Chapter 143: Mad At Everyone

Lorali Pov

The moment the plush velvet curtains of the private fitting suite slammed shut behind us, isolating the three of us from the waiting area, Vanya and Susie turned on me like a pair of starving wolves.

"Okay, spill!" Vanya demanded, grabbing my left arm and dragging me toward the plush ivory velvet sofa in the center of the showroom. "Why in the absolute hell is Oracle trailing behind you like a beaten dog?!"

"I thought he was in jail!" Susie chimed in, stepping directly into my personal space, her dark eyes wide with unrefined curiosity. She tilted her head, inspecting my face as if looking for secret bruises. "Arabella literally told us that you framed him putting his ass behind bars for stabbing you! How is he out? Did the Spades pay off the magistrate?!"

"And why are you letting him follow you around?" Vanya added, crossing her arms over her silk blouse. "You hated his guts, you still hate his guts! What is going on, Lorali?"

I let out a long, heavy breath, rolling my shoulders to loosen the tight knot sitting at the base of my neck. I gently pried Vanya’s fingers off my sleeve and smoothed down the front of my black jacket.

"Guys, you need to calm down," I said, my voice smooth, even, and entirely devoid of panic. "It’s just Oracle."

"It’s not just Oracle!" Susie gasped, throwing her hands up in the air. "He’s an Alpha! And the man that put a venomous bond on you!"

"I’m using him as my personal chauffeur," I explained flatly, walking over to one of the marble side tables and picking up a crystal glass of sparkling water. I took a slow sip before looking back at them. "It keeps the pain from flaring up in my shoulder."

Susie’s relentless energy instantly evaporated. Her jaw dropped slightly, her eyes softening into a look of heavy, suffocating pity that made my stomach turn.

"Oh my gosh..." Susie whispered, stepping closer to place a cautious hand on my forearm. "The bond... it’s back? Isn’t it too soon?"

"I am so, so sorry for you, Lorali," Vanya said softly, her voice dropping its frantic edge, replaced by genuine sorrow. "We thought... you had more time."

"It’s fine," I cut in immediately, pulling my arm away from Susie’s touch before the sympathy could contaminate the air. I didn’t want their pity. I didn’t need their grief. "It’s completely okay. Now I don’t feel anything. As long as he’s near me, the physical agony stays at zero"

Susie and Vanya exchanged a long, unreadable look, but neither of them dared to push the subject further. They knew where the boundary was. Vanya broke the tense silence, turning her head to scan my outfit from head to toe. She raised a delicate, perfectly arched eyebrow. "On a lighter note... why do you look like you’re attending a high-society funeral in all black?"

"Oh, I just came straight from figure skating practice," I replied, running a hand through my ponytail, feeling the slight dampness at the roots.

"You skate?" Vanya asked, blinking in genuine surprise.

"Yeah," I said, tilting my chin up slightly. "I plan on actually doing something productive with my life instead of sitting around planning revenge."

Susie let out a bright, squealing gasp. Before I could step back, she threw her arms around my neck, pulling me into a tight, enthusiastic hug that nearly knocked the glass of water out of my hand.

"Oh my gosh, I’m so happy for you!" Susie giggled into my shoulder, squeezing me tight before pulling back with a huge smile. "Look at you! Doing something with your life! I love this for you, Lorali! Truly!"

"Okay, okay, clear off," I muttered, though a tiny, microscopic trace of amusement tugged at the corner of my lips as I pushed her off. "You’re ruining my jacket."

"Alright, ladies!" Vanya clapped her hands together, her voice bouncing off the high, crown-molded ceiling of the boutique. "We have an entire rack of custom designer gowns to destroy. Let’s pick you guys some dresses!"

While Vanya glided over to the plush velvet armchair near the apple juice station, pulling out her tablet to set up a video call, Susie and I headed straight for the endless rows of high-fashion bridesmaid wear. The boutique was a maze of organza, heavy silk, intricate lace, and hand-stitched beadwork, smelling expensive and crisp.

I ran my fingers over the fabrics, pushing aside a heavy rack of cream-colored ballgowns. Susie walked beside me, pulling out hangers, inspecting the stitching, and tossing discarded options onto the plush carpet for the boutique assistants to clear.

"So," I began, keeping my eyes on the silk dresses in front of me. "What’s the actual theme for the bridesmaid dresses? I haven’t exactly been reading the group chat."

Susie stopped mid-reach, turning her head to give me a look of pure judgment. "We’ve noticed. And more importantly, Arabella has noticed. You are pissing her off so badly because of that, Lorali. She is going to take off on you very, very soon."

I let out a low sigh, rolling my eyes as I pulled a deep emerald gown from the rack to inspect the hem. "I know. Arabella blows a fuse over everything lately. But you can’t blame her."

"I can blame you," Susie retorted, setting her hands on her hips, her dark eyes narrowing at me. "You’re just being crazy lately."

The air in the narrow aisle between the dress racks instantly froze.

