Raise Your Glass

My relationship with Sienna had been a rollercoaster those past few weeks, but ironically, it was a Ferris wheel that finally gave us some perspective.

Things still weren’t perfect, far from it, but we’d found a way to communicate with each other, and we were starting to settle into the idea of being a real couple.

For Sienna, we were just a couple for the season, but for me, it was so much more than that.

I still hadn’t found the right time to tell her. We’d both dumped a serious amount of emotional trauma on one another just a few nights ago, and I didn’t want to further confuse things.

But despite several bumps here and there, we were on a smooth path for once.

I felt closer to Sienna than ever, and the more I felt her accepting the idea of us, the more I was hopeful that she’d be ready to hear the truth.

And tonight was another big step for us because I had agreed to do something that I absolutely ~hated~—throwing a damn dinner party.

For my mate, I’d pretend that I was into it, even though I just wanted to hide in the den. But I knew this was important for us as a couple, and Sienna was really making an effort…so I would too.

Considering it was the day before the Yule Ball, and everyone was feeling festive as fuck, I’d better get on their level.

I finished assembling a fancy charcuterie board, made from the finest meats and cheeses that an alpha could get his hands on, then brought it out to the dining room.

“Sienna, can you grab the champagne?” I called out.

“Sure,” she replied, scurrying past me to the kitchen.

The doorbell rang, and I took a deep breath. “Here we go,” I said aloud, almost forgetting that I was supposed to be enthusiastic.

I opened the door to our first guests. People came inside, hugging and kissing, laughing and smiling, and it all felt surprisingly normal.

Sienna’s friends Mia, Harry, and Erica were there. I’d invited Rhys, Josh, and Jocelyn so that I’d have some of my own friends, but Jocelyn greeted Sienna first when they came in.

“Sienna, honey,” she said, kissing her on each cheek. “You look beautiful.”

It should’ve weirded me out seeing my ex and my mate being friends, but surprisingly, I was okay with it. Actually, it was sort of great.

As Sienna started ushering people into the dining room, and Josh took coats to the bedroom, Jocelyn approached me, putting her hand on my arm.

“How are you doing?” she asked. “I know you hate parties. It’s really sweet that you’re doing this for Sienna.”

“She’s worth it,” I said, smiling. “Everything is actually going well with us, and believe me, I’m the ~most~ in shock by that improbable turn of events.”

Jocelyn laughed and shook her head. “You don’t give yourself enough credit, Aiden. You’re better at this mate stuff than you think.”

“Aaron was the one who was good at this shit,” I said, melancholy creeping into my voice. “I’m just trying to keep my head above water.”

Jocelyn just sighed, staring at me with concern in her eyes. “I know you’ve placed Aaron on a pedestal, but you’re your own alpha, Aiden. You can’t be Aaron…so be who ~you~ were meant to be.”

I felt a jolt in my chest at Jocelyn’s words. It stung more than a bit, but it also zapped me into reality. I was dwelling on the past, and right now, I needed to be present—~for Sienna~.

Jocelyn was still one of the only people who knew Sienna was my true mate, and she just wanted the best for me. Only a fool would ignore her advice.

Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Rhys was standing there, looking awkward as hell.

“Aiden, is this a setup?” he asked.

“A what?” I replied, confused.

“Did you only invite me because I’m still single for the season,” he said, slightly annoyed. “Am I that pathetic?”

I started to laugh. ~Oh God, what is Sienna scheming?~ “What!?” I said.

“Hey, Aiden, we have champagne over here!” Sienna called from across the room, and when I looked over, I saw she was with her friends, getting ready for a toast.

“Shall we?” Jocelyn said, nodding to the group.

“Yes,” I replied, giving her a small smile. “And thanks.”

Jocelyn, Rhys, and I joined Sienna and her group, and at once, Sienna said, “Erica, I think Rhys wants a drink.”

I looked at Erica, then at Rhys, and sniffed the air. Right, ~both~ were single, and from the mischievous look in Sienna’s eyes, I knew what she was trying to do.

~She’s not exactly the most subtle.~

“Do you?” Erica asked Rhys tentatively.

Rhys suddenly had a goofy smile as he nodded. They grabbed drinks and disappeared in a flash, along with Rhys’s awkwardness from just moments ago.

~Ah, the Haze. It works hard, but Sienna works even harder.~

Sienna started talking to her friends, looking satisfied that her plan was working.

Josh came over and slung his arm around me. “Sick party, bro.”

I rolled my eyes and elbowed him in the ribs. “Is that supposed to be a dig? Sienna put a lot of work into tonight.”

“No, it’s actually nice,” he said, putting his hands up in surrender. “I know I haven’t been the biggest supporter of you guys, but maybe I just need a chance to see what you see.”

“You’d really like her if you got to know her,” I replied. It was crazy to think that I’d only known Sienna for a short while myself.

