Page 83 of A Female Alpha for the Lycan Prince

“Or Lauren.”

“Right,” Jazz chuckles. “Tonight is a worry-free zone.”

Marcel and my parents rented the basement of our favorite Italian restaurant in town and had it turned into a huge party area. The owner is a fellow wolf and was happy to give us the whole place for the night.

All our friends are coming plus a few other pack members we’ve invited. Alpha Celine and retired Alpha Cedric are coming too… I tend to forget that my dad was the beta of the pack before Celine took over and Harmony replaced him. He’s still close friends with Celine’s family. Neither Jazz nor I have much family, but we are both happy to have such amazing friends and mentors.

Eventually, Aurelia pushes through the crowd. “Hello, birthday girls,” she grins, spreading her arms wide to hug us.

I laugh, happy that she’s made it. She’s brought Nox with her; he’s smiling as he nods our way in greeting. “Solved the family drama?”

Aurelia rolls her eyes. “No, but when do we ever?”

Nox grins at her words.

More and more people drop in as the night progresses. Quite a few of our school friends are coming tonight. I was a loner for a long time, but Jazz has helped me learn to socialize, and I’ve even managed to befriend my choir group in school without her help.

Marilou stuck to her promise and prepared the most amazing cupcakes and muffins for us. Eventually, Jazz and I manage to sit down to chat with our closest friends for a while. It’s fun. I can’t help but notice Lionel is flirting a bit with me. Compliments still make me feel uncomfortable, but I know he would never push himself on me against my will. Meanwhile, Terry is looking at Marilou dreamily. She’s wearing a tiny green dress, which goes perfectly with her fiery red hair. “You look very beautiful tonight,” he stutters.

She beams in joy. “Really? You too.”

“How about a dance?”

“Sure,” she takes his hand, allowing him to pull her towards the middle of the room. It’s been turned into a dance floor.

I exchange a glance with Aurelia. “They are so sweet,” she whispers.

After a while, I notice the door opening, and an elderly woman appears alongside a younger woman with awesome dark-blue hair. It’s shoulder-length and rests on top of a series of tattoos. She looks athletic, confident, and maybe even a bit crazy… the good kind of crazy though, not insane crazy. “Who are they?” I ask curiously, surprised that I recognize neither of them. Maybe they are friends of Jazz?

“The young woman with the blue hair is Aryanna,” Aurelia explains. “She’s Liam’s beta. We came together. She had to head off to pick up the elderly woman before joining us, though.” She grins. “She was part of the family drama tonight.”

“Oh, right! I knew she looked familiar,” I chuckle. “She had a different hairstyle last time I saw her.”

“Yeah, she changes it frequently.”

“And the older woman?”

“Oh,” Jazz chimes in, watching how said woman joins Marcel and Alpha Celine. “That’s Desmona. She’s from the coven my grandma belonged to,” she explains. “She’ll be my mentor.”

“Cool,” I mutter. “Did you already talk to her?”

“Just briefly last week.”

Aryanna seems to be about to follow the elderly woman to greet Alpha Celine and Harmony when she stops suddenly. She sniffs at the air slightly, turning around and scanning the room as if she’s searching for someone. Her eyes are darker now, and her stance is more alert.

She freezes, her eyes suddenly lingering on Jazz.

Could it be?

“It smells really nice,” Jazz mutters under her breath. “Like cinnamon and coffee… and roses.”

“No way,” Aurelia states breathlessly.

I grab Jazz's arm. Goddess, that’s so cool! I nudge Jazz. “Jazz,” I whisper, nodding toward Aryanna, who is approaching us now.

Jazz blinks in confusion. “What…” she stutters.

Only when Aryanna is standing right in front of her, does realization settle in. Aryanna’s face lights up with a bright smile. “Look what I’ve found,” she chuckles, revealing her perfect white teeth. “A diamond in the rough.” She reaches out to take Jazz’s hand and pulls her up. “And how beautiful she is.”