Preparations

The week was passing in a blur. Irina, the packhouse matron, had been ordering grumpy wolves around all week. It was the first Mating Ball to be held by the Bridgewater pack in 5 years, and everything was going to be perfect.

"Cleaning duties at the packhouse" had become "preparation for the Mating Ball", with flowers and food and decorations arriving every afternoon. The main hall was usually empty unless pack members needed chairs for meetings, but now tables lined the walls, with a stage at one end to accommodate musicians. Pink and orange oriental lilies hung in giant wreaths from the walls, with lights strung through them, twinkling and sparkling. The enormous windows that stretched floor to ceiling on the east side of the building were draped with a delicate silvery mesh, reflecting the light from the cast iron chandelier that hung low in the centre of the room. 

And Irina was not finished.

"Don't you get mud on my floor!"

Clutching her clipboard, Sapphira watched as Irina pointed at Beta Declan's filthy boots.

"Sorry, Irina." He grinned sheepishly and kissed the top of the tiny woman's head while she batted him away.

Everyone adored Irina. Her tiny frame and fierce nature kept all of them in check within the packhouse. Everyone pitched in with housework, not because they had to but because everyone wanted to help Irina. She had never interacted with the pack leaders so closely before, and their familiarity surprised her. Even though she knew that minor packs tended to be more casual when it came to rank, formalities were hardly ever used inside the packhouse. They were a family, but nothing like the family she had left behind. It hurt to watch.

Sapphira's duties had mainly consisted of keeping a record of deliveries and asking Irina where she should store them. Each day, Irina had shown her another cupboard or nook that she was using to store decorations, food and general cleaning products. She now knew the packhouse like the back of her hand.

Meanwhile, El had been helping in the kitchens, and Cressa had been cleaning the guest rooms. Between the three of them, they had established that there would be some important guests at the ball, but no one had said anything else about who they might be. Sapphira was nervous and wanted to ask the Alpha about who the guests might be, but she hadn't seen him since her birthday.

"Sapphira, dear," Irina appeared in front of her making her jump. "Do you have your dress for Saturday yet?"

"Oh, I was going to go shopping on Saturday morning before work." Sapphira blushed.

She had forgotten entirely about getting a dress. She didn't even have shoes or a bag. And what about her hair?!

"You can't wait until then! All the best dresses will have gone." Irina grabbed her shoulder and pushed her towards the Beta's office. "I'll ask Declan for his car keys for you."

Before Sapphira could protest, Irina stalked into the office opposite Alpha Kai's and snatched his keys hanging on the wall next to the door. 

"Hey!" Beta Declan peered over his glasses at them.

"Sapphira needs to go dress shopping for the Mating Ball. She'll get the car back to you by dinner time." She said, fixing him with a glare.

Beta Declan was twice Irina's size, but he said: "just bring it back in one piece, please."

Sapphira mumbled her thanks and took off down the hall, eager to be back before dinner.

The doorbell of the dress shop tinkled as Sapphira stepped over the threshold. Rails of elegant evening dresses filled the small space, and in the centre, a small podium and a floor-length mirror. Katrice, the owner, sat behind her till scrolling through her phone but looked up when she heard the bell, giving Sapphira a dazzling smile. She was an older woman with greying hair and sparkling eyes. El had recommended her a few weeks ago, but this was the first time Sapphira had been into town in months, having forgotten entirely about her dress.

"Darling! How can I help? Are you here for a dress for the Mating Ball?"

Sapphira nodded, passing her gaze over the vast selection before her. All of her dresses had been made for her by a tailor before she ran away; dress shopping was a new experience. 

Katrice hummed and plopped onto the floor, her hips swaying as she marched over to where Sapphira was eyeing a baby pink ballgown.

"Oh, not with your complexion, dear." She tutted thoughtfully and then spun around to another rack. "Try this one."

Sapphira twisted, watching her reflection in the mirror. The metallic blue dress hugged her waist and flared out at her hips, its enormous skirts completely covering her feet. It was heavy, and the bodice pinched her ribs as she breathed. It had been a long time since she had worn a dress like this.

"Oh, you look beautiful, dear."

"Thank you. I can't take it, though." She frowned pensively, looking back at her reflection and swishing the skirts.

"Well, why not, love? You deserve to look just as beautiful as all the others there." Katrice stepped closer, snatching a matching blue shawl from a stand, and wrapped it around Sapphira's shoulders.

