Cullen

Nyx

I groaned as Mira came to stand beside me at the closet. "Don't tell me you lied about your pain just to avoid coming to the welcome dinner." Mira wouldn't stop bickering since she got back from the dinner.

I stared at her exhausted face. She was barely holding it together but still found the strength to throw questions at me. Questions I racked my brain finding answers to, I came up with nothing.

"I did not." I only stood up to go to the bathroom this morning and realized that the pain was gone.

I was too surprised to say anything and Mira had been too focused on her makeup to notice. And when I came out of the bathroom, she was already gone.

"Then explain to me why you're no longer limping. And why do you smell different?" She stared intently at me.

"I stood up to go to the bathroom this morning and noticed the pain was no longer there. And I made use of the free shampoo." I said, moving to sit on my bed before she dropped another question.

I left out the part where faint green light seemed to glow where the injury was supposed to be. I must have imagined it, after all, I hit my head pretty hard when I was slammed against a tree. Mira shrugged her shoulders and moved to her bed, falling into it with a sigh.

Whatever activities occurred at the welcome dinner rubbed off on her as she slept off a few minutes later. And here I was thinking she was going to pull an all-nighter for her birthday and the hunt tomorrow.

I lay down and stared at the ceiling, my thoughts drifting back to the faint glow I saw on my leg. It was so faint, I had to lift my foot to my face to get a proper look, only for me to see nothing, just a smooth foot. I turned to the side and closed my eyes, letting out a sigh before drifting into the darkness.

I woke up to someone shaking my shoulders violently.

"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" I blinked my eyes open to Mira hovering above me.

"Good morning to you too." I sat up straight, rubbing the sleep off my eyes.

"Do you know what today is?" Her scream finally jolted my eyes wide open.

"Happy birthday." I smiled at her, feeling a bit sad I couldn't gift her anything.

"The hunt and my birthday," she clapped her hands dramatically, "today is about to be the best day of my life." She let out a deep sigh.

"Do you know what that means?"

"That you're officially old." I swung both feet off the bed and stood up.

"I'll finally find my mate." Her voice sounded behind me as I walked to the bathroom.

"Trust me, Mira, I can't wait." I proceeded to brush my teeth and freshen up. By the time I was done and out, the bedroom was already a mess. Mira literally scattered her entire closet all over the beds.

As I opened my mouth to speak, the bedroom door slammed open. Vesper walked in like she owned the whole damn pack. Her dark eyes landed on me. Irritation crossed her face.

Mira looked up from her mess. "What do you want, Vesper?"

Vesper ignored her and fixed her gaze on me. "I'm going shopping for the hunt tonight. I need someone to carry my bags."

Seriously, what is wrong with this bitch? However, some part of me felt relieved that she didn't bring up the coffee incident. Not that she would care, I almost lost my life trying to get coffee for her.

"Don't you have maids?" Mira looked like her perfect day was about to be ruined.

"I do. And one of them is standing right there." Vesper pointed her index at me.

"Nyx isn't going anywhere with you." Mira stepped forward before I could reply.

Vesper's lips curled into a smirk. "And why is that? Because from what I can remember, Nyx doesn't exactly have the status to refuse anyone let alone a future Luna."

I could see Mira glaring daggers at her. I stepped in before she couldn't ruin my life by saving me. "It's fine, I'll go."

Vesper swept her gaze through me. "Like you had a choice." She turned and walked towards the door.

"Oh, and good luck finding your mate, Mira, cause I already have mine." She opened the door and walked out. I gave Mira one last look before following behind her.

The sun seared into my eyes as we stepped out of the building. Being indoors for a day, I was awed to see preparations before me. I can only imagine what the main hall would look like.

"You have a gawking habit. Tuck your filthy lips back into your mouth and open the car door. Sera and the girls are already waiting at the mall."

Sera and her two minions? This day is about to be a whole lot of fun. The awaiting car was a brand-new Benz, one I can only guess came from the royal family. The drive to the mall took about thirty minutes. Leaving the Vorne estate consumed more than half of the time.

Vesper waited for me to open the door for her when the car came to a stop. 

The mall was massive and crowded with wolves from different packs. We took the escalator to the fashion store. Sera and her minions were already trying out different outfits by the time we got there.

When Sera's gaze found me, utter disgust filled her expression. "Did you have to bring that along?" she said to Vesper, who gestured at the attendant. I stood at the far end of the store, hoping that their gazes wouldn't split open the ground beneath me.

"A human cart would come in handy." Vesper said, swiping through dresses and tossing them at the attendant.

"But you're the future Luna, Alpha Aleric would have dropped a hundred omegas at your feet if you asked." Sera kept whining and I had the urge to roll my eyes.

After spending three hours in the fashion store, another three at the hair salon, and finally at the spa, my arms screamed from exhaustion with all the items they got. A decent number of fifty boxes. I could barely see my way back to the car.

I sat next to the driver and had to endure the screeching sounds of Vesper and Sera's voices. Thank goodness the car couldn't fit Sera's minions.

"Few more hours and you finally become the Luna of the greatest pack, yet you don't seem too excited." Sera's voice sounded behind me.

"What's the point of getting overly excited for something that's already mine?" I rolled my eyes. Cocky for someone she hasn't even met.

"True. With the way you're dazzling, Prince Kyrell wouldn't even take a look at the other Alpha females." I wanted to pull my ears out at this point.

"I know."

I felt relieved when we finally arrived at the quarters. After carrying the boxes to their room, I let out a deep sigh as I found my way to mine.

However, Mira was nowhere to be found. I quickly took a shower and changed into a sweatshirt and short skirt before going out to look for her.

Outside the quarters, a huge bonfire stood at the center of the vast field. There were different stalls and varieties of entertainment. Pack banners hung from sleek flagpoles lining the pathways to the main ballroom. As I entered the ballroom, my jaw dropped at the sight before me.

Hundreds of wolves from different packs moved across the grounds, dressed in designer gowns and tailored suits. And I was here, dressed in a casual sweatshirt and skirt. My sneakers weren't even new.

As my eyes found the royal family seated up ahead, wondering why the Prince was absent, a tug on my arm ended my trance. I turned to look at Mira, beaming with a smile I've never seen before. She looked magnificent with her emerald-green gown flowing the height of her.

"I've been searching..."

"I found my mate!" Her loud voice drew some attention to us, but I was too happy to care.

"Oh my goodness, Mira, I'm so happy for you. Who is he?" My eyes widened in anticipation.

"Cullen."