didn’t hurt you did she?”

I blinked in surprise, ignoring the dangerous tone he used when he mentioned the girl. He really was watching me earlier then. “Yes. I’m more surprised that I almost won.”

“You did win. You were winning through the entirety of it.” A small smile pulled at his lips. “I knew you would.”

I furiously tried to contain the blush on my cheeks but it was futile when in his presence.

I was all too grateful as all the doors in the hall opened and the rest of the attendees came rushing out just as he waved and disappeared into the crowd.

Still, I felt his gaze even when I joined the wave of attendees going down the stairs. I felt it even when there were twenty people surrounding me and I felt it even more when I left to go to the venue.

Kelcey thankfully comes to my rescue there. “Vareesa! You look gorgeous!”

“As do you!” I complimented, noting just how beautiful she was. She stood with confidence in her black gown that looked as though it was painted on her skin despite only being a hand me down from other girls in our pack.

It showed every curve and every line of her body.

The way her hair bounced was out of this world, like it was choreographed to move the way it did. She was effortlessly beautiful and I just know whoever she chooses is going to be the luckiest man alive.

Together, we walked to the grand ballroom with our arms hooked together. The doors are wide open, welcoming all of us.

I openly gawked as we walked through them, my eyes everywhere at once trying to capture this place in my memory to keep forever. The entire place glowed golden, from the massive chandelier hanging from the domed ceiling in the middle and to the tiny chandeliers surrounding it, to the thick pillars and gold marble flooring, to the glass walls that showed the beautiful lake as our view.

Kelcey held me tight, leaning close to whisper in my ear. “Get ready for a very long and tiring night. I saw that tonight about introductions. You’re required to dance with every single male attendee present.”

My lips parted, eyeing the men that flocked to the ballroom. “But there’s so many.”

She takes in the crowd as well. “Exactly. It’s not more than half a minute per attendee, but still, it’s a long night. Make sure you drink and try to get completely drunk. It’s the only way to get through everything as per the other girls.”

And then, like fate itself presented him to me, I saw Benedict walk in. Try as I might to fight the urge to look at him, I couldn’t help but stare. He was in a handsome suit that captured his handsome features, his hair was done perfectly, a few pieces of his bangs falling into his eyes and his lips curled into either a smile or a frown as he took in everything.

His eyes didn’t have to look too hard through the crowd to find me, his eyes widening just a little before I saw him swallow, bright eyes darkening. He swallowed so loudly I heard it from across the room.

I could see him thinking, fighting himself, but unlike me, he resists the urge and turns away, leaving me to stare after his back.

How were we supposed to dance together when he could barely look at me?

How was I supposed to do this when I could barely stand still with him in the same room?

I know it is over between us, long over, whatever it was to begin with, but I still clung to him like my

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