Her pout is nearly audible. “Like fuck are you going to the Omega Gala without me, Sienna Michaels. Besides, Emmett already had an invite.”
I straighten with a frown. “He did?”
“Yep. Looks like David Cohen is seriously pitching him for the Beta representative job.”
“How’s he settling in?” I lie back on my bed, my hand over my eyes.
Jess quietens. “It’s been an adjustment,” she admits. “But he’s doing okay. He could probably do with some male company. Monty’s not been the most welcoming.”
I bite my lip, remembering his caustic expression when he saw Emmett. “He’s just protective over you, Jess.”
“I know.” She sighs. “But anyway. Back to the gala. I vote we go. And we gohard. Ballgowns, hair, the lot. We’ll make the Cobutts regret every bad decision they’ve made when they see all the other packs fawning over you.”
“Jess,” I groan. “I don’t want another pack. I have more than enough to manage with my actualSoul Bonds.”
She snorts. “Maybe, but it wouldn’t hurt to wind them up a little, Si. Make them sweat.”
My stomach flips as I consider it, a tendril of interest snaking through my chest. “I’ll need a dress.”
Oh God. Another dress.
Jessalyn squeals in my ear. “I’m calling Helena. We’ll need reinforcements. We’re going to hit every dressmaker in town until we find you something perfect.”
Oh, God. Mymother.
I go to protest, but Jess has already hung up in her excitement. Rolling over, I bury my face in the pillow with a groan.
“Shortcake?” Jax knocks on my open door. “You okay?”
“No,” I grumble into the cotton. “We’re going to the gala. Jess and Emmett are going too.”
He clicks his tongue. “If you don’t wanna go, we won’t go. I’ll speak to the wildcat.”
To his credit, his voice only wavers alittle.
With a grimace, I wave my hand. “It’s fine. We can go.”
As much as I don’t want to admit it, the idea of playing a little game with my Bonded is growing on me. They haven’t exactly seen me at my best since our Mating Ceremony.
Maybe this is exactly what we all need.
48
SIENNA
“There we go,” my mother says. Her breath hitches as she carefully blots the ends of my hair with a soft towel. “All done.”
I peer into the misted mirror opposite us, seeing the dark, telltale hue of pink hair. My lips tilt up.
“I’m glad to have it back,” I admit truthfully. I didn’t feel likemewithout it.
Mama doesn’t let me linger, dragging me back into the large dressing room and the flurry of activity. Jess has goneallout on our gala preparations. She’s lying back in a chair, her eyes closed as a beautician works on her eyebrows. One eye cracks open. “Champagne?”
“No, thank you.” I grab an orange juice from the tray instead. “I need a clear head tonight.”
Our dresses are hung carefully in the wardrobe, and my pack is downstairs, getting ready with Emmett. Jess’s place is huge, and she’s given them strict instructions on where they can go so they don’t see us ahead of the big reveal.
It feels a little like how I did at my Mating Ceremony,beforeeverything went to shit. A small frisson of excitement slips up my spine as I settle back in the chair, a blonde-haired stylist pursing her lips as she studies my hair.
