I Felt Liberated

••• Charlotte’s POV ••• “Come on, Char. It’s my birthday today. Don't you want to accompany me?” Olivia asked as she clung to one of my arms. Olivia had been bugging me to go to the Dazzling Star Club for her birthday celebration. I kept refusing her because it had been three years since I went to a club, and I didn't know whether I’d still like the bustling scene of a club. “Charlotte..” I heard a voice in my mind. “Lexi? Are you okay?” It had been quite a while since she last spoke to me. Since the breaking of the matebond, to be exact, and I was worried about her. “I’m fine. I’m sorry for not speaking sooner.” Her voice still sounded a bit weak, but I could feel her spirit getting stronger. “No worries, Lexi. As long as you are fine,” I told her earnestly. It must be hard for her, the breaking of the matebond. The Moon Goddess created the matebond, and it felt more intense for our wolves. The human counterparts might hate each other even though they were mates, but the wolves wouldn't feel the same way. The attractions with their mates would be strong for them. Thus, breaking the matebond might also break them. “I wasn't feeling so well, but when I saw Hayden during the banquet, I didn't feel the same way to Rhett as I usually did, so I’m fine now,” she explained. I didn't know how to respond. Should I tell her it was good? But Rhett was her mate, and she might still have some feelings for him. “Charlotte, you should go with Olivia,” Lexi, fortunately, said next. “You want me to go with Olivia?” I wasn't too surprised that she said that. She also wanted me to be happy. “You’ve been working hard. I think you need to relax,” she pointed out. I thought about it, and she was right. Since the banquet, I had been pouring myself with work and had no time to wind down. “Alright, I’ll go with you, Olivia,” I agreed to both Olivia's and Lexi’s requests. “Yay!” Olivia squealed happily. “We’ll find you a man there to get rid of those awful memories with the bastard. You are divorced and unmated now. It’s time to let you shine! I’m sure there will be many, many male werewolves wanting to be your suitor!” Olivia kept telling me of her plans to find me a new suitor before making me promise once again that I’d be at the Dazzling Star Club tonight. She left after she was sure I really would go and meet her later on. I shook my head helplessly as I watched her leave. Olivia sure was stubborn. I looked at the still-a-lot paperwork in front of me and began looking through them again. I had to finish going through this paperwork and deal with some pack businesses to have time to celebrate Olivia’s birthday. After dealing with some pack’s business, I finally changed my clothes and drove to the Dazzling Star Club. Upon arriving, I noticed that it was a high-class club that needed memberships to enter. I quickly registered for the expensive membership and entered the club. Although the club needed memberships, I was surprised to see it was pretty packed. I noticed lots of Alphas, Betas, and Gammas from various packs. I quickly went to the area where Olivia had texted me. When I was nearing her table, I saw that she wasn't alone, and my eyes settled on a hot and handsome man wearing a white shirt with a few buttons left unfastened, showing a peek of his bronze chest, the sleeves rolled up to the elbow, and black pants for the bottom. His black hair was not gelled. Some strands fell in front of his gorgeous green eyes. “Nate?” I asked in disbelief. Was he the same Nathaniel Gardner, our childhood friend, who three years ago was a bookworm studying to be a doctor? “Lottie.” He smiled, stood up, and took me in his arms. “Oh my Goddess, Nate! You look so hot and handsome!” I praised him. Why did the men around me suddenly become handsome? First Leo, now Nate. Not that I was complaining, far from it, I loved it! They were a sight for sore eyes! He laughed and thanked me. “Hey, don't forget about us!” I heard a female voice complaining. Nate released me, and I saw two other friends sitting at our table. “George! Elsie!” I quickly went to them and hugged them. “It’s been so long!” I was now feeling grateful for deciding to come. I met my friends whom I hadn't met for three years. “Olivia, happy birthday!” I didn't forget to wish my best friend all the happiness in the world. We all sat down and began celebrating Olivia’s birthday, drinking and chatting. I found out that Nate was now the doctor of the Silent Prowlers Pack, Olivia’s pack. “I’m sure your female patients do not wish to be cured with such a handsome doctor as yourself,” I teased Nate. “Oh Char, you don't know how many she-wolves queue every day pretending to be sick just to see him,” Oliva said, and we all laughed. I had forgotten how nice it was to hang out with my friends. Just chatting and joking, letting myself relax. This felt nice. I felt free to be myself. Even when I was being silly, my friends wouldn't judge me. They did not care about it as long as we had fun. Nate asked me to dance, and of course, I obliged. I loved to dance. We swayed to the music; he pushed, pulled, and twirled me according to the music. By the end of the dance, I felt much more relaxed, and I was sure I was beaming. When we returned to the table, the lights in the club suddenly dimmed out, leaving only bright lights focusing on the stage, and a sensual song was played. A hot male came to the stage and started dancing. His dance was sensual and sexy, and he slowly removed each piece of clothing. He was doing a strip tease, which made the she-wolves in the club scream like crazy. “I could dance better than him,” Olivia joked, making me laugh. Olivia was NOT good at dancing. Sometimes it looked like she had two left feet when she danced. Suddenly the male stripper stopped dancing and took a mic. “The lady there, I heard you say you can dance better than me? Come to the stage and show us your moves!” Olivia blushed. “I couldn't believe he actually heard us!” Well... Our table was very ear to the stage, and Olivia was shouting above the music when she said those words; it wasn't a wonder that he heard her. “Now you are done for,” I laughed. “Char, you know I can't dance,” she groaned, but suddenly her eyes lit up. “I know, why don't you dance in my place? You were trained professionally.” I wanted to reject her, but Nate, George, and Elsie all encouraged me. Seeing their expectant faces and the male stripper still waiting for our response, I had no choice but to go up to the stage. I wouldn't want Olivia to be embarrassed, and today was her birthday; I’d just treat this as her birthday gift from me. “Let’s give a round of applause to the lady!” the male stripper said, and another sensual song began playing. I looked at my friends, and they were cheering me on. I shook my head and smiled helplessly. Closing my eyes, I listened to the music and began swaying my body to the sensual beat. I was trained professionally in all types of dances, including sensual dance. I wouldn't strip, of course, and I knew how to make any dance look sexy yet still classy. The more I moved my body, the more immersed I was in my dance. At this point, there was nothing except me and the music. I couldn't hear the cheering around me, and all my unhappiness and worries disappeared. This was my moment. The moment the music ended, everyone was clapping and cheering for me. I felt... liberated, and it felt so damn good. I saw Nate on the dance floor with his arms opened wide, and I jumped down to his arms while laughing. “Oh my Goddess, Char, you looked so hot up there!” Olivia said, and Nate, George, and Elsie echoed her words. “I’m so happy to see you looking so confident and happy. This is the best look for you!” she added. I laughed and couldn't agree more with her. Being with my friends, letting myself free, laughing, and feeling confident and happy was the best thing for me. I wouldn't let anyone bully me or make me unhappy anymore. This was my life now - being a female Alpha and having many friends who loved and cared for me.