*Sapphires POV*
"Hey, your mom told me to fetch you as I was running out the door with the gear."
I sighed as I started to get up with James's help. "Come on Wyatt lets not keep my mother waiting... since she will probably be wanting to dress you up too since you're my escort. Plus I'm sure birthday boy has been also hiding all day which is the reason why he's late."
James shrugged with a guilty grin as Wyatt started to get up. "Yeah okay, but I'll go in after you so I don't get trapped in the dress party first."
I hit Wyatt on the arm. "You are totally going in first just because you said that."
He sighed. "Wait! What about a race to see who goes first, loser gets ready first."
I shrugged. "Why not. We all know that I always kick your butt especially when I get something out of it."
We all turned into our wolves, James wanted in on the fun since he knew he would have to change at some point either way so he turned too, I mean he has been hiding all day so I'm sure he will find some way to extend his not prepping time even more. I turned into my blonde Wolf with hazel eyes. Wyatt wolf is a grey wolf with brown eyes. James wolf is a red wolf with brown eyes. We used our telepathy to ask each other if we're ready, then we were off. I won, and James was second which meant Wyatt was last. "You might as well go up now and start getting changed, you know my mother and Luna are very impatient."
He groaned "But that's so unfair, your the birthday girl which means you should go first. Besides haven't you heard the saying ladies first and also what about James, it's his party too! Why cant he go?"
I rolled my eyes "I have heard of it but since I'm the birthday girl what I say goes at least at this moment so go, and we both know that Charlotte will be on his tail until she can finally get him in one place long enough so he will get ready."
He glared at me then he stuck out his tongue. "I hate you."
I grinned a cheeky grin at him. "You know you love me."
He thought about it. "Hmmm are you sure?"
I pushed him slightly towards the door "Yes I am, so get going or I'll make Luna come get you." He mocked a salute and left.
"You know I heard, right?" I snapped my head toward James
"What exactly did you hear?" I eyed him closely but all he did was shrug. Now don't get me wrong I was planning to tell him at some point but just not today. Out of all three of us, he is the closest to Landon besides Lee and knowing James and his habit of letting things slip, even if he doesn't mean for it to happen, which is why if you wanna know something that you know he knows its really easy to get it out of him especially if you bribe him. Hence why I knew about all of their pranks from when we were kids.
"Most of the conversation." My shoulders tensed a little and he noticed and put a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry I won't tell, but I have a feeling you won't have much to worry about that much."
I gave him a questioning look but he just shrugged it off and walked in the house.
"SAPPHIRE MARIE JACKSON GET YOUR BUTT UP HERE!" I walked up the stairs slowly into the room and saw my mom holding out the dress I was supposed to wear while Luna was doing Wyatt's hair. "I like it, it's simple but elegant." its a white strapless lace dress that stops midthigh, and it has black lace going across the ribcage area and stopped at the hips and had a black ribbon on top of the black lace. In her other hand were my black heels and a black mask that had a feather on the side.
She grinned and tossed it to me and pointed to the panel room decided in the corner. "Good now go get changed so I can do your makeup."
I roll my eyes as I catch the dress. "Really do I have to wear makeup?"
She gave me a warning look. "Sapphire you may be the birthday girl but I'm your mother so go get changed so I can do your makeup!" I groaned and walked behind the panel.
---------------------------------------
"Oh come on switch with me." I roll my eyes.
"No Lee it's not my fault mom put you at the tables with your crazy fans." I'm currently looking at my face to see what all my mom did while listening to my brother complain that the moms put him in a table with his crazy fans for not doing his future beta jobs and somehow I have a part in all of this.
I look at the natural but elegant makeup she did. It looked like I was wearing makeup but not at the same time. "Would you stop looking at your face and tell me why you won't switch with me, you know how creepy they can get! Do you not remember that time they all snuck into my room and started to pluck some of the hairs on my head? When I woke up and asked them what they were doing. They said they were making a shrine! A fucking SHRINE! I don't think I can go through that again."
He shudders while looking out the window and looks back at me. "At least they aren't as bad as Landon's, they probably would have done worse if he let them."
I turned around to look at my brother with a questioning look. "So you're saying you let your fans be creepy?"
He shakes his head. "NO! Why would I let them?"
I thought for a moment and said. "Well, you just said Landon's fans would do creepier things if he let them but he doesn't so they aren't a problem...But YOUR fans are a problem, so since they continue that weird stuff. That means you let them which means you like their attention! Just admit it!"
I grinned as I poked him. He shook his head. "No... just put me at a different table."
I patted his arm and gave him a smirk. "I would, but you realize that I can't do that the moms are in charge of everything... remember."
He groans and starts to walk towards the door. "That's a nice dress I hope your mate likes it."
I gave him a cautious look as I lean on the wall next to him. "What do you know?"
He gives me a small smile. "Well, I know who your mate is- if that counts and no, as far as I know, he does not know."
I looked at my brother in disbelief. "How did you find out I only told two people! You bribed James didn't you?"
He just shrugged and then followed my suit and leaned up against the wall. "No I didn't bribe James, you see this morning when you looked at him and looked away and said 'Trust me I won't.' I caught you looking at him so I put two and two together and got that so yea..."
