Chapter 34: Who is your friend?

Pandora exhaled a long breath after Alyssa finished explaining about the upcoming wedding.

She shook her head in disbelief and laughed. "I did not expect that."

"You can’t tell Dorian I told you," Alyssa added quickly, suddenly anxious. "I don’t think he wanted anyone to know yet. Let him tell you himself."

"Of course I won’t tell him," Pandora giggled, waving a dismissive hand. "Knowing how secretive Dorian is, he’ll probably wait until the night before the ceremony. But this is perfect. It gives me enough time to prepare and get you a proper wedding gift."

Alyssa raised her head, blinking in surprise. "You’re actually okay with me marrying your brother?"

"Are you kidding?" Pandora countered. "Of course I’m okay with it. I would choose you a thousand times over that arrogant brat, Samantha."

"But," Alyssa pressed on, her voice softening. "You know nothing about me. We only met a few days ago. How can you be so accommodating to me already?"

"Because you’re a sweet soul, Alyssa," Pandora said, her expression turning gentle. "You compliment Dorian so well. Where he is dark, brooding, and ruthless, you’re bright, warm, and sunny."

​Alyssa laughed, a flush of bashful heat crawling up her neck at the compliments.

"You’re like a fresh ray of sunshine over his cloudy, stormy demeanor," Pandora continued. "So I know you are right for him. You might just be the only one capable of pulling him out of the high walls of hurt and anguish he has built around himself."

"I don’t know if I can," Alyssa murmured, lowering her head. "I’m not entirely the sunshine you think I am. I’ve been through so much over the past years. I don’t think I’ll ever truly heal."

Pandora regarded her softly, a wave of deep empathy crossing her features. Reaching out, she took Alyssa’s hand and gave it a warm, reassuring squeeze.

"If you ever want to talk about it," she said, "you can always come to me. We can go to the edge of a cliff and scream into the void if you want. It helps. Trust me."

They both giggled at the thought, the absurdity of the mental image cutting through the heavy emotion.

"But I mean it, Alyssa," Pandora added softly. "I wouldn’t want anyone else as my sister-in-law."

Tears brimmed in Alyssa’s eyes, wetting her lashes. "You’re the sister I always wanted. Someone I can actually share everything with. My stepsister, Melinda, was the opposite. She hated me."

"She sounds like a major biatch!" Pandora stated flatly, rolling her eyes with theatrical drama.

Alyssa laughed again, silently agreeing with every word.

"Alright, let’s head on to the cashier," Pandora said, leaning down to grab the numerous shopping bags. "André is probably wondering why we’re taking so long–"

She froze suddenly , her entire body going rigid. "Oh fuck! Not these three again," she cursed under her breath.

Following her line of sight, Alyssa turned and noticed a small group cutting through the shopping crowd, making a straight line toward them. There were two women and one man, dressed in tailored silks and furs that screamed of inherited wealth.

Pandora instantly grabbed Alyssa’s hands, trying to wheel her in the opposite direction. "Keep your head down, Alyssa. And stay by my side."

"What’s wrong?" Alyssa whispered, her heart skipping a beat.

Before Pandora could answer, the man’s voice cut through the ambient noise of the mall, laced with a smug arrogance.

"Valerie? Is that you, little cousin?" He spoke smoothly, as if he knew exactly who she was but chose to pretend not to.

Pandora stopped dead, muttering a dark curse under her breath. It was too late to run. They had been spotted already.

Beside her, Alyssa’s brow furrowed in confusion. "Who is he?" she whispered.

"My older cousin, Joffrey Lowell," Pandora hissed through clenched teeth.

"And who’s Valerie?"

"It’s my middle name. He uses it just to piss me off."

Whirling around, Pandora didn’t bother hiding the profound scowl of dislike on her face. "I’ve told you a thousand times not to call me that, Joffrey!"

"I’ll call you whatever I please, little cousin," Joffrey replied, coming to a halt just a few feet away. His lips curled into a sneer, his eyes leering with a heavy, unsettling weight.

Behind him stood Serena and Jenny, the two women who had spotted them from the upper floor earlier.

