6.

Why did it feel like a stab in his heart each time he hurt her? 

I kept away from the other girls as everyone dressed up for the feast. Most of them I didn't know, but they had a vibe around them that just wasn't really my style. I know I loved a lot of things, but these girls weren't my kind of people. They dressed up as if they had to impress a whole load of men with their bodies. Their dresses were short – shorter than was appropriate, in my opinion – and not only was their butt sticking out at the bottom, their cleavage was shown a lot as well.

"I heard the alpha himself will show up at every ceremony!" One girl whispered excitedly to another.

"There are rumours that the seer predicted he would meet his mate tonight." The rumours went around and around.

"They say he is the most handsome man in the whole pack, and that he is strong as a boar."

"His eyes are told to be so blue, you could drown in them."

"Rumours are that he is ruthless as well, almost emotionless."

"That he is cold, cynic and dark inside."

"All these rumours don't matter to me. I came here today so I could meet him, as he is my mate. The seer said so herself. He may be cold or heartless, but I will have him wrapped around my finger in no time. I mean, how could he not be? Look at my body, he won't be able to resist that." A girl – I'm sorry, I meant slut – stood up. She was probably worse than all other girls in the whole room. I wasn't sure if she could breathe in that piece of clothing, it was that tight. Her boobs almost jutted out, while her butt was almost all out in the open. She was gorgeous, I must say. Long, tanned legs, a beautiful hourglass figure, impeccable skin and golden hair that seemed to glow. Still, her eyes showed nothing but meanness and lust for power. I sincerely hoped for our alpha that he wouldn't end up with her as his mate. He may be cold and heartless, but everyone deserved a chance at being loved. And someone like her, could possibly never love.

Some girls were not as bad, but they still wanted to impress their mate, if they would meet them tonight.

Personally I felt I would meet him tonight, my mate, my other half, my soul. In my own way, I wanted to impress him. Not by showing off my body in the literal sense, but I wanted to look beautiful for him. And for myself as well. After all, I loved dressing up like a princess every once in a while.

My dress was long and dark blue, with long sleeves and an open back. It hugged my body like a second skin, but it didn't feel tight on me. I had worn it to my high school prom last year, and just as the last time I wore it, I immediately felt beautiful once I had it on. My hair was just brushed and fell over my shoulders, as always. My make up I kept light as well, I just used some eyeliner, concealer and nude lipstick, nothing too serious. My mate should love me the way I am, just as I would love him the same way.

Wondering where I would see Francis, I walked around aimlessly around the ball room. The music was classic, several musicians were playing famous songs of Bach, Tchaikovsky and Mozart. I softly hummed to the sounds of the dance of the sugar plum fairy, the short, cheery sounds reminded me of the most beautiful ballet I had ever seen. On tv only, because in the Sensus pack there were no extraordinary ballet dancers, but in the Artem pack it was one of their specialties. Trying to dance on my heels, I accidently stumbled over the edge of my dress, as my feet just seemed to like to step on the fabric. Just as I was about to fall, I felt a firm grip on my arms from behind, which kept me up.

"Careful there, I didn't have my dance yet." Francis chuckled. I blushed slightly as I felt my face warm up to a lovely cherry colour. Note the sarcasm.

"You look gorgeous, Cara," he whispered softly as he turned me around. His face was contorted in an adorable frown as he looked at me in awe. This absolutely didn't help my blush, so instead of just my cheeks, my whole head must have looked just like an overripe tomato. "Thank you Francis," I whispered back. "You don't look too bad yourself actually." I took a good look at him. He wore a dark blue tux that hugged his body, with a grey tie. I gasped as I looked at his shoes. "Francis please! You can't wear worn out sneakers underneath such a suit!"

He gave me a confused look. "I can't?"

"No. You definitely cannot."

"I am absolutely sorry for my wrong choice of footwear, milady, but will you still do me the honours of dancing with you on the lovely tunes of Canon in D?" He talked with an accent that was so extremely posh, I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Of course, milord," I answered as politely as I could, while offering him my hand. He pushed a soft kiss on it, smirked as I blushed – again – and then took me twirling around on the music. He was a great dancer actually, he managed to lead me in such a way, I only had the opportunity to step on his toes twice during three minutes. All in all, I had a great time while dancing with Francis. Not only was he a good dancer, he also managed to keep up a good and light conversation. I found out several things about him, and I knew that his mate would be ecstatic to meet him.

"Thank you for this dance, milady," Francis said full of dignity. "But I fear our ways part here."

I looked at him in shock as the music died down. "Why would you leave me here all by myself!"

"The alpha and beta's are coming, and the men and women are supposed to stand apart, dummy."

Right. I knew this was in the protocol of the ceremony. After an hour of dancing and mingling during the first part of the party, the alpha of the Sensus pack, and the beta's of the Pack Quarters would come up on stage. As their senses were heightened, they would smell if their mate was in the room, and after that they would try to find him or her. For that to happen, the males and females would have to stand apart, in another corner of the room.

"Right, I forgot. It was nice seeing you, Francis. If I don't see you anymore today, have a good time at the Ratio pack. Give me a call sometimes!" I quickly hugged him, smiling broadly. "You do still remember the number of my phone right?"

He nodded. "I will always remember. Take care, Cara." With these words, he turned around and walked away from me in the crowd. I didn't even have time to see where he went, because right after our goodbyes, all lights went dark, except for those who lit the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen," I heard from the speakers. "I hereby welcome you to the feast of Sensus. You are all young adults who have their entire life before them. I hope you will feel where you belong in your new Pack Quarter, but most of all, I hope you will find your mate, your true love, the other half of your soul. First, there will be a short encounter with the alpha and the beta's, but after that you can mingle as you wish. Give them respect, as I present you, the leaders of the Sensus pack!"

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