Chapter 23 The Dance (Part 2)

"Excuse me, do I know you?" I ask the woman who looks so fond of purple, ready to leave with my sparkling water.
"I'm Joanna Motley, from Greenfield Pack, the cover model, and you are..." She introduces herself and extends a hand to me.
"Ella Ronan, Ronan's Family Pack, pet sitter." Out of courtesy, I tell her my name and extend my right hand as well. But before my hand touches hers, Joanna immediately withdraws her hand as soon as she hears me say my occupation.
"Eww~" she frowns and fans the air twice with her palm. "Milla, no wonder I just smelled a unique stench of wild animals. Now I've found out why."
"I knew it. But I've heard that girls from the countryside smell like animal shit. Some of them can't hide her stench even if she wears a fancy dress that doesn't match her status." Camilla finishes, even covering her mouth and nose to make a disgusting motion to vomit.
"Finish? Goodbye if nothing else!" I don't want to argue with the two she-wolves who are deliberately looking for a fight. Many people are in the banquet hall, so if I argue with them, it will only bring too much unnecessary attention to me.
I take my champagne glass and turn to leave, noticing that Joanna extends a foot intending to trip me. Clearly, they are not going to leave me alone. I ignore their cheap prank, step over Joanna's foot, and keep going.
"Ouch!" it's Joanna screaming.
Camilla grabs my wrist to keep me from leaving, then scolds me, "Stop! Do you even have an apology for hurting my friend?"
"What? I didn't even touch her!" I raise my brow and notice that Joanna is already sitting on the floor as if she has been pushed down.
The dancing continues inside the room, but Camilla and Joanna's screams have drawn the attention of several individuals.
"Are you telling me I deliberately framed you?" Camilla asks, glaring at me.
Tears well up in Joanna's eyes, and she bites her lip, revealing her foot hidden under her gown. There is a small circular purple bruise on the back of her foot as if it is caused by a high-heel shoe's root. But, I swear to the Moon God, I never touched her.
"Jo, what's going on?"
A stout masked man in a tuxedo helps Joanna stand up and asks if she is okay.
"Roy, I heard Ella is one of the outstanding graduates this year. I just want to make friends with her. But, I don't know if I said anything to piss her off ...." Joanna says, leaning on the man's shoulder and then showing him the back of her foot.
"I... I didn't. She..." I trail off as I notice more and more people gathering, which activates a memory I had forgotten in the corner of my brain - the hilarious party before prom.
I look around and hear them whispering about me.
"Who's this girl? Is there an Ella among this year's top graduates?"
"Is she crazy? How dare she hurt the Motley family's first lady."
"Is she drunk?"
"She's the girl from the countryside who often wears rustic clothes?"
"I can't believe such a boorish girl is wearing such a high-class gown!"
At this moment, I feel like I'm returning to the party Jasper threw before my prom in my senior high school. I was surrounded by people like now, enduring their discussions and strange looks at me.
I can't stay here; I must leave. I break free from Camilla's grip and take a few panicked steps backward, bumping into the drinks counter. The bottle with the red wine falls over, the red wine painting the white tablecloth and dirtying my dress.
"Are you okay?" The hunky man's lips move. But the laughter of Camilla and the others sting so much that I'm not sure he really says those words.
"The ball isn't over yet, and you can't wait to wet yourself? You cheating cat girl!" Camilla sarcastically says, pointing at my gown.
Harsh laughter erupts from the crowd around me, except for the man holding up Joanna.
The smell of red wine seems to deepen my fears and make me dizzy. Why didn't you listen to my explanation? It is like I was thrown into an inferno surrounded by masked demons whose laughter and taunts were transformed into sharp arrows or bullets attacking my spirit. I cover my ears and crouch on the ground, not wanting to hear the demons' laughter.
"Oh, my god!!!!"
Camilla's ear-piercing scream reaches my ears through my fingers.
"Ella, Ella, are you all right?" Mia calls my name, pushes through the crowd and helps me up.
The familiar aroma of buttered bread mixed with red wine enters the air. I move my eyes to the source of that buttered bread aroma, only to be shocked by the scene in front of me.
Mr. Clapton, wearing a black ball mask, is standing behind Camilla. The empty wine glass in his hand is on top of Camilla's head.
Camilla's bright pink evening dress is dyed dark pink with red wine. Her curly hair is still dripping with wine, and her whole body looks wretched.
"What the fu..." Camilla's dirty words stick in her throat as she turns to see who the man is that poured the red wine on her.
"Alpha...Alpha Ethan," Joanna's lips quiver.
"Go on. Why don't you guys keep laughing?" Mr. Clapton asks, scanning everyone present and finally resting his gaze on my face. My heartbeat steadies, and my tense spirit instantly relaxes. I even want to run into Mr. Clapton's embrace and kiss him for a moment.
The music in the dance hall stops at some point, and the entire banquet hall suddenly falls into silence.
"Joanna, long time no see." Mr. Clapton says in a cold voice, turning to Joanna.
"Ethan..." After calling his name, Joanna's smile turns weak.
"Show your injured foot." Mr. Clapton orders. Joanna does as she is told.
Lucas appears at Mr. Clapton's side for some reason. He looks down at the back of Joanna's foot and grunts, "Your injury is caused by your own high heel, right? My store never makes those thin heels with only a 0.3 cm diameter. Besides, this lady is 5'7" tall. She weighs about 136 pounds, and you dare to say the bruise on your instep is caused by her stomping on it?"
Wait a minute! Why does Lucas know my exact weight?
"It's sick, isn't it? He pinpointed my height and weight the first time he met me." Mia whispers to me after she guesses what I'm thinking.
Mr. Clapton takes a step forward and steps right on the toe of Joanna's high heel. "Next time, you'd better step on your own instep as hard as you are, like now, before you use such a cheap way to frame someone."
"I'm so... sorry. Alpha Ethan," Joanna grimaces in pain and grabs the hand of the man named Roy beside her. It looks like she intends to ask him for help.
"Eth..." Roy sighs and puts his hand on Mr. Clapton's shoulder, gesturing for him to let Joanna go.
"Ella, you want to say something else?" Mr. Clapton asks me.
For some reason, Mr. Clapton's voice seems to contain magic that gives me strength. It stops me from being afraid of the masked demons and gives me the courage to reveal my true thoughts.
I step forward to Joanna and Camilla, who are shaking, and tell them, including the shifters around me, "Let me reintroduce myself. I'm Ella Ronan, from Ronan's Family Pack in the rural southern region. I have a happy family and lovely parents. I like wearing jeans and T-shirts; I love cats and occasionally eat junk food."
"What I'm trying to say is, my birth pack and social status had been determined before my birth, and I couldn't select. But my dressing style and other preferences are up to me. It is my freedom. If you share my preferences, I am happy to share them with you. If not, then I'm just a stranger, not the weirdo you can laugh at and tease."