Rogue

2: Torn Apart

Blake wore the suit I paid for when he arrived.

He looked amazing in it, as I knew he would, and loved it enough to wear it as his birthday outfit. We practically grew up together along with Alex, so I always had a pretty good idea of what he was into and blue has been his favorite color for as long as I could remember.

Blue was also the main theme of his party, accented with black and silver. That had nothing to do with me–the only thing I did all day was check off each completed task for the party. I don't know why the Alpha thought I would make a good fit for the job of directing the pack. I know he was a busy man, but wasn't part of an Alpha's job to pay attention to pack dynamics? It wasn't like anyone hated me, but they weren't exactly friendly towards me either. Anyone I approached either immediately walked off or snapped out a response. The only person who was friendly towards me was Stella, Blake's girlfriend.

It was rumored that Stella was going to be Blake's Mate. And it was undeniable that she would make a good Luna, the one everyone was hoping for. Pretty, popular, smart, and nice. That was the Professor X recipe to making a Luna and Stella had them all. I honestly wanted her to become Luna too; she was always nice to me no matter what and made an effort to talk to me.

The only reason why she's not with Blake right now is because she and a few of her friends put together a dance number for him and were rehearsing. The party was like a talent show more than anything else, with many of the pack members putting together some sort of entertainment to get in their future Alpha's good graces now rather than later.

Some of the Elder women got all the pack children together for some sort of play. A few other Elders, including Blake's grandfather Elder Samson, planned to tell a few stories later on in the night. Some Warriors were going to fight in a show of strength and skill. And there was going to be a huge feast with a huge spit roasted pig as the centerpiece—the smell of cooking pig has filled the entire pack grounds since Blake left this morning.

We always celebrate 18th birthdays at night. It's a tradition to party and have fun until midnight, when the birthday person would shift and bathe in the moonlight of the Goddess, waiting to feel the pull of their Mate. When their Mate was identified, the two would shift and run through the forest together. It wasn't known how far the pull reached, but given that packs were easily the size of a small town it was common for most to find their Mate within or from neighboring packs. It's the Goddess' work. But in the rare case that one did not find their Mate, they would take a silent vigil in the forest until dawn. Some would leave the pack to search for their Mate. But some, like Alex, remained in the pack for various reasons. In Alex's case, it was his duty binding him here.

Blake's arrival cued the beginning of the party and suddenly music was blasting and people were cheering. He spared me a glance and small smile, patting my shoulder as he passed me by on his way to Stella, who screamed and jumped into his arms. I didn't know if I wanted to take her place, or just have what they had, but there was a strange ache in my chest as I watched the two embrace.

"Good job, Robin." Alpha Elijah said beside me. He smiled as I looked up at him.

I couldn't help but beam at the praise. "Thanks. I didn't really do that much though."

"You did just enough." He patted my head. "It looks amazing."

The party was in full swing when I realize I'd forgotten Blake's gift upstairs. Those close to him had given him their gifts personally, but the rest were on a table in a sizable pile. The people loved their Alpha Apparent and weren't afraid to show it. There were literally hundreds of gifts there, each carefully wrapped and presented on the table. I would've loved to give Blake my gift personally, but it was too late. I didn't want to end up embarrassing him in front of the whole pack.