Chapter Seven: Paige

I awake in the morning to my mother yanking me out of bed. “Paige, you’re going to be late for your hair and makeup. Get up!”

“Ugh. What if I don’t want to get my hair and makeup done?”

“Then, you can explain to your father and Alpha Colin of Aurora Flame why you aren’t looking your best on your big night!”

Like I’m the one who asked for this party. My parents insisted on it. Peyton and I are turning eighteen, and they want to go all out for it. I’d rather hang out with Val. Why would Alpha Colin care what I look like anyway? I only remember meeting him once a few years ago, but he didn’t pay me any attention. He was following his dad around like a little Alpha puppy.

I groan and push myself out of bed. Every freaking muscle in my body hurts. I guess I’ve been overdoing it at training. With that thought, I push through the soreness and open my bedroom door. I call out for the she-wolves and my mother. They are quickly up the stairs and into my bedroom. My mother paces around while the she-wolves pull, paint, and yank on my hair and face. When hair and makeup is done, my mother helps me into a dark green strapless dress that hits right above my knee, my full bosom barely fitting in. It’s evident my mother didn’t pay attention to my size when she bought this dress. Doing my best to stuff my boobs in the dress, I finally get it to where I’m comfortable with the amount of cleavage I’m showing.

I turn to show my mother. “You look so beautiful, Paige.”

Before I know what I’m doing, my arms are around my mother, pulling her into a hug.

My dad and brother barge in to interrupt our moment. “Oh, Paige, you are beautiful.”

“Thank you, Daddy.” I kiss his cheek. “You look nice, Peyton. No buckets of water today?”

He gives me a distracted smile and shrugs. His eyes keep darting to the door. I guess he’s ready for his grand entrance. An Omega comes up to tell my family that guests are arriving. My parents exchange a nervous glance as we head downstairs. I can’t shake the feeling that they are expecting something to happen tonight. Peyton slows down before coming to a full stop on the stairs.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m nervous to see Claire.”

“Why? Have you not seen her all day?”

“No. I wanted to wait till the party. I wanted to be able to show the world we are mates.”

Putting my hand on his arm, I say, “You already know that you two are mates. There’s nothing for you to be worried about.” 

We link arms to descend the stairs when our father starts to call us over. We make our way through the crowd, stopping for hugs and pictures with the many friends in attendance. My mother did a beautiful job mixing my and Peyton’s personalities together. There is black and green fabric draped over the walls.

I catch a faint scent of mint and cypress. The small scent reminds me of rainy days in the forest. Rain is my favorite weather. I’m inclined to believe the appetizers that are being passed around are the source of the smell. I wouldn’t have any doubts about that if Ash wasn’t on high alert. Her red fur is blurry as she paces back and forth.

The scent gets stronger with each timid step I take towards my parents. By the time I get to my father, the scent has completely invaded my body. I don’t even listen to my father introducing us. Instead, I’m staring at hazel eyes rimmed with gold specks. My eyes absorb the powerful man in front of me. His eyes burn into me as I scan his body, undressing him from his stuffy suit. I want to see his naked body. Woah. That’s a forward thought.

Ash is speechless until I force my eyes to meet his gaze again. The burning need in them sends Ash into a frenzy.

Mate! Mate! Ash squeals, jumping around.

Her confession echoes through my scattered mind.

“Mate.”

Did that just come out of my mouth? Damnit.

Colin

As we pull up to the Onyx Moon packhouse, I’m feeling restless. I haven’t been able to relax all day.

Dom is eager to get out and go into the packhouse like he knows something I don’t. I appease him by being the first to door. Waiting for my parents to catch up with me, I admire their packhouse. It’s not as large as the one I live in, but it couldn’t be more different in terms of looks. The Onyx Moon packhouse lives up to its name with its dark coloring and the crescent moon décor on the doors. As my parents finally make their way to the doors, a smell hits me. It smells like vanilla with a hint of cinnamon. It smells a lot like the cinnamon rolls my mom makes for me on my birthday. It’s intoxicating, and I have to hold myself back from barging into the door and finding the source of that scent.

“Are you going to knock or stand there drooling?”

It doesn’t take long for a woman, not much younger than me, to open the door. She introduces herself as Amber, the Beta’s daughter. She lingers in our handshake for too long. Her touch feels like tiny needles stabbing my hand. It’s uncomfortable, to say the least. I politely pull away and scan the room.

The entrance to Onyx Moon is grand. The gray hardwood floors tie into the light gray room well, and there is a large set of stairs in the middle of the room that I suspect leads up to the living quarters. On the stairs is a striking girl. She’s in a sea-green dress that barely touches her knee. The neckline reveals a distracting amount of cleavage, and I find myself lost, wishing I was the guy she’s talking to right now.

The feeling of jealousy surprises me. I’ve never even been interested in a girl, I mean woman, before. Not until this enchanting redhead captured my eyes. I’m pulled from my thoughts as my dad hits my arm, letting me know that the Alpha is trying to introduce himself.

“Sorry, I’m Alpha Colin.”

“No problem. I appreciate a man who can admire good artisanship.”

“That’s not what I was appreciating. Who is that?”

He raises an eyebrow. “That’s my daughter, Paige. The man next to her is my son Peyton, the future Alpha of Onyx Moon.”

I let out a big sigh of relief as Alpha John calls them over. I can’t seem to take my eyes off Paige as she walks over to us, linked arm in arm with her brother. I find myself jealous again. I have to clench and unclench my fists to keep Dom reigned in.

As she gets closer, the smell hits me again. I’m praying that it’s coming from her. Dom bounces around like a nervous child. He’s confirming what I already thought.

“Mate.”