Chapter 4- Prom

Chapter 4- Prom

The days fly by, and I wake up on Saturday, the day of my high school Prom. I haven’t talked to Devin since the night of the dinner. Mainly because I have been avoiding him, I stand calmly looking at myself in the mirror and cannot help but smile. “Tonight, at midnight, I will know if Devin is my mate.” I can feel myself getting more excited with every passing moment.

                I run downstairs to find Mom cooking my favorite meal, French toast and bacon. Everyone else thinks I am insane for not eating a big hardy breakfast, but I like what I like. “Morning, Mom!” I call as I sit on the island stool and watch her cook. “Morning, Briar! Did you sleep well?” She asks, giving me a knowing look. “Better than I had originally thought.” “If you find your mate tonight, I need you to text me to let me know if you go anywhere with him, ok?” She makes me promise. “Name, address, rank, pack he belongs to. Nothing will go unanswered.” I agree. My biggest hope is that it will just be home, and it will be Devin.

                Mom slides my plate of food over to me without me even realizing she has finished it. “Where did you go?” She asks, laughing. “What?” I shake my head to clear my mind. “I was talking to you, and you just sat there staring off into space. Are you ok?” “Yeah, I am just really excited about tonight. It is like my world will change as I know it.” “I bet. Prom, your birthday, possibly your mate, finishing high school. You have a wonderful life ahead of you, and I am sure you will have the most wonderful werewolf mate. I ask this next question just in case. If you don’t find your mate tonight, would you be ok with me throwing you a little get-together tomorrow for your birthday? Consider it a second chance to sniff around and see who else could be your mate if you don’t find him tonight.” “That sounds great, Mom.” I agree while eating.

                I have just finished my meal when my best friend Nava comes barreling into the room. “Morning!” She calls out before colliding with me and giving me a bear hug. “Are you ready?” She asks, hopping up and down in front of me. “Ready for what?” I ask her and follow her eyes to my mom. “I am taking you girls out to prepare for the prom.” Mom picks up her purse and begins walking towards the door. “Come along, girls!” She calls. “I don’t have clothing on for that!” I yell behind her. “I have it taken care of. Car is leaving!” I hear her laughter as Nava and I run to catch up with her.

                “Nava, what does your dress look like again?” Mom asks as we walk into the nail place. I watch as Nava pulls her phone out and shows Mom her elegant purple, one-shoulder dress. “I have a few ideas for your hair if you care to hear them?” Mom asks her. “I would love your opinion, Luna Mindy.”     I listen to them banter about hairstyles as my favorite nail technician, Elena, tends to my pedicure. She is an Omega, most of the female werewolves don’t come to her precisely because of her rank, but she is the best here. I also make a fuss whenever I cannot have her, and then I complain that the higher-ranked technician didn’t do as good a job as Elena. Everyone is mad that the Alpha’s only daughter chooses the lowest-ranked person in the salon to do her nails. I make sure to tip her exceptionally well too. I cannot stand people who use their rank to try and say they are better than others. Those who judge evilly, I teach lessons, too, because I outrank all of them. Part of me hates myself for it, but another part of me says that if I don’t stand up for the weaker members of my pack, who will? We are only as strong as our weakest pack member; even the lowest pack member has something to bring to the table to assist. So, I help when I can.

                We spend the day getting ready for Prom, and every passing hour brings me an even greater sense of excitement. Then it is time for me to put on my silky burgundy spaghetti strap dress and finalize my look for the evening. I settled for a half-up, half-down hairstyle, black stilettos, burgundy and white nails, and a more natural makeup look. Don’t get me wrong, my face was still covered in makeup, but I didn’t go dramatically with any of it.

                My phone chirps twice, and I immediately go to it with wonder. “Ready?” Mom texts. “On my way.” I text back before tossing my phone into the small handbag I have prepared for tonight and walking out of my room. I fall in line with the other wolves my age and head downstairs to leave. We are all smiling from ear to ear, getting ready to head off for a wonderful evening of dancing and fun, nearly done with school and a night away from our parents.

                Dad grins when I finally make it to the edge of the staircase, and then I see what he is smiling about. Mom and her camera. Tears of joy roll down her face as she takes picture after picture of me coming down. In the last step, I hold my hand out for my dad and watch as his eyes light up that I am requesting help from him. He kisses my hand softly before holding it between both hands. “You are no longer my little girl, are you? Going out into the world to find a mate to take you from me.” His words bring tears to his eyes. “Finding a mate to add to the family is more like it. And to think that one day the family could be further expanded.” I smile at him. “Not for a long time, little one.” He demands. “Not for a long time; you have my word,” I promise.

                After taking more pictures than necessary and riding together in a limo with friends, we make it to the school. “Here we go!” Nava whispers while taking me by the arm and leading me into the school gym.

                There were no lights on within the hallway. Instead, the hallway was dripping with twinkle lights. “Magic within the stars” is our Prom theme. No one can figure out who gave us that theme, only that it was what we were doing. I decided that I was not permitted to complain about it because I was not on the prom committee, nor did I help set up in any way. “It is so pretty!” I squealed out loud to Nava. “Just wait! My friend texted me and told me that inside is even better!” She calls over the noise of the music coming from the end of the hall.

                Getting inside entailed another set of pictures the school insisted upon. This means the parents all have a say in whether they get plastered on the wall. Nava and I had fun with them. She held me up like a baby in a few of them, and then I did the same for her; we even pretended to be proposing to one another. We ended it with a super cute best friend's pose that we paid for on the spot, so it will come to us printed by the end of the week.

                Nava’s source was correct. The entire room looks as though we are standing in space. The twinkling lights everywhere looked as though I was standing underneath the open sky on a full moon run. “Wow!” I whisper to myself while looking around the room with wonder and amazement that they pulled this off. “Save me a dance, will you?” Devin calls from behind me, bringing my attention back to the people around me. His tux looks even better on him tonight than it did in the store. “Only if Judith doesn’t mind?” I ask, turning my attention to his date. “Not at all. I have no objection to sharing my date with you. I know you are best friends, after all.” Her genuine, kind heart makes me instantly smile back at her. “Why thank you, Judith. I promise I will only steal him for one dance. For now, you guys go have fun.” I hug them both and send them on their way. Devin calls over a group of friends as he walks with her. His friends are not the easiest to hang out with as they are rough. Hopefully, Judith makes it through the night without accidental bruises with that group of jocks.

                By 11, Prom is in full swing. None of the girls are wearing shoes anymore, hairdos are caked onto sweaty heads, and everyone is dancing happily on the dance floor. “You owe me a dance!” I hear Devin call to me as he spins me around by my waist. “It is almost midnight, and I promised myself I would be by your side the second you turned 18!” He calls happily in my ear as he starts dancing alongside me. My heart swells as I look at the clock. “Countdown time!” Nava calls over to me. “Five minutes to go; I will know who my mate is in five minutes.” I squeal in excitement to Nava.

                Three minutes to midnight, I feel Devin stiffen beneath my arms. “What’s wrong?” I ask, looking up into his face. His eyes are wide, his nostrils are flaring, and he looks frantically around the room. “My mate is here.” He states. I look at my watch and know instantly; it is not me he is smelling. I am not his mate.