Book 2: Chapter: 12

Sienna Instead of causing a scene last night after Josh and Michelle had, very publicly, mated, Jocelyn just took it in stride. She stood up at the table and raised her glass, proposing a toast to the new mated couple. And just like that, everyone was at ease.

The Healer had healed.

But when I woke up this morning. I didn’t feel all that healed at all. Because there was an empty space beside me where Aiden usually was. Usually I was the first one up, so it was more than odd. He hadn’t just woken up. He’d left.

And then it dawned on me: today wasn’t just any day. Today was the Yule Ball.

Aiden would be at the Pack House all day getting ready, making sure everything was prepped for the biggest town event of the year. This was the one Ball that everyone over sixteen was invited to by humans and werewolves alike. It was the holiday event that brought everyone together to celebrate the year that had past and to hope and rejoice for the year to come.

And it was a spectacle. Everyone dressed to the nines, making sure their children/dates/mates did the same. It was the place to see and be seen and an especially popular event for the young singles Innling for their mates Even though the previous years I’d never really been looking, my subconscious had kept an eye out, just in case. But this year would be different. This year I had a hand to hold—the Alpha’s. If you had told me that a year ago. I would’ve laughed in your face. But now, the thought felt… right.

Just then, my phone buzzed on the bedside table reached for it, looking at the screen.

Michelle hello?? Michelle im outside Michelle have been knocking forever!!!

Oops. I jumped out of bed and ran down the stairs, flinging the front door open. Michelle took one look at me and doubled over in laughter.

“Your hair…”

“Shut up!”

I walked over to the mirror in the hallway and, at the sight of my reflection, started laughing too.

the sight of my reflection, started laughing too. “Okay, fine. It’s bad.”

My hair was hanging in tufts in all directions, and I had some strange imprint on my cheek. I must’ve fallen asleep on my hand or something “Did you just wake up?”

Michelle handed me a coffee, and I nodded, taking an appreciative sip.

“It’s ten thirty. Since when do you sleep late?”

I almost spit out my coffee. “It’s ten thirty?!” I asked. How had that happened?

“Come on, get your butt in the shower. Selene will be here soon with the dresses, and we need to get our hair done beforehand.”

We were walking back up the stairs when I turned to Michelle and asked the question that had been weighing on my mind since the dinner party. “Have you talked to Jocelyn?”

Michelle nodded. “Yeah, we went for coffee.” “And?

**I don’t know what it is with that girl. Sienna, “What do you mean?”

“When Ross dumped me, I lost it. You saw me. You should’ve seen me when he told me. I was trying to knock him out. Literally. It was all just blind rage. But Jocelyn… it was like she had this sense, like she’d seen it coming. She told me that love is the most important thing to her. That she’s honestly just happy we found it.” “God.”

“I know. I could never be that kind.”

“Don’t say that. You’re kind,” I said, grabbing a towel and heading into the bathroom, “Yeah. Kind of a bitch!” she called from the hall. I couldn’t help but laugh. I was so glad my friend was back to being my friend. And that she’d found her perfect match.

I had a good feeling about today-it might even turn out perfect.

“You look insane.”

“Oh my gosh, Sienna!”

“Let her look!”

Michelle and Selene had made me avoid the mirror while they did my makeup and helped me slip the dress on, but now we were all standing in front of it. Well, that was what they said, anyways. Selene’s hands were covering my eyes.

“Okay, ready? One… two… three!” She removed her hands.

Suddenly I could see again, and I couldn’t believe the reflection in front of me. It was me. I knew it was, but it was a whole lot more… sophisticated. And sexy. No, not just sexy Sultry Michelle had done my hair so it fell in soft waves down my shoulders, and she’d managed to make my usually unruly locks fall sleekly, with no frizz.

The style somehow made my hair look even more red. It was naturally a deep red, but now it looked like red velvet. And it popped against my skin, I’d spent many nights dreaming of having tanned skin, but my complexion had never cooperated, But now I didn’t mind my paleness because it seemed to make everything else about me pop.

