BELLA

"Not this one. That one would be fine."

I was sitting inside Orchida's room and was choosing a dress for her. I learnt from her that Draco always expects the ruler's of the respective pack to be presentive enough to show that they are doing their jobs perfectly. So, now here we were, deciding which dress was good for that condition.

She had a long blue-dress with golden strings running around her waist. The mask was similar to the dress with a golden border around the eye and hide one-fourth of her face.

"This one would look good, Orchida." I pointed to the blue dress she was holding in her hands.

She stared at that and nodded her head. "Thank you so much, sweety! You have been a daughterly figure from the day we have met each other."

I smiled and said, "and you have been a motherly figure from the day we met each other."

Better than my mother. I added in my head.

She awed and pinched my cheeks. "Come on, let's see what fits you." She pulled me with my wrist.

After some time of exploiting her cardboard box that she had hidden it below the bed, I finally found a dress which fit my physique.

It was raven, full-length dress with silver edges at the ending of the gown which made it stand out even though the colour flow was the same from the neck till the end.

Orchida sighed and glimpsed at me. "I don't have a mask for any other dress except for the blue one. You see, dear, this pack isn't always called for any ball or festive conducted since we hold one of the lowest rankings amongst the wolves. The dress that you can notice in the box is very old. It has been passed to the successive generation of my blood to keep it memorably. I don't know to whom I should pass this--I'm rambling. . .Oof, me."

I remember her telling that she had a daughter.

"Your daughter. . .?"

She looked away and fiddled with her fingers.

"She was taken away from me when my mate and the half of the pack was separated from this place. She was fifteen when I last saw her but I don't think she would be alive as she was taken by the Beta's of all Beta."

Her fingers trembled and her eyes watered but she blinked them back away.

I smiled. "Everything happens for a reason." That was the thing I could muster myself up to tell. I really didn't want to upset her so, I tried changing the topic. "So, how would I get a mask to hide my face?"

She tried smiling but instead, a frown sat on her face. "I shall. . .maybe make it by myself and give it to you?"

I shook my head. "That wouldn't be possible."

How I wish I knew magic right now. I thought with a scowl.

"Then what shall be done?"

I shrugged my shoulders and muttered, "do 'Abracadabra'."

"The pretty girl that. . .what was her name? Clara? She smelled like a witch and a bloodsucker. She--"

The door banged open. As an instinct, I got up from the bed on which I was sitting and prepared myself to fight.

Clara rolled her eyes but grinned. "Take my name and I'm here!" She exclaimed and walked towards the cardboard box. "Ah! Choosing dress without me? What did you choose?"

Was she excited about going to the ball? I hope she's not.

"Are you excited?" I voiced my question loudly.

She scowled. "Of course, I'm so excited that I can sky-rocket straight to the stars." She continued. "Especially to meet my prince charming, Alpha Draco." She feigned a dream gasp.

"Ok, I get that you're not excited at all."

"She has got a complication here of not having a mask, dear. Could you help her with that?" Orchida asked.

Clara made a thinking expression before grinning widely. "If I help her, you should choose a dress for me."

Orchida laughed and nodded. "Of course, dear."

Clara took the dress and tore a strip of black and swirled it around her forefinger.

"I haven't done this before though I remember my prince charming's lapdogs teaching me to use my powers so that they could use me for something good but I refused to help them for something which I wasn't interested in at all--oof, I rambled."

"Wow, that sentence was long," I said with a fake gasp.

"Why, thank you."

She soon closed her eyes and knitted her eyebrows together in concentration. Her hands began to glow a radiant grey making her entire demonear changed. She lifted her other hand and slowly began to remove the black strip from her forefinger. My eyes widened in surprise when I saw the black piece of cloth developing itself like a plant.

"Wow." I heard Orchida mutter from beside me.

The radiant grey colour engulfed the piece of cloth and in a blink of an eye, the light was gone, leaving only the black piece of cloth which was now in the form of a half mask with an uneven shape.

Clara fluttered open her eyes open before her eyes directly cam with contact with me. Her eyes were glowing a bright yellow as she came closer to me and held my hand, placing the mask on it. "Here you go!" She coughed and wiped her forehead. "Oof, I'm tired."

"You need blood, dear?" Orchida asked; looking a little frightened.

Clara chuckled. "Of course--"

"I'll bring it for you now, d-darls!" Orchida squeaked.

"Let me complete my sentence. I was about to say of course not because my witch genes are dominant over my vampire gene. So, you could say I'm technically a witch."

Orchida nodded her head and smiled.

I stared at Clara. "Thank you."

"I don't do well with thanks. But, no problem!" She turned her head to look at Orchida with tired eyes. "Gimme a dress." She stretched her hands.

Orchida beamed and nodded her head. "Sure, dear."

All of a sudden, Clara crouched down and coughed. Started, I crouched beside her and asked, "Clara?" I touched her arm to stable her.

