Friday came sooner than expected. Alpha Liam along with a hundred other pack mates were up at the crack of dawn getting ready to leave. Liam had been convinced by Oliver to bring at least a hundred pack mates to his daughters ball. Saying it would be a shame if only he went. So abiding by his friend wishes he had Mateo choose fifty guys and girls to go along with him.

Of course among the girls were Mercedes and Serenity. Serenity huffed about going. She did not want to go and didn't see why she out of all the other girls in the pack were chosen to attend this ball. Her friend however was jumping for joy. She loves balls. It meant she would get to dress up. The short notice however meant that she would have to wear one of the dresses she already had.

"You're packed already?" Mercedes asked Serenity.

"I've been packed since last night," Serenity carried a duffle bag on her shoulder.

Mercedes threw a few more things into her suitcase before zipping it up, "isn't this fun?! We get to play princess for a day!" She twirled around.

"I am anything but a princess," Serenity huffed while looking down at her outfit. Just by what she wore one could tell she was an outsider. The black biker shorts that went down to her knees and white stained hoodie didn't scream power. Her wore down vans didn't help the case either. Not to mention the pile of curls that laid on her head in a messy bun.

"Oh hush! Always a Debby downer!" Serenity admired her friend. Now Mercedes she screamed princess. From her cute mustard over sized sweater to her cute overall dress, "oh I forgot to mention I got us matching dresses for tomorrow!"

"Please tell me you didn't," Serenity groaned.

"I did! Yours is white and mine is black though! This is going to be so fun!" Mercedes grabbed her suit case and walked out the door hand in hand with .

        The journey to Oliver's pack was a long one. They arrived at four in the afternoon despite leaving at five in the morning. The pack is in a small town just behind the Colorado mountains.

"Liam!" Alpha Oliver greeted Liam with such formality the pack stood back in awe. Liam didn't seem to be the informal type. The two hugged slapping each other's back.

"Oliver great to see you again!" Whenever they broke apart Liam greeted his mate Luna Zaria, "you must be Zaria!" He took her hand in his, "What a pleasure to finally meet you after all theses years."

Zaria smiles at him, "the pleasure is all mine."

Liam looked around seeing that Zoey their daughter was nowhere in sight. As if reading his thoughts Oliver spoke, "Sorry my daughter isn't here to greet you all none of my children are, but they will be at dinner. Speaking of which you all must be exhausted from traveling. Come in we'll show you to your rooms."

"Everyone will be sharing a room if I am not mistaken?" Liam asked his friend as they walked inside.

"Yes, except you of course. You can have the master bedroom. We don't stay here in the pack house anymore, so it's free," Oliver spoke.

The pack behind them listened carefully to the conversation. It was odd that the alpha and Luna didn't stay at the pack house. No one said a word about it however.

Once upstairs everyone paired up and choose a room. Mercedes and Serenity of course bunked together. After being told dinner was being served in an hour, everyone went inside there rooms to get wash up.

"Do you think this is all a scheme?" Mercedes whispered to Serenity.

"What do you mean?" Serenity was shuffling though her duffle bag trying to find an appropriate outfit to wear to dinner.

"This whole thing? My dad says Alpha Liam is only here to see Alpha Oliver's daughter. They're talking about marriage."

Serenity pulled some tights out of her bag. She thought about it for a second her heart tightened around the idea, "that does make sense. To form an alliance between two packs."

"I guess so."

"What are you wearing to dinner?" Serenity asked her friend wanting nothing more than anything to change the conversation.

"What I have on," Mercedes ushered to her attire.

"I definitely have to change then," Serenity groaned.

"Here," Mercedes threw a cream colored turtle neck at her, "Did you pack black pants?"

Serenity shuffled through her bag, "Yes."

"Wear them with that turtle neck."

"Again sorry my daughter was absent. She's getting fitted for her dress," Oliver and Liam sat in the dining hall.

"It's fine."

"Also per Zoey's request the ball is masquerade themed. Tomorrow morning your pack will be able to choose their masks."

Oliver wasn't surprised that the teen girl had changed her mind at the last minute, "that's fine."

Liams pack mates start filling into the room seeing as it was about time for dinner to start and tardiness was not a thing they knew of.

The dining hall was huge and could accommodate a few thousand people. Circular tables were set up in front of the one long table that sat in the back of the room. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling making the room sparkle against the purl white walls that were speckled with gold swirls.

Everyone in Liam's pack was seated by five ten. Oliver's pack mingled in with the mix arriving a bit later. Everyone mingled amongst themselves as they waited for dinner to start. The first thing brought out were the rolls.

