Refusing my Alpha mate

Clair

We talked a lot until we finished breakfast together, I offered to drive and take Arthur to his Pack, and he waited for me downstairs while I sorted my dress and shoes. I walked down the stairs with the dress covered with a black cape and my gold sandals in my hands.

"Let me help you with that." Arthur picked up the dress and cape and we walked outside to my car. But just before we arrived he lightly pulled the zipper on the cover and my hands were quick to slap his hands away.

"Ouch." He said and then let out a laugh. "What? I can't see your dress?" He asked with a smirk on his lips.

"No, you can't." I smiled back and took the dress from his hands as he placed it in the back seat.

I went around and sat in the driver's seat while he sat in the passenger seat.

"You're doing all this mystery, but you're going to reject your mate?" He asked me as soon as he closed the door.

"One thing has nothing to do with the other," I said starting the car and heading towards the road.

"But you're really going, aren't you?" He asked and his tone was lower, almost as if he worried about it.

"Yes, that's the plan," I answered straight and short, but I didn't like talking about it. "What courses have you taken the most besides archery and war strategies?" I changed the subject. so I don't have to talk about it anymore.

"Do you want to know what advantages I will have in the next games?" Arthur responded and our conversation continued until we arrived, and I have to confess that I was surprised by the amount of things he did in those 10 years.

When we arrived at his pack I parked right before the Pack's House, and it was very different from the stone castle I was used to, theirs was a large wooden house, where the Alphas and Betas lived, and attached to it was the center of their administration as well.

When we parked, Arthur immediately opened the door and got out, I opened the door but hesitated to leave, a cold ran down my spine and only then did I think if it was really a good idea.

"What's wrong? Let's go." His voice made me look up and find him standing next to me waiting for me to get out of the car.

"Arthur, I don't know if this is really a good idea," I said with my thoughts still spinning if I really made the right decision going there.

"Of course it's Clair, come on." He said extending his hand to me and I stared at his palm for a few seconds. "Trust me." His words made me raise my eyes and find his green gaze holding me, he gave a wide smile that narrowed his gaze, and it was almost instinctive to give him a hand and get out of the car.

He took my dress from the backseat and we entered their Pack House, I had never been there, it was much less medieval than mine, but their decor was very classic and beautiful.

"Mo, come down here," Arthur shouted towards the stairs and it only took a few seconds until he heard the sound of a door opening and a tall, olive-skinned brunette with curlers in her hair and a satin robe coming down the stairs.

"What?" She asked while still walking down the stairs, but when her gaze lifted and she saw me there, she stopped for a second and tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"I brought Clair to get ready with you, it's her first ball, and she's never had a girls' day," Arthur said and I felt like a shy girl trying to fit in with the older girls, at that moment I was sure that going there was a big mistake, I wanted to turn my heel and leave.

But the brunette had a wide smile on her lips, making her even more beautiful, and she waved her hands in the air before saying.

"Ahh, it's going to be amazing. Come soon, my name is Monica, but you can call me Mo." She then pulled me into her hug and there I felt all my insecurity going away, I sighed in relief.

"I'm Clair," I answered.

"I know who you are, Iron Lady. But come on, you're going to love your girls' day." Monica said holding my hand and pulling me up the stairs.

I only had time to quickly turn around and take the dress from Arthur's hands as I gestured thank you, on my lips, he just gave me a short nod and a wide smile.

"Have fun." He said, and I could see that he was still watching us until we entered the room.

When we entered the room there were three more women, and all three turned and their eyes widened when they saw me enter.

"Girls, Clair Troffenholl came to get ready with us." I was afraid of their reaction too, but it was the same as Monica's, they smiled and stood up to greet me.

"I'm Erica." The first one said, she got up and hugged me too, she was a shorter woman, she was a little shorter than me, she had brown hair and brown eyes.

"Tiffany." The second extended her hand to me and welcomed me with a sweet smile, she had blonde hair and blue eyes.

"And I'm Brianna." The third, with blonde hair and amber eyes, hugged me too.

"Come on Clair, get a mimosa." Monica handed me a glass of mimosa and took my still-covered dress from my hands. "I'll put your dress here." She said, hanging it next to the other dresses that were hanging on hangers on the handles of the wardrobe.

"Is this your first ball Clair?" Tifanny asked before drinking the rest of her mimosa.

"Yes. First participating and first organizing." I replied proudly.

"It's Erica's first and mine too, Brianna's third, and Mo has already lost count," Tiffany said laughing.

"Hey, I didn't miss it, it's my tenth, and I'm feeling like today is my day," Monica said raising her hands to the sky.

