"Come on Bella, we have to hurry, the party has already started without us." Alice groaned, standing in the doorway to my room. She looked stunning as usual, in her favorite little red dress, with matching heels.
"I'm not really in the mood for partying tonight, can't I just stay home?" I grumbled as I applied a thin layer of eyeliner. It was a pointless question; I already knew what her reply was going to be.
"Umm, hell no you aren't staying home, you haven't gone out since the whole thing with Mike, it's time to get you out of this mood." She placed a single hand on her hip, before running her hands down through her short ebony curls.
The mention of my ex-boyfriend brought a lump in my throat. I didn't even want to hear his name. I didn't want to see his face.
My shoulders slumped. "What if he ends up being there? I don't think I can handle it."
"I highly doubt he will be there, but if he is," Alice paused, a smug look coming to her face. "Then you show him what he is missing out on."
Maybe she was right. I sucked in a big breath and stared at my reflection in the mirror. I wouldn't be so vain to call myself beautiful, but I wasn't ugly. Thick waves of mahogany poured down over my head, just ending at the middle of my back. It was a sharp contrast when compared to Alice's spikey hair. My eyes were a dull chocolate brown. Although my skin was on the fair side, the amount of time I've spent outside this summer gave my ghostly complexion a soft tan.
"Alright, let's just get this over with." I nodded, abruptly standing up from my vanity. I wasn't as comfortable with my body than Alice was of hers. I decided on a more modest dress for the evening. A delicate pastel yellow dress that ended just above my knees. I wasn't going to this party, looking for attention, or to hook up with some random dudes. I just wanted to get my mind off of Mike for a while.
"That's the spirit, come on." Alice eagerly took my hand, dragging me along through her house. Thankfully her parents weren't here. If they saw what she was wearing, I'm sure she would at least get a stern talking to from her father.
Alice and I have been friends for a long time, we were practically sisters. Pack life could get hard at times. It was nice to have someone to lean on. I've always wanted a sibling, but after my parents divorced, that was out of the question now. I just had Alice. That was enough.
Tonight, we were heading to Sam's end of the summer party. He had it every year, this one would be the biggest yet, since he was graduating this year. Sam was a pretty popular guy; he was probably the youngest guy in our pack to phase. Naturally that got him a lot of attention. We have barely spoken a few words to the guy, but there was no way we would miss this party. Alice and I took our time, walking throughout La Push. It wasn't a huge reservation; it was easy enough to walk anywhere you needed to go.
Once we arrived, I took a couple deep breaths, steadying my breathing. I wasn't the biggest fan of huge group settings. But Alice was practically bouncing in place as she waited on me.
Like every year, he had it deep in the woods, stretching almost past our territory. It was remote, but a guaranteed spot that parents wouldn't go snooping. Music blasting, a display of different flashing lights hung at the tops of the trees, there were at least one hundred people here.
As Alice and I approached the massive group of teenagers, the smell of alcohol and marijuana was strong. My stomach was in knots. I was already starting to regret coming. There was no doubt in my mind that I was about to make a fool out of myself.
"Stay right here, I'll get us some drinks." Alice said, squeezing my shoulder.
"Aren't you worried, if you get drunk again, your parents are going to kill you. Remember last time?" I urged her.
"No worries, if I get a little too toasted, we can just go back to your place. Your mom won't be back for a few days, isn't that, right?"
She had a point. I don't think I could convince her not to drink. I sighed and gave her a single nod. Alice smiled brightly, before heading towards a table full of different alcohol. From what I could see she was mixing up some Vodka and fruit juice.
It's a party Bella, you've been to them before, you know how they work. You drink, dance, go home and pretend it never happened while tending to an awful hangover. You can survive this.
I melted into the crowd, dancing to the beat of the music. No one was paying much attention to me. I blended into the group of people. Those who inherited the beast bloodline, all shared striking similarities. The same dark hair and sun-kissed skin tones. The only one that really stood out was Alice. It was rare for someone who was born into the pack, to not have the ability to turn. There was no explanation for why this happens sometimes. Alice wasn't the only one in the pack that didn't get the beast blood. But if you ask me, she handles it better than anyone else would.
She was always so happy and laid back. Nothing ever seemed to trouble her, she was always smiling. Even when the others turned their backs on her, even when everyone would bully her for being different. There had even been times the pack felt my slightly paler skin was a topic of teasing. But it was nothing compared to what Alice went through. Her pale skin, and blue eyes was like a beacon of light, shining through all the crowd. It made people uncomfortable. It created a lot of negative attention.
If anyone should feel uncomfortable being here, it was Alice. I had no right to complain. I was accepted in the pack, she wasn't. I shouldn't be so selfish. She wanted to be here and have a good time. I'd do my best not to ruin tonight for her.
Alice found me after a while, handing me a drink she had mixed herself. Sheepishly she grinned. "It's a little strong, sorry."
I took a timid sip, but the instant urge to gag rolled over my shoulders. I forced it down, letting the burning liquid slide like a hot coal all the way down to the pit of my stomach. It warmed me up. But damn was it nasty.
"It's fine, let's just dance." I suggested taking another cautious sip, preparing myself better. I tried to keep the sour look off my face, as Alice and I danced. Luckily, with each sip of the drink, it got easier and easier to handle. I knew that was a bad sign. My face was getting hot, I was losing feeling in my legs, the crowd started to all blur.
I could tell Alice was feeling the effects of the alcohol as well. Her dancing turned less fluid, she began to bump into some of the people dancing around us, earning her a few annoyed stares. At some point I lost her in the crowd. I tensely scanned the area, searching for a little red dress. Instead, I found Sam. He weaved his way through the crowd, eyeing me with a wide smile. There was a joint rolled in between his fingers.
