Chapter 5

Ella’s POV

The bell rang to the last period, and I grabbed my stuff and raced out of the class. I decided to take my backpack to my last class with me so I could get out of school as fast as I could. I was trying to avoid Chance if I could. It’s funny you know, trying to avoid a guy I’m so attracted to, but I didn’t want to have to have another conversation with him today until I had time to think things over.

I found myself thinking about Chance the last couple of periods and what he had said at lunch. The one thing that was getting to me was that his wolf was going crazy when we were together, but my wolf didn’t even make a fight to surface. Knowing what kind of wolf I have within me, one would think that if she wanted out or wanted to express herself, I wouldn’t be able to hold her back. This made me feel confused on whether he was my mate or not because one would think that my wolf would stir if our mate was close. See not only is my mate mine in human form but my mate’s wolf is my wolf’s mate. This making my wolf go primal when our mate is near which didn’t happen. This was the part that really confused me. Why was his wolf stirring and not mine? I had a lot to think about.

I headed to the wooded path across from the school knowing it's the best way to disappear from everyone’s site. As I emerged into that tree covering, I felt myself breathe out a breath I was holding. “Home free.” I thought to myself.

I decided to walk and not run. I knew what was waiting for me at home. My mother would be waiting to leave as soon as I walked through the door to go dress shopping. Normally I’d be excited of the thought of trying on beautiful dresses but today was a different day. I felt like my life just all changed since yesterday. To tell the truth I’m scared, and I don't know what to do. I need to protect my wolf’s identity I know that for sure.

Mom was sitting on the front porch when I arrived home sipping a cup of coffee. When she spotted me her eyes lit up. “Ella you ready to go get your dress?” she asked.

I smiled at her knowing she loved mother daughter shopping time. “Let me just put my backpack in my room and grab my purse.”

I ran into the house straight to my room. I checked my make up in the mirror and decided to refresh my lip gloss. I then realized what I was wearing. I pulled off the baggie sweatshirt and threw it in the hamper and grabbed a crop top. Oh, my Goddess I said to myself while I was changing. “How on earth did I land a date with an Alpha dressed like that?” I slid my light leather jacket on over my crop top and took a last approval look in the mirror and headed out to the porch to meet my mother.

Mom was standing on the front porch with a big grin on her face. She held the car keys up in the air and dangled them. “Do you want to drive?”

I rushed over and grabbed them and said, “Heck yeah!” I believe this is the first time I really smiled a genuine smile in the last two days.

“I thought maybe with you turning eighteen you might want to get your driver’s license.” My mother said as we hopped into the car. “I thought we could stop by the DMV before we go dress shopping, and you could take your test.”

“Yes! Thank you, mom!” I said now with real excitement. This was the first actual real smile that has been on my face in the last two days. Maybe things are taking a turn? I’ve been dying to get my driver’s licenses for the past year, but my parents kept putting it off and I wasn’t one to push things, so I never really pushed the subject. Besides Samantha and Seth had theirs and I was always with them when I went anywhere so it really didn’t matter but the thought of the newfound freedom excited me.

We arrived at the DMV and mom handed me the papers I needed out of her purse and told me, “Good luck Sweetie. I'm going to look at the store next door while you take your test.” I grabbed my papers gave my mother a hug and thanked her.

An hour later I walked out of the DMV with the biggest smile on my face as I saw my mother. I waved my new driver’s license in front of her. Happy I had fixed my makeup and changed my shirt for the picture.

Mom and I giggled as we jumped up and down in the parking lot together. “Now let's go get your perfect dress.” She said. My smile fell a little as I turned and got into the car.

The dress store was only two blocks down the street. I parked the car dreading to get out. Mom looked over at me and asking if everything was okay. I halfheartedly gave her a smile and nodded yes. “Okay let’s go get you your dress.” She said as she opened the door to get out of the car.