I leaned back off the wall and opened the door about to go out but then Lee puts his hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry though knowing him he won't do anything that will hurt you."
He gave me a reassuring smile while I said. "Thanks."
He then made an uncomfortable look like he just remembered something. "Hey um- I need to um- talk to you later before you leave for your trip, since as you know me and father are going to another pack for the next two weeks to discuss a peace treaty at sunrise tomorrow morning since its a two-day trip, so it sort of has to be tonight- its um- about my um- mate." I can tell that whatever he wants to talk about is something that is hard for him to say, considering he was doing his normal fidgeting that he does when he doesn't want to talk about something or that something is hard to talk about and also because he said the last word in a soft and low mumble that I almost didn't catch what he said.
I couldn't think of what to say so I hugged him tightly and nodded as he hugged me back after we let go I fixed my dress as Wyatt came in to ask if I was ready. I nodded my head and took his outstretched hand. "Let's go m'lady"
Before I fully walked out I looked at my brother who looked like he was having a hard time moving and on the brink of tears as he stared off to space, wow this thing must be really hard on him. I stopped in my tracks and looked between the boys, Wyatt who was outside the door and couldn't see Lee gave me a confused look, I then looked at Lee and saw a tear slip. "Meet me at the door where we are supposed to come out of, I'll um- meet you there I have to do something." he gave me a questioning look and tried to look in the room but I moved the door so he couldn't see Lee. I'm sure my brother doesn't want anyone to see him cry, not of its something this hard to talk about.
Wyatt eyes me carefully and then nodded his head. "Ok, but hurry the music is going to start soon, and I can't be an escort if I don't have someone to escort," he said in a sighing tone, but then he kissed my temple and then left.
I closed the door with a soft click that seemed to break Lee out of blank gaze at nothing in particular. "I thought you were leaving?" he said as a small sob passed his lips, I then walked up to him and wiped away the tears the had slid down.
I hugged him tightly which he willingly took. "It's ok if I'm late the party can wait, you cant-" he hugged me tighter and sobbed as I caressed his back. "- okay, it's okay, I'm not going anywhere until you are ready to tell me or until you stop crying. That party can wait or it can start without me, you are more important than an entrance or a party."
I slowly took out my phone and texted our mom "Hey, so I currently have to deal with something unexpected, start without me, I'll need maybe an hour at least."
She quickly responded. "Is everything ok? Do you need me to come up? If you're worried you don't have to be most of the elders are drunk so they can't criticize anything."
I responded as I continued to try and soothe Lee. "No, it's fine, something just came up, just start without me. Just give me an hour, please. It's not right to keep everyone waiting especially for everyone that is waiting for James."
She didn't respond after that but I did hear a faint. "A slight change of plans everyone-" and then James song played.
Lee hugged me tighter after a couple of minutes. "You should go- you need- to make the entrance- you have people waiting." he said in between sniffles. Although my brother is all cool and collected 99.9% of the time there are moments like these that make me feel like I need pay back all the times he has helped me when I came to him crying, no matter if it was for something stupid or serious he was always there, and right now he needs me and I don't plan on leaving until I know what is making him lose his composer enough to be like this especially since its rare that I see him like this.
I pulled back a little and patted his head as he tried to give me his serious face but instead looks like a giant kid holding in his feeling so no one has to worry. Even though my brother his about a foot taller than me and acts more of an adult than me, he is more of a kid than me sometimes. I pulled him back into a tight hug which caused him to let all the tears he was hiding just then go as he hugged me back. "Y-Your dress I'm going to ruin it."
I pulled back and cupped his cheek as I wiped away his tears. "My dress doesn't matter-you do... do you think that you can tell me now?"
He held me close and whispered into my hair. "M-My mate... is a guy and once he finds out unless we reject each other we will be kicked out."
My breath hitched as I hugged him tighter then I have ever. "When will he find out?"
He started to cry harder. "The day I come back."
I pulled him back and gave him a confused look. there are only four birthdays between today and the day he will come back. That's James, Wyatts, another kid and one of the cubs, so that narrows it to three. Before I could ask who he turns the other way, obviously not wanting to tell me that part. I grabbed his hand and made small circles on the back of it as his sobs became shorter and quieter until finally he was done. He hugged me one last time and sighed. "That felt really good to take off my chest, I've been holding all of that in for almost a year now, scared that an elder would find out and kick me out even if they know who it is or not.- Thank you Saph. I'm sorry I had to lay all of this on you at once, but it really made feel better... also I'm sorry that I made you miss the opening."
I gave him a small smile as my phone buzzed, it was our mom asking if everything was good now. I can't believe it has been an hour already. I texted her I would be down in twenty and looked at my brother. "You need to go take care of your eyes they're red and puffy, and then we will go together, I want you to be my escort instead." He gave me a surprised look but didn't protest and walked out. I quickly texted Wyatt and my mother the change of plan and then fixed myself up before I grabbed the makeup mother had left out and went to go and help Lee with his eyes so we could finally make our late but grand entrance.