Chapter 104

In a short space of time, Claire was attended to by a bevy of make-up artists and hairstylists who fixed her back to perfection, and in no time she was standing behind a curtain while Sabrina addressed the guests who had taken their seats at the dinner table.
She listened intently to Sabrina’s speech, wishing she could be out there to hold her friend’s hand but she was the surprise so she couldn’t do that.
There was enthusiastic clapping when Sabrina made the announcement for her new fashion line which would be called *‘Vas’* - taken from Sabrina’s name.
“I’d like to introduce my very first design which would be modeled by my very good friend and our beloved Luna Queen!” Sabrina announced and Claire straightened up, that was her cue to step out.
She didn’t expect the enthusiastic response, it nearly made her falter but she regained her balance and swept out as the curtains were parted to a standing ovation that she hoped was for the dress she had on.
Claire was asked to give a speech, and she did, it wasn’t difficult to say nice things about Sabrina so her speech went without pauses, another enthusiastic round of clapping and cheering going off after she rounded up.
She wasn’t the only one who would be modeling that night and the lavish dinner party was turned into a fashion show. Beautiful models wearing eye-catching designs came out one after the other, utilizing the dance floor which was in full view of the dinner tables as a runway.
Claire stood up on the stage with Sabrina as the fashion show went on, holding the half werewolf’s hand to support her. They both bowed to the audience to another standing ovation when the show ended before disappearing behind the stage curtains.
Sabrina threw herself on Claire, hugging the Luna Queen. “Thank you so much, Luna Claire, I don’t think I could have done it without you.” She said tearfully.
Claire returned the hug, “Oh, I barely, did anything,” She said lightly, returning the gesture and holding Sabrina close. “You did all of the work, and you deserve all of this.”
“So could I ask another intrusive request?” Sabrina leaned back to ask with a sneaky look in her eyes.
“As long as I get to keep this dress, I’d do anything.” She agreed easily, stepping backward.
“Deal,” Sabrina said without hesitation, “What do you say about being the global brand ambassador of the newly launched *‘Vas’*?” She asked hopefully, stars twinkling in her eyes.
Claire’s mouth dropped open, “What?”
Right behind them, a reporter with a microphone to her mouth started speaking while staring straight at the camera held in front of her, “You heard it here first folks!” She said with a perfect smile into the camera. “There’s talks of our beloved Luna Queen Claire being the global brand ambassador for the newly launched fashion line of Vaschell cosmetics, *‘Vas’*...”
Sabrina immediately stepped in front of Claire to shield her from the camera flashes, gesturing for workers to hoard the reporters out. “Who let them in here?” She whispered furiously while the reporters were being hurried out of the backstage. “Are you aware that some models get dressed here? Who let the paparazzi get this far?”
Claire just silently watched Sabrina effortlessly handle the issue, the half werewolf always said that she was so privileged to meet her but Claire thought that it was quite the opposite. The thought of being a global ambassador for what was soon going to become a massive luxury brand was overwhelming but she could help but feel like there was more to come.
Sabrina apologized for the inconvenience and then suggested that they returned to the ballroom so that they could finally eat dinner.
If Claire thought that the first half of the dinner party was hectic, it didn’t prepare her for the rest that came after the fashion show. Everyone wanted to speak to her, regardless of if Sabrina was with her or not. She seemed to have broken the glass wall that had previously been standing between her and the other werewolves in Silverfall City.
She couldn’t exactly tell when it was the glass wall shattered, if it was when she had taken enough of Alina’s crap and decided to do something about it, or if it was when she had given her speech on the stage.
It wasn’t just the guests of the dinner party but also the media, everyone wanted a little piece of her. Claire didn’t even notice the time going by, adrenaline fueling her until the dinner party started to round up sometime after midnight. Right then was when the exhaustion hit.
Sabrina noticed right away, linking her arms with Claire’s to take her out of her manor. “I can’t possibly tell you how grateful I am for all of your support, you’re the sole reason that today was such a huge success.” She said earnestly, leading Claire through the lingering few paparazzi left behind to where her car had been parked.
“It was my pleasure,” Claire said, sincerity in her voice. She had also gained a lot from the dinner party, it was a two-way deal.
“I’ll walk you to your car, make sure to sleep in tomorrow.” Sabrina immediately flipped on her worry switch.
“I will,” Claire said, meaning it. The exhaustion was evident in her voice, she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from sleeping in the next day, frankly, she wasn’t even sure she could make it back to the mansion without falling asleep. “My car is just up ahead,” She added, her legs a bit wobbly from walking in heels for hours without a break.
Just as they got to the car, the door opened, and the very last person she expected to see stepped out. “Lukas?” Claire called in disbelief, immediately going to him.
Sabrina smiled, “Good evening, Alpha Lukas, I’m glad you’re here to pick up your mate, I was really worried about her.”
Claire felt the rest of her strength leave her when Lukas’ strong arms wrapped around her, “You’re always worried, Sabrina.”
Sabrina laughed at this, “She is also a little drunk, please take care of her.” She waved them off, returning to her manor.
The few paparazzi left were very glad that they had stayed behind because they got to take pictures of the Alpha King doting on his hardworking mate, it was the perfect content for viral news.
“You didn’t have to come for me,” Claire said sleepily when Sabrina was gone, resting all of her weight on Lukas.
“I can’t sleep without you, of course, I had to come for you.” He said matter of factly, picking her up to help her into the car.
Claire just stayed curled up in his arms, her head was buzzing a bit and she felt drowsy but she wanted Lukas to touch her. If she were more lucid, she would have probably been mortified about making a move on Lukas while a bodyguard was in the car seat and another was in the passenger’s seat.
But it was dark and she was a little bit tipsy and Lukas smelled really good so she pressed up against him, blindly seeking his lips for a kiss.
Lukas humored her, a gentle hand wrapped possessively around her neck as he leaned down to taste her lips.
Claire melted into the kiss with a soft sound, wishing she could run her fingers all over Lukas’ naked heated skin much like she wanted to. “I can’t wait till we get back,” She whispered sultrily against his lips when they parted, and she could feel Lukas’ little smile against hers.
And she really didn’t wait till they got back because halfway through the journey she fell fast asleep, curling into Lukas like she wanted to crawl inside his shirt.
“Cute,” Lukas murmured, laughter in his voice.
When they got back to the mansion, Lukas took her up to their bedroom, undressed her and then got her ready for bed. The entire time, Claire stayed fast asleep, a soft smile on her beautiful face.
Lukas hadn’t just said what he did earlier just as a compliment, he really meant it when he said that he couldn’t sleep without Claire. It was why he had rushed through the meetings that he had taken a trip for, knowing that he spent more than a single day, that he wouldn’t be getting a wink of sleep. He also missed his mate terribly which was the main reason he had driven all night to return to her.
He got into bed, pulling Claire into his arms and burying his face in the soft curve of her shoulders. He had thought fate was playing a cruel joke on him by giving him a human mate but it turned out that fated was actually right because Claire was exactly what he needed - he just didn’t know that at the start.