The Party Begins

Addy

Myra and I finally emerge from the salon after hours of being poked, prodded, and pulled at. They’ve been fussing with my hair, dropping it only to pick it up and start all over again. My fingers throb from where they pushed back my cuticles to apply fake nails, and my feet feel pampered after a thorough scrub and massage.

My hair feels heavy, laden with hair spray, conditioner, and gel. It’s so stiff, I doubt it would move even if someone tried to push it. The makeup on my face feels like a mask, layered on thick. As we head back to our rooms, Myra is practically bouncing with excitement.

“You can’t tell me you didn’t enjoy that,” she says, linking her arm with mine. “You look absolutely stunning.”

As we walk, men turn to stare. Some wink, others smile. I lean in to whisper to Myra, “Too bad none of these guys are your mates. Have you noticed how good-looking the males in this pack are?”

She giggles. “Why, Addy, it seems you’ve finally noticed what I’ve been telling you for years. Guys have always looked your way, but they never approached you because of Macie.”

I stop in my tracks. “I’d forgotten about her. We need to find out what happened there. She went into his room.”

We quicken our pace, heading back towards the hall where their rooms are located. I can smell her faintly, but there’s another scent mixed in. “Do you smell that? I can barely pick up her scent, but there’s something else there,” I say, scanning the hall.

Myra takes a deep breath. “Diego did something. Can’t you smell his wolf?”

“I can, but there’s something else. A pheromone that smells like fear, like someone was scared,” I say, trying to identify the scent.

Myra takes another deep breath and shakes her head. “I don’t smell that. I can smell her, her wolf, and Diego. Nothing more.”

“Our sense of smell is stronger than most wolves, Addy. We can pick up scents that a regular wolf can’t. It’s part of who we are,” she says, looking around. Suddenly, Drake emerges from his room, his hair still wet from a shower. He’s only half-dressed.

“What?” he asks, looking at us.

Myra leans against the wall, one foot propped up against it. “We saw Macie come in here earlier. What did you do to her?”

He grins. “You’d love to know, wouldn’t you?”

She pushes off the wall. “This isn’t a game to us, Drake. She’s been worried about what happened between you two.”

His smile fades as he looks at me. “You think Diego would let me do anything with that skank? She tried to seduce me, but he took care of it.”

Myra’s arms drop to her sides. “You killed her?”

He laughs. “No, he wanted to, but I wouldn’t let him. Let’s just say she won’t be bothering me again after what he did. She learned a hard lesson. I don’t think she’ll ever try to come near me again.”

He walks over to me, his hand brushing my hip. “You look breathtaking. They did a great job making both of you look like goddesses. Sis, you need to get ready. The party is starting soon.”

“We haven’t eaten lunch yet,” Myra says, rubbing her stomach.

He rolls his eyes. “Are you trying to starve my mate?”

She walks into his room. “No, we just finished getting ready. Get us some food up here, pronto.”

I give him a small smile as he calls the kitchen, then leads me into the room. We sit in lounge chairs on the large stone porch overlooking the backyard. A woman brings in our food, setting it on the glass table on the patio. He lifts the lid and the smell of hot food fills the air. We each grab a plate and pile on pulled pork, baked beans, coleslaw, and rolls. I eat carefully, trying not to mess up my makeup. Myra took our lipstick with her so we can touch up before the party.

“What did Diego do?” Myra asks after swallowing a bite.

Drake wipes the corner of his mouth with a napkin. “He scared the shit out of her. Made her shift into her wolf form using his Alpha aura. Flame and he chased her around the woods for about an hour. In the end, he threw her into the pond when she tried to dodge them. She submitted and promised never to bother us again.”

Myra stands up, shoving the last bite of food into her mouth. “Well, time to get ready. People have started arriving, according to Dad. Let me get my dress; we can all change here.”

She breezes out the door and I take one last bite of food. “That was delicious. I’ll have her help me when she gets back.”

We clean up, putting everything back on the tray, then head back into the room. Drake walks over, picks up my dress, and starts to unzip the bag.

“You didn’t think I was going to change my mind about what you’re wearing tonight, did you?” he asks, looking at the dress.

He beckons me over. “Come here. We can start getting ready while we wait for her to come back.”

I scan the room, frozen in place, hoping she’ll walk back in. But Drake walks over, takes my hand, and leads me towards the closet. His hand reaches for the hem of my shirt, but I push it back down.

“Addy, this is normal for us. Don’t be afraid to show me what’s under these clothes,” he says, his eyes sparkling.

I look at the floor. “I’m not sure you’ll like what you see. There’s nothing there.”

