"I am still grumpy." I pouted.

Asra chuckled, eyeing me from the bed. He was naked on top of the sheets, his arms crossed behind his head. His hair was a tangled mess, no longer the smooth, sophisticated style from this morning.

We left home at eight this morning, arriving at Augustus' pack around two. After the introductions and annoying alpha, we reached our room at two-thirty. But guess what? It was four o'clock when Asra finally let me go, and now I only had an hour to prepare myself for dinner. I had no Serenity, nobody to help me chose what to wear or how to style my makeup.

My grumpiness had returned when I realised this, and I hastily showered, choosing to leave my hair dry to save time. I'd have to tackle it with some spray and a comb and then hope for the best. Asra had tangled it through his fingers too many times, going as far as to wrap it around his wrist as he drove me to a never-ending bliss.

Boy, I was thirsty. I was glad it was dinnertime; the water from the tap wasn't quenching my thirst.

Wrapped in just a towel, I left the bathroom and grabbed my bag from the floor. Asra was still lying there, watching me with a quirked eyebrow and flared nostrils.

"You may have removed the stickiness, but I still linger inside of you." He teased.

"Asra!" I groaned. "The fuck?"

He laughed loudly as I angrily routed for some clothes from my bag. I eyed the three dresses Piper packed, before narrowing it down to two. I had agreed with Piper that the black dress was special for the meeting. Now it was down to the dark blue, or the dark red. Red screamed sex, no matter how hard it tried not to. With a halter neck that dipped into a low cleavage, the back was bare. The skirt was slim, with enough space to walk in as it pooled to the ground.

The dark purple one had spaghetti straps that met a tight bralette-style corset. But instead of the corset being satin like its ankle-length dress, it was a dark purple mesh. The skirt was floaty too, with a slit up to my mid-thigh. Both had potential, both held a little secrecy and attention.

But which one?

Piper would tell me right away, her taste in fashion for stirring up chaos was explicit. Perhaps I should call her?

"She will tell you to wear the red one." Asra mumbled, and I looked at him. "Piper loves red."

"That's because she has deals with the devil." I mused. "If Piper says red, then I will-

"Wear purple. Good choice."

I narrowed my eyes at my mate, both dresses dangling from my grip. Should I wear the purple?

I cocked my head, studying them again. I had black heels, so I couldn't base my choice on the shoe colour either. Black went with most things.

Asra, leaning up on his elbows, caught my attention, and I watched him stand. He quietly rounded the bed, grabbing his own bag before placing it on the mattress beside mine. He smirked, concentrating on the zip before he rifled through his own clothes. To my interest, he pulled out his shirts. There was a black, a white and a dark purple.

"Want to match?" He grinned.

"Did you sneak at my things before we left?" I wondered sceptically.

He chuckled. "Maybe."

"What's wrong with the red?" I wondered.

"Nothing." He shook his head. "Both are nice. Purple is elegant enough for a dinner, plus we match."

"Okay, fine. Purple it is." I rolled my eyes.

Asra grinned, kissing me before taking the dress from my hand. "I will steam iron both our clothes. You get ready."

I nodded, watching him walk toward the small hook left out for our clothes. Pulling on my underwear, I picked a nice pair, and went braless thanks to the corset-type top of the dress, having enough support. Taking my make-up supplies with me, I sat before the vanity mirror and frowned at my reflection. Ignoring the mess of my hair, I concentrated on my skin. Soft bags beneath my eyes, a red flush to my cheeks and... Was that...

"You gave me a hickey!" I squeaked.

Asra chuckled, but did not answer me. I grumbled, poking the angry red mark on my jaw.

"Fucking fucker." I mumbled.

Staring down at the products before me, I lined them up in order. Piper and Serenity put me to the test yesterday. Not only did they force me to name every single item in my bag, they wanted to see how I applied them. When I kept messing them up, they taped numbers onto each item.

The next half an hour I spent in front of that mirror, copying the cheats and hacks Serenity taught me. I don't understand why she just couldn't come, but then again, this was supposed to be an important, secret meeting.

"How's it going?" Asra wondered.

"I think I'm done."

I had coated my face in a soft splattering of foundation and concealer over a few spots. I had successfully de-puffed my eyes with a cold spoon and make-up too. My once pale lashes were now two times longer and brown, my brows styled and defined. I highlighted my cheekbones and applied some blue eyeshadow to my eyelids. Only a little, though. I didn't want my eyes to look too weird.

"Just got to tame your hair," Asra mused.

"How long do I have?" I groaned.

"Twenty minutes."

I cursed softly, but nodded. Ten minutes to do my hair, five to get dressed and five to make it on time.

"If we are late, we are late, Tulip. You cannot stop the inevitable."

But I sure can try.

With a determined glare, I brushed and combed my hair into a style I found suitable. When that was nothing, I rummaged through my bag and came back with straighteners. Asra was dressed in some dark slacks and his blue satin shirt. The top three buttons were done, and from this angle in the mirror, I could see the definition of his peck and tattoos.

Shaking my head, I focused on calming some of the volume in my hair. I didn't want it too straight, but by the time I had flattened it, it may as well be. Scowling, I waved it a little, curling strands around the tongs before burning them to a curl. Finishing it with a light spraying of hairspray, I eyed myself in the mirror.

It didn't look too bad. I think I actually did Ren justice.

Asra silently passed me my dress, and I stepped into it with a soft smile. He pulled the back tight, zipping up the back and closing the button at the top. I ruffled the skirt, making it sit right before smoothing my hands over the material. Out of curiosity, I ran my hand over Asra's shirt and found it the same.