But it didn’t feel like I’d known Sienna for only a few weeks. Looking around the dining room, seeing all our friends mingling with one another, it felt…normal. And nice.

“Hey, man, this gouda is ~gouda~,” Josh said, slapping my shoulder as he chewed a mouthful of cheese.

I couldn’t help but laugh. Some things changed, but others…they never would.

“You want another drink?” I asked Josh.

“Beer,” he responded, so I got up to grab us some beers from the fridge.

Josh was my oldest friend, my best friend, and now that we’d made a few things clear this past week, a beta I could trust.

I mean, he’d always been a guy I could trust. He knew everything that had gone down with Aaron, how messed up it had made me for a while.

But now, with all the weirdness happening around the pack—what with the incident with the unknown threat and the alpha of the Millennium’s sudden upcoming visit…

I finally felt like I’d be able to lean on him in a transparent way for work-related issues too.

He was smarter than his frat-wolf demeanor let on after all.

I pulled a couple of beers out and brought them back to the table.

We lifted the bottles to our mouths—part of being a werewolf meant you never needed a bottle opener—and fastened our teeth around the caps.

Josh had his open in less than a second, but for some reason, mine wasn’t budging.

“Come on, bro, what’s happening?”

I waved him off, trying to wiggle the cap, but still nothing. People were starting to notice.

“He’s gone weak!” Josh bellowed from the seat next to me, and now everyone at the table was watching me squirm against the cap.

“Come on, Alpha!” Rhys hollered from the other end.

“Alpha versus cap! Alpha versus cap!” Josh chanted, pounding his hands against the table.

Now I was pissed. I grabbed the cap between my back molars and ripped it off, spitting it out across the table. Josh clapped me on the back.

“There ya go, buddy. Thought you were really losing your power for a second.”

I shot him a look before he went any further. Sure, we weren’t on the job or at the pack house, but I was still his goddamn alpha. He retreated back into his seat.

“It was a busted bottle,” I muttered.

“Yeah, or maybe she’s not your mate.”

Before he could go further, I was at his throat. “What’d you say to me?”

He eyed me, kind of nervous, and then his gaze shot around the table. Rhys had noticed, but everyone else was still deep in conversation. I backed up, not wanting to cause a scene.

Josh leaned in. “I’m just saying, if she was your mate, you’d have all the strength you’d ever had. You would know.”

At the mention of Sienna, I scanned the room, looking for her. I realized I hadn’t seen her in a while.

~Where did she go? Why didn’t I notice when she left?~

And just like that, Josh had gotten in my head, making me question myself in ways I never had before.

Those were the rumors, weren’t they? The ones all the other alphas were spreading. That I was getting weak, losing my powers.

Of course, what they didn’t know was that I’d already found my mate. But until the mate bond was cemented, we were no more mates than Josh and Jocelyn.

I heard the front door open, and Sienna returned with another friend. ~I think her name is Michelle?~

Sienna’s eyes met mine, and her face was somewhat serious, before she said, “Michelle’s here.”

Then everyone turned to face them, and something unexpected happened. It was like a current of electricity had just permeated the air. Everything went deathly silent.

Because Josh’s eyes had locked with Michelle’s, and neither of them could look away.

Their scents intensified, filling the room, and the dinner party became something else altogether.

~Holy fucking shit.~

Josh had just found his true mate.

My eyes immediately went to Jocelyn. I could see the shock on her face—I’d known her long enough to recognize those rare moments when she was off-balance.

But then she earned my respect all over again when she rose to her feet and lifted her champagne flute into the air.

“A toast,” she said, her voice even and kind as if she hadn’t just witnessed her lover finding his mate in the middle of the season. ~How could she remain so gracious?~ “To the two new mates.”

That made Michelle and Josh finally snap back into reality, and Josh ran to bring Michelle a glass of champagne, looking more dazed and confused than I’d ever seen him.

I looked at Jocelyn. Her spine was straight but stiff, her eyes were determined, her jaw was locked.

Beneath her kind, inherently gentle healer demeanor, there was a woman of strength, and she refused to be put on the spot. She refused to acknowledge her own emotions at the moment.

And after tangling with a similarly strong woman for the past few weeks, I knew exactly what needed to be done. I’d follow her lead.

“To Michelle and Josh,” I said, and everyone lifted their glasses, echoing the words.

Jocelyn had taken it all in stride. She smiled and laughed and carried on, even when she was most likely falling apart on the inside.

I glanced at Sienna, who wore an odd expression of her own.

I could tell that she was trying to be happy for her best friend, but there was something else. Was it doubt, or uncertainty?

Was Sienna thinking about her own mate, not knowing that he was there, just feet away from her?

My heart wrenched inside my chest. Because I knew what she wanted; it was written all over her face. It was exactly what I’d realized a year ago when Jocelyn broke up with me.

~She wants her mate.~