Mae POV
Raven is bouncing on her toes, squealing with delight. For the Queen of Werewolves, she isn't regal. She has a large dress bag in her hands and I am terrified to see what is inside. Raven's style and mine aren't exactly the same. The last ball gown she lent me was amazing but I keep remembering the blood-red one she chose for herself.
'Please don't be red,' I chant in my head.
Celeste scoffs loudly. 'We would look stunning in red.'
I smirk a little at her comment and I am so focused on Celeste that I don't notice that Raven has unzipped the dress bag. She is looking at me with a wounded look on her face. I quickly turn my gaze to the dress bag and my mouth drops open.
A shimmering silver dress is hanging inside the bag. It looks like it is covered in diamonds. I take tentative step toward the dress but then clutch my hand to my chest and back away.
"Is that my dress," I whisper.
"Do you hate it?" Raven pouts. "Kieran told me that your wolf was silver, so I thought this would be a perfect way to honor her since you can't shift again for two weeks."
'I like it,' Celeste chimes in loudly.
I am still not used to her constantly being in my head, and I try to shake my thoughts free. "It is a beautiful dress," I admit aloud.
"But you hate it," Raven sighs.
Her perfect lips are pursed into a pathetic pout. There is no way I am getting out of wearing this dress.
"It is just very flashy," I say as gently as I can. "I don't like to be the center of attention."
Raven carefully lays the dress on the bed and walks over to me. She grabs my cheeks and holds my head in place. Her blue eyes stare deeply into mine, and the moment is growing more awkward the longer she looks at me.
"Raven," I try to speak. "My cheeks hurt."
Raven loosens her grip on my cheeks, but she doesn't let go. "Listen here," she says in a firm tone. "You are going to be the center of attention tonight. Tonight is all about you. You are going to wear this ridiculously expensive dress, and you are going to look fabulous. Now get dressed."
I nod my head, and Raven drops her hands to her sides. There is a bright smile on her face, but I am massaging my jaw painfully. Opening and shutting my mouth several times it dulls the pain.
Raven is already pulling the dress out of the bag and walking toward me with it. "Strip," she commands.
I groan loudly and untie the front of my robe. Raven pushes it off my shoulders, and it falls to the ground. Suddenly, my vision goes blank and I hear Raven's muffled voice in the back ground.
I see Tish. She is in the passenger side of a convertible. Her dark hair is blowing wildly in the wind. I don't recognize the driver but I don't pay attention to him. Tish hunched down in the seat, with tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Where did you say you were heading, Sweetheart?" The driver asks.
"As far South as you will take me," she replies, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"What are you running from?" He asks.
"Nothing," Tish replies. "There is nothing left for me here."
I am pulled back into my room in the pack house and Raven is looking at me with wide eyes.
"How did you do that?" She whispers.
"How did I do what?" I ask.
Raven is wiping tears from my cheeks. "That thing with your eyes."
"Oh," I whisper. "That happens whenever I have a vision."
Raven holds the dress out for me to step into. "What did you see?"
I step into the dress and Raven pulls it up over my shoulders. It is heavier than I expected and I twist awkwardly as Raven zips up the back.
"What did you see?" Raven asks me again.
I swallow hard. "I saw Tish," I reply honestly. There is no point in lying to Raven. She can look into my mind at any moment.
Raven stiffens behind me. "Where is she?"
"She is on the move," I whisper. "South, I think."
"Do you want to send someone after her?" Raven asks me seriously.
I think about the look on Tish's face. She looked absolutely crushed. "What happens if I say no?"
Raven shrugs her shoulders. "Then she will live out her life as a familiar. Unbothered by us unless she causes more trouble. Is that what you want for her?"
I turn around to look in the mirror and I don't recognize the woman staring back at me. I have only been with the North Pack a short time and I have already changed so much. I can barely remember the girl I was living in that apartment with Tish. Maybe one day, Tish will find someone to save her the way Kieran saved me.
"Let her go," I tell Raven confidently.
"As you wish, Luna," Raven smiles back at me.
I roll my eyes at her but can't seem to wipe the smile off my face. Once again, I take a long look in the mirror. The glittering silver dress compliments me perfectly. Raven new exactly what she was doing when she picked it out. It has a plunging neck line and low back. It accesentuates my tiny waist and round hips. Running my hands down over the fabric, I can feel each tiny crystal under my fingertips.
"You look lovely," my mother's voice comes from behind me.
Raven and I turn to look in her direction. Her eyes are clear and she appears to be lucid. I let out the breath that I was holding. She is holding a black velvet box in her hands.
Raven is studying her carefully and I wonder if she is trying to delve into her mind. "I will leave you two alone," she says. "I will see you down there."
My mother waits patiently for Raven to leave before she begins to speak. "I brought you something," she whispers. "It isn't as flashly as your dress but it has been in our family for centruies."
She opens the box and there is a stunning black necklace inside. I reach out and run my fingers over the gems, they are cool to the touch.
"They are black diamonds," my mother informs me.
"It is beautiful," I say in awe as she places it around my neck. The black diamonds are stunning against my pale skin. It is the perfect addition.
Holding out her hand for me, Mother waits for me to take it. "Are you ready?"
"As ready as I can be," I sigh.