Chapter 3: New Friend

I was sitting outside the pack doctor's office, my hands clasped so tightly in my lap that my knuckles grew white with the pressure. I was in a lonely, plastic chair that sat across from the door. There was a stand beside me, filled with pamphlets and human magazines. The front cover of one with a bright pink background held a woman in a trench coat and her hair pulled back in a bun. Big, blocky, yellow letters were strewn all over the page. I rolled my eyes. Humans were so dramatic.

It was eleven at night, only two hours after the ceremony ended. Alpha Luis had told me it would be better for me to go back to my room and sleep, but I felt like if I left Dawn now, I would be abandoning her. I wanted to stay. Plus, I needed some time to think about my current situation.

"How are you doing?" I looked up at a girl my age looming over me. Although she wasn't as tall as Dawn, she was still a bit taller than me. She had hazel eyes, her pupils rimmed with green and the rest darkening with brown. She had dark brown hair, the same as Alpha Ryder's and Alpha Luis'. She had sun kissed skin like Dawn and a soft, round face. She wore a kind smile that made me feel oddly drawn to her.

"Okay," I said, shifting awkwardly in my seat.

"May I sit?" she asked, gesturing to the seat that was next to me.

"Sure," I said as she stiffly walked over and sat next to me.

"I know this can be scary, but trust me, we have the best pack doctor in all of the packs. She'll come out okay," the girl said, pushing back a loose strand of her dark brown hair. When I didn't answer, she picked on a stray thread of her sweater and spoke again, "Is there something more you would like to talk about?"

Maybe I was more worried about myself than Dawn. I mean, people kept saying she would be fine, maybe I was just worried about my own secret. 'You just have to trust the right people,' Zy's words flashed in my head. I looked back at the girl, willing myself to talk to her. I needed to talk to someone, but I couldn't bring myself to confide in a stranger.

        

"I've just never been away from her," I lied, smiling to cover up my guilt, "I'm just not used to being without her."

        

"Tell you what," she said, leaning forward on the heel of her hand, "Tomorrow, before the  next activity, you and I can explore the capital cities of werewolves, Fort Redwood!"

        

As a child, I had always dreamed of walking down the narrow cobblestone paths in Fort Redwood, but now that I had the opportunity, my stomach twisted, knowing I wouldn't be able to do it with Dawn.

        

"Sounds fun," I said, smiling. She smiled back, holding out her free hand.

        

"The name's Brandy Gilette, Daughter of Alpha Luis and Luna Celestia. Older sister of Alpha-in-line Ryder," she smirked at my surprised expression and laughed when I nodded as I shook her hand, "No need to be so polite, I'm only a Delta."

        

"Still," I marveled at her high ranking for such a young female, "That's pretty high for your age and gender!"

        

"I know, she said, playfully patting her chest, "Trend maker!"

        

At that moment, the office door swung open, revealing the pack doctor. He was a tall and scrawny man with light grey streaks running through his hair. He had glasses that were perched on the end of his long, skinny nose. I saw tired wrinkles under his eyes, thin lines that would have otherwise been unnoticeable. He had dark blue eyes that glowed with kindness as he looked down at the both of us over his clipboard.

        

"Doctor Goseg, is she - alright?" Brandy asked cautiously.

        

"Well," he started, clearing his throat, "It was a bit more complicated than a drunken fit. She actually had a bit of what we call Turning sickness. Her strain shows that she was fighting off her wolf all evening and then it got too much for her to handle," when he saw my utterly terrified face he added quickly, "She will be fine, she just needs to rest for a while. This might mean she wont find a mate but," he shrugged his frail shoulders, "It could be worse."

        

I nodded, my heart twisting with pity for Dawn. She had her heart set on finding someone to spend her life with and because of some sickness that was out of her control, she would have to wait a whole year to try again.

        

"Can I see her?" I asked, my voice trembling, "Is she awake?"

Doctor Goseg shook his head, "If she saw you, she might get to excited and that would put her in an unhealthy state."

        

"O-okay," I said sensibly.

        

"Now," he smiled fatherly, "You kids get to bed."

        

Brandy and I nodded, leaving the area outside his office. As we walked out of the room, making our way to the lobby where all the rooms branched off in halls, Bradley turned to me. She didn't say anything, just studied my face with her critical hazel eyes.

