Chapter 17: 17: Catch Me

ARIEL

I wake up with the feeling of a hangover again, except this time, it has nothing to do with alcohol.

It has everything to do with what I saw in the woods.

Seeing Alex and Lola kiss felt like a silver bullet to my heart.

Even the ~real~ silver bullet in my body didn’t leave me feeling as cold and wounded as I feel now.

I don’t know how I’ll even face Alex today, but I’ll have to—today is the last day of the mating weekend, the big royal ball.

Not only will I be on security duty, but I’ll likely have to watch Alex dancing and flirting with Lola all night long.

~Goddess, this is going to be a helluva day.~

I gingerly get out of bed and walk downstairs, where Amy is chatting with Steve and Louisa is cooking breakfast.

My only solace in this misery is that Amy gets to stay the weekend with me.

“Morning, sunshine,” Steve says, pulling out a chair for me. “Ready for the final day of the mating ceremony?”

“You have no idea,” I say, sitting down and chugging coffee.

Amy gives me a concerned but comforting look. “Don’t worry, Ari, I’ll be by your side all day. You can even be my date to the ball.”

“What happened to that guy from yesterday?” I ask.

“Look, I might like them dumb, but even I have my limits. I don’t even think he knows up from down. He can sure find a variety of reflective surfaces to gaze at himself in though,” she says, exasperated.

We start laughing as Steve looks back and forth at us, confused.

My phone starts buzzing and I pull it out to see a message from Dom.

Dom

hey i have a favor to ask

Ariel

Oh Goddess

Ariel

What is it?

Dom

some of the girls that have already found their mates are gonna get ready together

Dom

including helena

Dom

and i was hooooping

Dom

you’d be their bodyguard 😬

Ariel

Ugh, Dom…

Ariel

I don’t know

Dom

pleeease ariel!

Dom

it will give u a chance to get to know helena

Dom

and that’s really important to me

Ariel

Can’t I just get lunch with her or something?

Dom

i popped the question

Ariel

What question??

Dom

u kno the one that leads to a mating ceremony

Ariel

Dom! What the hell!? Don’t you maybe want to plan a little first?

Dom

nope. we’re in love and we want to be official asap

Dom

so will u do it? i’ll owe u. anything at all!

Ariel

FINE

Ariel

But I’m def gonna collect on that favor

***

I can’t believe I agreed to this. Helena and Valeria show up with garment bags and makeup kits, freshly mated and ready to have a magical night with their men.

Amy slips into the most gorgeous dress I’ve ever seen: red, sparkling, and extremely low-cut in the back.

Val steps out in a one-shoulder black sleeveless jumpsuit and black heeled ankle boots.

Helena channels her inner flower child in a beige tea-length dress with butterflies on the skirt and a sequined top.

“We don’t look half bad, girls,” Amy says, snapping a selfie with Helena and Valeria.

“Yeah, you all look stunning,” I say, trying to be happy for my friends, even though I feel terrible. I’m stuck in a rusty suit of armor as I watch these girls transform into princesses.

It’s not even that I dislike my armor, but why can’t I be both a warrior and embrace my femininity at the same time?

“Don’t think I forgot about you,” Amy says with a sly smile.

“What are you talking about?” I ask nervously.

Amy pokes her head out the door and yells down the stairs. “Louisa! We’re ready!”

“The idea was mine, but the credit should go to Louisa,” Amy says, looking at me excitedly. “She stayed up all night working on this.”

Louisa comes into the room carrying a large garment bag and wearing a huge smile on her face. “I thought you might want something new to wear for the ball.”

As I pull down the zipper of the bag, my jaw drops open at the sight of the outfit inside it.

She’s converted a lightweight chain-mail armor into a chic, sparkling rhinestone-covered mini-dress.

She even included a belt with a sheath for my sword.

“It’s…it’s beautiful,” I say, nearly crying. “Oh my Goddess, Louisa. I can’t believe you ~made~ this.”

“There’s more!” Amy says, excitedly clapping her hands. She pulls a box out of the closet and opens it to reveal a pair of gorgeous thigh-high heeled boots.

After several chants of “try it on,” I slip into the dress armor and boots and admire myself in the mirror.

Louisa really knocked it out of the park. The armor is formfitting, but practical and chic.

“You’re the hottest warrior who ever existed,” Helena says, squealing.

“Honestly, I’m a little turned on,” Valeria says, raising an eyebrow suggestively. “Too bad I’m a mated woman.”