The moment Alyssa’s eyes locked onto Joffrey, an instinctual wave of revulsion hit her. He possessed the aura of a serpent; cunning, deceitful, and fake. The two women flanking him looked no better, wearing matching, judgmental smirks.

Joffrey finally shifted his gaze away from Pandora, landing squarely on Alyssa. The look in his green eyes instantly morphed from mild amusement to deep, predatory intrigue.

"So, who is your friend?" he asked, taking a slow step closer and pretending not to know. "She’s a real beauty."

Pandora immediately stepped laterally, placing her own body directly in front of Alyssa to shield her from his view.

"She’s none of your business."

"Come on, Valerie, don’t be so hostile," Joffrey chuckled. "Why don’t you introduce us?"

"Stop calling me that!" Pandora seethed angrily.

Completely ignoring her, Joffrey tilted his head, peering around Pandora’s shoulder to flash a cocky, sharp smile at Alyssa.

"Hello, there. You must be the girl everyone is whispering about. The little stray Dorian dragged out of the forest."

Pandora stepped forward, her eyes blazing with an intense, warning fire. "You better back the hell away from her, Joffrey!"

"You don’t tell me what to do," Joffrey shot back, his voice dropping its playful edge. The smile on his face sharpened into something lethal, revealing the cold, sadistic wolf underneath.

He moved to bypass Pandora. When Pandora reached out to pull Alyssa away, Serena and Jenny lunged forward, grabbing Pandora by both arms and wrenching her backward.

"Let me go!" Pandora snapped, fighting against their grip as a few nearby shoppers turned their heads in alarm.

"Behave yourself, Pandora," Serena purred maliciously into her ear, digging her manicured nails into Pandora’s jacket to lock her arms. "You wouldn’t want to cause a public scene, would you?"

Unable to break free, Pandora could only watch as Joffrey cornered Alyssa against a display pillar, towering over her with his imposing height.

"Get away from her, you creep!" she yelled, but Joffrey blatantly ignored her.

"Mind telling me your name, sweetheart?" he drawled, his eyes slowly raking down Alyssa’s form in a way that made her skin crawl.

Alyssa’s chest tightened as she felt the suffocating pressure of his closeness. She shot a desperate glance at Pandora, who shook her head frantically, signaling her to stay silent.

Gathering her courage, Alyssa met his gaze. "I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can tell you that," she said, her voice sharp and defiant.

Joffrey’s jaw ticked. For one fraction of a second, his arrogant smile slipped, replaced with pure malice.

He reached out, his hand wrapping around her jaw in a painful, bruising grip.

"Let her go!" Pandora screamed, thrashing against her captors. She tried to call for André through the mind-link, but his link was closed.

Tears of pain sprang to Alyssa’s eyes as Joffrey violently jerked her face upward, forcing her to look at him. His green eyes glittered with an eerie, unstable light.

He leaned in so close she could smell the stench of cigarette smoke on his breath.

"It seems you don’t know who I am," he muttered venomously, his grip tightening painfully. "When I ask you a question, you answer me, you little whore."

A sudden surge of disgust rose inside Alyssa like a tidal wave, drowning out her fear and awakening her rebellious streak.

Wrenching out of his grasp, she reared back and channeled every ounce of her strength into a vicious, open-handed slap across his cheek.

CRACK!

The impact snapped Joffrey’s head violently to the side.

Serena and Jenny gasped in utter shock. Pandora froze mid-struggle, utterly amazed by Alyssa’s boldness and terrified of the consequences. A small crowd of shoppers had gathered, whispering amongst themselves.

Alyssa stepped back, her chest heaving as the rush of adrenaline left her trembling, her heart slamming against her ribs.

Slowly, Joffrey turned his head back around. A dark expression masked his face as his irises bled into a midnight black.

"You little bitch!" he hissed and raised his hand, bringing it downward to strike her across the face.

Suddenly, an icy chill swept through the entire mall, shattering the nearest glass display windows into a million flying shards.

Before Joffrey’s hand could make contact with Alyssa’s face, Dorian’s massive figure materialized, clamping down on Joffrey’s wrist with a bone-crushing grip.

He stood there, his towering frame casting a shadow over his cousin. His dark eyes were ruthless, and his voice vibrated with a terrifying rumble.

"Lay a hand on her and I will tear you apart!"