“This was the last day of school before your ball,” Victor said as he held the Lamborghini's door for me. “Are you excited?”“Excited and nervous,” I replied. “My hands start shaking whenever I think about it.” I held them up to show him I was serious.My mind kept imagining the worst-case scenarios that could happen at my ball. I knew I was letting my anxiety get the best of me, but it was hard to turn it off.“Relax, you’re going to be fine,” Victor assured me. “You know all the dances, and you do them very well. Best of all, you have a gorgeous gown to wear while doing the tango with William.”“There’s nothing to be nervous about,” Victor added reassuringly. “Your father and I will be there to watch over you. And you will have your best friend, Amy, there too.”“I can’t wait to wear my gown.” I smiled just thinking about it. “And Amy is spending the whole day with me tomorrow to start getting ready. We’re having our own spa day and having ‘the works’ done to us.”“That sounds like
There are only two days left before my ball.So I decided to have a Spa Day to get ready and relax. Amy came over to my house early in the morning and we got started.“I’ve got something for you, Amy,” I said as I reached into my closet and pulled out a garment bag.Amy grinned and clapped her hands. “Oh, goody! Is that what I think it is?”“Yep. It’s your ball gown.” I held the garment bag up and slid the zipper downward.Amy clapped her hands again and got up from the bed to help pull the dress from the bag.“It’s gorgeous,” Amy said. She was right.The sage, green satin material shimmered as we laid it across the bed. We admired the material for a moment, and then I held the dress in front of Amy.The dress had a halter top, a fitted waist, and a full skirt. It was well-made and beautiful.“It should fit you perfectly,” I told her. “Jennifer had it tailored to your measurements.”Amy held the dress up and looked at her image in the full-length mirror on the back of my door. “This f
Amy went home after breakfast. I missed her as soon as she went out the door. After watching her drive away, I wandered around the mansion, looking for something to do.Due to a staff development day, there was no school, and there were no more dance lessons with Victor to fill my afternoon.The music room didn’t hold much interest for me since I played no instruments, and the gaming room wasn’t much fun alone. I was bored within an hour.Next, I went to the ballroom and listened to my footsteps echo through the ginormous empty room.I stopped near the fireplace and studied my parents' portrait for several moments before I blew my mother a kiss. My father said she chose every detail of the room, and this was the place I felt the most connected to her.Alex told me that she loved to dance and often came to this room alone to practice. So I tried it.Envisioning myself dancing with Victor, I waltzed around the dance floor, my arms raised as if I were holding onto an invisible partner.I
Today is the day.While Jennifer was helping me get ready, a young maid came to my room. She looked as if she wanted to say something, but wasn’t sure if she should.After she told us what was on her mind, Jennifer scolded her for upsetting me.“Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything in front of Miss Wilson,” she said to Jennifer. “But I thought you would want to know what terrible things I overheard a few of the guests saying.”“The nerve of them! It makes me angry that they would say anything bad about my mistress,” Jennifer said.“I’m used to being talked about,” I said. But being called ugly and having someone wonder if I’m going to show up dressed in a wetsuit for my ball did hurt my feelings.Why wouldn’t the Alphas stop talking about me or forget the mistakes I made when I first joined their ranks?Didn’t they understand that I wasn’t raised with the advantages that they had? Why did they have to be so mean?I felt like crying, but I held back my tears. I wouldn’t walk into the b
Why would I think of Victor while I am dancing with William?I quickly shook my head, trying to focus on my dance with William.“What’s wrong?” William asked.“Oh…Nothing particular…” I replied, feeling a bit uneasy for being caught.It was a fun time dancing with William. He is a good and gentle dancer, just as I have imagined.After my dance with William ended, I stood close to him to keep the others away.“Do you think I could sit down for a while?” I whispered into his ear.But before he could answer, my father appeared and took my elbow.“Sweetheart, you really should dance with some of the others to prevent any mistrust or hard feelings. Some of the young men here tonight belong to families that have been close to ours for centuries.”I froze at first as my heart did a flip. Then I nodded and allowed him to lead me to a grinning young Alpha male.“This is Rafe Foster,” Alex said. “Rafe, this is my daughter, Daisy.”Rafe grinned wider. I couldn’t help noticing his smile didn’t re
“Please, try to calm down, Miss,” Jennifer said gently. “Honestly, it’s nothing to be afraid of. Shifting is a wonderful thing. You’ll see.”“Were you nervous before your first shift?”Everybody keeps telling me not to be afraid. But I bet a lot of them were nervous before their first shift.“Of course I was. Everybody is afraid of the unknown,” Jennifer replied. “My first shift wasn’t a grand affair like yours, but shifting is something all werewolves enjoy.”“How many will be watching?” I asked her. “I’m going to be scared enough without having an audience.”“Your father decided the ceremony should be private,” Jennifer replied. “So there will just be you and your father, Mr. Klein, and Mr. James, and I was asked to be a witness.”“That doesn’t sound too bad,” I admitted. But my insides still wouldn’t stop squirming. “I wish it was over with.”“It will be soon enough,” Jennifer said and checked her watch. “It’s time. We need to meet your father downstairs.”“No,” I whispered and clu
After I shifted for the very first time, nothing else mattered except the urge to run. My yearning to be outside in the night, racing across the land, was overwhelming. It was far worse than any craving I had ever experienced.“Let’s go,” Diana pleaded. “There is a door to the outside just over there.”Diana was right. I hurried to the door to the left of the dais and growled as I threw myself at the release bar that would unlatch the door.To my relief, the door opened, and I rushed outside.The night was a totally different experience in my wolf form. I could see as well as I could during the day, and I could smell everything around me.And not only the smell of things nearby. Intriguing scents also drifted to my nostrils on the wind.“They smell delicious, don’t they?” Diana said. “We should track them and discover what prey is nearby.”But on my way around the west wing, I passed by the darkened windows of the game room and saw my reflection in the glass.“That can’t be me … I mea
William and Victor’s wolves growled menacingly at each other. The rivalry between the two Alpha wolves felt like sparks flying through the air.They growled louder, bared their teeth, and circled each other as if looking for the opportunity to attack.I held my breath as I waited for them to break into combat. I couldn’t stand knowing that they were fighting about me.What did they think fighting each other would accomplish?When the growling advanced to intense snarls, Diana and I yelled, “Both of you, stop fighting right this minute.”“How dare either of you think something that will affect the rest of my life could be settled with your teeth?”The two wolves immediately separated and sat back on their haunches. But they both still had their ears flattened against their heads, and the tip of William’s tail twitched in agitation.“That’s better,” I told them. “Now listen to me; I will choose my mate. I won’t be fought over like I’m a carnival prize.”Victor’s wolf Adam began to argue