10 balls, that's 10 years, could it be that Monica was Arthur's mate, and she hasn't found her mate until now, because he's been away all this time? I couldn't help my cheeks blushing and a chill creeping up my spine, but why?

"It's Arthur's first ball here, isn't it?" Brianna asked, now raising her eyebrows as if she was reading my mind, I felt my cheeks blush even more.

"No, he had his first dance here, but it's the first since he came back," Monica said serving more mimosa for all of us.

"So he's not your mate?" Tiffany said sighing.

"No, he's not," Monica replied and strangely my body relaxed with relief upon hearing that. "It would be very cliché, wouldn't it? Alpha's son with Beta's daughter" Monica added, smiling.

"It would be cliché, but tell me you wouldn't like it? I think if he was my mate I would suck every inch of his hot body." Erica said smiling and making a satisfied face.

"Monica has done this, several times," Brianna said laughing and my wolf came so quickly that I had to turn to the side, I faced the dressing table mirror, and she was there, taking in my eyes, they were bright and so blue that it was almost uncomfortable to look. My face turned red, and I had a strange feeling that I had never felt before, was it jealousy?

Were they together?

"It was a long time ago, we were two teenagers discovering each other. But we are great friends, and that was always stronger than anything else. It was never romance-loving, and he hasn't even touched me since he came back, even though I tried two nights ago when I found him in the kitchen in the middle of the night." Monica said, adjusting the curlers in her hair.

Two nights ago, it was the night of the first dream, and he refused her?

"Whoever his mate is will be a lucky woman," Monica said and then turned to me.

"Very lucky," Erica said laughing and fanning herself.

"Clair, can you give us any tips on what the decoration will be?" Tiffany said, turning to me, and I took a deep breath, my wolf calmed down and I turned to them again.

"It's going to be a surprise," I responded by laughing and approaching them.

The girls were amazing and we had a great time, talking, laughing, and getting ready, it was a great relaxing moment and I had never had anything like it. I understood now why Arthur insisted on bringing me.

Brianna was very good at makeup and did makeup for all of us, I had never done it before, so she was kind and subtle in her choices, but she did some eyeliner, put on mascara, blush, and pink lipstick to outline my lips. The other girls were more used to it and there was a lot of shine, glitter, and false eyelashes. Monica was the one who mastered the hairstyles, and she sat me down in front of her dressing table, took a step back, and analyzed my red hair for a few seconds.

"I already know." She said and started brushing and styling them, tied half of my strands on top of my head like a bun, let the other half cascade down my back, and let her strands fall close to my face.

"It is perfect." I lacked words, but they managed to make me more beautiful than I would have ever imagined possible.

"Come on, put on your dress, you need to go to the party first, don't you?" Brianna said reaching for the cape that covered the chosen dress.

I took it from her hands carefully and opened the zipper. I had chosen a navy blue dress, so dark it was almost black, except for the lighter crystals that adorned the bust, studded side by side, from the bust to the waist, and then, on the skirt, they opened and moved away, revealing the tulle of the open skirt.

It was perfect.

They helped me get dressed, and I was ready a few hours in advance.

"Girls, thank you very much, the day was wonderful." I smiled at them while Monica finished Erica's hairstyle.

"We thank you, we loved meeting you. Now go and adjust the last details, we are sure this ball will be incredible." Brianna said and came down with me to help me get into the car without ruining my dress.

I drove to my Pack and went to the lounge to check out the last details, but when I blinked, the first guests began to appear.

"You look wonderful, daughter." The voice was my father's, he was wearing a fitted black suit, he came over and kissed me on the top of my head.

"You too," I responded with a smile, and little by little the two of us welcomed all the guests.

Every time the door opened, my heart sank and I waited for Arthur, and every time someone else came in, I was a little disappointed. Soon the girls arrived, all together.

"The party is beautiful, I love the decoration," Brianna said hugging me, and soon they all went to the canapé station.

I was still watching the girls excited and looking around when I heard the sound of the door opening and the smell of woody pine filled my nose. I turned my body so quickly that I didn't know for sure if it was me, or my wolf.

And it was him.

Arthur wore a navy blue suit, the color was identical to my dress, almost as if we had matched, his suit hugged his arms and chest, and he wore a white shirt and a burgundy tie, I think that was my favorite outfit of his, he was more handsome and hot than ever, or did the guard uniform win this competition?

It was difficult to say.

When his green eyes lifted and met mine, he smiled, my wolf growled inside me, and it was almost impossible to stay still. My heart sped up, and my air escaped my lungs.

Damn, Clair.

Longer chapter today, I hope you like it. The first chapter about the ball 1/3. We have more ball tomorrow. Any guesses?