Glammed Up

Now that the road was straight, Julia shifted the gear to increase the speed of the car, and casually answered, "I didn't want you to feel forced to come to the party. I wanted you to attend it at your own will. So, I didn't show the invitation to you."

"Oh!" I nodded.

And here I was, thinking she would have forced me to attend the party at any cost. Why did I forget that she was always this considerate?

I smiled to myself and went back to looking at the scenery. Instead of wild shrubs, I could see a forest full of tall and beautiful Beech trees on either side of the road. The sight of the tree branches gently swaying with the breeze, and birds soaring high in the sky gave me a sense of tranquility.

I closed my eyes as the dappled light fell on my face. "Do you come here to take a run?" The words automatically escaped my mouth as I wondered how it would feel like to run through this forest in the body of the wolf.

"I normally go to the forests up in the north. They have beautiful waterfalls and fast-flowing rivers. The weather is chillier too." Julia paused for a moment and mumbled in a serious tone, "I hope I can take you there someday. It's very pretty."

Someday, huh? Julia hasn't yet accepted the fact that I might never get my wolf. Should I tell her what I told Samantha today? On second thought, I think I better not. It will only ruin Julia's mood. I will say it some other time.

After about a 45-minute drive from the Meiril Pass, the settlement of the werewolves of Helblaze pack finally came into view.

I was genuinely surprised to see a semi-urban city, with planned housing spread throughout the area and a handful of tall buildings scattered here and there.

I don't know why I always pictured a medieval setting mentally while listening to Julia's stories and reading her letters, probably because of the hold that period drama has on me.

I questioned Julia when she parked the car in the underground parking of one of the tall buildings, "Are we going to your flat?"

Julia laughed as if she just heard the funniest joke. "No, silly! We are here to go shopping. I rent a flat in one of the old houses nearby. I will take you there later."

"Oh, okay." I followed Julia out of the car and into the lift. She pressed the button for the fifth floor and we were there in no time.

As soon as the lift's door opened, my breath hitched and my eyes widened because of the hustle and bustle around me. People were rushing from one shop to another, some were enjoying their drinks while walking, and some were laughing and talking loudly.

I don't know when I tugged on Julia's dress but when I came to it, she grabbed my hand and linked my arm with hers. I instantly fell at ease with her tall figure by my side, partially hiding me from others.

"Let's go there first." Julia led me to a clothing store nearby.

I tried on a couple of evening gowns in that store but none of them suited me. At least I felt that way. So, Julia took me to another store, and then another, and another.

Even after spending almost two hours, trying on several gowns in different stores, I couldn't find one I liked. Everything was either too simple or too extravagant for my taste. Julia had already found a perfect gown for her in the second store we visited, so I felt even more frustrated and guilty for wasting Julia's time.

"You know what?" I stopped Julia before she took me to yet another store. "Why don't we go to your flat? I will wear one of your old gowns. I don't want to try any more dresses on."

Julia smiled at me with a completely unbothered look on her face. "Let's try one last store and if you don't find anything that suits your taste there, we will do as you say."

Before I could protest, she took me to another clothing store on the sixth floor. At a single glance, I could tell this particular store was more expensive than the stores we had visited earlier.

"Jul!" I grabbed Julia's wrist and hurriedly whispered, "I don't have that kind of budget. Let's forget about the dress. I will wear one of yours. Let's go to the beauty salon now, or else we will be too late for the party."

Julia freed herself from my hold and placed her hands on my shoulder. As she pushed me inside the store against my will, she whispered back, "Who said I was going to make you pay?"

"But–"

"Shh! I wanted to buy something nice for you on your eighteenth birthday but…" She cleared her throat and said while gesturing at the gorgeous dresses that were being displayed, "Think of it as a coming of age present from my side."

"But it's too–"

"No buts. Choose any dress you like. Don't worry about the price." She flashed a loving smile at me.

I couldn't say no to her after seeing her eagerness. I went ahead and tried on a couple of gowns. Out of the four gowns that I tried, I liked a sky blue colored gown with soft pink sequins and blue stones sewn along its neckline. Though the color combination was odd, this gown somehow suited me better than the others.

'I guess this is it.' I smiled at my reflection in the mirror.

I changed back into my clothes and came out of the fitting room. "I will take this one." I showed the gown that I liked to Julia.

Julia happily paid for it and we stepped out of that store. We then hurried to a beauty salon on the same floor where Julia changed into her gown and sat down to get her makeup and hair done. I, on the other hand, got a haircut first. After that, I also changed into my gown and sat down for makeup.

"Whoa!" When I stood in front of Julia after I was ready, she covered her mouth with her palms and looked at me as if she was going to break into tears at any moment. "You look so pretty, Val," she complimented, to which I replied, "Have you looked at yourself in the mirror yet? You look like a goddess!"

I wasn't lying. She was wearing a pine green shimmery evening gown that was tight around the waist and flowy around the legs. Her signature orange lipstick shade, bold eye makeup, and neatly secured hair bun made her look regal.

Julia giggled and brought me out of my daze by complimenting me even more. "No, seriously though. You look so beautiful. That feathered hair, light makeup, and tight-fitting gown accentuating your curves… everything looks so perfect on you." She let out cute squealing noises while gently clapping her hands.

I shyly smiled at my number one hype girl and fanned my cheeks which were starting to heat up.

After exchanging some more compliments, we both headed outside to the reception to pay. Julia obviously raced there to pay my bills as well. I sighed and thought of gifting something nice to her the next time we met to make up for today.

While I waited in the lobby for Julia, out of habit, I took out my phone to check the time. As soon as I did that, I heard someone whisper.

"Who is she? Is she someone important? She has a phone of her own."

Oh, shoot! I had forgotten that only higher-up members of the pack have access to mobile phones here.

When I had asked Julia to call me every day after she got scouted, she had sadly broken the news to me. The access to mobile phones was limited to make sure that no crucial information was leaked to the other packs or the outside world.

I quickly slipped my phone into my purse and looked up to see two women staring at me. I gave them an awkward smile and looked away. Thankfully, before things got more awkward for me, Julia shouted my name.

We both went to the parking lot and got inside the car. We put the bags with our clothes in the backseat and buckled up.

"Are we going to your flat now?" I asked Julia when she started the engine and drove the car out of the mall.

"That was my plan but…" Julia looked at her watch and shook her head. "It's almost 6, so we better head to the pack house now. We need to get there before the alpha addresses the guests."

"I'm sorry for being indecisive while choosing the gown. I hope we're not late already." I voiced my worry.

Julia shook her head as she drove forward. "We will reach there within 15 minutes. So, no worries."

Soon, I saw the pack house at the end of the road. It was well-decorated with lights and fresh flowers. The building which stood tall and proud at the center of the city looked no less than a grand mansion.

According to Julia, Alpha Helblaze resided there with his family and his crucial pack members. It was also where the alpha worked and where important meetings of the pack took place. And apparently, it was also the place where parties were held.

When the car came to a stop, I looked outside in astonishment. Just how many people did the alpha invite here today? The huge mansion was already crawling with so many people.

Wait a damn minute!

I widened my eyes when I realized I was missing something. I grabbed Julia's arm before she got out of the car and asked her as softly as I could, "Why is Alpha Helblaze hosting this party again?"