Anything but Ordinary

Remembering Part 3: A bandaid and a cure

Tess chased Daisy through the kitchen and up a back staircase to her bedroom. She found her friend hunched over on her bathroom floor. Daisy had been sick from the heartbreak. Makeup running down her face, Daisy stared at Tess, unable to speak.

"Oh Dais!" Tess sighed, her heart breaking for her best friend. Tess knelt down and hugged Daisy close to her. "I'm so so sorry." Tears slowly fell down Tess' cheeks as she held her sobbing best friend. The pair stayed on the bathroom floor for a short while longer before Tess felt Connor trying to reach her via mindlink.

Hey, I know you're both upset but you have to come back. People are looking for you to cut the cake. I can't stall much longer.

We'll be back in a bit. Let me get her cleaned up first. Tess pushed her brother's voice from her mind and grabbed some tissue to wipe Daisy's eyes.

"Ok. I can fix this. Come on Cinderella, let's get you ready for the ball." Tess grinned as Daisy gave her a weak smile. "Wash your face and grab my gel mask from the fridge. I'll redo your makeup after I fix mine."

Daisy pushed herself up from the bathroom floor and followed her friend's orders. Tess had the bathroom in her room redone as a 13th birthday gift and Daisy had been so jealous. It looked like something from a magazine, or if Barbie had a marble bathroom with a soaker tub big enough for 6. She took the eye mask out of Tess' bathroom fridge, careful not to knock her skin products in the tiny space. The cool felt nice on her skin and she could feel the swelling leave her eyes and face. Soon Tess had finished fixing her makeup and sat Daisy down to go to work. Tess' masterful makeup skills made short work of putting Daisy back together. She looked in the mirror, amazed at how talented her friend was.

"I think I look better than I did when I got here. Thank you Tess." Daisy hugged Tess before being dragged from the bathroom.

"I need my birthday shots. Let's go! There's PLENTY of wolves down there for us to distract you with." Tess knew only Daisy's mate could heal the hurt she was feeling right now, but she wasn't going to acknowledge that. The two rushed back to the ballroom and walked in to the party in full swing. Music blared and colorful club lights had been set up near a DJ booth. The dance floor was full of young werewolves from their own pack and the children who were of mating age of some of the visiting Alphas. The girls quickly found the bar and the party began. If there's one thing that can cure a broken heart, it's a margarita. OK, maybe not a cure, but it's a solid bandaid, Daisy thought. For Tess, she tried her best to enjoy herself and the two partied into the night.

One too many drinks and an exceptionally large slice of cake later, Daisy was feeling much better and actually managed to enjoy herself while dancing. She turned to where Tess was dancing just moments before and noticed Tess was making her way towards the staff bathrooms. Concerned, Daisy started out of the crowd of boys who had surrounded the two and followed her friend into the hall behind the kitchens. Daisy caught up with Tess just in time to see her barely make it to a toilet. Oh sh*t, I forgot to switch her to water. Daisy scolded herself and moved to hold Tess' hair back as she continued to be sick.

"Happy Birthday!" Daisy laughed.

"Shut. Up." Tess groaned. She was in no mood for jokes.

Daisy stayed with her friend for a few moments in silence before a slight commotion could be heard from the kitchen. There was muffled shouting in a strong male voice and the staff sounded like they were scrambling in response. Weakly, Tess parted from the toilet she had been hugging and stood to see what was going on. She would not stand for her pack members to be treated poorly.

"Wait here. If you hear me call for you, immediately link Connor and Jason. I'm just going to see what's wrong." Tess said as she slowly left the bathroom.

Tess reached the kitchen to find an unpleasant sight. Alpha Barron Black, of the Black Creek pack, was in her kitchen accosting the staff. Barron was known by surrounding packs to be a cold and cruel man. He ran his pack like humans ran their military; each member obeyed out of fear. She had begged her father not to invite him, but to do so would create unnecessary bad blood between packs, and Alpha Barron was not someone you wanted to anger. Her pack could easily handle an attack from Black Creek, but her father would not risk the lives that it would cost, and so the arrogant man was there, late at that.

"Can I help you, Alpha?" Tess asked in the sweetest voice she could muster.

"Everyone here is far too incompetent. They knew I would be arriving, yet there is no food left? Is this how Robert runs his pack? Are Alphas allowed to be disrespected?" Barron boomed, his Alpha tone coming through on the last question, forcing Tess to answer.

"No Alpha, of course not. I'm sure our staff can make you something fresh and special. Can't you?" Tess directed her final question at a nearby cook who was frozen in fear as Alpha Barron glared down at him. The cook looked at Tess shakily and she gave a reassuring smile.

"Of course Miss Ellis, we can get something started right away." The cook regained his composure as he spoke to Tess and rushed away to begin cooking for Alpha Barron.

Daisy was listening for her friend to call for her from the bathroom when she was hit by something. What IS that? she thought. I've never smelled that before. Like sea salt, fresh earth, and trees. Her curiosity had gotten the best of her and she started to creep towards the source of the smell. As she quietly entered the hallway she could see a large form standing in the kitchen that she didn't recognize. She paused to check on Tess. This man was huge! The stranger stood well over six feet tall with exceptionally broad shoulders and muscles that were visible through his clothes. Long, dark hair was gathered atop his head and Daisy could tell that he had a full dark beard as well. She stepped closer to the kitchen and noticed the smell getting stronger. Her breath caught in her throat as her heel made a click on the floor. She froze on the spot as Tess and the man turned around. Tess looked at her friend with genuine fear in her eyes. The man fixed his glare on her. Icy blue eyes pierced into Daisy from under bushy dark brows. A prominent scar cut down his face, beginning over his right eye and down towards his ear. Taking a shaky breath, Daisy realized the smell was coming from this man.

In a tiny voice, so soft that had they not all been werewolves, no one would have heard it, Daisy whispered "Mate."