"I can't afford this, Katrice," Sapphira said quietly, blushing. She had seen the price tag when she struggled to get it on a few minutes earlier and nearly fainted.

Katrice hummed and stepped back, looking Sapphira and the dress up and down.

"Well, then you will just have to owe me." She said decisively, and she marched to the stock cupboard and began to rummage through some boxes.

"I know I saw them somewhere in here..." Katrice murmured. "Aha!"

She stepped forward with a pair of elegant silver heels and a matching clutch. 

"Katrice! I can't-"

"You can and you will." Her blue eyes twinkled as she wrapped the shoes and bag. "Besides, it's a good advert for my shop."

As Sapphira packed her bags into Beta Declan's car, she thought about the deal that she had made with Katrice. If she needed her help, Sapphira had to come. And that was that. Sapphira didn't know what sort of help Katrice might need, but she was more than happy to oblige, considering she didn't know many people who would give her an entire outfit for free. 

Sapphira took a longer route home, so she could drop her bags home before returning the car. The woods were peaceful at this time of day, waiting for the sun to set and the moon to rise. The sky shone pink through the trees, and she caught sight of a couple of wolves on patrol as she pulled up the drive to her cabin. 

As she slammed the car door shut, two yellow eyes peered out of the bushes.

"Yes, boys?" Sapphira smiled. 

The wolves stepped into the light, and both cocked their heads to the side.

Right, she was using Beta Declan's car.

"Oh, he let me borrow it to run into town. I think he's at the packhouse if you need him." She called over her shoulder as she headed up the porch steps.

One of the wolves whined, and leaves rustled behind her.

"Sapphira, why don't you stay for dinner at the packhouse tonight?"

She spun around, and one of the wolves had shifted and stood concealed by the shrubbery; she vaguely recognised him from school. Tom? Dom?

"Oh, I uhh-"

"Please...?" The boy cocked his head again, his brown hair falling across his eyes.

"I have a lot of work to do before school tomorrow. I really shouldn't."

"Come on, Sapphira. For me?" He gave her a shy smile and brushed the hair out of his eyes.

"Okay, fine." She said after a pause.

She heard the leaves rustling again and the sound of paws hitting the soft earth as the boys continued their patrol. 

She shook her head as she unlocked her cabin and carried her bags inside, dumping them on the chair by the door. She didn't have time to unpack the dress before dinner, so she grabbed a jacket from the coat rack and headed back out the door.

The drive to the packhouse was short but took her past where most of the other pack members lived. The houses were cabins like hers, but most were more extensive, centred around a kid's play area in the middle.

Most kids couldn't shift until puberty, but building strength and coordination were crucial for growing up. Kids that missed out on this struggled with shifting and often were much further behind on training for years. 

Her father had spared no expense when it came to her training. She had sparred with some of the best warriors on the continent; she was expected to be one of the most powerful wolves in existence and needed to train like one. But she had never been allowed to train with the other kids, even the ones from families trusted by her father's court. He told her that her enemies needed to be blind to her moves; if they saw her training, they could learn her weaknesses. 

She shook away the memories as she pulled up to the packhouse, the lights flickering, welcoming her back.

She ran up the steps and through the massive entrance, the smell of jasmine hitting her again.

She needed to remember to ask Irina what it was.

The sound of chatter from the living room drew her down the hall to her right, past the showers and the gym, the hallway opening up into a sunken room where a U-shaped sofa and colossal TV screen took up most of the space. In the left-hand corner was a pool table, and on the right, a mini-bar. She spotted Beta Declan by the pool table and approached, hooking his keys out of her back pocket as she stepped down into the room. 

"I take it my car is still in one piece, Sapphira?" He asked, a slight glimmer in his eye as he chalked his cue.

"Yes, Beta. Thank you." She blushed, feeling several eyes turn on her as she dipped her head and handed him the keys.

"I think this is the first time I've seen you in here." Gamma Brandon smirked, taking a swig from his drink.

"Not one for social gatherings, Sapphira?" The Gamma's mate, Hunter, winked.

"Oh, ignore them, Sapphira. They're just salty because Irina has been bossing them around all week." Beta Declan's mate, Kate, tucked her arm through Sapphira's and led her over to the mini-bar.

Kate had her short black hair spiked up, and she had kohled around her dark eyes. Her leather jacket was worn and faded in places, her boots scuffed and dirty. Sapphira couldn't imagine her at a parents' evening with Torin. 

"Drink?"

"Oh, just a lemonade, please."