I feel his breath on my ear. “Your body will be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. We’re mates; nothing will be ugly under these clothes.”

Just then, Myra walks back in and I let out a soft breath. She rolls her eyes when she sees us. “You can’t keep your hands off her, can you? Come on, we can change in the bathroom while Mr. Handsy gets his suit on.”

Drake lets out a low growl as she pulls me into the bathroom and locks the door. I lower my voice. “Thank you. I know he’s excited about everything, but look at me,” I gesture to my body, “he won’t like what he sees.”

She lightly smacks my shoulder. “He will when you let him. You’ve seen the other females and you think your body isn’t good enough. He said you’re mates, so in his eyes, no matter how bad you think you look, he’ll love it. I think tonight you should let him decide.”

I let out a shriek. “Are you crazy?”

She laughs a little. “He’s going to get worse and worse until you do. His hands will start wandering, trying to touch your skin, if not more. Males get very clingy the more they’re around their mate until they complete the mating process. They want to touch, feel, and see what the female has that will be theirs for the rest of their lives. If you get it over with, he’ll be more relaxed and won’t try to undress you every minute of the day. Once his mark is visible for everyone to see, he won’t be as bad until your heat cycle comes. That will be a week of long days in bed having sex with a lot of cuddling.”

I close my eyes. “Why does it have to be so complicated?”

She stops fluffing my hair. “It’s not complicated. You’re making it that way. You’re refusing to give in to what he wants, and I know you want to see what he looks like too.”

I snap my eyes open, my cheeks burning. “Fine, seeing him in nothing but a shirt has made my imagination run wild.”

She shrugs. “Why not ask for what you want? He’ll give it to you if you ask.”

I take off my shorts and shirt. “Crap, I need that strapless bra. Can you get it for me?”

She raises an eyebrow. “No, you should go out and get it yourself. I brought everything I need in here.”

“Myra, please don’t do this to me,” I say, grabbing my clothes again.

She snatches them out of my hand and throws them down the laundry chute before I can take them back. I look around the bathroom and spot a robe. I grab it and wrap it around my body. She sighs but continues to undress.

“Hurry up, I’ll need help with the zipper in a minute,” she says, stepping out of her dress.

I unlock the door and crack it open. I don’t see Drake anywhere. I walk out, turning my back to the closet, and open the drawer to get my bra. I feel him step up behind me, his hand snaking around my waist to pull me against him.

“I like the look of you in my robe. It would be even better if you were naked underneath,” he says, his hand slowly moving towards the opening of the robe.

I smack his hand away. “We need to get ready, Drake. You’re making us late for the party.”

His laughter ripples across my back as he plants a kiss on my neck. “Okay, I heard her advice on how to fuel my fantasies. But she didn’t mention that it’s even more intense with an Alpha. We usually get what we want, one way or another.”

I turn around slowly, the object I need clutched in my hand. “You promised you wouldn’t push me into this.”

He raises a single finger. “I said there’d be no pressure about the mating part. I didn’t say anything about the rest. Holding you against me last night was heavenly, but now I’m craving more. It might be why you go to bed wearing my shirt and wake up with nothing on. Diego can be quite cunning when he wants something.”

I pull my robe tighter around me. “New rule. I decide when I’m ready for anything. You don’t undress me without my consent, got it?”

Without a word, he turns and walks back into the closet. I could swear I saw a smirk on his face. I quickly retreat to the bathroom where Myra is grinning.

“He’ll get what he wants, you know. The more you resist, the worse it’ll get. Diego might do something you won’t like,” she warns, wagging her finger.

“He can do whatever he wants with me. I won’t reject him,” she flops down, rolling over.

I roll my eyes at them and zip her up while she helps me with mine. We touch up our makeup before heading out to the bedroom. Drake is sitting on the couch in his black suit, engrossed in his phone. He looks up as we enter, dropping his phone in surprise. He snatches it up just before it hits the floor, then stands up, looking at us.

He clears his throat. “I might have to fend off the boys tonight. Sis, you look like a supermodel, and Addy, it’s like the moon goddess herself kidnapped you and dropped you back here for this party.”

Myra takes one arm and I take the other. “Let’s get this party started, shall we?”

We all head out the door towards the ballroom, attracting the attention of the men. Drake growls at a few of them, causing them to quickly look away. We reach the doors where his parents are waiting for us.

“Finally! I thought we’d have to send a guard or warrior to drag you three down here.” He grins.

“Sorry, the ladies took longer than expected to get ready,” Drake says, puffing out his chest.

“Sure,” we both say at the same time.

Sherman gives the man at the door some instructions before the doors swing open, sending my heart into overdrive.