Chapter Six: “First Glance”

I walk up to her and all the nerves fade as I touch

the beautifully crafted dress. "It's probably

expensive! No way I could afford it, but it's so

gorgeous.

"I’ll cover half for you. Go try it on." I look at her

with wide eyes. "What?"

"You heard me. You need a dress that suits the ball.

You're getting it. No questions. Go try it on!"

She shoves the dress into my arms and points

towards the dressing rooms. I gawk at her for a

moment, still trying to process that she's helping

me pay for it. Suddenly, she pushes me towards the

changing rooms.

"Go! See if it needs any adjustments."

"Okay, okay!" I exclaim and close the door to the

changing room.

I quickly undress and step into the gown, pulling the sleeves Over my arms, and doing up the small zipper by my lower back. I shiver andI feel that my back is fully exposed. I glance at myself in the mirror in the dressing room and I smile. I really do like it. I step out again and Lynette’s eyes go wide.

"What?" I ask as she comes up to me and walks

around me, inspecting every inch.

"This is it. You look stunning! Might just need to

take it a bit in near your waist, but other than that,

it fits perfectly. She claps her hands together and

pushes me back into the stall. "Take it off and I'll

let the seamstress know to take it in a couple

inches. We've got to get going to Iron Wolf."

I sigh as I close the dressing room door and start

to take it off.

God, she's so pushy..

When we get to Iron Wolf, I smile at Hayden, the

bouncer/bodyguard who is at the front door. He

smiles back as he lets Evie and I pass, and yells out, "Hope to hear you tonight Nadia!" as we enter the bar.

We've known Hayden a long time, we used to hang

out with him before I required permission to go

anywhere. Got into all sorts of trouble back then.

He became the bouncer here after his brother, Kai

bought the place and turned it into the biggest

werewolf hangout in the northern continent. He's

always looked after me when I'm here, and I view

him as my own brother.

The Iron Wolf is such a beauty of a place. It's dark,

sexy and the perfect place to hide. With black, gold

and deep burgundy accents, itť's somewhere

between fancy restaurant and killer nightclub.

There is a large stage straight ahead in the far-left

corner as you exit the main hallway, with the

mahogany dance floor in front of it. The stage is

painted black and has some monitors and other

sound equipment placed around. There are two

bars located side-by-side on the far-right wall, with

the kitchen behind them, a door between the bars

giving access to that area. The bars are black as

well, but with some sort of marble top on them.

There is also a seating area that is located at the

very back of the room, with assorted chairs and

tables scattered about. The main attraction of the

Iron Wolf is the upstairs area though. I sigh as I glance up and see the railings lining the balcony and the lights hitting the ceiling.

Everyone kills to get up there. Unfortunately, it's

for higher ranking wolves due to the hierarchy

bullshit that distinguishes everyone. The only way

to get to the top area is by the stairs near the stage,

but there's usually a bouncer or guard there as well.

I've only been up there only a handful of times

since I have a good relationship with Kai. From

what I remember, there's pretty much a whole

other bar up there with everything that is down

here, except nicer. The wolves up there can look

down to whatever is happening downstairs from

the railings, without having to mingle with anyone

they don't want to.

I smile as I see Kai over by the stage. We're here

before opening because... well I'm performing here

tonight.

You heard me. Pretty much exiled female wolf is

performing at the biggest wolf bar in town.

I used to perform here many times before my

status was removed, and honestly, no one here has

ever made a problem ofit since then. They come to

hear me sing, and they don't judge. The Iron Wolf has become a second home to me, but I've been spending less and less time here because Mike

decides to take away my opportunities to come

since he knows I love it so much.

He can't stop me from coming completely, because

Kai requests me often and I get paid, so on nights

like tonight, Mike's hand is pretty much forced to let

me go out. He thinks he has total control, but he

really doesn't. Another win for me.

Kai waves as we approach him. "Lynette, Nadia!

Glad to see you both here." He looks to me, his

dark shoulder length brown hair swishing with his

head movement as his grey eyes lock with mine.

"You ready for tonight?"

I nod. "More than ready. I'm happy to be here."

"Good, cause there's a special guest here tonight."

I tilt my head in confusion. "Who?"

"Nathaniel Stone, the soon to be Alpha King."

My jaw drops in my mind and I know my eyes are

wide like saucers.

He’s here?!?

Nadia's POV

No way... he can't be here.

Suddenly, my palms start to sweat, and I become

hypersensitive to everything around me. I hear the

clanging of dishes in the back kitchen, and the

steps of every single person walking around me.

"Nadia?" Kai puts himself into my view, and I shake

my head. "Yeah?" I say, but it comes out as a mere

squeak. "Are you okay?" He asks and I clear my

throat and nod.

"Of course. Sorry, I was just processing what you

said. To be honest, that makes me kind of nervous.

"Don't be, you're a regular here and everyone loves

you. I'm sure the Alpha King will be just as smitten

as everyone else is here about your voice." I half

smile and look around.

I'm welcome here... I can do this.

"I know. Thank you for reminding me." I pause

slightly and then continue, "So, what's the plan for

tonight? Is anyone else playing?" Kai nods and

hands me a piece of paper.