Alpha's Regret: Losing His True Mate-Chapter 170

Elodie smiled at him. "Of course. I’d love to."

She put her hand in his, and Johnny led her onto the dance floor. His grip was warm, confident.

Harry watched them go, then turned to the girl waiting beside him and offered his hand. She took it, looking pleased.

The music swelled as Elodie and Johnny stepped into the crowd of dancers. And that’s when it happened... their eyes landed right on Dante and Sienna, who were just about to start dancing too.

For a split second, everyone was just looking at each other.

Elodie was about to glance away when she caught it. Dante’s mouth curved up slightly. Was that... did he just smile at her?

Her chest did this stupid little jump before her brain caught up.

She frowned, focusing harder. No. He wasn’t looking at her at all. The smile was aimed past her, at Sienna. Of course it was. He probably hadn’t even registered that Elodie was standing there.

She turned her attention back to Johnny and tried to focus on the steps. One, two, three. Left, right. Don’t think about it.

Around them, the dance floor was filling up fast. All the eligible bachelors like Rex, Jimmy, Levi and co were basically celebrity sightings at these things. Girls were already circling, hoping for a chance.

Rex looked like he’d rather be anywhere else. After his disaster of a conversation with Johnny, he’d planted himself near the edge of the room, eyes constantly drifting toward Sienna. He clearly had zero interest in dancing.

Jimmy looked equally thrilled about the whole thing, which is to say, not at all.

But then some older relatives started giving them looks. You know the kind. The "you better ask someone to dance or we’ll have words later" kind. So eventually, Rex and Jimmy gave in and reluctantly led some well-connected girls onto the floor. Duty calls and all that.

Levi, on the other hand, was having the time of his life. That guy loved this stuff. He was already charming his way through his third dance partner.

Elodie moved through the steps easily. There was something about the way she carried herself tonight, so calmly, graceful, that qipao flowing with every turn. She wasn’t trying to stand out, but she did anyway. The quiet elegance just pulled people’s eyes toward her.

She could feel it. The stares. The attention.

Johnny noticed too. He was grinning like he’d won something.

Within minutes, other guys started making their moves. Trying to cut in, swap partners. It was a whole thing.

Some guy named Yves danced closer with his partner, clearing his throat. "Mr. Gray, mind if we switch for a bit?"

His eyes were locked on Elodie like Johnny wasn’t even there.

Johnny’s expression went ice cold. "Yeah, I mind. A lot, actually."

Yves blinked. "Oh. Uh... okay then."

Awkward.

But then, barely a minute later, another voice spoke up. This time directed at Elodie.

"Miss Miller, right?" It was a girl, she was sweet-looking, probably early twenties. She was currently dancing with Jimmy but looking at Johnny like he was a three-course meal. "Would you be okay with switching partners?"

Elodie paused mid-step and glanced over. The girl smiled hopefully.

Elodie looked at Johnny. He looked stunned. Completely blindsided.

She couldn’t help it, she smiled. Just a little. "I don’t mind. Mr. Hall, are you okay with it?"

Jimmy shrugged. "Sure. Why not."

Johnny’s mouth opened. Then closed. Then opened again.

"Wait, so... my opinion doesn’t matter here or...?"

Nobody answered him.

Johnny paused, looking at Jimmy. Then he looked back at the girl who wanted to dance with him.

Okay, fine. Jimmy was actually a solid guy. Successful, respectful, good family. Not a bad match for Elodie at all, now that he thought about it.

Maybe this wasn’t such a terrible idea.

"Alright," Johnny said, making up his mind. "Let’s switch."

And just like that, they swapped partners. Smooth as anything.

Elodie’s hand left Johnny’s and was suddenly in a stranger’s grip. Her other hand rested against Jimmy’s shoulder. The whole thing felt weird. Wrong, somehow. Too close to someone she barely knew.

Jimmy kept his touch light though, respectful. His hand on her waist was barely there, gentle. He clearly noticed she looked uncomfortable.

Actually, watching her reaction, Jimmy got the feeling she wasn’t used to this kind of thing. Like maybe she hadn’t dated much. Or at all. There was something almost... innocent about the way she held herself.

They’d met before. Briefly. But never really talked.

"Jimmy," he said, introducing himself properly. "That’s my name."

Elodie took a second to adjust. Being this close to someone she didn’t know felt strange, but she forced herself to relax. She looked up at him, her voice calm. "Elodie."

Jimmy went still for a beat.

"Elodie," he repeated.

It suited her. Really suited her.

He didn’t say that out loud though.

Around them, people were noticing. Rex glanced over, eyes narrowing. Levi looked too, eyebrows raised. Harry’s attention drifted their way. Even Dante and Sienna turned to look.

