A Yule Ball to Remember

Today was the day I’d been waiting for.

It was the highly anticipated Yule Ball being hosted by my pack, yes, but also…

~This is the day I’m going to tell Sienna she’s my mate.~

Before I left for the pack house early in the morning to prepare, I stayed in bed an extra few minutes, just looking at Sienna as she was sleeping soundly.

She was so peaceful, blissfully unaware of the fact that she was going to receive some life-changing news tonight.

I pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. She murmured something in her sleep and pulled the blanket tighter around her body.

Though it was difficult to tear myself away from her, I had to get to work.

Otherwise, the Yule Ball was going to be complete chaos.

When I arrived at the pack house, I realized I wasn’t far off. Everyone was scurrying around frantically, setting up tables, hanging decorations, and trying not to step on each other’s toes.

Josh was barking orders at some caterers. “Tenderloin? Are you fucking serious? The alpha of the ~Millennium~ is coming! I said Kobe beef is the only acceptable option!”

~Oh God, this is going to be a disaster.~

I walked over and put on my biggest smile. “We’ll use the tenderloin for a buffet, but if you can supply some Wagyu or Kobe exclusively for the visiting alphas, that would be much appreciated.”

The caterer nodded fervently, looking relieved that he wouldn’t have to magically supply the world’s rarest beef for an entire pack. He made a hasty exit as Josh growled.

“Maybe you should take a break,” I said, seeing the dark circles under Josh’s eyes. “Did you even sleep?”

“Someone has to make sure this runs smoothly.” There was an edge to his voice that I didn’t like.

I’d give him a pass this once, considering that he’d just found his mate last night and was probably feeling some separation anxiety from Michelle.

But it wasn’t Josh that I was worried about. He had probably had the best sex of his life all night long and that was the ~real~ reason he looked so tired.

“How’s Jocelyn?” I asked, thinking about how she held herself with such grace and poise at the dinner party.

Josh shrugged offhandedly, though his face still carried some guilt. “She seemed fine when I saw her earlier. She dropped off a box of my stuff. Acted as if we were never lovers.”

My heart went out to her. She’d really been unlucky in love. First me, then Josh.

“And how do you feel?” I asked, even though I knew the answer.

Josh smiled like a maniac.

“Michelle is the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” he said. “It’s like I’m feeling everything for the first time again, but like, a hundred times more intense, you know?”

~I do know. ~I thought of how peaceful and beautiful Sienna looked this morning. ~And tonight, so will she.~

***

I was in the back room, the one only I, and whoever I invited, had access to.

It was sort of a cross between a library and a dressing room, where I could come to get ready or take a moment alone during busy ballroom events.

I’d been in the ballroom briefly tonight, but the Yule Ball had only just started. I’d organized and led more than my fair share of Yule Balls, but tonight there was more on the line.

Tonight the Millennium alpha was making an appearance, for some reason none of us knew.

It sure as hell wasn’t to give me his Yuletide greetings.

I got the sense that this was some sort of test, a way to see if all the rumors out there were true.

That was why I’d tried to go the extra mile with the preparations, why I’d been working such long hours and feeling more stressed about it than ever before.

It didn’t make sense why he’d insisted on coming tonight.

Of course, I was more than happy to host him. He was the alpha of the Millennium. There was an inherent degree of pride attached to him wanting to come to my ball.

~Or at least that’s what I’ll keep telling myself to get through this.~

But still, it felt like something didn’t add up.

How did Raphael know so much about what was going on in my pack? It felt like it was more specific than just an overactive rumor mill.

I heard a knock, so I stopped pacing and walked to the door, opening it a crack. When I saw it was Josh, I let him in.

“Man, what are you still doing in here?”

“Is he here?”

“Not yet, but come on. The people are waiting.” That was when I noticed the two glasses in Josh’s hands. Both contained whiskey, neat. He handed me one. ~That’s what a beta is for~, I thought.

“To the Yule Ball,” I said.

“To the Yule Ball.”

We downed the drinks, and Josh turned to head back out, but I grabbed his shoulder. “Josh,” I started, letting my nerves show to my beta for the first time. “Why is he coming? Why now?”

For a second, I saw something flash behind his eyes, like he knew something I didn’t.

But then he blinked and looked at me with the same smirk he always wore. “Aiden, chill. Even the alpha of the Millennium loves a good open bar.”

