Chapter 4: The Party

Emery

Today was the day. 

I was awoken by the sound of the birds chirping, their tweets sounding a little sweeter today. I opened the curtains and the sun filled my small room. The weather is perfect for the upcoming event. I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and put my hair in a high ponytail before hurrying down the stairs. I walked to the kitchen and readied the ingredients for breakfast—eggs, bacon, bread, and tomatoes. I whipped up a quick breakfast sandwich for the Beta’s family and pocketed the hard edges of the bread to eat in the bedroom for myself.

I hummed as I walked up the stairs, but quickly hid when I saw Caitlyn exiting out of her room. I really don’t want to get on her bad side on this fine day. She gets upset about the littlest matters, especially during the mornings. When the coast was clear, I quietly ran to the attic where my bedroom is located and brought out the hard bread from my pocket. I looked at my mother’s picture on my bedside table and held it in my arms.

“Mother, this is going to be the first time that I’ll be going out in such a long time. And it’s the incoming Alpha’s birthday at that! I saw him on TV once and he is probably one of the most handsome humans that I’ve ever seen, granted that I’ve never really seen much humans.” I let out a giggle. “I’m going to be wearing your dress tonight—that beautiful white dress that was once your favorite. I still remember how beautiful you looked in that dress. Although I probably wouldn’t be able to hold up to your beauty, I promise to keep your dress in good shape.” I paused and felt melancholy all of a sudden. “I miss you, mom. I wish you were here right now.”

I stopped talking before the tears fell down from my eyes. I couldn't cry on this special day. My eyes will be swollen at the party. I laughed at myself once again and finished the bread in my hands. 

“EMERY! Help me with the bath.” I heard Caitlyn scream, so I hurriedly stood up and went to the main bathroom. 

“Ugh, took you long enough. You move as slow as an elephant, maybe we should feed you less.” She said seriously. 

I brushed off her insult. I was already used to hearing her mockeries. “But the party’s in the evening, wouldn't it be better to get ready later?” I asked, genuinely curious why she was getting ready this early.

“Did I say that you can question me? Beauty takes time, okay? You probably can’t relate ‘cause you always look like shit.” 

For the entirety of the day, I helped Caitlyn and her mother with their “beauty regimen.” They had snail masks, foot baths, cleansing scrubs, and other fancy products and procedures. They also had me help them polish their shoes and corset their waists. By the time they were finished with all of the fancy stuff, it was already 6 o'clock in the evening. The party was at 8. Two hours was still plenty of time for me so I quietly went back to my room to get ready and take a shower. 

I went to my small bathroom and filled up the bucket with cold water. I wasn’t really granted any warm water because it was a “waste” of electricity. I shivered as I poured the cold water on my body. I grabbed my strawberry-scented shampoo and body wash and quickly lathered them onto my hair and skin. The bathroom was filled with the sweet scent of strawberries and cream. It was my favorite scent. I quickly rinsed the foam and wrapped the towel around my body. My hair dripped on the floor as I wiped my wet feet on the rug. 

I felt the cold air as I stood in front of my closet, but smiled when I saw the dress that I’m going to be wearing. I put on the white dress, it was sleeveless with gold accents. It reminded me of the gowns that Greek Goddesses would wear, except it only went up above my knees. I let my straight hair air dry while I put on a little bit of lip gloss. I looked at myself in the mirror, and was shocked ‘cause I looked so much like my mother. I got a little teary-eyed but suppressed the urge.

“EMERY! Help me put on my shoes.” I ran to the living room, where I heard Caitlyn’s voice come from. I went down the stairs and felt a gaze lingering on my back. I saw Beta Armad weirdly staring at me. I saw how his gaze stayed longer on my backside. I just said a quick greeting and ran to where Caitlyn was.

Caitlyn stared at me with contempt. Do I look that horrendous? I became self-conscious, so I looked down. 

She groaned, “Quickly, kneel down and put on my shoes. I can’t bow down or else my corset is going to pop and my hair’s going to be ruined.”

Yeah, because your corset is too tight. I thought to myself.

“Yes, on it.” I said, kneeling down before her feet. I felt her heated gaze on the back of my head and wondered why she hated me so much. “You’re such an eyesore. If it weren’t mandated by the Alpha and Luna that everyone needs to attend, I would want you to stay forever in this house in order to spare the pack from seeing your ugliness.” She said, hitting the back of my head.

I kept my head down, ‘cause I know that Caitlyn was serious with her threats. I really did not want to push her buttons any more. 

“Done.”

“Good.”

“Let’s go.” I heard Beta Armad’s voice, close to my ear. I felt a jolt of shock so I moved far away from him, hiding behind his wife and daughter. Carrie looked at me with disgust so I kept my head down while moving behind them toward the car. I sat at the very back of the van, and listened to the gushes of Caitlyn and Carrie. They were talking about the possibility of Caitlyn being the Alpha’s mate. I tuned them out and looked out of the window, observing the houses that were passing. So, this is what the world looks like right now. I opened the window slightly and basked in the sweet breeze of the night.

“Emery, stop daydreaming and open the door for us.” Carrie said impatiently. I got up and pushed the door open, and held it for the two women. After I closed the door, I peered over the big house, a mansion even, and saw the lights dancing within the rooms. I was excited. I hid my smile while walking in with the Beta’s family. Before entering the door, Caitlyn stopped me with her hand.

“Do not go with us. Enter after you’ve already heard our family name being announced. I don’t want you to bring embarrassment to this family. And never! I mean, NEVER, say that you are a part of our family in any way, got it?”

I nodded my head. This was better than nothing. Actually, this is even better than going in with them. I do not want any unnecessary attention. 

“Beta Armad Williams with his wife, Carrie Williams, and his daughter, Caitlyn Williams of the Blood Shadow Pack.” I heard the announcement from inside the mansion followed by a diminished round of applause. 

I couldn't contain my excitement anymore, so I quickly entered the house after the round of applause. However, I did not expect that the entrance was a stage-like infrastructure with stairs under the entrance door. As I opened the door, the chatters stopped and the attendees looked over to me. I was frozen as I stared at the hundreds of eyes staring at me. I heard their hushed whispers, but did not make out the exact words they were saying.

“Who is that? She’s such a beauty?”

“Have you seen her before? I would sure remember if I met a beauty like her.”

“If only my mate looked like that—ouch, I'm joking.”

“Fuck, she’s so goddamn beautiful.”

One girl in the middle of the room seethed with anger as she heard the compliments going around the room. Those are supposed to be for me, Caitlyn thought. She looked at the girl in the middle of the entrance and couldn't deny her beauty. Her beauty was the very reason why she wanted to ruin her life. 

“Miss...Miss.” I was broken out of my trance when I heard the guard calling out to me. “Miss, what is your name and what clan did you come from?”

“Umm, Emery. Emery Holly Halifax from… nowhere.”

“Introducing, Emery Holly Halifax… from nowhere?” The guard announced, confusion heard in his voice. A moment of silence passed, followed by a loud round of applause.