I stood in front of the store front of Lilly’s Formal Boutique which was in a small shopping strip plaza. The boutique had two large showcase windows one displaying wedding gowns and the other displaying formal gowns. A large sign hung above the door with elegant black letters with a soft pink background reading the boutique’s name and number. Lilly Ashland was the owner of the boutique, and she was also a member of our pack. My mother always bought our formal attire from here to support one of our own.

I followed my mother through the double doors into the boutique. Lilly spotted us right away and waved at us as we walked over to her. My mother and her started talking as I wandered around looking at the dresses. My fingers slid across some of the fabrics of the dresses as I loved the feel of the silk ones. I used to love coming here playing dress up trying on all the dresses I desired, perks of being the beta's daughter. The formal racks of dresses mostly consisted of silver and black dresses because of our pack colors. If the Alpha threw a formal attire affair it was custom to wear pack colors and I’m sure Lilly sold a ton of these colors. On another rack was multiple-colored dresses mostly sold to humans that shopped at Lilly’s for school dances and weddings. Wedding gowns lined the outer parameter of the boutique with multiple racks throughout the floor plan.

“Ella, come Sweetie.” I heard my mother.

She was ushering me over to a dressing room which were in the back of the boutique. There were large mirrors placed everywhere in this area so shoppers could see all angles of the dresses they were buying. There were also racks of elegant shoes, jewelry, and veils lining the furthest back wall.

“I'm glad you called ahead I pulled some of my best dresses in Ella’s size.” Lilly said.

I walked into the dressing room to see a wall of dresses lined up for me to try on. All in the color of silver the color that represents our pack. I shut the door and examined the dresses that were pulled for me. The first dress was a silver strapless dress that was floor length and the fabric felt like satin. I decided to push it to the side and move to the next dress. The second dress had spaghetti straps and went to the floor, but this dress had a side slit that came up to the knee. When I touched the fabric, I could feel the softness of the silk between my fingers. A few gemstones outlined the neckline of the dress. I decided to get undressed and try this dress on first.

Before I opened the door to step out, I heard my mother and Lilly talking. I stopped and pressed my ear to the door.

“Will Ella’s mate be escorting her?” Lilly asked.

“No unfortunately Ella hasn't found her mate yet. She will be going alone this year.” My mother said to Lilly.

“That’s too sad.” Lilly replied. “Maybe she will find her mate at the ball. I heard the Alpha invited neighboring packs.”

I wasn’t liking the poor Ella conversation going on outside my dressing room door. I pulled my ear away from the door and opened the door before my mother could respond.

My mother looked startled as I opened the door abruptly but recovered quickly and said, “You look beautiful Sweetie.” A smile started to form on her face as I made my way to the platform to stand on.

Lilly followed me to move the dress around. “Yes, this dress looks great on you. You will definitely catch some eyes.” Lilly said as she smiled.

I looked at myself in the mirror. The dress was beautiful, but I had a crazy thought in my head. One that I may regret but one that would stop this pity party for Ella.

“Do you have anything in a Navy blue with silver on it?” I asked. Lily looked at me with a shock face and so did my mother.

“Navy blue?” Lilly asked with a confused look on her face.

My mother with the same confused look said, “Sweetie, why would you want Navy blue? It's custom to wear the pack’s colors.”

My mother’s question lingered in my head as I thought about what I was about to do. Was I really ready to toss our pack colors aside for my pride? After hearing their conversation and the pity party they were throwing me behind close doors worth what I was about to do. Honestly at this point nothing was happening traditionally in my life so what would be the difference what color I had on. Plus, what I was about to tell my mother would either make her proud or be another epic failure to add along the last two days.

Here goes nothing. I'm about ready to lay a shocker of a lifetime on her. “I have a date.” I said with a big fake smile on my face.

“A date?” My mother and Lily said in unison.

“Yes.” I replied quickly.

The shock looks on my mother's face was priceless. “With whom?” She finally replied.

