Taming the Alpha

Step Ten

"Great, let me put my shoes on." Chloe said, jumping off of her mattress. In a matter of time we were at the mall and looking around the first dress store we saw. Chloe gravitated towards the green and I just in the middle of it all, not knowing where to start.

"Black's your color." Lucas commented before taking my hand and dragging me toward the black dresses. Brute's midnight black eyes flashed in my mind and the pain in my chest flared. Those eyes sent a shiver down my spine, but I tried to push the image away. His eyes, though, made me want to get a black dress.

Dress shopping took longer than expected. For some reason I couldn't find the perfect dress for me. Finally, though, we came across an antique dress shop and I found the one in there. It was a gorgeous black ball gown with long lace sleeves. It was beautiful and I absolutely loved it. Apparently my brother loved it too because he paid for it instead of letting me pay for it with my allowance. He did, however, let me pay for my masquerade mask that I manage to find at the same store. I'm not surprised it was at the same store because the mask was also lace and matched my dress perfectly. It was already clear I was going to look amazing at the ball and I truthfully couldn't wait for it. While social gatherings were far from being something I was comfortable with, this masquerade ball would be worth it.

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It was the night of the ball and my nerves were driving me insane. I was all dressed and ready to go, but I was waiting for my brother. Anxiety ran through me at the what if of the other wolves knowing it was me and ridiculing me. My dress suddenly felt like too much and I felt sick to my stomach. Maybe this was a bad idea.

"Don't you dare bail on me now." Lucas said when he walked into my room, noting my nervous look.

"This was a bad idea." I muttered, sitting on my bed. Lucas let out a sigh and sat down next to me.

"Just don't worry about them. You look beautiful, the only reason they'll make fun of you is because they're jealous. Just let loose and enjoy the night." He reassured me. I bit my bottom lip as I thought about what he said. I didn't know about them being jealous, but I did need to try to enjoy myself.

"Maybe you're right." I sighed. Or maybe he was wrong and the ball would end in a total disaster.

"I'm always right." He smirked. He was pulling me onto my feet in a second and out of the bedroom door. We walked downstairs together to where my mom and dad stood waiting for us. They didn't notice us at first, they were too busy staring into each other's eyes as my mom fixed his tie. The ache in my heart started up again when I saw how in love they were. That was how mates were supposed to be, but they got stuck with two children who were both rejected.

"Oh honey, you look beautiful!" My mom cried out, coming towards me with open arms. I noticed the tears that shimmered her eyes and I let her wrap her arms around me. I hugged her back, happy that I had her as my mother. She pulled away and we headed to the limo that waited for us outside. We made it to the country club in no time and we were not surprisingly the first ones to arrive. We were hosting the ball, after all. With being the hosts, we had to stand at the front and greet everyone who came in. Thankfully my mom didn't make me do it this time and instead I stood by the desserts, my mask already on. I wanted to be unknown to everyone else as long as I could so I could actually enjoy myself. It seemed to be working because no one came up to me, but I did see people casting me glances, especially guys around my age. I adverted my eyes away from them and instead watched as Lucas made his way towards me, his mask also finally on his face.

"If I have to smile for that long every day, maybe I don't want to be Alpha." Lucas complained, rubbing his cheeks. I rolled my eyes, he should be happy that he was the future Alpha. At least he wasn't the runt of the pack and basically a disgrace to the Alpha name.