Mated to the Wrong Alpha Prince

The morning of the Ball

I woke up in Damien's bed, my head pounding from the alcohol and the intensity of the night before. I couldn't believe what had happened, but as I looked over at Damien sleeping peacefully beside me, I knew it was real.

I slowly got out of bed, wincing at the soreness between my legs. As I began to gather my clothes, I couldn't help but feel a wave of sadness wash over me. This was just a one-night stand, I reminded myself. Damien would never see me as anything more than a hookup.

As I quietly slipped out of Damien's apartment, my mind was racing with thoughts and emotions. Part of me was thrilled by the night's events, the passion and excitement of it all. But another part of me was consumed with guilt and shame. But the guilt and shame doesn’t seem to outweigh the pleasure.

As I made my way back to my own apartment, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had made a mistake. I knew I needed to talk to someone about what had happened, to sort out my feelings and figure out where to go from here.

And then I go home to this.

"Good morning, sunshine," Riley said with a smirk as she saw me come in. "How was your night with the infamous Damien Silvester?"

How the f**k did she know?

In panic, I asked her, "How did you know I was with him?"

“It's not like you're subtle about it." Riley chuckled.

"I told you?"

"Our party girl has started to remember!"

"I didn't even drink that much," I protested, feeling my cheeks flush with embarrassment. "And nothing really happened anyway."

"Oh yeah you don't remember a thing? I don’t need to hear no lie." Riley replied, her tone teasing.

"I called you last night, Astrid. I wanted to get some hot wings and I was in bed watching Friends, it's quite uncomfortable for me to get up and buy it. So I called you."

"So you called me-"

"And I heard some noises in the background," Riley continued. "And I heard a name, Astrid. Guess what name did I hear?"

I froze. This couldn't be happening.

"Damien, Damien. Damien. Damien. Damien. Damien. Damien."

Riley repeated the name with a grin on her face, clearly enjoying my discomfort. "Okay, okay, I get it," I groaned, feeling my face flush with embarrassment. "But can we please just drop it?"

"Fine, fine," Riley relented. "But just so you know, you owe me some hot wings now."

Riley raised her eyebrow as she mentioned Kayle, my ex-boyfriend. "Did you finally gain the courage to break up with Kayle?" she asked with a smirk."Homeboy basically destroyed our telephone last night when he couldn’t ring your phone. Not to mention my ruined movie mood."

"Hot wings with a side of scallop and fries? That's all I could make up for you right now, Princess. I'm broke."

Riley rolled her eyes. "You owe me big time, but it's fine. I'll forgive you for ditching me for the Silvester prince. Just dig his family fortune and bring me more steak and cheese."

Our conversation ended there because we had to prepare for something else. Something really special.

I couldn't believe it was already time for the Eclipse Pack Annual Pairing Ball. It was an event where all the young werewolves of seventeen or above in the packs from nearby neighborhood came together to find their soulmate, their destined mate for life. It was a big deal in our pack, and there was always so much excitement leading up to it.

I looked at myself in the mirror, adjusting my dress and checking my makeup. I had chosen a simple black dress that hugged my curves in all the right places, paired with silver heels that matched my earrings. I wanted to look good, but not too flashy. I didn't want to draw too much attention to myself.

"Are you going to attend some funeral?" Riley asked sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes at her. "The ball, remember?”

“I think I’m well aware of that. But it’s with a moon themed background and the dress code of gold, silver and lilac. Not funeral dress code.”

“s**t, I amost forgot-”

Riley smirked. "Looks like someone was too distracted by a certain Silvester last night."

I let out a sigh as Riley pulled out dress after dress, each one deemed not suitable for the ball. "Riley, I think I look fine in this one," I protested as she held up a lilac dress.

She scoffed. "Fine? You're not trying to look 'fine', Astrid. You're trying to look stunning, breathtaking, show-stopping. We can't have you looking like a basic werewolf in a basic dress."

I rolled my eyes. "Alright, fine. Keep going then."

We continued to sift through the dresses, with Riley giving her sarcastic commentary on each one. "Too plain. Too short. Too much cleavage," she muttered as she tossed them aside.

Finally, we stumbled upon a gold gown with a slit up the side and intricate silver beading. "Oh my goddess, Astrid. This is it. This is the dress," Riley exclaimed, her eyes widening in excitement.

I looked at myself in the mirror, feeling a rush of confidence wash over me. She was right, the dress was stunning. "You're right, this is perfect," I said with a smile.

Riley grinned. "I always am. Now, let's find you some shoes and accessories."

We spent the next hour searching for the perfect accessories to complement the dress. Riley was picky, as always, but we finally settled on some silver heels and a matching clutch. "Now you're ready to steal the show," Riley said with a wink.

I laughed. "Thanks for your help, Riley. I don't know what I'd do without you."

She grinned. "You'd probably show up in a plain dress and basic shoes, but don't worry, I won't let that happen to you."

I shook my head, a smile on my lips. "You're impossible, but I love you for it."

Riley grinned. "I know you do. Now, let's go show off that dress and make all the werewolf boys drool."