Delta [Epsilon #2]

Chapter Fifty-Six

Kyra

After calming down, we each went our separate ways. Raina and Azure headed for the punch table set up on the other side of the room, while I made a beeline for the white-haired male waving me over with a grin. He stood out from the crowd with his smart navy tuxedo and violet tie, his multichromatic eyes glittering with this childish excitement as they swept over my body. I found myself blushing as I walked over to him, suddenly conscious of how my dress looked and how my hair hung by my shoulders. I started fiddling with the latter... was I getting butterflies?

"What were you guys laughing about?" Faelen asked once I was within earshot. The entire room was a cacophony of voices and sound, but strangely enough, his voice cut towards me crystal clear. He swirled the glass of golden champaign in his hand. I looked at the liquid and smirked.

"Nothing important," I admitted, looking back up at him. There was a strange twinkle in his eyes -- one of the likes I'd yet to see before. I couldn't tell what it was exactly, but it made heat coil in my core.

Faelen leaned closer, the delicious scent of pine and snow hitting me like an avalanche. His grin was slow, playful, and strangely seductive. "Anything that makes you laugh is important to me, sweetheart. Come on... tell me."

I looked away from him, suddenly aware of the heat in my cheeks. I had yet to take a sip of alcohol and yet here I was, flushed like an idiot. Keen on distracting myself, I took a brief glance around the room, admiring the glittering tapestries against the walls and the gargantuan chandelier that hung low above us. People clamoured around the snack tables decked with crystal bowls of fruit, punch, and candies -- and even a giant chocolate cake sat on one. A string quartet sat up at the back of the room on a raised stage, right behind where the Alpha and Luna sat in their thrones, greeting people with wide smiles and accepting gifts from the line-up of devout followers.

I looked back to find Faelen watching me with intrigue, and, with a chuckle, I shook my head. "Honestly, you wouldn't understand it. Unless you know what sisterhood is."

Faelen snorted. "Yeah. Maybe it is a bit out of my field."

I smiled at him. Then, my smile faltered as I remembered something that had been bothering me a lot those past couple of days. "I'm sorry for what I did, by the way. I know it's probably been of great inconvenience for you."

Faelen raised a perfectly white brow. "What are you talking about?"

I winced. "You know... the name-drop. I shouldn't have done that, even if... even if I was a little angry."

Faelen looked at me for a moment longer. Then, he sighed. "I can't exactly be mad at you for it, Kyra. Yes, it was one of my best-kept secrets and something I would have preferred to remain confidential, and it is terribly annoying to hear people whisper my name when I walk by..." he shook his head, perhaps upon seeing the growing distraught on my face. "But I don't care that much. Really. I deserved it after what I did to you. Granted, I said those things way back, but even then, it isn't justified. I was just plain cruel to you when you were going through such a rough time and, well... I'm so sorry for that too, Kyra. You deserved better."

Faelen looked to his glass again, his face pinched in anguish as he watched the bubbling liquid, and I stared at him, dumbfounded. Yes, though Faelen had apologised for many things, he'd never apologised for how he'd treated me in those initial months. And now that he had, I felt... oddly relieved.