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Two weeks later, Father informed me that Pearl was "graciously" allowing me to attend her sixteenth the next day. My own pending engagement to Alpha Jonas had been broken, and I was surprised to find how bitter I was over this. My somewhat unwanted marriage would have been the one ticket I had out of this house, but Father had told me I didn't "deserve" Alpha Jonas, and thus the arranged engagement had been broken.
Father seemed to think I didn't "deserve" joining Pearl's party either. "I'm still very disappointed," he said. "Pearl, however, has requested your presence. But you will be on your best behaviour. If I hear of any outbursts, I WILL withdraw you from school and send you to your uncle's packhouse in Richmond."
I liked my uncle Martin less than I liked Alpha Jonas. Living under his roof would be a nightmare, especially if he set his sights on marrying me to his son Seth, who'd been an annoying little brat as a cub, and was probably an annoying teenager. "I understand," I said.
"I don't think you do," Father said. He sighed and shook his head. "But Pearl is adamant you attend. I can't imagine why, but if that is what she wishes, that is what she gets."
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The day of the party dawned bright and hot, and I admitted to feeling my spirits rise as I got ready. Pearl, of course, set out to make things as difficult as possible by barging into my room as I was getting dressed. "Don't you dare fuck this up for me," she warned. "You wreck it, and I'll wreck you."
Two weeks had taught me how to keep a poker face. "I've no intentions of ruining this," I told her mildly.
Pearl huffed. But two weeks of needling on her part had failed to elicit a response from me, and she grunted. "See that you don't," she said coldly, before turning and leaving in a snit. I sighed. Pearl wasn't going to stop until she'd gotten me kicked out of the packhouse. But I refused to take the bait. I'd learned my lesson; if I had to bite my tongue until it bled, then that's what I'd do. Pearl wouldn't be getting the better of me again.
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Of course, Pearl acted like the belle of the ball, and any males who came within five feet of her became fair game, but only if they already had a partner, or were talking with another female. It made me sick as she swiftly seduced a male from his partner's side, or tried to insert herself in conversations, but I kept my mouth shut. If Pearl wanted to act like a... well, then she was more than welcome to. 110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnx1Eh1FWYy
Then Jonas and Jasper arrived, along with Jonas's older son Ryan and his fiancee Lisa. Lisa and Ryan were expecting their first cub, and Jonas was over the moon at the thought of being a grandfather for the first time. Pearl, being Pearl, immediately raced over to them, but rather than greeting her own soon-to-be-fiance, she threw herself at Ryan instead, much to Lisa's dismay. Ryan pushed her off and read her the riot act, while Jasper looked like he wanted to sink into the ground. Jonas looked as if he wanted to strangle Pearl with his bare hands, and Father had to intervene before things turned ugly. 110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvYr2UrpW5I
A welcome distraction came in the form of Uncle Martin and Seth, and I was rather surprised when they showed up. I'd never liked Uncle Martin much, because he'd always seemed so cold towards me, and Seth had been a right brat when he was a cub. To my surprise, however, they both greeted me warmly, and I was having some difficulty reconciling my memories of them with the people they were now. Uncle Martin explained. "I lost my mate not long after you came to visit us," he said. "Poor Seth was beside himself with losing his mum, so you can imagine your visit didn't come at the best time. If you ever want to come to Richmond again, I promise you'll have a much more pleasant experience."
"I'd like that," I said, giving Seth another appraising look. He'd definitely grown up, and I privately admitted to myself he'd grown rather hot over the years. He seemed to think the same of me, if his interested gaze was any indication. "Maybe when I finish the school year I can swing by."
Father interrupted things rather brusqely. "I'm sure you and Seth will have a lot to talk about," he said, having approached during the first round of greetings. "But I think Seth might be interested in meeting the rest of the pack." His tone indicated he was regretting breaking off my future engagement to Jonas, and I could have strangled him on the spot.
"Actually, I'm sure Cass will do just fine in being a guide," Seth said, taking my hand and giving it a squeeze.
Father opened his mouth, but Uncle Martin stepped in. "That's a good idea," he said, his voice carrying a strong warning for Father; Seth was his son, and if Father wanted to intervene, he was going to be in for a world of hurt. He gave me a warning look before nodding.
"Very well," he said, before turning and stalking off. I resisted the urge to sigh, and Seth gave my hand another squeeze.
"Let's go make the rounds," he suggested. "You look like you're ready to strangle someone, and I'll wager my uncle is the first of your many victims."
I had to watch my tongue very carefully here. "It's a long story," I said. "We can talk more about it when there's less people around."
Seth nodded, but as I led him off, I had a horrible feeling Father was going to do something spiteful to sabotage the sudden happiness I was so close to grasping in my hands. And I had the feeling it would involve Pearl, as usual.
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