Chapter 81: Leeches
: Leeches
Nova's POV
The party was filled with a bustling crowd of people, yet Drystan and I seemed to go unnoticed as the other guests around us mingled and chattered with each other while excluding us.
I felt like a fool sitting in the middle of a crowd of people where no one bothered to acknowledge us. I felt like we were just forcing ourselves into a place where no one wanted us.
My eyes flitted across the room. Wherever I look, I see familiar faces that used to talk to us and fill our ears with words we wanted to hear.
Now, those people have changed. They deliberately ignore us after we fall off in disgrace.
In the last gathering that we had, everyone was racing to have Drystan's attention and get the chance to have a conversation with him.
Everyone was giving him praise for how he started and developed his Pack. They were telling him what a great man he was to accomplish such things and that they wanted to work with a man like him.
Drystan's schedule after the Werewolf Assembly was filled for weeks with only appointments to meet with them and talk about agreements, transactions, and alliances.
Drystan worked hard to come up with an agreement that both parties would like and to make sure that everything would go smoothly.
When everything was finally settled, and he had already invested all his time and efforts, these jerks decided to cancel everything.
Without any proof, they immediately believe the rumor that Drystan and Astrid have been having an affair and that Astrid is carrying Drystan's child. Although Drystan had made Killian and Giselle believe it, it was baffling for me that the others didn't bother to verify the truth of the rumors first. These traitors don't use their brains at all. As soon as the baseless rumor was out, they went along with the others and cut all the connections they had with us.
I gritted my teeth, and my heart burned in anger. I sat in the middle of the room, surrounded by people who betrayed us. "Don't mind them, Nova," Drystan spoke to me, breaking the comfortable silence that surrounded us at our secluded table.
I looked at Drystan cluelessly. "What do you mean?" I asked him. I wasn't even doing or saying anything.
"You keep on shooting them daggers with your eyes," Drystan answered me, making me fall silent.
I didn't realize that my thoughts had pierced through my facial expressions.
I sighed and leaned back on my chair. "I couldn't believe that they are deliberately ignoring us like nothing happened," I grumbled beneath my breath. "Maybe they knocked their head or something and had forgotten about us," Drystan replied, making me chuckle.
"I wish that happened." I sighed wistfully. "I wish we didn't need them. I don't want us to have any connection with them after the misunderstanding is cleared."
As a new Pack, we needed others'
support to grow, especially after the huge losses that we had. This meant we had no choice but to accept their offers back again once Drystar and Astrid's names were cleared
We had to do that to keep the Pack going.
Drystan showed me a smile. "As an Alpha, pride is the number one thing we needed to let go for the Pack."
My heart twitched slightly as I suddenly felt bad for Drystan once again. I know how important the Nightsong Pack is to him. It is his and my sister's legacy when she was still alive.
I know he is also hurting by the dire situation that our Pack is in right now.
"Have you seen Astrid yet? What is taking her so long?" Drystan asked me anxiously as he craned his neck and searched among the crowd with just his eyes.
My eyes narrowed slightly as I stared at him. Ever since Astrid had left his line of sight, he had been very anxious and couldn't wait for her to get back.
Only a little bit more, and I will really
think that he already likes her.
Drystan is always worried about Astrid. He treats her especially, and sometimes I'm not sure if his
unreasonable kindness is out of guilt because Killian was his nephew or not anymore.
The only thing that is keeping me from thinking that Drystan is secretly in love with Astrid is the fact that I know how much Drystan really loves my sister.
For Drystan, my sister was not just his mate. She was more than that to him. I could say that he loved her fully for who she was. He loved her as his mate and as the woman that she was.
With that knowledge, I know he would never love anyone else the same way he loved my older sister.
My eyes narrowed when I saw Killian coming towards me. “Drystan, Killian is coming," I whispered to him since his back had turned on him.
Killian seemed to be in a rush as he jogged towards us.
"Where is Astrid?" Killian asked us instantly after he arrived.
Drystan was silent for a moment as he looked at Killian with anger in his eyes. "She went to talk to Giselle and then you. Haven't you seen her?" he asked him back, choosing to push aside his anger.