Destined Love

Planning a Ball

*Aurora’s point of view

    The rays of sunshine escaped through the openings between the curtains. It was still early in the morning and I could feel the warmth of the bed sheets against my bare skin. It took me a while to collect my thoughts. Last night. What we did. I think I liked it. I liked it a lot, but why? Didn’t he want to keep his distance? 

    I turned to see the other side of my bed with anticipation, but it was empty. He must have left when I fell asleep. My heart ached a little and I almost cried, but at the same time I realized how naive I had been to think he would actually spend the night with me. My wolf cried on the inside, but I ignored her plea. She loved his wolf too, but I could not let neither of us feel sorry for ourselves. 

     I'm sure that everything was just an act so the maids could stop spreading rumors. If word of us not getting along reached the neighboring packs, the entire Raeburn family would be in trouble and since I was Jonah’s wife, that included me too. That is why he pretended to care about me yesterday. It was all for show. 

    My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. My maids were waiting outside the door to help with my bath. I quickly left my bed and grabbed my chemise from the floor to put it on. I didn't want them to find me in my nude state and start gossiping even more. I then proceeded to open the door for them and the next hour was used to get me ready for another day in the Arcada pack. 

    The maids dressed me with a light pink gown and white laced boots that had a low heel. My hair was tied back with a ribbon that matched my gown. It was simple, but very pretty. I walked downstairs and entered the dining room. Like always, the Alpha and Luna were seated at the end of the table, but there was another person there that made me feel dizzy as soon as his scent reached my nose. 

    Jonah sat across from his mother eating his breakfast and did not even bother to look up as I walked over to the seat across from him. I felt anxious, but I knew I could not show any rude behavior towards my husband in front of my in-laws. 

    “Good morning” I said as I settled in my seat. 

    The alpha and Luna responded simultaneously, with very kind smiles. I smiled back at them and then turned to find Jonah staring directly at me. His deep stare made me feel a bit scared. He took the next seconds to swallow his food and then asked me with a monotone voice 

    “Did you sleep well?”

My cheeks grew red as the moments from last night replayed in my head. 

    “Y-yes! I-I slept well…Thank You.” 

    Jonah chuckled as he brought more food to his mouth. Why was he doing this to me? Did my awkward situation make him pleased? Or was he just teasing me to see my reaction? I pushed those thoughts aside and tried my best to eat my meal. I lost my appetite half ways through breakfast and only had room in my stomach to drink a glass of orange juice. 

    In the next few minutes Jonah and his father excused themselves from the table as they both had busy schedules. Before Jonah could start to walk away his mother cleared her throat and starred at him with very scary eyes. Since I was looking at the Luna I didn't feel Jonah walk to my side of the table, until he grabbed my hand and kissed it. I jumped at the feeling of his lips on my skin. He smirked when he saw my reaction and then walked away leaving me with all these feelings in my stomach. The Luna and I were left alone so I offered to take a walk with her in the gardens, which helped cool my head. 

    After that day it became a routine to have breakfast with Jonah and his parents. I didn't see much of him in the afternoons or at night, but during my daily walks with the Luna I would sometimes spot him on the training grounds with the pack members. He always stood out no matter how far away he was. He was built bigger than the rest of the men and his dark hair always seemed to shine against the sun. I wanted to blame the mate bond for making him seem so perfect in my eyes, but in reality I knew that no one could ever ignore his presence. I'm sure he was beautiful in the eyes of both women and men. 

    The weeks began to fly by and the day of winter ball was approaching. I was running everywhere to make sure all the preparations were ready and checking in with all the workers of the castle to make sure nothing was missing. The last few days became a nightmare because the Luna fell ill and I was left alone to prepare everything from the seating arrangements to the ballroom decoration. The maids and workers had already become acquainted with me so they did their best to follow my exact orders. I was no expert at planning, but my stepmother made me do all the work for all of my father's pack events so I was fairly good. 

    Everything was ready the evening before the winter ball. I was exhausted so I retired to my bedroom early. Tomorrow would be an even more stressful day. I would have to face criticism about my etiquette, my planning, and my appearance. With all the tasks I had to complete before tomorrow I never took a minute to plan an outfit. The winter ball was one of the most extravagant events and all the neighboring packs were going to attend. What the hell was I going to wear? 

    Once I was in my room I took off my gown and crawled into my bed. As soon as my head hit the pillow my eyes closed and I lost my train of thoughts. I think I even had a dream that night because somewhere in between I felt my bed dip and the scent of pine hit my nose. Any other night this smell would have been strong enough to wake me up, but the exhaustion did not allow me to move a single muscle.