Partner swapping wasn’t unusual at these things. Happened all the time.

But Elodie and Jimmy together... They looked good. Really good, actually. Like they belonged together.

Rex’s frown deepened.

Harry’s steps faltered slightly.

"Mr. Becker?" his dance partner asked, noticing.

Harry blinked and looked back at her. "Sorry."

"It’s fine," she said sweetly.

Harry’s mind was elsewhere though. Swapping partners was normal, sure. He wouldn’t mind switching with Dante or Rex or whoever.

But with Elodie?

That felt different somehow.

Sienna was watching too. She’d seen Rex earlier tonight, but Jimmy hadn’t come over with him. She had no idea who this guy was.

But judging by the way Rex and Yves treated him? He was important. Probably just as powerful as Rex, maybe more.

And now he was dancing with Elodie. Looking at her with interest. Actual interest.

Sienna’s jaw tightened.

"Frank," Levi’s voice cut through the moment. He was grinning. "Want to swap for a bit?"

Sienna pulled her attention back.

Dante looked down at her. "What do you think?"

She smiled. Forced it a little, but it stayed in place. "Sure. I don’t mind."

Dante nodded and smoothly traded partners with Levi.

Levi’s partner, a young woman with wide eyes and an expensive dress, looked absolutely shocked that Sienna had actually agreed. And now she was in Dante’s arms.

Dante Wilson. Alpha of the Bellini Pack. The most powerful man in the room.

She forgot how to breathe for a second. Forgot how to move. Her feet just stopped working.

Her face went bright red as she realized she’d completely frozen up. She looked up at him, mortified.

Dante noticed. Of course he did. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

His voice came out low, almost gentle. "Relax. You’re fine."

The girl took a shaky breath. Dante’s calm voice helped. She mumbled an apology, then started following his lead, her steps getting steadier.

Sienna didn’t mind switching partners. Why would she? She was confident. Secure.

But watching that girl stare up at Dante like he’d hung the moon, cheeks all flushed, eyes practically turning into hearts... yeah, that bothered her. Her eyebrows pulled together.

Meanwhile, Levi was having his own crisis.

Dancing with Sienna felt weird. She was his brother’s girl. Where was he even supposed to put his hands? He held her like she might break, keeping as much distance as physically possible while still technically dancing.

Sienna noticed. "It’s just a dance," she said. "Dante doesn’t care."

Levi relaxed a little, finally smiling. "Yeah. You’re right."

While they talked, Elodie and Dante were getting closer on the dance floor. Not on purpose, just the way the crowd was moving, pushing everyone together.

Elodie didn’t even notice.

Not until she heard his voice right next to her.

"Jimmy, want to switch?"

Her head snapped up. Dante was right there, close enough that she could see the exact shade of his eyes.

Jimmy looked at Elodie, clearly asking permission. "Miss Miller, are you—"

He didn’t get to finish.

Dante had already passed his partner over to Jimmy. Just smoothly handed her off like it was decided. And if Jimmy didn’t catch her, the poor girl was going to hit the floor.

So Jimmy had no choice. He let go of Elodie and grabbed his new partner by the waist, steadying her.

Which left Elodie suddenly off balance, until Dante caught her. His arm went around her waist, solid and sure, pulling her in.

For a second, Elodie’s brain just stopped working.

Then it kicked back in and her first thought was to shove him away. Get some space. Get away from him.

"Relax."

Dante’s voice was low, almost amused. Like he’d known exactly what she was going to do. His grip tightened on her waist, keeping her in place.

"You—" she started.

She wanted to push harder. Make a scene if she had to. But they were surrounded by people. Everyone was watching. And if she caused a scene, it would be everywhere by morning.

He came to her. He initiated this. Which meant he wanted something.

She stopped fighting and went cold instead. "What do you want?"

Dante looked down at her. Her expression was ice, but he didn’t seem bothered at all. Just kept that casual tone like they were discussing the weather.

"When are you planning to call Liora back?"

Elodie blinked. "Soon."

Dante smiled. Not a nice smile. A knowing one. "Ten days?"

She froze for half a second. "...Around that, yeah."

Ten days would be the end of the month. That’s when she called Liora. Once a month. One day out of thirty.

It used to be every day. Then every week. Now it was once a month, and even then, Liora barely wanted to talk to her.

But she was still Liora’s mother. That had to count for something.

Dante nodded. "Alright."

That seemed to be it. Conversation over. Nothing left to say.

Elodie gave him a look that clearly meant let go of me now.

He didn’t.

Instead, he asked, "How have you been?"