XII. The Dress

Rhea's POV

In my fourteen years of living, I have never thrown a tantrum, and I know this because my mother always brags about how well behaved I was as a child, but here I am bawling my eyes out because she is making me wear a dress.

It wasn't just any dress, it was the kind that looked straight out of a barnyard pageant queen's closet. Not that there's anything wrong with that but… Why me?

I knew it was wrong to cry for something so trivial, but I felt like a partially closed umbrella, while my mother was beaming like she had just discovered magic.

"Please mommy, does it have to be this dress?"

"That used to be my favorite dress when I was your age." I'm suddenly stricken by guilt and I hang my head. I 'love' the dress now.

I cast a quick glance toward Robin who is still sipping her cocktail with a grin on her face. I make a mental note, and I plan to pay her back tenfold.

"Now, let's get that hair combed," my mother says. Actual fear seeps into my bones. I hate having my hair touched by anyone. Like my mother, I have unruly curls, but my scalp doesn't have the strength to support their maintenance like my mother does. Her curls have become tame with care, and they always look amazing, while mine looks like a bird's nest.

"Can't we just cut it?" I ask. I am completely serious, but Robin spurts out her drink in laughter, making the woman who had just finished her makeup shrill in disgust.

"What is it?" Raven came barging into the room wearing a half open robe and we all got a peek at the lacey material underneath it.

"You're an eager sl*t," Robin says with a chuckle, and my mother slaps her shoulder.

"She is just trying to be a good mate." I laugh a little too loudly, and Raven throws something at me. I know the lingerie she is wearing is going to be seen whether Colton is her mate or not.

Raven doesn't like that I am still giggling, so she wipes the smile off my face by hitting me right where it hurts.

"Why are you wearing a table skirt?" I freeze, while Robin starts barking out laughter. My mother uses the distraction to get to my hair, and after all is said and done, I have a low pony with a side part.

I don't look bad, and that makes me uncomfortable, so when my mother isn't looking, I use my sisters red eyeliner to add blemishes to my face and of course put my glasses back on. Now, all I have to do is stay out of sight until the official hour when my sister's turn eighteen.

Robin's POV

I am okay with dresses, in fact I like to dress up every now and then, but Raven picked out my outfit, and I was too busy enjoying teasing Luke to look at it until it was too late. It's black, so that's a plus, but it looks like an evening gown, and with the way my hair has been pinned to my head, I feel like I'm heading to prom.

Honestly, I am not at all excited for tonight, and I hope that Raven is mated to Colt. We found out two days ago that Dolton couldn't make it, so in theory, there is a fifty-fifty chance. The dreaded hour approaches, and my father says some words before my brother nudges me to take the stage.

The whiskey I drank earlier is now threatening to come up as random thoughts invade my mind.

'I haven't had sex yet. I didn't experience life. Goddess I am too young. What if my mate wants to do it tonight? Will I be as strong as Emma or will I bare my neck in front of everyone?'

My eyes briefly land on Colt before I turn around. He looks handsome. His hair is a little longer than usual, which makes him look less intimidating.

Colt has made a lot of changes in recent months, and I don't find him as putrid, but I still don't want him. Raven also does not want him, but she is so sexually frustrated that at this point, she would take whoever was given to her.

She, like many she-wolves around our age, has a human on reserve. If she finds her mate, they break up, if not, he gets lucky. I am planning to wait until at least nineteen, that is of course if I avoid fate tonight.

Words are being said, but I swear I cannot hear them. I see my sister slightly pout, she was born a full three minutes before me, and I know that face means her mate isn't here. Time seems to stand still for me, and it feels like hours have gone by, but I know they haven't. My wolf starts stirring and I feel him, well I smell him, but I feel him to. I don't even want to look. It doesn't smell like Colt, but I hear that mates smell different to one another. I turn around slowly, and my mouth goes completely dry.

"Sh*t," I say loudly, and before anyone can stop me, I bolt.

Rhea's POV

I don't understand what is going on. Raven looks a bit sad, while Robin has become a statue. Colton isn't moving, but Luke, the future beta of the pack, is making his way toward Robin. I see her turn around; she is moving so slowly that I wonder if she is on an automatic turntable.

Robin takes one look at Luke, utters a curse, and sprints away. Luke doesn't give chase, he takes a second to explain, and because my hearing is sensitive, I hear him telling my parents that he is Robin's Mate.

I dash in the direction I watched my sister run. I am faster than her, especially with her restrictive dress on, so I catch up quickly.

"What?!" she huffs out, still running. I hear footsteps approaching us and I turn to see that Luke is close. I overtake my sister and stick my leg out, sending her tumbling into the ground. She looks up at me in shock, and I flash her the cheekiest grin I can muster.

"Enjoy sis," I tease.

I dart into the trees, not wanting to stick around. I know what my sister has been doing to Luke, and I know how Luke feels about her. I go straight to my cave, where I will hide out until everyone under sixteen needs to leave.

Robin's POV

----MATURE CONTENT 18+----

I cannot believe it. My own sister betrayed me, and that little comment she made. Goddess, I can't wait until I get her in the gym, I am going to kick her little-

My thoughts are interrupted by a pleasant jolt of whatever the hell it is coming from Luke's hands.

It sends waves of shivers down my spine, and I am instantly aroused. Luke's eyes flash black, and I realize this is the first time he has truly smelled me. He starts kissing my marking spot and I can't even speak. He locks us into the most passionate, no, the only kiss I have ever had, and my body reacts on its own.

"Not here," he whispers into my ear, and I swear my bones melt. Luke just picks me up and starts making his way toward his cabin. He doesn't live in the Packhouse because he is not the official beta. He does have a room there, but he only uses it when the pack has guests.

"Wh…" I can't even formulate words because Luke's arousal is smothering me. I want him bad.

The cabin door swings open, and I can't help but to take a deep whiff of the air. My wolf hums in satisfaction. I know Luke is no virgin, but there hasn't been a woman in here in a long time. A part of me stirs, because I wonder if that was why he didn't take me to his room in the Packhouse. I finally muster enough sense to form a sentence.

"Why here?"

"Do you want your parents to hear us?" I let out a loud moan just thinking about what we could possibly be doing that would be embarrassing for my parents to hear. My wolf is urging me forward, but my human mind is being more logical.

"We can't, not yet. There are still guests here. My mother will kill us." Luke lets out a growl that is so deep that it vibrates down to my core, and now I can feel myself soaking through my underwear.

"If I stop now, you are mine until I release you. Do I make myself clear?" I nod, unused to Luke using authority in his tone, and truthfully, it sexy as f*ck. He drops me on his bed, and I prop myself up on my elbows, confused, because I thought we just agreed to wait. "I'm just going to clean you up a bit," he says, making my eyebrows furrow.

I am not confused for long because Luke pushes up my dress and slides down my underwear. I am paralyzed with lust and seeing him kneeling between my legs is making my stomach do backflips.

Instinct tells me to pull away, but he catches me by the hips, and crashes his mouth onto my core. His tongue swirls around my cl*t before he sucks it into his mouth, and I feel like I am in a good place to die right now.

My eyes start to roll to the back of my head and my back arches, but before I can climax; Luke stops. I sit up and look at him with all the incredulousness a face can display. I glare at him, but he just smirks at me.

"Tonight, just for a few hours, you will get to experience how you made me feel for the last year."