His lips quirked at my amused look, before passing me the black heels I left out. Huffing at the sight of the horrid shoes, I sat on the bed and slipped them on. They were not high, at only four inches, but I grew closer to Asra and his colossal height. He was six foot five, so I wasn't far off now, and by the roll of his eyes, he knew exactly what I was thinking about. I'm just glad Darius' mother helped me walked in heels.

"You sure you are ready?"

My teeth clenched as I went over my mental checklist. Pants, dress, shoes, make-up and hair.

"Yeah, I think so." I mumbled before a lightbulb turned on in my mind. "Oh! Perfume!"

Asra grumbled as I sprayed my neck with a fruity fragrance, his nose wrinkling. I grinned at him, happy he was annoyed. He made me rush getting ready because he wanted to eat me like a monster earlier.

"Let's go then." He grumbled.

At promptly six-oh-one, we arrived in the dining room, a lone Rio behind us. I nervously clenched my jaw as we wandered down the old halls, the dining-room door already open. Stepping inside, my eyes locked onto a way too familiar target. I couldn't help it; it was like he drew me to him.

Augustus sat at one head of the table, his luna on his left, but it was the man opposite that had my attention. My father sat on Augustus' right, in a black suit shirt. He had trimmed his hair; the sides shaved and shorted than when I last saw him. His eyes also found mine, curious at the new dinner guests, but dropped to unemotional when he spotted Asra. Then the same blue eyes as my own drifted to me, and he swallowed harshly, dropping his gaze.

Taking a deep breath, I allowed my eyes to wander even more. It was a casual, yet formal, dinner according to Violet, so it did not surprise me to find Luna Black dressed in a dark, sweetheart neckline dress. Beside her were empty seats, and as I ran my eyes around the room, I realised why they were there. They were for us.

Fuck. Now I had to sit so close to my father and his sister.

Footsteps came from behind us, and it prompted me to walk ahead. Asra claimed the seat beside Luna Black with a firm hand, before pulling out the chair beside him. She greeted him quietly, and he mumbled back a hello. I smiled softly at him, sitting down first. He copied, shifting in his seat moments before Rio sat on my left.

A werewolf sandwich again.

Speaking of sandwiches. I spied bread.

They set the table elegantly, with small bread rolls in the centre and a dish of butter on either end of the table. We each had a wine glass, too, with various types of cutlery. I knew what they were right away, thanks to the training I received in Evermore. Nobody was catching me out tonight.

I was blissfully unaware of the voices around the table, too preoccupied with not grabbing a bread roll and stuffing my face. We had to wait for everybody to be here, and for Augustus to great us as a whole.

When the last alpha entered the room, Augustus clicked his fingers and servers began to fill everybody's glasses. I thanked mine heavily, holding her eyes with a smile. She flushed, bowing her head before retreating to the wall.

I hated how he controlled humans around here. It was slavery, surely!

Finally, he rose to his feet, and the scraping of chairs echoed as we all copied our host.

"Greetings, Continental alphas and your beta. I thank you for coming down for dinner. I hope you all enjoy your evening." He toasted, sipping from his wineglass.

We all murmured agreements and thanks, sipping from our own glasses. The wine was a deep red, and my nose crinkled at the heaviness of its taste. I was definitely not going to be drinking this quickly; it was dry and not that good.

Is it bad I preferred the fruity, weak wines? That the most likely expensive wine was disgusting? How could a drink even be dry? It was a liquid!

As we all sat back in our seats, I kept my gaze on Augustus.

"Tonight, there are five courses, and I hope they are to your satisfaction. My chefs have worked hard on this all day." He chuckled.

As if on cue, servers arrived with trolleys and trays galore. As the room grew busy, I took my chance to look around. Opposite me, and beside my father, was Alpha Conrad, from the Steel pack. Asra had forced me to refresh my memory on the plane, and I now knew that his beta was called Evan. Conrad's eyes were as dark as his skin, his hair still in the same waist-length braids as last I saw him. His beard was shorter though, cut an inch beneath his chin. Evan was not much different with dark, tattooed skin and a scruffy beard, except Evan had almost no hair, just a faint buzz across his scalp.

Next to Evan was Alpha Cai, Piper's father. He caught my eye as I looked at him, smiling softly at me in greeting. His beta, Peter, was talking animatedly to his server. Blonde hair and brown eyes, he was oddly familiar. Perhaps I had seen him when I last saw Cai. I was rather drunk that night.

Beside Peter was David, aka poop eyes. He was not looking my way, so missed the glare I sent his way. His beta was beside him, also with brown eyes and long, wavy, dark hair. His name was Carl, I was sure of it.

At the other head of the table sat Bodhi, an empty seat beside him. It intrigued me to see him here alone, but I suppose with so much authority, he didn't need a beta. He basically lead the wolves alongside Augustus.

Working my way back up the table, I locked onto an unfamiliar face. Since Asra killed Blake, they had used many alphas, even their beta getting involved. But it seems they had settled the debates, and the alpha in the chair today was new. He eyed the room sceptically, his dark green eyes rather mesmerising. He had light brown hair; with a hint of blonde and ginger. A mixture of colours.

His name escaped me, and the longer I stared at him, the further it got from my mind. I'd have to pay extra attention to pick it up again.

Beside him, and next to Rio, was his beta. I knew his name was Esmond because it had clicked with me. An old-fashioned name for a man with pale blonde hair, skin and grey eyes. I was glad they replaced Theo. He creeped me out as much as Blake. The entire pack seemed corrupt, so I hope that this new alpha did them some good. Although Blake's brother was still out there, and that made my skin crawl.

A server placed my first dish down, and as I gazed at the soup and bread, I knew it was going to be a tasty dinner.

****

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