Chapter Eight

Alanis POV

The night of the celebration is here. I am nervous about tonight. Maybe not as worried as Julian. She seems worked up about the arrival of her ex-boyfriend. Julian seems to like her solidarity. She always says I deserve happiness, but she does not realize she deserves the same joy she wants others to have in life.

I wash my hair and wrap it in a towel. I wait for Julian to come help with my hair. She has my makeup and hair all planned out for me. I think she enjoys this much more than I do. Anytime I let her fix my hair, it brings her some sort of happiness. I do miss my long hair, but Julian can always make it look gorgeous. I am positive she will have me looking exceptionally beautiful tonight.

"Are you ready for me?" she asks, standing at my bedroom door, smiling and anxious.

"I am as ready as I will ever be," I answer her.

 She removes the towel from my head and goes to work on my hair. She smiles as she works on my hair. I watch her, not a hair out of place, and her makeup is perfect. Julian is a beautiful warrior. I bet she would wear high-heeled boots onto the battlefield. The thought makes me laugh. She looks at me, puzzled.

"I am sorry. I was imagining you kicking someone's ass in high heels and not a hair out of place," I say. This remark makes Julian laugh too.

"You best believe it. I bet you could, too," Julian says. 

I look in the mirror at my hair. It is perfect. Julian did a fantastic job. She begins to work on my makeup. I have never worn much makeup, and I do not want to wear a lot tonight. For one, it is still hot outside. For two, I like a more natural look.

 "Not too much. I do not like a lot of makeup, remember," I remind her.

"I know. I promise not to paint you up too much," Julian says.

She puts the perfect amount of makeup on me. I look normal. No, I look beautiful. Now, for the dress. Julian helps me into my purple lace dress. The dress falls just off my shoulders and comes just below my knees. I look at myself in the mirror, and I cannot believe it is me.

"Don't cry, please. I do not want to cry. I am older, and I will get all puffy, and I do not have time to deal with that tonight. You look beautiful, Alanis," Julian says. She is not that much older than me. The thought of her have puffy eyes is almost comical.

"I look... I look like a normal person," I say.

"You look like a beautiful young woman, Alanis. I cannot wait for Alpha Sebastian to see you in this dress," Julian says.

"Do you think he... I mean, do you think Alpha Sebastian will like it?" I ask her.

Julian looks me over. "If he does not, then you might get to see me kick someone's ass in high heels tonight," Julian says.

We both laugh as I slip into my shoes. I am ready for the night with Alpha Sebastian and meeting the rest of the pack. I only hope they do not think of me as the girl in the cage. I am Alanis, not a sideshow. I do not want to be treated differently or pitied.

"I need to slip into my dress, and I hear someone at the door. Can you check to see who it is for me?" Julian says as she goes to her room to finish getting ready.

I walk to the front of the house carefully to see who the visitor is at the front door. Alpha Sebastian would not be knocking, and I cannot remember a time when anyone has come by, at least not since I have been here.

I open the door to see a tall wolf with long, blonde hair. "Hello," I say meekly.

"Hi, Alanis, I presume," the tall wolf says.

"Yes, I am Alanis," I answer him.

The tall wolf steps toward the door, and I back up. He startles me for a moment. "Sorry, I am Joshua," he says and extends his hand. I shake his hand.

"Come in. Julian will be out in a second," I say. Something about him looks familiar, but I cannot place him. I wonder if he knew my parents or something. I know I have seen him before; I just cannot remember where or why.

I leave Joshua in the living room and walk back to Julian's room. "Julian, you have a visitor," I say, slightly giddy.

She looks at me in a motherly fashion. I straighten myself like I just got in trouble for talking out of turn. "Joshua is here for you," I say.

Julian immediately looks at herself in the mirror. Miss perfect is suddenly worried about how she looks. Not a hair out of place and looking drop-dead gorgeous, she has nothing to worry about whatsoever.

"You look perfect," I say to her, trying to reassure her.

"I will tell you, but no one else. I am so nervous about seeing him tonight. It has been so long since we were together. How does he look?" Julian asks.

"He looks yummy," I answer her with a smile and a small laugh.

Julian drops her head. "I was afraid of that. Everything is fine. We are old friends. The fact we were engaged means nothing. He is just an old friend that has come to my brother's celebration. I will be fine," Julian says.

"I am supposed to be the nervous one. Calm down; you are making me nervous," I remind her.

"Right, forgive me. I am a bucket of nerves about seeing Joshua after all these years," Julian says. She takes a deep breath. It is strange to see someone who is made of steel so nervous about another wolf.

I hear someone come into the house, and then I hear Alpha Sebastian talking. "Now I am nervous," I tell her.

"You will be fine; we both will be fine. Let us have fun. We can drink some wine, eat some great food, and dance, okay," Julian says, trying to comfort herself and me at the same time.

"Sounds perfect," I say to her. The truth is I am nervous too, but seeing her tense somehow makes me feel better.

Julian walks out of the bedroom in front of me. I walk slowly behind her. Then it is strange; when I see Alpha Sebastian, it is as if time stops and there is no one in the room but him and me. I feel this strange feeling for the first time when I see him. I think he feels it too. He looks at me and rushes to me. It is like we are the only two people in the room. He pulls me to him and kisses me. My body is on fire, and I feel like I belong to him and only to him.

"You are my mate," Alpha Sebastian whispers to me as he pulls me into him and holds me close to him. Could I be his mate? Is this what I am feeling?

I hear the front door close. Julian and Joshua left us to talk. Alpha Sebastian lets go of me just enough to cradle my face in his hand as he looks into my eye. I gaze into his eyes, and I feel such a ball of electricity between us.

"I knew there was something special about you, but now I know what it is; we belong together, Alanis," Alpha Sebastian says.

Alpha Sebastian leans down and kisses me again. His lips on me feel like an electrical current rushing through my body. It feels heavenly. "I never want this feeling to stop," I say when he pulls back from kissing me.

"It never will, my love," Alpha Sebastian says.

His hand is resting on my back, holding me so close to him as he kisses me again.  The electrical pull between us feels like fire.  I suddenly realize I am breathing heavy and cannot think of anything except being close to him. His image, his heart, everything about him fills my mind and my body. I am his, and he is mine. MATES!