I bit my bottom lip and answered her. “The Future Alpha of the Blue Moon pack, Chance Ryder.” I said with my head held high with pride that I just stopped the poor Ella pity party. In all honesty a girl my age would dream of being escorted by an Alpha and here I was my first ball being asked by one. It pretty much was a fairytale, and I don’t know why I am so hesitant about going with him other then my whole wolf thing. I decided right here and now I was going to go with him, and I was going to allow myself to have fun mate or no mate of mine.

After what seemed to be a few minutes later my mother finally spoke, “Sweetie why didn't you tell me you had a date? And where and when did you meet the Future Alpha of the Blue Moon pack? I didn't know that he was here yet.”

“Today.” I said quickly. “At school.” I added.

“And he just asked you like that to the ball?” Mom asked.

Now I was confused by my mother’s question. Don’t guys just asks out girls to balls? Am I missing something here? Or do Alpha’s not ask just anyone to a ball? Should I tell her we had a weird connection that I can’t explain, or should I keep that to myself?

I decided on the later. “Yeah. He made friends with Samantha and Seth too.” I finally replied.

“Oh.” Mom said, “So It's like a group date?”

Group date? I never thought of it like that. Was he just being kind to ask me so we all could hang out together and he wouldn't be pressured to go with anyone else? But then I remembered him telling me that he wanted to get to know me better. But I had to please my mother. “Yeah, a group date.”

Lilly returned with the most beautiful dress I've ever seen. It was navy blue with silver gemstones all over it. The gems formed a slight Crescent moon pattern on it. I went back into the changing room and took off the first dress and slid right into the navy blue one. The dress fit like it was made for me. It had spaghetti straps with a heart line neck. It went all the way to the floor with a slit up the side just past my knees. The material was silk with a chiffon overlay and the gemstones were delicately sewed onto the chiffon. The chiffon hugged the silk underlining making the dress form fitting. As I turned looking in the mirror, I noticed that the dress was backless. I smiled at my reflection in the mirror and realized that my smile was genuine. This dress was made for me, and I felt amazing in it. I took one last look at the dress before stepping out of the dressing room.

My mother's eyes widened, and a tear trickled down her cheek. “My pup is all grown up.” She said with a trembling voice.

I stepped in front of the collage of mirrors looking at myself. “I look like a goddess.” I thought to myself. I didn't realize I was smiling until Lilly said, “I believe we found the dress.”

I shook my head, “Yes this is the one.”

My mother came over and hugged me. “You look absolutely beautiful Ella. Lilly we're going to need shoes and a tiara for my Princess.”

Lilly must have been thinking the same as my mother because she had disappeared while my mother was hugging me and had returned with a couple of tiaras and two different shoes in my size. I settled on a silver pair of simmering high heels and a tiara that looked like it was fit for a Luna. “A Luna.” I thought to myself. I could be the next Luna of the Blue Moon pack. Reality starts to hit me as I am in the dressing room removing the dress. What if I really am Chance’s mate? Would I have to leave my pack and return with him when he leaves? The thought starts to scare me of the idea of leaving behind everything I have ever known. I have never known anything but the Crescent Moon pack. I know I am officially an adult but the thought of leaving my family behind makes my heart ache.

I finally got the dress in the bag that Lilly had provided me and got dressed. I could hear my mother talking to Lilly about how she couldn’t believe that her baby was going to the ball with an Alpha. My mother now sounded so proud talking to Lilly compared to the conversation before that I eavesdropped on. I was elated that my mother was finally proud of me because I felt like a complete failure to her and my father for the last two days.

Grabbing the silver dress bag, I opened the dressing room door and made my way to the register where my mother was finishing up paying Lilly for the dress and accessories. My mother grabbed the gift bag off the counter that I assumed held my shoes and tiara and thanked Lilly for everything. I also thanked her and gave her a smile.

As we walked out of the boutique, I realized that my mood was a three sixty-five from when we arrived. I had gotten a beautiful dress that I feel amazing in, and I made my mother proud. By this time tomorrow we will be at the packhouse for the ball, and I have decided I was going to go and enjoy myself with Chance and hopefully get to know him. If nothing comes out of it so be it but I have a date to my first ball.