Chapter 0277


    Karl


    The clink of silverware and the murmur of polite conversation surround me, but I feel like I’m


    underwater, like everything is distant and muffled.


    I’m here, but I’m also not here at the same time—my mind is a thousand miles away, tangled in


    thoughts of Abby. As Izily stir my drink with my straw, I can’t help but wonder…


    What’s she doing right now? Wowing the judges, hopefully.


    Across from me sits a woman named Marissa, herughter ringing out a bit too loudly as she tosses


    her perfectly coiffed hair.


    “And then I told the salesperson, ‘Do you know who I am?’ I mean, really, they should’ve known,” she


    giggles, sipping her champagne with an air of self-satisfaction.


    “Must have been quite the oversight,” I reply ndly, the words tasting like cardboard in my mouth.


    The event is a perfect array of the pack’s most eligible bachelorettes, each one more vibrant and


    vivacious than thest—or so they seem on the surface.


    But as the afternoon wears on, everything seems to blend together into one big amalgamation of self-


    absorption and princess-like entitlement.


    I turn to the woman on my right, Jessica, her dress a striking red that seems to hint at something fiery


    and passionate. But when she speaks, her words are calcted, measured, each one designed to


    impress rather than anything else.


    “I just adore your work, Karl. You have such a... strong presence,” she says, her hand fluttering to rest


    delicately on her corbone as she bats her false eyshes.


    “That’s kind of you, Jessica. And you work in...?”


    “Oh, I don’t work, darling,” she chuckles, a sound devoid of any real humor. “I prefer to focus on my


    social engagements and charity events.”


    Of course. “Noble pursuits,” I murmur, my smile feeling more like a grimace.


    But it’s not just Jessica. There’s Lisa, who hasn’t shut up about her father’s private jet since she got


    here. There’s Samantha, who keeps biting her lip every time she nces at me. There’s Meg, who is


    clearly here for the I*******m pictures.


    Everything feels the same. Fake, fake, fake. I swear, it’s like they’ll all turn into pumpkins when they


    leave.


    I slip away from the table to catch a breather, but it’s not long before I’m sucked into another


    conversation with someone else. Catherine? Caroline? I can’t remember.


    “Have you been to Paris, Karl?” she asks, her hand resting on my shoulder in a way that almost makes


    me recoil.


    “Not for a while,” I reply stiffly.


    She chuckles. “We must go together. I know all the good hotels.”


    “I’m sure you do,” I muster with a tense smile. “Excuse me for a moment.”


    Finally, I manage to slip away. I make a pit stop in the restroom to ssh some water on my face, to


    remind myself why I’m here. But it seems as though I can’t seem toe up with any good reasons.


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    “They’re not her,” my wolf says, agitated.


    I almost scoff. “I know. Trust me, I know.”


    “So leave,” he says. “They’re not good enough. Go to her. She misses you.”


    But I can’t. I have to see this luncheon through, have to find a date to the Alpha party. And time is


    ticking.


    But their answers are meaningless. Updated at Draмаnоvеls.cоm


    “Is shopping a hobby?” Marissa giggles.


    A woman named Elise turns to me, her smile practiced. “And what about you, Karl? What drives you,


    really?”