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verb ~ make a marked change in form, nature or appearance

NOVA

It was bad.

Of course, it was bad.

Sean had made it his mission to drag me out of my room and torture me for two hours every day. He calls it 'training', but I call it torture.

Part of me regrets allowing myself to get to the point I can't handle it anymore, but he was pushing me harder than before. Part of me was grateful he was hanging out with me again, though, and the boxing training really gave me a chance to land a punch or two on him in return. I didn't question how he made the time; I just accepted it.

It had been another couple of weeks, and Phoenix had officially been gone for six weeks in total. When it hit the one-month mark, I had expected his return, but it never happened. So I waited, for what, I don't know. But part of me was missing him, a weird part of me I couldn't understand. It must be the mate bond because the goddess knows he avoiding me like the plague.

I still sneaked off to Phoenix's room every night since I first discovered it. It has got to the point I can't last an hour in my room before I go up to his. I don't know what I'd do when he would come back.

Sean's signal snapped me back to reality, marking the end of training. Despite a decent yoga session, my legs felt too wobbly when I attempted to stand.

"I really kicked your ass today, huh?" Sean laughed and hauled me off the ground.

Lately, he's been making a habit of pulling me onto his back when I'm lazy. At first, I hated it, but as training went on, I took it as it came, since my legs turned to jelly.

So right now, he carried me on his back before he set me down on the back door's steps.

"You always make it hard." I groaned.

He chuckled. "That's true, but it's my job."

"Wish I had a job. I get bored," I grumbled.

"You'll have to talk to Alpha about that. I'm just here to direct your emotions into training." He snorted.

I sighed and rubbed at my ankles. "I'm doing good, though?"

He nodded. "I'd say you're caught up. Nearly on par with others your age."

I smiled softly. "Thanks."

He nudged me, and we sat in silence for a while. I had a hair appointment at two. Molly had persuaded me to go for a 'makeover' since I constantly moan about my hair getting knotty.

"Where are you going?" Sean asked when I stood.

"Surprise." I smiled down at him.

He raised an eyebrow. "My sister?"

"How'd you guess?" I teased.

He shrugged. "She's everywhere."

I laughed and nudged him goodbye. I wandered my way from the packhouse to find Molly in her store. It was a five-minute walk to the shopping area of pack lands and I didn't encounter many other wolves, thankfully. Molly wasn't working today, but her store was the only place I knew and had been, so we met there.

She greeted me warmly, dressed in a pretty red summer dress. I was still dressed in my workout clothes and didn't have time to shower. Molly lead me down the small road for another minute before we stopped outside the salon.

Molly nudged me inside first, and I stood awkwardly as we waited for the woman to greet us. She turned to us expectantly, greeting Molly with a warm smile. Her age surprised me, but her hair was dyed a vibrant pink and red, reminding me of a lollypop. Her blue eyes narrowed as she noticed me beside Molly, the wrinkles around her eyebrows furrowing as she studied me.

"This is her?" She quirked an eyebrow.

Molly nodded and pushed me forward. "Fix her, Holly, please."

I gaped at Molly as she forced me into Holly's grasp. She took me by the shoulders and lead me towards a back room. I turned to look at Molly with a frightful glance, but she just raised her thumbs at me before going to sit by the TV.

We walked through a net curtain and into the small hallway. Holly opened a door to my left and turned on the light. It was a shower room?

"Get washed. You are dirty." Holly tutted before pushing me inside and closing the door.

I stood for a moment, blinking in surprise. Looking around the room, I found towels in a cupboard and robes hung on some hooks.

I was starting to think this wasn't an ordinary hair cut.

Molly will pay for this.

I shakily talked myself into it before stripping off my clothes and climbing into the shower cubicle. It was easy to use, thankfully, and I stepped into the warm water.

I showered quickly, using the products that were sitting on a shelf. They smelt like strawberries and I could feel my hair getting softer already.

Once I was done, I towel-dried my hair and wrapped myself in the white robe. I put on a pair of slippers I found in the towel cupboard and deemed myself done. I could feel my nerves growing, my head feeling fuzzy, but I forced myself out of the room before it ended in a panic attack.

I found Holly standing by a large black chair, setting up an array of products. She heard me coming and turned from her work to smile at me.

"Come sit, we'll start with your hair. Do you know what you want?" She asked.

I sat down in the leather chair as she draped a black cloak around me. I'd never had my hair cut before, so I wondered why I had a backwards cape. Was it a straight-jacket? I couldn't move my arms to touch anything.

"She doesn't know. Do your magic," Molly chirped from the seating area.

Holly hummed an okay and tackled the knots in my hair. "You have a lot of unhealthy hair here. What did you wash this with before? It is so dry and broken."

I frowned deeply, my reflection copying. "I h-had little access t-to different soaps in my old pack."

She paused her comb and gave me a sympathetic smile. "Okay."

