The Alpha Queen's Mate (Book 5 of The Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 15

Noelle arrived back at her dorm and let herself in. The building was quiet, which wasn't a surprise given that they unexpectedly had gotten this past week off. Everyone had gone home. And since they were all mated, they wouldn't bother with the ball. She wondered if she was wasting her own time by coming.

She tossed her bag down on her bed. She'd take it home with her tomorrow so that she could return with clean laundry. She especially needed to wash the things she'd worn to bed last night. Nick's scent would be all over them. Then she headed for the shower. She hadn't really made plans to get her hair or nails done today but she had some time, so she'd see what she could do.

She took her time in the shower, scrubbing herself down. Her thoughts drifted back to that morning. Now that she was alone, she knew she needed to not think about it, not dwell on it. She really didn't need to make things more awkward with Nick than they already were, not that they really were now. It was the one thing she felt a bit of relief about. He'd seemed fine with it, was even still willing to include her in this mess with Salt Flats.

'And if we don't meet our mate for a few hundred years?' Holly asked her.

'Then maybe I'd have sex with him. I'm surprised you're okay with all of this,' Noelle told her. Holly had seemed to enjoy Nick's attention as well.

'You and I both know it may be a very long time before we meet Mate. And if it is, we won't wait. Nick isn't a bad choice,' Holly said practically.

'If he'd even agree to it,' Noelle muttered. She wondered what he'd say if she asked him for sex.

'He would have this morning,' Holly pointed out.

'He didn't,' Noelle reminded her.

'You could have been more persuasive.'

'And if we meet our mate tonight, I would wish i hadn't been. Let's forget about it for now and focus on the ball,' Noelle said in irritation.

Holly huffed at her but didn't respond.

An hour later, she was headed into the nearby town to get her nails done. That was the easy part, and she sat quietly, her traitorous mind back on that morning as the technician worked.

Nick wasn't someone she could pursue. Well she could, but it made no sense for her to do so, and she highly doubted he'd want her to. He wasn't her fated mate. And the moment she found her mate, she'd forget about him. He'd be just a distant memory. It was the reason why most werewolves didn't get involved with people that weren't their mates. It was just a recipe for heartbreak. Noelle knew she'd get attached and the moment he found his mate, she'd be crushed. He'd waited this long; he wasn't going to reject his mate for her, nor would she expect him to.

Nick was busy anyway, and given that she was away in school, who knew when she might see him again, which was probably for the best. She was better off if she forgot about him. Not that she could completely, but she knew eventually it would just become a pleasant memory. He was probably already focused on something else.

'Doubt it,' Holly muttered. 'You don't think he was affected by this as much as we were?'

'He's a guy,' Noelle said.

'He's still a person with feelings. He's not immune to us,' Holly responded, annoyed.

Noelle frowned. It was like her wolf was pissed at her for not having sex with him. 'What do you want me to do?'

Holly sat down. 'I'm sorry. I'm confused by the feelings we have for him a bit too. Just focus on tonight. I will drop it.'

Noelle sighed and felt Holly warm her heart in apology. She never argued with her wolf and didn't want to now either.

She inspected her nails when the technician was done, then paid and left.

'They look nice,' Holly told her.

'They do, don't they?' She never got them done. It was pointless if she shifted, but it was a nice treat for tonight. She usually just painted them herself or Astrid would paint them for her.

Astrid was very artistic and she did a great job on Noelle's nails. But Astrid was back at home with her new mate. Noelle wanted to be envious, but she couldn't be. Astrid had waited a very long time for her mate. Her and Liam were adorable together.

Noelle had managed to find a small salon that was willing to do her hair last moment, and she headed over to find it as soon as her nails were done.

The place was hidden away, and it took Noelle a bit to locate it, but she finally did. She opened the door, stepped inside and was immediately hit with the scent of rogue. She froze and looked at the four women who were all seated in the hairdresser chairs, reading magazines.

They were the rogues, Noelle realized. Three of them were around her own age while the fourth was older. They all stared at her suspiciously for a moment before the older one stood and walked over to the front desk, eying Noelle warily. "Can I help you?"

Noelle gave her a genuine smile, knowing if she didn't put the woman at ease, she probably wasn't going to get her hair done. She had her heart set on it now. They'd do a much better job than she could. "Hi. I'm the one who called earlier about getting my hair done?"

"Caroline?" The woman asked.

"Yes, that's me," Noelle confirmed.

The woman eyed her. "Are you sure you want to get it done here?"

She was giving her a way out, Noelle realized. She met the woman's gaze. "Yes, I'm sure."

The woman stared at her for a moment longer. "Well all right then. Come on back. I'm Patty by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Patty." She walked around the front counter and sat down in the chair Patty indicated. She glanced around at the other women. They were mostly staring at their magazines, but Noelle caught the eye of one and smiled at her. She quickly looked back down. They reminded her of Hailey.

"So are you going to the mating ball this evening?" Patty asked as she began to comb out Noelle's long hair.

"Yes, I am."

"Well, good luck finding your mate, honey." Patty sort of reminded her of Charlotte.

"Thank you."

The room grew quiet after that. Noelle glanced at the other women when Patty moved her chair. They all three had remained quiet the entire time, though she could occasionally feel their eyes on her. She wondered where they had come from, what their story was.

"You know who you remind me of?" Patty suddenly said, pulling Noelle's attention out of her own head.

Noelle met her gaze in the mirror. She had a feeling she knew where this was going. If someone did recognize her, it was because of her mother.

"You remind me of the Luna Queen. You look just like her. Which pack are you from?"

And there it was. She had hoped they wouldn't ask. She could lie but she didn't want to. "I'm from Regal Eclipse."

"You're related to her, aren't you?" Patty asked curiously. Evidently the woman had seen her mother at some point, which meant she hadn't been a rogue her whole life.

"Yes.. She's my mother," Noelle admitted.

Patty stopped and bowed her head "Princess."

Noelle just smiled at her. "Not for today." She wanted them to be at ease around her.

Patty grew quiet again for a few moments. "I attended your mother's crowning ceremony. She was so beautiful that day. You look so much like her."

"Thank you." She wondered about that. If Patty has attended, she'd been in a pack. She knew every pack out there had been invited, though they'd been limited to bringing only ten pack members with them. She was surprised Patty had attended and wondered why she was now a rogue.

"Can I say something?" Patty suddenly said.

'You have been this whole entire time,' Holly muttered.

Noelle smiled. "Sure."

"I know your pack is responsible for upholding werewolf law. They need to look into Salt Flats Pack." Patty turned the chair.