CHAPTER 14

MIA POV.
As Dominic's eyes met mine, I thought I saw guilt, but he quickly diverted his attention to the woman. "Mia, this is Vivienne, a friend." Although it was very clear that they were more than that. Vivienne's gaze swept over me again, with curiosity although there was a little bit of possessiveness in the way she held her hand onto Dominic's arm. "Ahh, Tony’s little luna to be." she purred, her voice husky and confident. I clenched my jaw annoyed at being called Tony’s. A few days ago, I would have loved to hear it, and all of this would have been a dream come true, but I didn’t want any of that anymore but now I was obligated to.
“It is nice to meet you, Vivienne.” I greeted her back before my silence sounded rude. Vivienne gave me another smile before she started to plate herself breakfast. Dominic stood up, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "I have some business to attend to.” He spoke as he looked at me before addressing his mistress. “Vivienne, would you do me a favor and take Mia shopping for tonight's party? I want her to make a stunning impression." Vivienne's gaze flicked to me, curiosity dancing in her eyes, before she nodded graciously, "Of course, darling. I'll make sure she's absolutely breathtaking tonight."
“Wait! What?” I asked as I suddenly felt like I missed something big here. “Party? Tonight? Why has no one told me about this.” I asked and Dominic raised an eyebrow at me. The thought of being paraded around like a new toy made my stomach twist with unease. But Dominic's expression was hard and determined. “I did promise you to reunite you with your father, Mia.” Dominic said and I suddenly felt a flutter of excitement and panic. “And I am a man of my word.” He spoke and turned to Vivienne. “Please make sure she is not late.” He said before walking out of the kitchen, leaving me and his mistress alone.
Vivienne rolled her eyes as he exited the kitchen before, she turned to me with a smile on her lips. "Shall we, Mia? We have a lot of shopping and pampering to do.” She said as she got up from the table. She had barely eaten a thing, and I realized that neither had I, but my appetite was suddenly gone. I forced a smile and got up. I was about to start gathering all the plates when Elizabeth just came in and took it from my hands. With a smile on her face, she chased me out of the kitchen, making me follow Vivienne.
As we drove through the busy city streets, I couldn't help myself asking more about Dominic. "Vivienne, can I ask you something?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me. She turned to me, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Yeah sure, Mimi.” She said and I briefly paused for one of two reasons. One, was the unexpected nickname she called me. It was not like I didn’t like it, but it felt strange coming from someone I had just met. Two, I wondered if this was a good idea but asked anyway.
"What is Dominic's story? He’s quite... complicated." I said and Vivienne's expression softened. "Dominic is quite the enigma but also the most straight forward person that anyone would ever meet.” She said. I already knew this, but I kept quiet and waited for her to continue. “It has never been a secret that he had never been one to restrain his desires when it comes to women. Except for when he was married.” She said. “Tony’s mother.” I stated and she nodded her head. “Just like many matched alpha’s, Dominic was arranged to marry Sophia.” Vivienne continued. “And from what I understand, there was no love between them but they respected each other enough to make it work and when she died shortly after giving birth to Tony… it was an adjustment for him to raise the boy alone." She said, her voice taking on a sympathetic tone.
“Why didn’t he remarry? I’m sure that she-wolves would have lined up to be his wife and new Luna?” I said and Vivienne laughed, nodding her head. “Oh, there were, believe me. They practically threw themselves at his feet, but he merely had his fill of them before moving along to the next one.” She said and I stared at her. “And you?” I asked and it looked like she had squared her shoulder with pride.
Vivienne, with a hint of smugness, looked at me. “I have been with Dominic the longest of all his conquests.” She said and smiled to herself as she must have been thinking of him at that moment. “I have even heard whispers from well-connected sources that, in time, I might just be the next luna of Dark Moon pack.” She said as pride shone in her eyes. “I have seen the sides of Dominic Romano that is only rarely seen but make no mistake, Mia, he's a force to be reckoned with.” She spoke in warning as her eyes locked with mine.
There was something of a warning in her eyes that made me uncomfortable, but to my relief, the car came to a stop. “Here we are.” Vivienne said cheerily. “Shall we?” She asked as climbed out and I followed. The place was huge, and it was buzzing with people.
As we glided through the expensive shops of the mall with Vivienne leading the way. Of course, she would know where to go, this was a normal day in her life where I would have only dreamt of shopping a few days ago. Every store we went in was an extravagance experience, with designer labels and price tags that had my mouth drop open more than once.
Vivienne gave me various outfits to try on. Each one was more breathtaking than the last, and Vivienne complimented me on each one. Vivienne picked out shoes for every outfit that met her approval as well as a new sparkling piece of jewelry to match. I objected of course but after a few outfits, I just gave up and went with what she wanted, and Vivienne seemed to enjoy matching my outfits. It all felt so surreal, like a fairy tale.
At lunch, we quickly stopped for a bite to eat at an expensive restaurant before continuing with our shopping. To my surprise, it was time to head back as the sun started to set. I barely had time to get out of the car when Vivienne rushed me upstairs to my room to get ready.
An hour later, I stood in front of the mirror. I didn’t recognize myself. My body was wrapped in a silk black gown, the satin folds shimmering in the soft light of my room. The girl, no, the woman I saw in the mirror looked elegant radiant and refined. A vast difference of a girl from a small-town Pack.
My thoughts drifted to the party tonight, and the man I would meet – the man who is supposed to be my father. A mix of emotions swirled inside me: anxiety, curiosity, and a hint of excitement. What would he be like? I wondered. Would he be kind and welcoming, or cold and distant? And what about the others at the party? Would they accept me, or see me as an outsider?
As Vivienne finished up the last touches of my hair, I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. Tonight was the first step into their world, and I couldn't help but wonder what the outcome of my fate would be.