We passed the reception area and approached a large set of double doors where the music was loudest.
The bass thumped through the walls like a second heartbeat. Blue didn't hesitate; he pushed the doors open, and the moment we stepped inside, the room went silent. Not quiet. Not awkwardly calm. Dead silent.
Over fifty people froze mid-movement. Someone stopped dancing with their hand still in the air. A guy halfway through a laugh stayed there, mouth open like a paused movie. Glasses hovered mid-sip. Every single head turned.
Not toward Blue. But toward me.
Then, like someone had flipped a switch, whispers erupted across the room.
Soft at first. Then spreading.
I didn't catch the words, but I definitely caught the vibe.
And the vibe was: Who the hell is that?
My introvert instincts immediately activated.
Abort mission. Abort mission.
My brain suggested several solutions: Turn around and run. Fake a medical emergency. Crawl under a table and live there forever. The option were endless as long as I didn't have to face that crowd.
But before I could choose a survival strategy, Blue casually grabbed my hand and started leading me deeper into the room like this was a perfectly normal social situation and not my worst nightmare.
Absolutely not.
I dug my heels in and pulled back. Hard. "Blue," I hissed under my breath, trying to pry my hand free. "Let go. I'm not going in there."
He didn't let go. Not even a little.
"Everyone is staring at me," I whisper-yelled, panic climbing up my throat. "And they're doing it in a very suspicious way. I don't like it."
Blue leaned slightly closer, his voice low enough that only I could hear.
"Relax," he murmured near my ear. "No one's going to hurt you. Not while I'm here."
That should have been comforting.
It was… mostly terrifying.
Because the way he said it sounded less like reassurance and more like a threat to anyone who tried.
I was about to argue again—possibly escalate to full physical resistance—when a tall man suddenly approached us through the crowd.
He looked like he had stepped straight out of a luxury watch commercial.
Brown hair. Perfect posture. A white dress shirt with the top few buttons undone like he was allergic to formality. Black dress pants. Expensive watch gleaming under the lights.
But what really caught my attention were his eyes.
They were gray.
Not dull gray but storm-cloud gray. They were sharp, curious and intensely focused.
And right now they were locked directly on me.
He held a glass of wine loosely in one hand as he stopped in front of us, studying me like someone had just placed a rare artifact on the table.
Honestly?
It was a little terrifying. No scratch that. It was a lot terrifying.
"Oh my," he said slowly, his voice rich with amusement as he looked between Blue and me. "Blue… is this him?"
His eyes never left my face.
I blinked.
Him?
I turned to Blue in confusion, silently asking 'What is happening right now?'
Meanwhile Blue on the other hand, broke into the widest smile I had ever seen on his face.
Then he nodded.
That was apparently all the confirmation the man needed.
The stranger's eyes widened. Then his smile grew just as wide. "Oh wow," he said, clearly delighted. Then he immediately extended his hand toward me.
"Hi! I'm Blake," he said warmly. "The groom-to-be. It's very nice to meet you."
I hesitated for half a second and glanced at Blue again. He gave me a small nod.
Translation: You're safe.
So, I carefully placed my hand in Blake's.
"I'm Mason," I replied. "Nice to meet you too."
The moment Blake shook my hand, he stared at me like he had just discovered the eighth wonder of the world. "Oh my goodness," he said.
My stomach dropped. "You're so adorable."
My brain shut down.
"I feel like keeping you with me and protecting you forever."
I froze. My soul exited my body and hovered near the ceiling.
Blake blinked. Then slowly, he looked down at his own mouth. "Oh dear," he said cheerfully. "Did I just say that out loud?"
I turned toward Blue completely confused, and Blue didn't look amused. Not at all.
"Blake," Blue warned quietly.
Blake immediately lifted both hands in surrender, laughing. "Hey, hey, relax bro!" he said. "Don't get possessive already."
He took a sip of his wine before continuing casually.
"I'm getting married tomorrow, remember? There's absolutely no way I'm going to hurt my Jake. You know it's physically impossible."
He paused, glanced back at me, and smiled again.
"Even if this angel is ridiculously adorable."
Blue's jaw tightened slightly. He didn't look furious. But he definitely didn't look thrilled either.
Blake clapped his hands once, clearly deciding the tension was unnecessary. "Anyway!" he said brightly. "Enough of that."
Before I could react, he grabbed my arm and gently pulled me away from Blue. "Come on, doll," Blake said. "Let me introduce you to the pack."
My brain screamed immediately.
No. No no no no.
Introvert panic sirens were blaring at maximum volume. But when I glanced back, Blue still looked calm.
Completely calm.
And somehow that steadied me.
I didn't understand why. Heck, I didn't fully trust him. But somehow I had this strange feeling that if anything went wrong… Blue wouldn't let it happen.
Blake led me toward the center of the room where everyone had conveniently gathered like curious wolves circling a campfire.
Which, now that I thought about it, was not a comforting comparison.
Blake raised his glass slightly. "Alright everyone," he announced loudly. "Gather around!"
The room was already watching us. Now they leaned in. "Allow me to introduce someone very special."