My hand stopped on the hanger. The casual, lighthearted atmosphere evaporated into thick, dangerous tension. My jaw clenched so tight my teeth ached, a sudden wave of dark, volatile fury spiking in my blood.

I turned my head slowly, locking my gaze onto Susie.

"I’m not crazy," I said. My voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a deadly, razor-sharp edge that cut straight through the soft classical music playing over the boutique speakers.

Of all the things in this world that could trigger the dormant rage inside me, being called crazy, being grouped into the same breath as the unhinged, hysterical monster the Spades had tried to make me out to be, was the absolute fastest way to ignite my temper.

Susie blinked, stepping back half an inch as she registered the sudden shift in my aura. She raised her hands in a defensive gesture, her expression softening.

"Woah, relax," Susie said quickly, her voice dropping into a calm, placating tone. "I didn’t mean it like that, Lorali. Don’t get mad."

"Then don’t say stupid things," I snapped back, my posture rigid, my knuckles white against the wooden hanger.

"I’m just saying what is happening!" Susie argued, standing her ground even as she backed off slightly, refusing to match my hostility. "You’re pushing the rest of us away! We don’t know what’s going on in your head anymore because you keep shutting us out, when all we are doing is being your friends and trying to be here for you!"

"I am not pushing anyone away," I hissed, my defense mechanism slamming up like an iron wall. "I just want to focus on my own life. I don’t have time to read three hundred text messages a day about flower arrangements and table linens!"

"I am not fighting with you!" Susie raised her voice slightly, looking at me with genuine frustration. "I am literally just telling you how it looks from the outside! You act like everyone is attacking you! Communicate with us if we did something wrong."

I stared at her, my breathing shallow, my chest heaving beneath my black jacket. I wanted to strike out. I wanted to hurt her with words just to make her step back further, to make her feel the same sharp, prickly discomfort I lived with every single second of the day.

My eyes narrowed as I searched for a low blow, pulling up recent rumors. "Oh, really?" I sneered, leaning slightly closer. "You’re lecturing me about communication and fighting? isn’t it you and Vanya who are fighting? I mean, if anyone is pushing people away or causing drama in this group, it would be you two."

Susie froze. The defensive frustration on her face turned into utter, bewildered confusion. She stopped, staring at me as if I had suddenly started speaking another language.

"What are you talking about?" Susie asked flatly.

"Don’t play dumb," I said, folding my arms across my chest with a cold, mocking smirk. "We all know. Don’t lie to my face. You and Vanya have been at each other’s throats for weeks."

Susie stared at me for three long seconds before letting out a tired, heavy sigh. She pinched the bridge of her nose, tossing a pink silk dress back onto the rack.

"Yeah," Susie muttered softly, her aggressive edge completely deflating. "We were fighting. But that’s just because she’s paranoid most of the time."

I blinked, caught off guard by her sudden honesty. I tilted my head, my curiosity momentarily overriding my rage. "Paranoid about what? What could Vanya possibly be paranoid about? She’s marrying into a presidential pack."

"You know how Vanya is," Susie said, leaning back against the wooden display rack and folding her arms. "She isn’t the most... down and dirty person. She doesn’t like doing anything that would ruffle her hair, mess up her makeup, or make her look less than pristine. She hates sports. She hates sweating."

"And?" I prompted.

"And her pack does those types of things for fun," Susie continued, rolling her eyes. "They play rough. They do dirty outdoor sports, hiking, mud runs, training exercises. Vanya refuses to participate in any of it. But I do sports. I get along with her pack really easily because I actually join in when they play match games. Vanya saw me laughing with them at the estate last month and got completely insecure about it. She thought I was trying to upstage her in front of her own future pack."

Susie shook her head, letting out a bitter chuckle. "So, yeah. That’s why we were fighting."

I processed her words, looking at Susie as if she had lost her mind. "You guys are fighting over a pack? Over a bunch of Alphas who play the dirt? I do not get it."

"We’re not fighting about it anymore," Susie clarified, waving a hand dismissively. "It was just a slight disagreement. We resolved it. We get along fine now."

"Okay... that’s just weird," I said, shaking my head as I turned back to the dress rack. "See, I would never do that. I would never let some Alpha pack come between me and my friends."

Susie burst out into a loud, genuine laugh, shaking her head so hard her earrings chimed. "Please! Lorali, you are literally ignoring us to tend to Spade! You’re wasting your energy dragging them through hell when you could be out enjoying your life!"

I stopped, turning my head to glare at her sideways. "You are so lucky I love you, Susie. Because if anyone else on this planet said that to me right now, I would probably stitch their mouth closed."

Susie didn’t flinch. Instead, a dangerous, wicked smirk spread across her face. She took a step toward me, popping her knuckles with an audible crack.

"Try it," Susie purred, her eyes flashing with wild, competitive energy. "You know I can go foot-to-foot with you, Lorali. I will sew that mouth closed myself before you even get the needle threaded."

I looked at her sharp, defiant posture, and despite the heavy darkness sitting in my chest, a sudden spark of nostalgia cut through my mood.