She-Wolf Chronicles: United Forces (1)

Chapter 3

“Sorry, where are my manners?” I said as I quickly put my fist on my heart and bowed my head to the Alpha to show respect.

Dad smiled and so did the Alpha, both seeming proud but I had no idea why. It was custom to salute to a leader you have just met so not to show disrespect and cause angst between packs.

“A mighty girl you have here Michael, truly excellent.” The Alpha said to my father with a grin.

“Didn’t I tell ya? Bold, talented and stubborn she may be, but she still has respect for her elders.” My dad said with his customary barely-there smile.

The Alpha nodded his head in agreement, my slight blush being the only indication of my discomfort as my eyes burned with curiosity as to why they were complimenting me.

Dad saw my confusion and immediately made introductions.

“Mitchie this is the Alpha of the Moon Pack, Peter Woods, and his son and Beta, Derek Woods.”

I looked at the man who was standing slightly behind his father, guilt arising at the fact that I had all but forgotten he was there. My eyes drifted up and down his form unconsciously, my sight fixated on him while my mind attempted to fully register the specimen before us, whose own eyes seemed to be glued on me too.

He was very handsome, I’d give him that.

With his flawless honey toned skin, silky shoulder-length chocolate coloured hair and a towering height that matched my brothers with the same ripped but not bulky build, he was unlike anyone I’d ever met and would probably ever meet.

But it was his eyes that had me so…well mesmerised by him. Beautiful sparkly blue eyes with flecks of green mingled exquisitely within the many shades of the main iris, stared into my own – and if it wasn’t for my Dad once again clearing his throat to gain my attention, I would have still stood there happily gazing up at him.

“I do apologise Mitchie, for the sudden contest.” Dad started to say, and I raised my brow at him in confusion. “I heard what Zoey said.”

“Oh, well you know what she’s like before a contest, she gets really nervous – though I have no idea why since we always win.”

As soon as I said it, all three of the men’s eyes lit up, though I swore Dad’s held a slight sadness to them, but I ignored it. My mind was puzzled enough, and if I didn’t stop reading into everything I wouldn’t be able to clear my mind before I went on stage.

“Well that’s good. Then I hope she doesn’t mind that the second half of the contest will be tomorrow.” This time Alpha Peter replied, and I was surprised at the sort of gruffness he had in his voice.

I just shook my head, my lips turning up at the corners in a slight smile. “We figured as much, and have already decided what to do.”

My eyes had been on the clock as I had answered and I suddenly felt a jolt of nervousness/ panic, go through me when I saw that there was only a minute left till our time came to go on stage.

“Shoot!” I cried as I ran past them, before the politeness ingrained in me made me instantly back track to the room to excuse myself properly and then full on sprint in my heels toward the stage.

They were all pacing nervously as I approached, but calmed when they saw me speeding toward them.

“Finally!” They exclaimed and I laughed and shrugged out of my robe, giving it to one of the pack members who had volunteered to work backstage.

I quickly looked down at my outfit, soothing down the skirt to my simple black knee-length, one shouldered dress, pulling at the slight trail at the back so that it flowed perfectly to the ground. Then I pulled up the lacy material of my arm glove so that it covered the flesh up to my elbow before readjusting the red artificial roses that I had pinned on the ankle straps of my black heels. I patted my hair to make sure the curls that had been put in it hadn’t been disrupted from the small run I had had to go on, my hands instantly rubbing together to get rid of the glitter on my palms from the shimmer spray that I had put onto my black hair so that it would sparkle under the lights on stage. From the slight weight on my face, I knew that my dark make-up was still in place; my eye-lids heavy with the black shadow and eyeliner placed on it, my lips warm from the dark red lipstick painted on them, and my cheek bones still adjusting to the sticky underside of the red gemstones that Stacey had placed on them in a swirly pattern that matched the material of my glove.