"It's Isabella right," His voice was so calm, it brought my levels of concern down. My body naturally relaxed. He was a pretty handsome guy. Although, not at all my type. Sam would become our alpha someday soon. I was used to seeing him so tense and serious. It was strange seeing how relaxed he was right now.
"Just Bella," I muttered lamely, letting my eyes skip over his face, to search the crowds again. I didn't want anything to happen to Alice, she was helpless when she was drunk. If I didn't keep my eyes on her, she would most likely end up going home with some random jerk.
"It's really cool you could make it to the party, I hope you are enjoying yourself." His blissful way of speaking really did help to keep me less frantic. I didn't know if I could sense his authority, or if it was just a gift of his. He put people at ease.
"Thanks for inviting me, I really should look for my friend,"
"Oh, that's right, you usually hang with that Alice chick. I'm sure she is nice, although she is kind of sad to look at sometimes."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I wasn't sure if I came across annoyed with that statement, but Sam seemed to back-track quickly.
He put his hands up innocently, before taking a long draw off his joint. "I meant nothing by it. There is nothing wrong with being… well you know… normal… I'm sure she is a really cool girl."
"She is," I huffed, taking one more gulp of my drink. "Now, I think I'm going to go look for her." I passed my empty glass over to him, before turning and walking away.
I searched the crowd, stumbling slightly. My center of gravity felt very off. It felt like I was walking on a slope. I knew I was bumping into people at this point, but the alcohol didn't allow me to care at the moment. I just wanted to find Alice and make sure she was alright.
There was a group of three girls off to the side, I heard them giggling and talking quietly between each other. I lingered near the circle of them, wanting to hear what was so funny. I recognized them from school, Jessica, Angela and Lauren. I wasn't friends with them, but I've acknowledged them in passing. They didn't bully Alice like the others, well, at least Jessica and Angela didn't. Not while I was around. Lauren on the other hand, was a bitch.
One girl spoke a little louder than the others, so I focused on her. I think she was Jessica.
"Can you believe all the different packs that showed up here tonight?" She spoke with enthusiasm. The other two mumbled something I could barely make it.
"I know that one guy, standing at the tree line, I heard he is an alpha from the blood-moon pack. He is so incredibly hot." The girl that I guessed, was Jessica, squealed.
Without thinking, I followed her line of sight to the tree line. There was a tall man, standing in the shadows. His body was all I could make out from where I stood, but I had to agree, he was the most good-looking man I've ever seen. My body turned to jelly, I felt my legs start pulling me in his direction. My brain was screaming at me to turn back, but the closer I got, the louder my wolf celebrated. I could feel my stomach churning, palms sweating, I felt like I was about to pass out. But abruptly, I found his eyes locked on me. I froze, my heart pounded in my chest.
Everyone seemed to disappear, the world around me went quiet, all I could focus on, was his sapphire eyes. His face remained hard; his jaw was tense. He made no move to come closer. But I kept coming closer. It wasn't a choice, I had to keep walking. It was like some kind of physical force was pulling me in.
What in the hell was going on? I tried to fight against it. But the harder I fought, the faster I made my way over to him. I was just a few feet away from him, when two other men stood in my way.
"Keep your distance, Alpha Edward doesn't want to be bothered at the moment." One man spoke up. He looked down on me, unimpressed. The other man didn't even meet my gaze.
Edward, even his name brought on a tumbling feeling in my stomach.
"I'll allow it," He spoke, with a rich, velvet voice.
Shivers rolled down my spine.
The two men exchanged confused looks with each other, before stepping apart, leaving an opening for me to walk past them. I didn't hesitate to face the man. He was more stunning up close. His muscles were lean, but impressive, he towered over me, power and authority were practically seeping through his pores. I could feel it. He was an alpha. The urge to bow my head, or fall to my knees was almost unbearable. But I kept myself perfectly still.
We didn't speak for a moment, just looked at each other. His eyes flickered down my body, lingering in a few obvious places. My dress had slid down a bit, letting my breasts spill out over the top.
He cleared his throat as he ripped his gaze off of me. "So, what's your name?"
"Bella Swan," I answered quietly.
His body trembled for a moment, I couldn't read the emotions on his face, his hand went out hesitantly. I squeezed my eyes shut in anticipation. There was a slight pause, but I felt his hand just barely brush a few locks of my hair behind my ear. When I opened my eyes, I felt my heart skip a beat. His brows pulled together, appearing very focused.
"I didn't expect to find you here," He spoke slowly.
I wasn't quite sure what he meant by that. But I was so captivated by his words, it didn't even matter to me what he said. I just wanted to stay right here, for the rest of my life.
"I don't understand," I admitted quietly.
He breathed in calmly, getting control over himself again. When he met my gaze again, he shook his head slowly. "I won't interfere with your party. I'll find you afterwards."
I nodded, feeling a little disappointed. He was sending me away. I turned away from him and made my way back towards the crowd of dancing drunk teenagers. I lost a lot of my enthusiasm. Before I made it completely out of earshot, I heard Edward speak casually to the men he had stationed in front of him.
"Keep your eyes on my imprint,"
My heart was leaping in my chest as realization came crashing down on me. It felt like the wind got knocked out of me. I wanted to turn back around and go running back into him. I wanted to feel his arms around me. How did I not realize what just happened? It was exactly how my mother had described it. I just found my mate.
A/N: If you are enjoying this story so far, please leave some feedback! Thanks for reading! Please check out my other story, Grim. I would really appreciate it! Thanks again.