"I-I guess I used way too much of energy." She spoke in a drained voice.

I pulled her up and made her sit on the wooden bed. "Sit here and stay with Orchida. I'll bring something for you."

"That's not needed, dear," Orchida whispered and brought a wooden glass and a big banana-like thing in her hand but the outer peel was of dark brown almost black in colour.

I stared at it in confusion. "What's that?"

"A fruit," Orchida replied. "It's known as woofivo. This fruit fills your stomach and provides you with strength instantly though it can make you feel sore for some time."

"Oh. . ."

Clara gulped the water as soon as she got the wooden cup and savagely ate the fruit.

"Calm down," I warned her.

She chuckled. "Let's decide my dress and impress my prince charming!"

"Draco?" I asked.

Clara nodded her with too much excitement on her face but her eyes held the bitter glint in them.

"Okay, dear." Orchida smiled.

🕳🕳🕳

We as in me, Clara and Orchida stood in front of the door where others where getting ready.

Clara chose a red dress which was of Orchida's grandmother's. Orchida cried when she saw Clara wearing it and told us about her journey with her grandmom. I must say, it was actually good to hear someone speaking openly when you're in a tense mood.

We didn't have any make-up products to use. So, we decided to have our normal looks as we would be wearing our masks.

I knocked on the door and not even a second later the door swung open. My jaw almost dropped when I looked at the site in front of me.

There, Xanthos was holding Teddy by his throat and was in the stance of snapping his neck.

"My goddess..." Orchida whispered brushing her open hair to one side.

I lifted my black dress and ran towards them to stop Xanthos from doing something brutal.

"Xanthos!" I yelled and tried removing his hands from around Teddy's neck.

Xanthos turned his head to look at me with his red eyes.

Oh no. It's Vlaxin.

"H-hey." Teddy tried waving his hands to greet my presence.

I glared at him and turned my glare at my mate. "Leave him!" He shook his head twisted his arm a little making Teddy scream. "I'll not talk to you if you'll not leave him down."

Vlaxin whimpered and harshly dropped Teddy down. Teddy coughed and rubbed his neck to get rid of the pain.

"Why in the hell would you do that?" I asked whilst glaring at him.

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "He claimed you to be his and not ours, love."

I laughed but coughed to continue being angry at him.

"You have marked me. So, whether he would claim me to be his or not, I'm yours." He smiled and brought his hand to ruffle my hair but I stopped him. "I don't want to do my hairstyle again and get ready. . .why hasn't no one wearing a shirt?"

I noticed the red orbs returning back to its brown orbs letting me know that it was Xanthos in front of me.

"This is a supernatural ball, remember? And we aren't humans who would wear a tuxedo and cover ourselves."

"How can I resist you if you would come like this?" I thought--

"So, you find me hot?"

"Did I say that loud?"

"Answer my question as I asked you first."

"No, answer mine and I'll answer yours."

"Bella...I want to know the truth."

"Xanthos...I--"

"Could you two stop your weird conversation!" Teddy shouted.

I chuckled and turned towards him. Giving him a hug, I asked, "you okay, Teddy?"

A low growl came from behind but I ignored it and pulled away from Teddy. "I'm cool after your mate strangled me almost to death."

"Why would say something like that to him?"

"Haha, I just wanted to test his patience for stamping on my foot." He chuckled nervously.

A clap caught all of our attention. "Listen, everyone!" Alpha Loisel shouted. "Everyone shift and make sure, you hide your faces with the mask you have with you." He turned his head towards us. "Alpha Ruzzox and Luna Amanda." He bowed his head to us whilst I stared at him in shock.

"How does he--"

"I told him as to what my actual purpose for coming to the ball is and now everyone including Teddy knows."

I gulped and looked at everyone. Clara had a confused expression on her face.

"What?" She whispered. "But you're a human."

I nodded my head and gazed in her eyes which held bewilderment and awe in them. "I'll explain to you later."

"I too need an explanation, dear." Orchida voiced out.

I weakly smiled and nodded.

"All shift and get ready." All hollered in enthusiasm.

Clara and I shared a look. "How can we--"

Xanthos chuckled. "Why you need to shift when I'm there for you, mate?"

"And why you need to shift when I'm here for you, Clara?" Onyx asked; mimicking Xanthos.

"Ride me." Both of them said together.

I chuckled and walked next to Xanthos. He pecked my nose before crouching down along with the other and snapping into his wolf.

Clara glared at Onyx when he tried to kiss her on her cheek. "Shift," Clara grumbled.

Onyx frowned but crouched down and snapped into his wolf too.

I exhaled loudly and climbed on Xanthos.

Here goes nothing.

A/N

*coughs* Hello!

I can't believe 'Leonardo' got 14,200 reads!

And...thanks to bloody--mascara for the new cover.

*runs away* bye!