Time With Friends

" Ruby?"

I closed my eyes and turned to face him, gathering all my strength. I schooled my face and heart to be cold,

" What?" Dick. I want to add something, but I don't because he is still my Alpha.

" What are you doing here?" he asked.

" None of your business. Why did you call me?"

" Can we talk?"

" I already told your office that my brother will accept my father's award, not me," I informed sternly. My father was receiving humanitarian and military awards presented by the alphas tonight.

" You know that's not it," his voice was soft.

I shrug, " I don't want to speak with you about anything."

" We are mates,"

" And you made it clear where you stand in that bond, and I accepted that. Leave me alone, asshole," I responded and entered the cafe.

I tried to take my mind off Zylon, but his face and sad eyes rushed to the front of my mind. He looked so bleak. Well, everything about him has always been melancholy.

Ael and Beth walked into the cafe. I smiled, standing up to hug them. To my surprise, Ael's roommate, Joel, came with them. " Hi, Joe. It's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot of wonderful things about you from Ael," I shook Joel's hand. He glanced at Ael with a smile.

" You talk about me to your friends, Ael."

" Yeah," I smiled. We exchanged pleasantries and sat down to order food. Joel was friendly and had flair.

" So, where did you guys meet?" I asked.

" We met at uni, and we became good friends and now roommates," Ael explained, eating his food. Joel was a photographer and worked for prestigious industries such as newspapers, magazines, advertising agencies, and more.

We were chatting and laughing. Ael told us how he almost lost his life to impress his girlfriend.

We spent the whole day doing fun things and visiting our favorite places.

We were waiting for ice cream when Beth asked, " Will you be the one receiving your father's awards at the party tonight?"

" I didn't want to, but Mom insisted I do. If it were up to me, I wouldn't attend the party altogether."

" You have to. The party is in honor of your Dad. There will be important people and friends of his,"

" Yeah, yeah," I murmured, putting my head on her arm.

" I know it's hard. I'm sorry about everything," she said.

" Me too,"

The boys were back with our ice cream, and we discussed tonight's award ceremony. Ael and Beth would be late because of their work.

" I wish we could go together. Half the night, I'll be surrounded by people I don't even care about," I pouted,

" We will be there later. Our boss is a pain in our asses lately."

" She needs to get laid asap," Beth laughed, and we laughed along.

Back home, I got ready for the party. Mom had bought me a nude gown ' designed to turn heads,' as she put it. I thought it was too much. It had a thigh-high slit, and the heels she chose gave me five inches of my height. I wore my outfit, styled my hair into a slicked low ponytail, picked a clutch, and went downstairs.

Everyone waited for me in the foyer. When I descended the stairs, Cindy stuttered, pointing at me, " S—she can't wear that. Where do you think you're going? The Met Gala?!" She was crashing out, and we all stared at her, surprised. She wore a blue lacy dress that wasn't tailored to her slim body, and her makeup was awful, making her look older than she was.

" Girl, why are you spiraling out of control over a damn dress? My grandbaby looks divine and dressed for the occasion," Granny said, scowling at Cindy. She seemed to realize that she was crashing out and smiled, stroking her hair.

" I'm sorry. I'm just not okay. The designer messed up my dress, and I'm crampy from my period and all," she pouted, hugging my brother. Tate only rolled his eyes and pulled away from her. He kisses my temple,

" You look even more beautiful, my little Rue," he said.

" You look even more handsome," I told him, fixing his white collar. He wore a black tux without a tie. Mom hugged me.

We reached Alpha's mansion and went to the ballroom. Everyone wore tailored suits; the women wore designer gowns and jewelry to show off their status and high class.

Heads turned towards us as we walked in, and in the corner of my peripheral vision, I saw my two mates staring at me.

" The Rothwells, welcome," the Luna smiled to welcome us. We exchanged pleasantries.

I was standing beside my family, and people started coming to us out of nowhere, including parents and their sons, as though it was an introduction ceremony. My mom and I exchanged a glance, and we shrugged, almost laughing.

' All these Moms are all over me because they are hoping you can go out with their sons!' she giggled through the mind link. I pouted. It seemed she was enjoying this too much. Suddenly, Hayes and Zylon were walking toward us, their gaze filled with possession, adoration, and lust. They didn't even bother to hide it. My heart started pounding in my chest, and my eyes looked through the crowd to see if I could escape them. But to my shock, my eyes caught Henry's, and Kyle's. I felt tears hit the back of my eyes. I smiled brightly at my friends. They came here for me! I was almost running, but I reminded myself to remain graceful, so I walked to them. I passed by the twins and flipped my hair. I could feel their eyes on my back, but I didn't stop. Henry's mouth was agape. "You look divine," he breathed, and I hugged him, sniffing. We held each other so tightly.

" You're here, you're both here," I cried.

" Surprise," Kyle smiled, and kissed my hair while I was still in Henry's arms. We pulled apart when two powerful growls erupted, and the ground beneath me shook.