My lips looked extra red, given the lipstick that Selene had chosen to match my hair. And my eyes, my blue eyes, looked clear as ever, big and bright. Michelle had worked magic with her neutral eyeshadow palette, making my eyelashes look centimeters longer than they’d ever looked before, too.

And then there was the dress.

One of Selene’s original designs, she had insisted I wear it tonight. “Just don’t spill anything on it, or I’ll kill you,” she’d warned, but then she unzipped the garment bag and I knew that if I spilled anything on it, I’d kill myself before she could.

It was that beautiful.

It was a deep blue, like sapphire, and form-fitting, with a high-collared halter neck and no sleeves.

The back was completely open, and the dress was so long it hit the floor.

It accentuated my curves like nothing I’d worn before. It clung and fell in all the right places, and when I’d put the matching stilettos on, I felt like a completely different person.

“How do you feel?” Selene asked, pulling my hair behind my shoulders. Both of their eyes were still on me, but then again, I couldn’t take my own eyes off me, either.

“It feels like it’s not me.”

“Oh it’s you, Sienna, Michelle said, her hands on her hips. “Aiden’s going to go crazy.”

“You’re definitely the lady of an Alpha,” Selene added, grabbing her purse off the chair. “Thank you.

Both of you,” I said, finally turning from the mirror to face them. I couldn’t have done any of this by myself.”

Michelle was strapping her silver platform shoes on, but she stopped to blow me a kiss. She looked spectacular in a sleek black satin gown and a deep burgundy lipstick, her hair tied into a perfect chignon.

And Selene was as immaculate as ever, wearing a pastel pink gown with slits along the rib cage that only she could pull off “Are we ready, ladies?” Selene asked, dabbing a final smudge of blush onto her high cheekbones.

“Ready!” Michelle exclaimed, standing up.

They both looked at me. I pushed my shoulders back and held my chin high.

“Let’s do this,” I said.

Aiden Won’t have time to see you before Meet me inside?

Sienna Of course I was on such a high that I didn’t even mind having to walk into the ball without Aiden. I felt invincible, like nothing could go wrong when I looked like this, when I had these women beside me.

We were in the car. Selene was driving us because Jeremy and Josh were already at the Pack House, too.

We passed the security guard’s booth, and he waved us on through. Every year before we’d park in the normal parking lot, the one we were passing now, where countless families and dates were beginning their walk from the car to the ballroom.

But this year, Aiden had arranged for us to park in the Pack House parking lot. It was a lot closer to the ballroom, which would make walking in these shoes way more bearable.

Selene pulled into a spot in the Pack House lot, and we got out of the car, straightening our dresses. It was time.

A few minutes later, we were walking through the doors to the ballroom. The room looked incredible.

Christmas trees lined the walls, and sparkling chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Each table had a magnificent candelabra centerpiece. and the whole room was cast in a soft glow. GI Selene found Jeremy almost immediately, and he swooped her up into his arms, kissing her intensely. Then I heard Michelle squeal, and I turned to find her running toward Josh, who was coming toward us.

I could hear the “damn!” he let out from where I was.

I felt a pang of jealousy, looking around to see if I could spot my Alpha. But I couldn’t see him anywhere, and before I could ask Josh, he and Michelle had disappeared into the crowd.

I took my phone out, thinking I’d text him, but I saw I had no service inside.

I went back through the doors, outside, and was walking off to the side of the ballroom trying to find a signal. Still nothing So I walked a few steps down the alley beside the ballroom-eyes glued to my phone— and that was when I saw something.

My head snapped up, but there was nothing there.

I turned my attention back to my phone. But then out of the corner of my eye, I saw it again. I spun my head around, and there she was.

The same lady with the purple eyes I’d seen in the forest and at the fair.

Only this time, she didn’t disappear.

“You.” I got out, feeling like I should be afraid. But there was something about her that was calming.

Like I knew, deep down, she wouldn’t hurt me.

“Sienna Mercer.” It was like her words were draped in cashmere.

“”How do you know my name? Who are you?”

She stepped toward me, the silk that wrapped around her body glistening with every move. And then her finger was under my chin, and her eyes were inches away from mine.

“Who I am is not important. But who you are… who is after you… that’s something you ought to know.”