"My daughter is late. Again. I guess I'll be apologizing, yet again. I promise she's usually better than this." Alpha Oliver fixed his tie looking around the room for his daughter who still yet to show.

"Relax honey. She'll be here," next to Oliver sat his mate Zaria. She grabbed his arm in a comforting matter. You could visibly see how much she actually comforted her mate. They sat at a long table facing the circular tables.

"She is supposed to be representing the pack," Oliver spoke up. 

"We're still here you know father?" the second eldest spoke up. Zane was fifteen and the expected inherit of the pack.

Oliver looks to his son that sits on the other side of his mate, "of course son it's just-"

Zane cuts him off, "we just don't matter right?" you could see the muscles in jaw clench. Along with his hands that were rested on the table.

"Don't twist your father's words like that. You know he loves all his children the same just as I do." Zaria reaches for her son.

Zane pulls away, "not as much as his princess Zoey though. I know it, Zadie knows it-"

"You may be my twin but do not bring my name into this," Zadie peaks up from her book hearing the conversation form before her.

"Can we talk about this later, not in front of the guests."

Zane huffs and storms out the room. Zadie rolls her eyes, "I'll go get him."

Salad were brought out next. You could tell who were of which pack by how they reacted to the food being served to them. Alpha Oliver's pack gladly took whatever they got. They nibbled on the bread brought out, then graciously munched on the salad.

Alpha Liam's pack however didn't bother touching the bread, and picked at the salad as to not be rude. They weren't use to having courses. It was usually served all at once. Spread out on the table like a big family dinner.

Liam didn't touch the rabbits food instead he looked down at his watch. She's thirty minutes late. He wondered what could be keeping her feeling the need to break the tension at the table after Zane stormed off and Zadie followed.

The doors to the dining hall were thrown open in a haste. This time it wasn't a course to be served or the twins coming back in; instead in walked the alphas daughter. Everyone stared as she walked through the hall. She's gorgeous, was all anybody could think.

Zoey walked through the hall Taking long strides, with her head held high. She knew she was late, but she wasn't going to acknowledge the fact. Instead she put one foot in front of the other and walked to the table in the back, "Sorry I'm late father," she kissed her dad on the cheek and looked at the man sitting next to him.

Before she took her seat she presented Liam with the box she had been carrying, "for me?" Liam asked.

"Yes," Zoey smiled. The smile almost warmed Liam. Almost. He took the box trying to conjure a smile. Everyone seemed to be eyeing the two.

Serenity and Mercedes who sit quietly looked at each other, "I wonder what she got him?" Mercedes whispered.

Serenity shrugged, her heart sank to the bottom of her stomach? She continued to watch the two nonetheless. Liam set the box on the table and he pulled something out of his jacket pocket, "I guess it's only fair that I give this to you now then," he handed her a box wrapped in white ribbon.

Zoey took her seat and un wrapped the box. She gasped at the contents inside. A diamond necklace with matching earring. She looked up at Liam's smirking face, "Thank you."

"The thanks I owe is to you," he pulled the mask out of the box. It had been wrapped in layers of tissue paper. It was gorgeous. A gold swirl like mask with a Dimond in the middle of the forehead circled with smaller diamonds. With diamonds spreading across the cheek bones like freckles. 

The second course came out turning the attention away from the couple and towards the plates of food, "finally," a few people from alpha Oliver's pack breathed out.

Liam's pack stayed silent as they got their plates. Steak, along with green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, along with several other sides. What puzzled the pack the most was that the steak was cooked. They all seemed to look up at Liam as if asking were they for real? Well done meat?

Liam merely shook his head and followed in suit with Oliver and his pack cutting the steak.

"Wow, this pack can't be serious," Mercedes picked at her food, "I'm going to starve."

"Is there something wrong with the food?" A few of Oliver's pack mates sat at their table.

Serenity bumped her friends shoulder, "no it's fine," Serenity smiled and plopped some into her mouth.

"Are you sure? If it still red, we could get it sent back to be cooked more," the girl insisted. Her two friends sitting beside her nodded their heads in agreement.

"The problem is that it's not red enough," Mercedes often had trouble holding her tongue. Even more trouble then Serenity did.

"So the rumors are true," the same girl spoke as her friends eyes her suspiciously.

"Rumors?" Mercedes asked.

"You actually do eat your meat raw?"

The two girls didn't say anything but instead stared at each other before both sayin, "rumors?"

Thoughts?

Does Oliver's pack have a problem with Liam's pack?

Does Zoey fancy Liam?

Not everyone eats raw meat?