Kate passed her a lemonade from the fridge, and they perched on the stools next to the bar.

"Excited for the Mating Ball, Sapphira? I haven't seen you at any social events before. You'll be there, right?" Kate smiled with concern and shrugged her jacket off, pulling it onto her lap.

"Yeah, I'll be there. I picked up my dress today." She pushed her can of drink around in the small puddle of condensation on the bar.

"What rank were your parents?"

Sapphira froze, the question catching her off-guard.

"Oh, I don't know my biological parents." The lie fell off her tongue smoothly as she met Kate's curious look.

"I see, so you have no idea what rank your mate might be. I've seen your wolf, though, and she looks strong." 

Kate was right. Sapphira's wolf did look strong, and it was hard to hide that she was more powerful than the Alpha's wolf. Sapphira had gotten used to eating and working out less to make herself look weaker. It filled her with sadness, but it was a necessary precaution.

"Yeah, I guess I'll never know." Sapphira shrugged.

Just as Kate opened her mouth to say something else, the dinner bell rang, and the pack made their way to the dining room.

The massive table in the centre of the room was laden with platters of food. Silver candelabra sat between them, giving the giant room an intimate glow. Sapphira had never been in this room, with its deep red walls and blue velvet curtains. Portraits of previous alphas hung on the walls, with golden nameplates underneath. For such a small pack, this was an impressive show of wealth.

Everyone took their seats as Sapphira watched the boy from earlier, Dom, pull the chair out next to his and grin at her. She returned his smile and approached the opposite end of the table to where Beta Declan and his mate sat. Kate was whispering something in the Beta's ear, and he looked over at her with concern on his face.

"Sapphira."

The room went silent as Sapphira looked to see who had called her name.

Alpha Kai rested his arm against the back of his chair and beckoned her over, the whole room watching. She hadn't even seen him enter the room, but here he was calling her up to the head of the table. 

She smiled apologetically at Dom and walked quickly up the table towards Alpha Kai, meeting Beta Declan's and Kate's eyes as she did. Their expressions gave nothing away as she reached the Alpha.

"Please, sit." 

To Sapphira's surprise, the Alpha pulled the chair next to his out so she could sit down between him and Beta Declan. On his other side, Gamma Brandon and his mate. 

They both sat, and the pack members began chatting again as they served themselves food.

"Do you recognise any of the alphas in the portraits on the wall, Sapphira?" Alpha Kai asked as he helped himself to a dish of heavily-buttered vegetables.

Sapphira cast her eyes over the portraits hung on the wall. The paintings hung in chronological order from the far end of the room to where the current Alpha sat. Even in the low lighting, she could see the family resemblance between them; the squareness of their jaws, the dark curly hair and the deep tan of their skin. 

"I'm sorry to say that I don't, Alpha."

Alpha Kai hummed thoughtfully.

"Did you know that my great-grandfather mated the sister to the King?" He pointed to the painting hung above his Beta's head. "They met at the King's coronation. She had the most incredible auburn hair down to the back's of her knees, and," he paused, turning to meet her gaze, "sapphire-blue eyes."

Shit. He'd figured it out. And not only that, the Alpha was her distant cousin.

Sapphira felt the room pressing in around her. Her heart was racing, and she knew he would be able to smell her fear. She clamped down on her emotions, willing her heart to slow.

"According to his diaries, anyway." He winked at her. 

"Oh, that's incredible." She stuttered, taking a bite of her food. 

He told her that his ancestors were powerful wolves and successful in many of the monarchy's wars. Hence, the King had allowed marriage between his sister and the Alpha of a tiny pack in the south. It was also the reason that the packhouse screamed of old money. 

Sapphira simply nodded through the entire exchange. Luckily, no one else seemed to have been listening to their conversation. But that didn't mean that the Alpha hadn't told anyone else of his suspicions, like his Beta.

Sapphira glanced towards Beta Declan and Kate, but they were busy feeding each other much to their son's apparent disgust. 

She needed to think. If she ran, that would cause suspicion, and the Alpha hadn't actually accused her of anything nor revealed her secret. So maybe it just happened to be a coincidence. But that seemed very unlikely. Her father had declared her missing over two years ago, so what would the chances be that Alpha Kai had worked out that a missing princess was hiding in his pack? Either way, she didn't think that she would be able to stay hidden if she did run. She would have to join another pack, and most other packs were too big or had some link to the royal family. Bridgewater was still the best place for her to be. She just had to hope that the Alpha would keep his suspicions to himself.