Chapter 143: End Of Gala
Zara
A cold shock pierced me, cutting into my heart as our gazes met. He seemed just as shocked as I was, even more so.
The crowd erupted at my elegant pause, and I snapped back to reality. Looking away from him, I turned flawlessly and walked back, forcing a smile. But my heart pounded in my chest, my blood roaring with rage.
How dare he? And most importantly, why?
I returned, and Halima and the others congratulated me with wide smiles. The hall was still buzzing with noise, but inside, I was in turmoil.
Every instinct I had was to find Alpha Kane, but the men’s entrance was next, and I didn’t want to distract him.
My insides were boiling, and I sat back down, waiting for the men to finish their entrances so I could talk to Alpha Kane.
He appeared like thunder in the cold. Neat and casual, he seemed to move with the air. His suit clung tightly to his tall, broad frame, whispering elegance, and I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He fiddled briefly with the button on his cuff, and then his languid gaze found me.
A crease instantly appeared on his perfect forehead; he knew something was wrong with me.
But Halima and the makeup artist, who were about to add the finishing touches and give instructions, distracted him.
Burning from the fresh air, I stood up and slipped out the back door. Alpha Kane was still 20 minutes away, and I was to walk down the runway with him, finishing the show.
Kasyr, following Alpha’s directions, tried to follow me, but I shook my head, wanting to be alone.
"Just give me two minutes, Kasir. I’ll be outside." I wandered, trying to... Oh, breathe, get away from this chaos. Then a familiar voice called out to me.
The voice that had once made me melt seemed like an eternity ago, and now it was simply turning my insides to stone.
I spun around, glaring at him.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I almost screamed.
Raising his hands, he answered calmly, but his eyes were filled with confusion. "I was invited."
"Who? You shouldn’t be here," I blurted out, clenching my fists. If only I could punch him in that stupid face that, for once in my life, I’d found so beautiful.
"And you shouldn’t. Especially not modeling for the man who broke us up," he replied with equal fury.
"What the hell are you talking about? Marcus."
He stood before me in his expensive suit and bow tie. His chestnut-colored hair, fluffed up with mousse, was swept back like Leonardo DiCaprio from Titanic.
But what angered me most were his words. His eyes, like shards of glass, held that softness he always had before he ripped my heart out. What was he mumbling about?
Andy tried to take a step toward me, extending his hand, but I stepped back. His face and hand dropped, and he didn’t hide his disappointment.
"We need to talk alone, it’s urgent." He opened the door to the empty room and invited me in with a pleading look. "Please! Just hear me out, beautiful."
I looked around and reluctantly followed him, but remained extremely vigilant. He’d never been able to beat me when we’d had a friendly duel, so I knew if he decided to try something funny, I could handle it.
I crossed my arms and replied calmly. "You have two minutes."
He nodded vigorously. "Really, I only want to tell you the truth today. I couldn’t live with the guilt anymore, Zara. Guilt for what I did, finding out you started working for the same Alpha who destroyed us, and our pack."
Was he talking about Alpha Kane? Confusion washed over me, and my heart sank.
"Speak more clearly, I don’t have time for your stupid riddles." I hugged myself tightly; the pain in my heart was becoming unbearable, but I ignored it.
Marcus snorted, slowly shaking his head.
"I would do anything, but I would never harm my pack member, and you know it, Zara." He came closer, trying to hug me, but at that moment, I needed to get away from everyone and not be touched.
"Stay away from me."
Pushing him away, I ran out of the room in a panic. My dress fluttered in the wind as I lunged forward and collided with a hard body.
"Zara??? What happened?" Alpha Kane’s icy voice pierced me to the bone, making me tense.
***
Alpha Kane
I, too, was very busy at the event and decided to put aside what was happening between us.
While Halima pestered me and the stylists insisted on fixing my makeup, Ranold joined us with the latest news about the event and how it was being discussed all over social media.
By the time I pulled away, Zara had disappeared, but Kaysir was still standing by the door.
I looked around, but couldn’t find her.
"Ten minutes, sir. You and Zara are leaving in ten minutes," Halima’s voice rang out as I hurried toward Kaysir amid the commotion backstage.
"Where is Zara?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. There was a hint of irritation in my voice. I’d asked him to stay close to her the whole time.
"She went out to take a break," Kaysir said, hesitating slightly.
I shook my head. "You should have gone with her."
"I tried, but she wanted to go alone." Kaysir now seemed overly wary and tried to grab the door handle to get out.
"No, let me get her." Opening the door, I hurried outside, looking for her.
At that moment, I saw her: she was running toward me, her head turned the other way, as if running from something. She collided with me, and I managed to catch her before she hit the ground.
"Zara!!! What happened?" I growled so that if anyone were chasing her, they’d know I was there.
She spun around, her loose curls flying as she looked at me. Fear and terror were written all over her face. Her eyes were wide with fear, and she tried to pull away, but I held her tightly, afraid she’d faint.
