The next day, my father allowed Amon to help me develop my new senses. Amon said that I was learning to control them quicker than most, which made Ash proud. I was also getting to know Ash pretty well. She was mostly like me, just a little more bold. And more stubborn. And that was saying something since I was the most stubborn of my family.
Finn and Maeve came over for dinner and I showed them my wolf. Finn and I had agreed to wait for Maeve's birthday to go on a run together though, so we stayed in and watched a movie.
~~~
The next morning, I woke up with a lump in my throat. I was not ready for this party at all. I was hoping that I would find my mate during my training yesterday, but regardless of how many male wolves I made eye contact with, I didn't feel even a hint of attraction, let alone a matebond. I clung to the hope that I'd find him today, before the party.
I got dressed and headed out to the West Field. When I got there, I saw Amon sparring with another wolf that I hadn't seen before.
'He's kinda cute.'
When they stopped, I made eye contact with the other wolf. The only reaction I got was a respectful dip of his head. I nodded at him and turned to Amon.
'Of course not,' Ash groaned.
'We're going to be sparring today,' Amon's voice sounded in my head. I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face.
"Da okayed that?"
He nodded.
Savage! I quickly ducked behind the nearest tree, shedding my clothes and shifting. I was fully ready to take on this new challenge.
What I wasn't ready for was the blur of blonde that slammed into me before I had even fully emerged from behind the tree. I felt myself growl in annoyance as I struggled to get him off of me. Finally, I got my paws into a good position and shoved with all my might. He bounded away with his tongue lolling like a puppy.
'That wasn't fair!'
'Lesson number one: Don't expect your enemy to fight fair.'
I growled at him, my eyes narrowing.
'Fine,' I mentally spat at him.
I ran at him, putting all of my weight into tackling him. We rolled about 15 feet before he ended up on top of me. This time, I was ready and I caught his leg with my teeth. I bit down, hard enough to hurt but not to draw blood. Amon yelped, and drew back. I took the opportunity to swap positions and pinned him to the ground. His eyes widened in surprise. I released him and sat back, my posture communicating my smugness.
'Lesson number two: Don't underestimate your sister.' My voice dripped with satire. Ash giggled with glee.
He got up and looked me over. 'I forgot that you already had some training.'
I lolled my tongue and wagged my tail.
We spent the next few hours sparring. Amon taught me several new techniques that I could use in a fight, most of them defensive.
At lunch, Amon released me so that I could get ready for the party. I didn't need that much time, but I didn't argue. I was pretty tired already and knew that if I didn't get some rest beforehand, I wouldn't make it through the party.
~~~
It was 5 o'clock and I'd gotten a kip¹ in, taken a shower, and put on the dress that I had told Finn I'd wear. It was a nice dress; black with 3/4 sleeves, a square neckline, and an a-line skirt. The dress flattered by pear-shaped figure and made the blue in my eyes seem brighter. I could tell why Finn wanted me to wear it so badly. Even I was willing to admit that I looked good.
I was debating whether wearing my boots was worth Finn berating me when I heard a knock on my door. I knew immediately that it was the man himself when I caught his grassy scent. Man, I really liked these new senses.
I opened the door and let him and Maeve in. He nodded approvingly at the dress and made his way to my closet, mumbling something about heels. I smiled to myself. I didn't own any. Maeve gave me a quick hug and guided me to sit on the edge of my bed. She disappeared into my bathroom and returned with the few beauty products that I owned. I sighed, relieved that she didn't bring any of her own. Her makeup was much more colorful than mine was. She began her work as Finn groaned at my shoe selection. I fought to keep my face straight for Maeve.
When she was done, Finn handed me a pair of flats and I smiled. They were my favorite and the ones I would have chosen myself. They were a blue that matched my eyes perfectly.
I slipped them on and looked at the clock. 5:30. I needed to head down at 5:40 to greet the guests as they arrived. I told Finn and Maeva as much and they started on my hair. When they were done, I moved into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. My makeup was just how I liked it and they'd put my unruly hair up in a low bun. I did't know where they'd gotten it, but they'd tied the bun with a ribbon that matched my eyes and shoes.
'They've outdone themselves. We look hawt!'
I smiled in agreement and exited the bathroom to thank them.
~~~
It was 6:30 and all the guests had arrived. I'd greeted every eligible bachelor and much to my satisfaction (and to my parents' dismay), not one of them was my mate. That fact was making it nearly impossible to keep up with all this pointless smalltalk though. If my mate was here, I'd at least have a reason to put up with all of the chatter, but as it was, I was bate with it all. Ash had been bugging me to go for a run since the party started. As annoying as it was, I was relieved that she felt the same way that I did.
I glanced over as a guard had approached my father and whispered something in his ear. His eyes flashed with concern, but he quickly hid it, nodding to the guard and rejoining the conversation as if nothing had happened. I assumed that a wolf had gotten hurt, glad that it wasn't serious enough for my father to attend to personally.
I caught Amon's eye from across the room and made my way over to him.
"How's the form?" he asked.
"Aw, sure look it." I shrugged. "I'm just bored out of my mind, is all."
He chuckled and glanced at the clock.
"You know," he leaned in secretively, "if you really want to get out of here, I can cover for you for an hour."
My eyes lit up. "Really!?" I exclaimed in a hushed tone. Ash cheered. He nodded and I gave him a quick hug. "I'll be back in an hour," I said and I rushed off.
I snaked my way toward the exit, hoping that no one would stop me. To my relief, no one did. I hurried my steps once outside of the ball room and rushed to the back door of the packgaff. Bursting through the door, I headed straight for the woods. Once I was in the cover of the trees, I shed my clothes and shifted. I broke into a run, heading North where I knew I wouldn't run into anyone.