He clapped me on the shoulder and walked through the door, stopping a few steps down the hallway to wait for me. “You coming or what?”

Maybe he was right. Maybe I was overthinking it.

I put the empty glass down on the desk, closed the door of the back room behind me, then started for the ballroom beside my beta.

I knew I’d calm down once I saw Sienna. Because tonight was when things would become real. Not for me, it had been real for me from the moment I set eyes on her.

But for everyone else, I’d get to show off my mate proudly, and they’d understand that I wasn’t just chasing some tail for the season.

I was an alpha with a mate now. And that made me stronger than ever.

The only thing left to do was tell her…

***

“Cómo estás, Aiden.”

I was greeting the townspeople who had lined up to meet me at the top of the ballroom in front of the head table when I heard my name spoken from the other direction.

~I’d know that smooth accent anywhere.~

I turned and saw a confident, athletic-looking guy with jet-black hair and a natural charisma.

Without trying, he had commanded the attention of everyone around us. Something I was used to doing, not seeing.

“Alpha of the Millennium,” I said, extending my hand to him.

“East Coast Alpha,” he responded, and we shook. Somewhere in the distance a camera flashed.

“Welcome,” I said, trying not to show my discomfort. “We’re happy to have you at this year’s Yule Ball.”

He smiled, exposing teeth that couldn’t possibly be as white as they were naturally.

“It’s an honor to see the beauty of your pack,” he replied.

“Let’s get you a drink.” I smiled at the line of waiting townspeople—no further explanation was necessary, given he was the alpha of the Millennium—and then guided him toward the bar.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Josh talking to his new mate, Michelle, and he must’ve felt my gaze on him because he locked eyes with me instantaneously. And then he looked away. ~Odd~.

I turned my attention back to the man next to me. “So tell me, what brings you out here?”

“Aside from the party?” There was a devious growl in his tone, like he was just playing with his food before going in for the kill.

“Aside from the party,” I echoed back at him, my posture becoming defensive.

He sighed. Looked around the room. And then his eyes landed back on me.

“I’ll be straight with you, Alpha. I came to check up on the leadership of the pack.”

“And what does that mean exactly?” I asked before I could bite my tongue.

I’d expected Raphael to check me, assert his dominance, remind me that I was challenging the alpha of all alphas.

But instead, the alpha of the Millennium just smiled, patting me on the shoulder and getting the bartender’s attention.

“Drinks first, business later,” he said. And like everyone else, I had no choice but to abide by his orders.

“Look, Aiden, I like you,” Raphael said, speaking to me in an almost fatherly way.

“When I was your age, I was in the middle of plenty of scandals, believe me. But part of being an alpha is letting all of that shit roll off you, not letting it affect your job.”

The bartender brought us over two old-fashioneds, and Raphael took a long swig of his.

“I know I can be intimidating, that fucking title—alpha of the Millennium—and all that pretentious nonsense,” Raphael said, smirking.

“But when you strip it all down, really I’m just responsible for all the alphas, and that includes you.”

“But why are you ~here~?” I asked again, knowing that my relationship with Sienna was undoubtedly at the root of all of it.

I glanced over at the table where I’d seated most of the other alphas in attendance. Chris and Jamie were toasting. Alfonso had his mate on his lap as he messily sloshed his drink around.

They were probably talking about me right then.

~Heard the alpha is chasing after a nineteen-year-old.~

~Where is this Sienna girl? Is she even real?~

~He’s letting his powers fade just to get laid.~

“Don’t believe that bunch of drunks over there,” I said, motioning to the table of alphas. “You know they love to give me shit. It’s not that deep.”

“It’s not just the other alphas,” Raphael said cryptically.

“What do you—” I started, but then I saw her.

~Sienna.~

From across the ballroom, she was goddamn radiating. My pulse immediately quickened, and I felt a pull so magnetic I thought I’d be carried across the room without moving a muscle.

I could see the way her body curved from here, the way her hair fell in luscious locks. I wanted to run my hands through her hair, down her body, everywhere.

She was consuming me. But then I saw she was talking to Josh, and they were both deep in conversation.

I was wondering what it could be about when I saw her glance at me. Even yards away, the power of sharing a look with her was unbelievable.

But it was like she didn’t feel it or didn’t care. Because, without another word to Josh, she bolted away from him, running right out of the ballroom doors.