Episode 5

     I was extremely exhausted.

     I didn't think I'd ever been this exhausted in all my life. Sweat trickled down my face, my whole body was sore and I had not had a single meal since this morning. Although the last part was solely because my stepmother had warned that she she didn't want to catch me 'lazing around'. The inauguration ceremony was tomorrow and the entire pack was getting ready for it. 

     And I mean The. Entire. Pack.

     It was definitely going to be a grand event. Blue Moon Pack was known for its high reputation as it was the only pack in the whole of Astoria. About a quarter of the other packs in Aregon where going to be in attendance.

     Everyone was busy with one job or the other. The base of the pack which was where the main event was taking place had been arranged. The lakes had been cleaned, the bushes had been trimmed, every house in the pack had been put in order.

     I wasn't even able to go through the whole chaos with my friends since they were with the soon to be elders, getting ready for their inauguration tomorrow as Beta female and Gamma female of the pack.

      I wiped sweat off my forehead as I continued lifting boxes from the delivery truck and offloading them in the Alpha's warehouse. It hadn't even occurred to me that I wouldn't be seeing as much of Favi and Belinda as I used to.

     "Will you hurry the hell up?" Bethany called from where she stood by the entrance door of the warehouse. Unfortunately for me, we had been paired together with a few others to get all the deliveries to where they needed to be.

     I lifted all the boxes from the truck and moved them to where they were needed while Bethany 'arranged' them. Which was basically the code for doing next to nothing.

     

     "You could help me get the boxes you know," I informed her, "Instead of just standing there doing almost nothing." The boxes were very heavy, even for a werewolf with enhanced strength.

     "No, thank you." She quipped sassily, taking the boxes from me and stacking them on top of the others.

     My wolf moved around restlessly, reminding me that I hadn't taken her out for a run that morning and she was in no condition to put up with anyone's disrespect.

     Sighing tiredly, I walked back to the truck, deciding to let sleeping dogs lie. I needed to take my wolf out for a run, shower, get some food in me and then rest for a little while. All these were making me a little cranky but still I forged ahead.

     I was doing this for my friends and no one else.

     Somehow, that got me through all that I needed to do.

***

  

     "They actually handed us guides to go through!" 

     The voice belonged to Belinda . After all the cleaning and arrangements had been concluded, I had finally been able to get some rest. I had seen Favi and Belinda several hours later when they had come over to invite me to Belinda 's place to spend the night.

     Surprisingly, my stepmother hadn't made a fuss about it. I liked to think she was secretly glad that I was close friends with people who were about to become part of the most important werewolves of the pack. 

     So yeah, arranging to spend the night at Ria's place had been a breeze. Now we were in her room, getting our nails done. For some reason, she and Pamella had decided to do their own mani pedi. Though I suspected it had to do with the fact that they didn't want to bother me with paying for a mani pedi at the spa, knowing I wouldn't accept for them to pay.

     "What did you expect, Belinda ?" I asked in amusement, picking a black nail polish from her collection. 

     She angrily pushed her red hair way from her eyes, wiggling her fingers. "They should have just said everything at the freaking meeting! Why do we have to do some extra work?"

     "Geez, Ria," Favi exclaimed mildly. "Do you think they're making you Gamma female just so you could enjoy yourself?"

     Belinda blew on her fingers, tsking and shaking her head. "I knew there was going to be a lot of responsibilities but this is a little too much." She complained. "Ally, take a look at this."

     A book came flying in my direction. I instinctively dropped the nail polish I was holding, making sure I caught the book in mid air. "Okay, this is quite a lot." I agreed.

     Favi leaned forward to inspect the book. It's the same book as mine." She stated, wiggling her pink toes. "The writings are quite big so it's not such a big deal. We just have to do what we have to do."

     I playfully shoved her shoulder, settling the book beside me. "Look at you getting all wise and mature all of a sudden." She laughed at that.

     "Can't have the soon to be elders thinking the selected females for the new council are incompetent." She stared pointedly at Belinda . "I wish someone would get the memo."

     

     Belinda threw a pillow at her and then laughed when it hit her right in the face. "I'll get the memo tomorrow, don't worry too much."

     "I heard all head royals will be in attendance." Favi informed, her face lighting up. Everyone knew the head oyals were a huge deal.

     They were the highest, most supreme and most respected werewolves in the entire country. The royals were fifty, one overseeing each state, and the head royals were only three. They were in charge of the three most populated states in the country.

     Usually only one showed up to important events like the inauguration tomorrow, so all three being present was a major achievement.

     "How's Jayson taking all this?" I inquired. I hadn't gone out to the lake at dawn so I hadn't seen him since today. I wasn't even sure he had been out there either, with how occupied the day was.

     Favi raised a shoulder. "Quite well, I guess. I mean none of this is a surprise. It's something we all knew was going to happen eventually." She closed the polish in her hand and picked up another. "I just wish he had found his mate before it happened. It would make things a lot easier."

     "Yeah," I agreed silently. Things would become different when that happened, but at least Jayson would be happy. In the end, wasn't that all that mattered?

     His happiness?

     I more than loved him enough to bear him being with someone else as long as he was happy. 

     " Jayson will be just fine till then," Belinda assured us both, a rare look of seriousness overtaking her usually bubbly expression. "He has the council, remember?" She said, "He has us and he also has Ella."

     I met her eyes, wondering if she knew about my feelings for him. There was just something about the way she spoke...

     It didn't matter anyway.

     He might have me, but I sure as hell didn't have him.