        

"You're pretty," she said after a minute. Frankly, I was quite tired of trying to hide my heated cheeks, so I let her see the color run to my face, my blood boiling to the surface. The thing I found odd was even though my blood was silver, I could still blush normally. I guess I should have been more grateful than skeptical.

        

"You are too," I said back, honestly. She was. She had the Alpha's beauty in her, the way her olive skin was complemented by her dark hair and glittering eyes. She blushed too, bright pink against her skin.

        

"No one has ever said that before," she whispered, half to herself. I looked at her incredulously. How had no one ever complimented her obvious beauty. Then I felt guilty. I didn't want to be the first person to ever call her pretty. It should have been someone who truly loved her.

        

"I'm sorry, someone who was in love with you should have said that for the first time," I said, voicing my thoughts. She smiled at me, the way she had been before.

        

"I'm the Alpha's daughter, always overshadowed by my brother. I doubt anyone will ever love me," I could hear a hint of bitterness in her voice.

        

"Everyone who was created by the Moon goddess was put into this world to find someone to love," I said, comforting her. She looked at me, her eyes shiny with un shed tears.

        

"Thanks, but I really don't think that anyone in this world is right for me," she muttered, her arms stiff at her sides.

        

"Don't say that," I said and she looked at me, tears streaking down her face, "Everyone has a chance! The reason we have individual scents is so that our mates can better identify us by them. You will find a mate some day, you just have to listen to the Moon goddesses plans."

        

She inhaled deeply and looked at me, smiling through her tears and red, puffy eyes, "Sorry, I just get emotional sometimes when I think about how I work just as hard as my brother and never get appreciated because I'm a female!"

        

"I know how you feel," I muttered, "I had an older brother and if I said his name, you would most likely recognize him. He always acted like he was better than me, I grew up living in his shadow. Then, he found a mate in Silversky and killed the Alpha, becoming the Alpha himself."

Brandy looked at me, utterly stunned, "Your brother is Roth Rogers?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I'm his sister, Ruby Rogers."

"I've heard of you," she said, and then continued at my bewildered expression, "He sometimes talks about you at the Alpha meetings."

"What does he say?" I asked, half nervous and half bitter.

"He asks the Alpha Luis about you, how you are. He didn't know who you were, so he would always reply with some dry phrases like, 'doing good,' or, 'she's fine,'" Brandy said, rolling her eyes, "Alpha talk."

        

"Yeah," I said as the narrow passageways opened into the lobby.

        

"What rank are you?" she asked, looking around at the halls that were based on ranks.

"Epsilon," I said, shoving my hand into the pocket of my cardigan where the golden key sat, undisturbed. She cooked an eyebrow at me the way her brother had.

        

"Impressive," she said, smirking.

        

"That's what your brother said," I giggled at their likeness.

        

"Damn! He always steals my lines," she said, snapping her fingers. I laughed as we started our way to the halls that branched off toward the west.

"Is Alpha Ryder your only sibling?" I asked her.

"Nah, I have a younger sister. She's nine, nine years younger than me," Brandy smiled at the thought of her sister, "She looks a lot like my mom."

"What's it like having Luna Celestia as your mom," I blurted out of curiosity.

She shook her head and stared at the ground, "She's harsh, but she's my mom."

"What's your sister's name?" I asked, desperate to change the subject.

"Blake. Her name is Blake. Named after William Blake the poet," Brandy smiled at the ground fondly.

"I'd love to meet her someday," I said, "by the way you talk about her, she sounds like the most interesting person to ever live!"

"I have a feeling you will," Brandy smiled at me warmly, "Room number?"

"Oh, One-twenty-three," I said, looking around and realizing we were surrounded by doors.

"Right there," she said, pointing at a door that was down the hall a bit. She probably saw it with her wolf vision. We continued to the door, both looking around kind of awkwardly.

Finally, the door came into view and I smiled at Brandy, "See you later. I'll meet you tomorrow in the lobby at nine?"

"Sure, the next event, a dance, is starting at six so we'll have plenty of time!" she wiggled her finger when she said, 'a dance.'

"I don't have anything to wear," I said, suddenly filled with the anxiety of standing out.

"And that's why we are going shopping!" Brandy squealed. She leaned forward, hugged me quickly and started off down the hall, skipping the whole way. I laughed and turned toward the door, stuffing the key into the small slot. As I pushed the door open, I collapsed on the bed, not even bothering to change.