- The Alpha Ball
Eclipse Moon Pack Under the evening sky, Aries, Glen, and Trace sat in the packhouse backyard, reviewing important documents that were scattered on the table in front of them. “These are the packs that Keshton doesn’t wish to renew treaties with,” Glen put those files aside and tiredly stated, “Let’s take a coffee break.”” Why is Keshton suddenly breaking off so many alliances?” Trace casually inquired. “Probably because of Joseph,” Glen shrugged his shoulders. “We all know that Joseph’s return has brought a lot of uncertainty and suspicion. Anyone could be our enemy and Joseph’s ally so Keshton is just trying to get ahead of the game by getting rid of those that he does not trust,” he explained seriously and then added, “Who would have thought that he would be still alive. That f*****g snake!” Trace gave only a nod in response, unaware of Aries‘ gaze fixed on him. “So, what exactly happened between them four years ago in the Moonrise Pack?” Aries brought up the matter that was buried deep in the past. Trace’s hand holding the cup paused abruptly, while Aries closely studied Trace’s expression. He lifted his gaze to find that it was not only Aries but Glen shared the same curious expression. “I think we all know that Joseph betrayed Keshton and the friendship they shared. Why are you suddenly interested in that matter after all these years?” Trace’s voice was as casual as before, his lips graced with a smile, but his expression had hardened ever so slightly. Glen sat there silently, studying the both of them, while Aries leaned in and looked deep into Trace’s eyes. “Because on that day, you were the only one of us with Keshton. Our knowledge is limited to the gossip that we heard inside the packhouse and how Joseph messed things up with Keshton. But we don’t know what actually took place in the Moonrise Pack afterward.” Trace’s eyes shifted slightly, showing a hint of hidden hatred. “Like I have always said, I don’t remember any of the details clearly because too many things happened at once. So I can’t satisfy your curiosity, Aries.” Aries slowly rested his back against the chair, the corner of his lips curling up slightly. “It’s surprising that you lost that little finger of yours due to that deadly fight between Keshton and Joseph that day, yet you can’t remember any details,” Aries’s words were full of provocation. Trace looked at Aries coldly in response. The absence of his missing finger suddenly screamed its presence to him. Sensing the imminent conflict between the two, Glen decided to interrupt, but before he could, he received a call from Odin. “Why is he calling me all of a sudden?” Glen raised his brows in surprise and quickly picked up the call. “Glen, where is Keshton? He’s not answering my calls,” Odin’s calm voice came from the other side of the line. “Keshton?” Glen c****d his brows. “Why are you asking me about him? He must be with you guys at the international Alpha ball, correct?” Aries and Trace, having overheard the exchange, set their entire focus on Glen, who was frowning. “The Alpha ball was canceled. How could Keshton be there?” Odin stated. Canceled?” Glen sprang up from his seat in surprise. “What’s the matter?” Aries inquired. Glen put his hand down, his thoughts racing. “If the Alpha ball has been canceled, then what Alpha ball did Keshton attend?” he murmured. The three of them looked at each other in pure silence, as a bad premonition arose in their hearts. **Alpha Ball** “Alpha Keshton, what’s the matter?” the female Alpha asked Keshton with a smile. Sibyl immediately turned to face Keshton and saw him frown, his eyes filled with confusion and uncertainty before he shook his head. “It’s nothing,” he replied. The woman smiled in response. “Then please, let’s go.” Keshton turned and started to walk away. “What’s going on?” Sibyl’s body shook violently. “He can’t see me?” she murmured under her breath. “Keshton!” she called, but he neither stopped nor turned to look in her direction. Sibyl’s whole body rooted in place as she realized that even earlier, when their eyes had seemed to meet and they passed each other, it had been a misunderstanding on her part that he was looking at her. In reality, he had neither seen her nor heard her! “How… how is this possible?” she took a few steps back in confusion and panic. Moreover, the music and lively atmosphere from earlier had suddenly changed, alarming her. Every Alpha at the ball seemed frozen in place as if time had stopped. “What is happening?” Terrified, she hurriedly
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<86. The Alpha Ball
backed away, her back bumping into something hard. Startled, she froze, realizing it was Joseph. “It’s called
a blind spell,” he whispered into her ear while the people at the ball disappeared one after another before her eyes, until the whole hall was empty and gloomy. The tray dropped from Sibyl’s hand in shock. The blind spell finally broke for her, and she realized there had been no ball to begin with. There were no guests or even other staff around her. She had fallen into Joseph’s trap. Just as she realized this, a strong blow struck her neck and knocked her down. Her body fell to the ground with a loud thud. Sibyl blacked out and had no idea what happened to her after that. When she opened her eyes, she felt something soft beneath her. After a moment of dizziness and confusion, the recollections of every little thing that had transpired surfaced in her mind. She was currently on a large, soft bed, face down, her hands bound behind her back, and the surroundings were clearly someone’s room. Panicking, she started wiggling, unable to understand how she ended up there. “HELP!” she screamed. “PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP!!” “Ugh… so loud,” a deep yet familiar masculine voice startled Sibyl. She immediately tilted her head to find Joseph sitting on a couch. His long legs were crossed, a glass of wine elegantly held between his fingers, while his expression was slightly shadowed by the dimness of the room. “Alpha Joseph,” her voice was barely above a whisper, mixed with disbelief. So what she saw earlier had not been her imagination. The man she had bumped into really was Joseph!
