**Lila's POV**
It was finally time for the feast. After an hour spent getting ready—dressing me up, doing my makeup, and styling my hair—I was ready. Holly, along with two other women, took charge of the preparations. As I looked at my brown hair and baby blue dress in the mirror, I couldn't believe how gorgeous I looked.
I hadn't realized I could look so beautiful with just the most basic makeup, and I loved it.
"Lila, can you please tell me what's wrong? I hate this gloomy look on your face. You should be excited about the welcome feast, about starting your new life. You should be excited about everything! I know you're not used to the grandeur of having everyone at your beck and call, especially since you didn't have that with your parents, but you should be happy about it. What's with the doom and gloom?" Holly exclaimed, gesturing wildly. Realizing it was best to share my feelings, I decided to fill her in on what I'd overheard.
She stared at me in absolute shock and confusion. "Why didn't you tell me about this earlier, Lila?" She rushed over and enveloped me in a tight hug.
"I didn't want to ruin the mood for you. I knew how excited you were about this, and I didn't want to be the fun sponge," I explained.
"What do you mean?" She playfully swatted my arm. "You're my best friend, Lila. This is your day, so if you're sad, I'll be sad too."
"I understand that now," I chuckled lightly. "If your angry shouts weren't enough to show me, the playful swats definitely were."
She chuckled and pulled me in for another hug.
"I love you, so they'll definitely like you," Holly said in the softest tone I had ever heard from her. "You know I don't easily like people, right? But I'm truly in love with you. They just aren't used to female authority, so this is all new for them. They're going to love you. I know it."
"You really think so?" I asked, teary-eyed as I gripped her hands tightly.
"I know so," she reassured me, kissing both of my cheeks. "Now wipe those tears. You are not ruining the makeup I spent hours on."
"Oh wow. Mummy Holly is back," I laughed at her stern tone as I dabbed at my eyes with my knuckles.
"Yes! Now come on. Let's get down to the feast before everyone else arrives; otherwise, this is going to be super awkward, I assure you."
"You're right," I agreed, laughing as I quickly slid into my slippers and rushed out with Holly on my tail.
"Hi!" I said sweetly when we arrived at the dining room.
Cole was talking to some people I assumed were his friends. His face looked a bit grim while theirs showed signs of having been let in on a very funny joke.
As soon as I called out to Cole, they all looked at me like I had a heap of dead flies on my forehead. They kept glancing between me and Cole; some looked intrigued, while others struggled to hold back their laughter.
I felt so uncomfortable, and for some unknown reason, I felt ashamed—as if I didn't belong there.
Holly held tightly to my fingers behind my back, signaling that she was equally unsettled by the situation.
I decided to give myself the benefit of the doubt and wait for Cole to speak. He was my mate, and I trusted he would stand up for me.
"Hey," Cole said emotionlessly, tapping the seat beside him.
He didn't even bother to look at me after that; he returned to his conversation with his laughing friends, leaving me in shock.
"Act unaffected and go take a seat." Holly gritted her teeth, forcing a fake smile at the guys.
She was right. If I let them see how affected I was by what had just happened, I would lose any respect I had garnered—if I had garnered any at all.
Putting on a smile, I took the seat he had tapped for me, almost feeling like a pet dog.
But Cole had been super nice to me at his father's place and throughout my time here, so why the sudden change?
Maybe he'd heard some devastating news. He certainly looked a bit sad.
As people gathered, it was finally time for the feast to begin. Cole stood to give his speech.
He tapped his spoon against his glass to quiet everyone and began, "I want to especially welcome you all to this feast. I'm glad you could make time out of your busy schedules to join us." He looked around as people bowed and whispered lightly among themselves. "This is a welcome feast, called to welcome my mate, Lila, into the Bloodthorn pack."
I smiled widely, expecting Cole to take my hand and introduce me to the guests, but instead, he merely nodded slightly at me like I was an object, leaving the people to clap for me.
When I stood up, hoping to make a good impression, he sat down, leaving me fee
ling foolish.
Quietly, I sat back down, wishing to disappear.