OUTCAST: THE ALPHA KING’S BELOVED BY BLUE TEARS
CHAPTER 53 CAROLINE’S WELCOME PARTY
Jennifer’s POV:
I had not expected Anthony to drop by the training ground while we were taking a break. While it wasn’t unusual for him to check the trainees’ progress, he did not come alone today. Elizabeth accompanied him. But I was more surprised by the well-dressed she-wolf clinging to Anthony’s arm.
I had a bad feeling about this. Who was that she-wolf? Was she also a lycan? What was her relationship with Anthony?
Elizabeth stepped forward and introduced the she-wolf to us trainees.
“Hello, everyone! I know you all must be tired from training. I am Elizabeth, Anthony’s mother. And this is my daughter, Caroline Wilson. She has just returned from studying abroad, and this is her first time here on Marge Island.”
“Greetings, Mrs. Jones.” All the trainees stood and bowed to Elizabeth before addressing Caroline. “Welcome to Marge Island, Miss Wilson.”
“Hello, everyone. It’s nice to meet you. There’s no need to be so formal around me. Please treat me like a friend.” Caroline greeted them warmly with a sweet smile on her face.
She didn’t put on airs like princesses were known to do. Her friendly nature impressed the trainees.
I heard several she-wolves whispering about Caroline.
“Even though she’s a princess, she wants to befriend us.”
“Have you noticed? The prince and the princess look good together.”
“They are not really siblings so they can become a couple. God knows why Mr. Jones likes that b*itch, Jennifer.”
“How could Jennifer compare to the princess? Jennifer is not even qualified to serve the princess!”
“Shhh! Stop it. If Mr. Jones hears you, we’ll all get into trouble.”
I couldn’t help rolling my eyes. Why did they have to bandy my name about together with the princess? Those nosy she-wolves really liked picking on me.
But when they brought up how good the prince and princess looked together, I couldn’t help but glance at Caroline. Coincidentally, Caroline was also looking at me. Although she had a smile on her face, I didn’t feel any warmth from her gaze. It made me feel uncomfortable so I looked away.
I glared at Anthony, and he looked apologetically back at me. At the same time, he tried to distance himself from Caroline. I stopped looking at him by turning my face away.
Curious about the training ground, Caroline asked all kinds of questions. The trainees did their best to answer her questions because they wanted to stand out and gain her favor. As this scene unfolded before me, I shrugged in disinterest.
Elizabeth informed us that there would be a party later that evening. It was a welcome party for Caroline, and only the best trainees were invited to attend. Daniel, Kevin, and I were invited. Because Skylar was still in the hospital and Ella was no longer on Marge Island, they could not attend the party. If I could be honest, I had no interest in going, but I decided to go for Elizabeth’s sake.
Caroline’s POV:
When I arrived at Osman Kingdom, I was finally reunited with Anthony—my so-called older brother whom I’ve missed dearly. He seemed more handsome and charming compared to before.
But for some reason, he didn’t seem as pleased to see me. Many things must have happened during my absence. I planned to figure out the reason why during my welcome party.
I heard that Anthony was interested in a she-wolf named Jennifer. Was he keeping his distance from me because of her?
Before the party started, I approached several she-wolves and chatted with them.
“Miss Wilson, please have a seat.” As soon as those she-wolves saw me, they fetched me a chair.
I sat down and smiled at them in gratitude.
“Like I said earlier, stop being so formal around me. Just treat me like one of your friends.”
“Miss Wilson, you are so noble, beautiful, gentle, and kind. It’s an honor to be friends with you,” one of the she-wolves replied.
“Miss Wilson, if you need help with anything, just let us know!”
“I do have a question to ask you. My brother is responsible for the training of elite werewolves, right?” I asked.
“Yes. Mr. Jones personally selected the werewolves who are undergoing elite training here on Marge Island.”
“I heard that there’s an outstanding trainee named Jennifer and that my brother admires her a lot…”
“Jennifer? She has a special relationship with Mr. Jones!” A she-wolf named Amy curled her lips in disdain.
“It’s true,” another she-wolf quickly agreed. “She’s famous for seducing men.”
“We don’t know why Mr. Jones is interested in her. She is good for nothing except for her good looks.”
“I heard that she used to be a slave of the Dark River Pack. Mr. Jones made an exception for her so that she could train with us here.”
“Oh my God! Has she been seducing Mr. Jones since then?”
As I listened to the she-wolves gossip around me, my frown deepened.
“Miss Wilson, we have said too much. Please forgive us.” The she-wolves apologized to me.
“It’s fine.” I suppressed my anger. “In my opinion, Jennifer and my brother look perfect together.”
“Miss Wilson, you are too kind. Don’t be deceived by Jennifer’s appearance.”
“Anyway, I shall take my leave for now. The party is about to start. Have a great night, everyone.” After making a show of checking the time, I bid my goodbyes to the she-wolves and left.
My hands curled into fists as their words echoed in my ears.
Jennifer seduced Anthony? And he gave her special treatment?
I wished I could skin that b*itch alive. But because I was a princess, I had to remain poised and elegant at all times.
I took a deep breath to calm myself and made my way to my seat at the dinner table. I then realized that Jennifer was a*s*signed to sit on my left side while Anthony was on my right.
“Mom, what’s going on?” I turned to look at Elizabeth with a strained smile.
According to etiquette, only members of the royal family were allowed to sit together. That meant only Elizabeth, Anthony, and I were supposed to be at this table. Why was Jennifer sitting with us?
“I made an exception for Jennifer to sit here with us because she is the best trainee,” Elizabeth explained. “I admire her a lot, and I wanted to ask her about training. I’m sorry for making this decision without your permission, Caroline. Do you mind?”
“How can I mind?” I made my smile wider and took the initiative to chat with the woman on my left. “Jennifer! I’ve been looking forward to meeting you properly. I’ve heard stories of how capable you are.”
“Miss Wilson, it’s nice to meet you too,” Jennifer replied with a polite nod of her head.
I was jealous of her beautiful face and delicate features.
Anthony and Elizabeth seemed to like her enough to give her special treatment. That meant that Jennifer was no ordinary werewolf. Was she the woman Anthony liked?
No matter how angry I felt, I could not express it so I pretended to admire Jennifer instead.
“You are so beautiful, Jennifer. Anthony hasn’t found a mate yet, and you two paint a pretty picture together. What do you think?” I scanned Jennifer from head to toe with a smile. “I’ve also heard that my brother admires you greatly. Too bad his mate should be a royal lycan. You would have been the perfect match for him…
Oh. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” I quickly covered my mouth, pretending to look embarra*s*sed.
When I glanced at Anthony to see how he would react, he replied calmly, “I don’t care about my future mate’s identity or status. I’ll accept whoever Moon Goddess has a*s*signed to me.”