“Ari, I’m dying. This is so sexy,” Amy says, giving me a hug. “You look ~killer~ in that dress. I mean that literally—you have a damn sword strapped to your hip.”

Steve’s voice suddenly echoes in the hallway. “Boys are here!”

As we all walk down the stairs, I see Dom and Lyle waiting for their mates, along with…

~Alex.~ And Lola, attached to his arm. Why didn’t it occur to me that he’d probably be going to the ball with Dom and Helena?

Alex’s eyes survey my body from head to toe as I descend the stairs. His mouth is hanging open and his eyes are wide. “Ariel…~wow~.”

Alex pulls his arm out of Lola’s grasp and by the look on her face, she’s fuming.

I’m not a petty person, but I can’t help but smirk a little.

“Alright, everyone! Let’s get our asses to the ball because it’s time to PARTY!” Dom pops a bottle of champagne and sprays it in the air as all the girls scream.

Alex hasn’t looked away from me since I came downstairs. The way that his eyes continue to linger…

~It makes me feel like maybe he hasn’t forgotten what’s between us.~

***

At the ball, I lean against the bar and people-watch, instead of watching Lola with her paws all over Alex.

A bunch of males who haven’t found their mates yet are crowded in a huddle, still hoping to have a chance at love. They look a bit like a sad support group.

~I wonder if there’s a support group for she-wolves who were rejected by their destined mates.~

I notice Alpha Tyler, the alpha of the Blue Stone Pack, watching me from the other side of the bar.

I didn’t pay much attention to him when he arrived two days ago, but he’s actually quite handsome.

He has a thick crop of curly brown hair and a jawline that could cut metal.

But no matter how cute he is, he’s not the man on my mind…

Tyler must have noticed me checking him out because he starts walking over to my side of the bar.

~Shit, why couldn’t I just keep my eyeballs to myself?~

“Ariel, you’re looking lovely tonight,” he says, grabbing my hand and kissing it.

“You know my name?” I ask, surprised.

“I’ll admit, I’ve asked around about you,” he says, giving me a charming smile. “You really stand out from the crowd.”

“Um, thank you,” I reply, blushing. I have to admit that I’m enjoying the attention, but it’s just not from the person I want it from.

“Would you do me the honor of giving me a dance?” he asks, giving me a slight bow.

“Oh, I’m actually working,” I say, awkwardly waving my hands. “I’m on warrior duty. I need to keep watch.”

“So, what better vantage point than the middle of the dance floor?” he asks, extending his hand.

He does have a point. Reluctantly, I accept his hand and he pulls me onto the dance floor.

His grip tightens on my waist as we spin and twirl around the other couples. If this is his idea of dancing, I’m going to be sick.

“You know you’re the most beautiful woman in here,” Tyler says, pulling me closer. “You’re surprisingly hot—for a warrior.”

I know he’s just trying to compliment me, but he’s coming off like a bit of a prick.

“You must not have seen many female warriors then,” I say, rejecting the so-called compliment.

“Well, in my pack, we don’t allow them,” he says, without a hint of self-awareness.

~Ugh, this guy really is going to make me sick.~

Tyler leans in for a kiss, his tongue dangling out of his mouth, and I quickly evade it by turning my head.

As he tries again, a hand suddenly grips his shoulder tightly, the claws partially extracted.

“Mind if I ~cut~ in?” Alex asks, in a low, intimidating growl.

“Oh, uh, King Alex…by all means,” Tyler says, backing away and looking at the shredded cloth of his tuxedo shoulder.

“Looks like you needed some help,” Alex says, as he takes my hand and resumes dancing with me.

“Well, I didn’t,” I say, a little coldly. “I could handle that idiot on my own.”

“Right, sorry,” Alex says sheepishly. “Maybe I just came over because I was jealous.”

~Jealous? Careful Alex…you’ll make me think that you actually feel something for me.~

I smile up at him and his eyes shine as he looks back at me. We just dance in silence, locked into each other’s gazes.

My heart starts racing and my wolf starts doing somersaults when Alex looks at me like that.

“Ariel, I…I want to ask you—”

Someone suddenly bumps into us, and we break apart.

“Alex, your mother is looking for you. She says it’s ~urgent~,” Lola says, as she wraps her arms around Alex like a vindictive octopus pulling a boat underneath the sea.

“Oh, sure…I’ll see you later, Ariel,” Alex says distractedly as Lola leads him away.

As Alex walks away, in the arms of another woman, my wolf whimpers in sadness. She’s heartbroken…and so am I.

~I’m falling for you, Alex.~

~But you’re not here to catch me.~