He placed a hand lightly on my shoulder. "This," he said with a mischievous smile, "is Mason."
Then he glanced at Blue across the room and paused dramatically. The smirk on his face grew wider.
"Blue's…" he said slowly, waited just long enough to make the room tense.
And then he finished with:
"Friend."
The moment Blake said the word friend, it was like someone had rung a dinner bell.
People swarmed.
I'm not exaggerating. One second there was a respectful amount of space between us. The next second I was surrounded by a wall of ridiculously attractive humans closing in like curious bees around a very confused flower.
"Wow," a girl with glossy black hair said, leaning closer to inspect my face like I was a rare gemstone. "You're so handsome. Blue is so lucky."
Handsome? Me?
Lucky?
Lucky how?
Was I a raffle prize?
Before I could process that, a tall, devastatingly handsome guy stepped forward with a grin.
"Have you always been this adorable?" he asked casually.
Adorable.
That word again.
He tilted his head while looking at me like he was evaluating something precious.
"You suddenly bring out the protective side of me," he continued thoughtfully. "It's a little alarming, actually."
The way he said it made it sound like he had just discovered a brand-new instinct he didn't know his body possessed.
Meanwhile, everyone else seemed to agree.
People were smiling at me. Studying me. Admiring me.
Some of them were even glancing at Blue with something suspiciously close to envy.
I stood there in the middle of it all like a confused museum exhibit.
What was happening?
Why were all these insanely beautiful people looking at me like I was the important one here?
If this room were a beauty contest, I wouldn't even make the background contestant list. These people were flawless. Models. Gods. Possibly illegally attractive. And yet somehow they were staring at me like I was the rare one.
It didn't make sense.
I looked toward Blue.
He was watching the scene with his arms crossed, looking mildly annoyed.
That's when a theory formed in my head.
Had he… arranged this?
Maybe he felt bad about the way Caleb treated me yesterday. Maybe this was some elaborate plan to boost my self-esteem.
A "surprise confidence intervention."
Honestly? That seemed like the most logical explanation here.
Before I could spiral deeper into that theory, Blue suddenly walked over.
The crowd parted for him instantly.
"Alright, that's enough," he said calmly, slipping a hand around my wrist and pulling me slightly closer to him. "You're all going to scare him away."
The room burst into laughter.
"Oh relax, Blue," someone called from the crowd.
"We're just admiring," another voice added playfully.
"Yeah," the handsome guy from earlier said with a grin. "You brought him here. What did you expect?"
Blue gave them a look.
Not angry.
Just… a look.
And apparently that was enough.
One by one, people started backing off.
"Sorry, Mason."
"Didn't mean to overwhelm you."
"Welcome to the party."
Soon the crowd drifted back toward the dance floor, drinks, and conversations like curious waves retreating from shore.
Then the room filled with music again and my lungs finally remembered how breathing worked.
The only people who stayed behind were the familiar faces from the forest party.
Abigail. Fiona. Gilbert. Ethan. Henry. And Blake.
Abigail was the first to move.
The stunning redhead practically bounced toward me before wrapping me in a warm hug.
"Hey beautiful," she said cheerfully. "We missed you."
My brain malfunctioned again.
Beautiful?
Me?
Then Fiona appeared beside her, taking my hand with an excited smile.
"Come on, Mason," she said. "Let's get you a drink and teach you how to actually enjoy a party."
Behind them, Gilbert, Ethan, Henry, and Blake watched the scene with amused smiles like they were enjoying front-row seats to some entertainment.
But Blue immediately stepped in.
"No," he said flatly.
Fiona blinked.
Abigail tilted her head.
Blue crossed his arms.
"I don't trust the two of you with him."
The room went quiet for half a second.
Then Henry burst out laughing.
"Wow," Henry said, walking over and patting Blue on the back. "Calm down, man. Don't be so possessive."
Possessive?
My brain immediately rejected that word.
That didn't make sense. Why would Blue Gem be possessive about me?
I was just… Mason. The ugly nerd. The socially awkward guy who got nervous ordering pizza on the phone.
Blue rolled his eyes slightly but didn't deny it.
Blake smirked into his wine glass.
Abigail placed a hand dramatically over her heart.
"Blue," she gasped. "You wound me. Fiona and I are wonderful caretakers."
"Last time you were responsible for someone," Blue replied calmly, "three people ended up dancing on a table and someone tried to race a motorcycle inside the house."
"That was one time," Fiona protested.
"Twice," Ethan corrected from the side.
"Okay, twice," Fiona admitted.
Blue gave them a look.
Abigail sighed dramatically.
"Fine," she said. "you win. Are you happy now? I just wanted to spend some time with him, that's all."
Henry snorted.
Blue ignored the comment.
Finally, after a moment, he nodded.
"Alright," he said. "But I'm coming with you."
Abigail grinned.
Fiona clapped her hands excitedly.
"Deal."
And just like that, I was officially being escorted into the party by three super beautiful chaos agents and one very watchful Blue.
Honestly?
I had a feeling this night was about to get very dangerous and fast too.
To be continued...