Hiding My Heart

Chapter 44

**Preston's p.o.v** 

I could feel Dee pull away from me as time ticked by and there was still no sign of her mom. She withdrew in herself. So when she left to the restroom I let her go, realizing and feeling that she needed some space. 

"Is she going to be alright?" I ask Brayden. 

Brayden shrugs and looks at the empty seat. "I don't know, she had high hopes this morning. I mean we had talked before..." He trails off looking troubled. "We talked this morning and I didn't know what to make of it. I wanted to believe her and give her a run for her money. I told myself that if she showed up tonight then I would try to work things out with her. But it looks that Carmen has disappointed us yet again." He mumbles hoping no one would hear him, but werewolf hearing and all that. 

I see Hunter and the others shoot each other confused looks and Sasha looks away, playing with her napkin and Scott clench his fist. 

"I'm sure it's just the weather that's keeping her." I try to reason but the look in his eyes told me that he clearly didn't believe it. 

It was then that I felt her panic spike alerting me of danger. 

Dee, what's wrong? I ask tensing up. 

I'm fine; I'm just worried about my mom. She told me there was a delay on the street, an accident because of the weather. I'm just worried about her. Just give me another minute. 

I felt her hesitant before she answered. Not wanting to over analyze it I simply say, Ok, I love you and hurry back I don't want your food getting cold.  

I love you too. She whispers back to me. 

I try to read her thoughts but I only find her worry for her mom and wanting to come back to the party to finish celebrating it. 

"You ok?" I hear Sasha ask me. 

I nod. "Yeah, just wondering what's keeping Dee." is all I say. 

"Do you want me to go see if she's ok?" Sasha asks about to get up. 

"No, I'm sure she's talking to her mom." I say out loud but in her mind, she needs some time to compose herself before coming back. 

She nods but instead of sitting down she moves over to Dee's empty seat, sitting next to her brother and starts talking to him, her voice low and intense. Brayden plays with his food and continues to glance at the empty seat. 

"Something's not right." He mumbles after a moment. 

I look at him in surprise and my eyebrows scrunch together in confusion. "What do you mean?" I ask. 

"I don't know, I just felt it all day. This sort of dread and now with my mom not here yet... I don't know I don't like it." He says. 

I swallow at this and look over at Scott. I have been having this prickly anxiety since Dee has been gone, a feeling of doom. I figured it was from the storm and not knowing when the rogues were going to attack. But it felt different from before, ever since Dee left.  

"Let's not-" I start to say but a waiter comes in holding something in his hands looking around his eyes landing on each guy in the room. 

"Is there a Preston here?" He asks saying my name as if he was disgusted. 

"Uh, that would be me." I say standing up and going over to him. 

He eyes me up and down, his eyes scanning the girls around us, his eyes landing on Sasha. His eyes narrow at her before turning his attention back to me.