I was glad she left it at that because I didn't want to talk to this stranger about my life. Her hands on my hair were soothing, and I almost died when I saw how much she intended to cut. She had tied a hair tie to my hair at both sides, and I winced when she cut at least ten inches off.

Holly spent the next hour cutting and styling my hair. I had kept my eyes on her the entire time, only turning to glance at Molly occasionally when she spoke. The conversation was simple until it got to the mate part.

"Do you have a mate, Nova?" Holly wondered as she put some kind of oil in my hair.

I eyed the short length. It reached just above my breast and my head felt so much lighter and cold. But there were neat layers of hair all around, their edges tidied neatly in one row, not like the many random lengths I had previously.

Molly must've seen the doe eyes I was sending her because she spoke for me. "She does, but she won't give me the details."

Holly's gaze turned to my face in wonder. I felt like she could stare into my soul. Her hands sat on my shoulders as she scrutinised me.

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yeah." Molly snorted. "I thought it was my brother at first, 'cause they're always together and he's training her."

Holly's eyebrow raised. "Training? Personally?"

Molly nodded. "Yep. She was an omega in her old pack. Pretty rusty."

I glared daggers at my best friend, but she just grinned innocently at me.

Holly chuckled. "Well, whoever this mate is, better realise what he's missing. Once I'm done with you, there will be men at your feet hoping for a simple blink their way."

I blushed and looked down at my slipper-clad feet. She pulled off the backwards cape, and I watched as all my hair slid like water onto the ground. I got up and stretched slightly, taking a drink from my abandoned coffee cup.

"Come, let me show you what makeup is best for you." She gestured me to another corner.

This time there was a glass table and two chairs, and a mirror sat on top of it. There were about six drawers underneath and upon further inspection, I saw everything was full of make-up.

I sat beside Holly as she routed around. "Now, although you are pale, you have the most beautiful eye colour I've seen. I think the best eyeshadow to go for is the light browns, golds and purples..."

She set out a few pallets on the table, and my interest piqued. I had always been interested in makeup, the girls in my pack always transformed themselves and I thought if they could, then I would transform too. Mum's hand-me-down foundations didn't match my skin perfectly and left little for my artistic side.

Holly began on my eyes first, saying she would do my foundation after in case she didn't like the colour she chose. As she painted my eyes, I couldn't help but compare it to painting in art form. Blending colours and contouring outlines. Just the same, only with a different canvas.

Once she finished, I studied myself in the mirror, surprised at the outcome. Bronze shaded into brown, and a black line sat along my long, dark brown lashes.

"Like it?" Holly wondered.

I nodded enthusiastically. "I do."

She grinned. "Let's continue then."

She colour-matched me to the best foundation, and it turns out that I really was pale. She covered my face with many things, and I tried to take an inventory of what she used and where she guided me through it.

Once it was all settled, she gestured for me to look in the mirror. I looked and felt like someone completely different. Someone who should be confident, not a wuss like me. My blonde hair had colour, brought to life with the good shampoo and cut. My face was void of any redness or blotches. Instead, my face was adorned with a flawless layer of creamy makeup and expertly applied contouring colours. My lips stayed nude, only a light pink gloss to make them shiny.

"I-I..."

"Look great, I know," Holly teased. "Now take this. It's your outfit for tonight and has been hiding in my shop all week."

"T-tonight?" I wondered, taking the dress bag.

"The Alpha's return ball, silly." She chuckled.

"B-ball?" I looked at Molly now.

"Me and Sean didn't tell you because we knew you'd chicken out of going." She shrugged. "But yeah, there's a ball to welcome back Alpha Titan and I think you're going with Sean."

I gaped at her, then gaped at Holly, then down at myself, still in my robe. "What do I w-wear for now?"

"Oh, yeah!" Molly chuckled before throwing another bag at me, this one just a standard plastic shopping bag.

I opened it to find my own clothes from home. "O-okay. I'll go get dressed then..."

What the heck is happening?

I dreamily made my way back into the shower room where I slid off the robe and into the clean clothes and shoes. I wasn't long, careful not to ruin my face, even though Holly assured me the setting spray would hold.

"What time is the ball?" I asked as I re-entered the salon floor.

"Sean's picking you up at seven. Alpha Titan is due to arrive a little after." Molly smiled. "Now here, take these. Courtesy of my douche brother."

Yet another carrier bag was handed to me, except this one has the Salon logo on it. Inside were all kinds of makeup, some in multiples. Oh, I was gonna give Sean a piece of my mind about spending money on me. And lying! Both of them lying to me!

My wolf laughed at me. 'At least you look sexy.'

I groaned. And what will that prove?

'Well...' I could hear the teasing of her voice. 'Looking this good and having Sean on our arm surely is going to make a certain mate of ours jealous.'

More like pissed off. I added.

'Exactly. She mused. Show him what he's missing.'

Oh, she was onto something there. This was gonna get interesting.

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