Josephine Holmes stood before the mirror, admiring herself. Her skin was glowing from her earlier run with the pack’s pups. Even though she was the Alpha's daughter, she enjoyed helping with the pups.
"You should wear the red dress," Rylee, her wolf, suggested.
"You're just being petty," Josephine replied while looking over the dresses on her bed. The festive red dress would be the best choice since all her other dresses were too bright for winter. She reached for it and looked at herself in the mirror again.
"I'm not, I'm sorry. Gladwin said we look good in red. We should wear it! It's also one of his pack colors," Rylee added.
Josephine smiled at the thought of wearing the colors of the Blood Pack. She, of course, would be his Luna after the mating ceremony. The thought alone made her blush. Who would have thought she would be matched with a future Alpha?
"We deserve it, regardless of our rank! Gladwin doesn't care that we are Omega, so we shouldn't worry anymore," Rylee said confidently, "Wear the red dress."
Josephine needed no persuasion; she swiftly began dressing. She could hear the click of heels and knew immediately who it was before she heard the voice.
"Josephine, what's taking you so long?" Her sister, Bailey, yelled from outside her bedroom door.
"I'm coming!" Josephine quickly applied lip gloss and smoothed out the wrinkles on her festive red dress before rushing to the door. She opened it to see Bailey standing there, looking as unimpressed as ever.
"You took long enough," Bailey said. She looked Josephine up and down, and her eye twitched slightly before saying, "Nice dress." Anyone who didn't know Bailey would've thought she was complimenting Josephine, but Josephine knew better. Bailey disapproved of everything she wore and did.
"You're just annoyed because you couldn't find the dress in your size," Josephine retorted. She knew that Bailey had her eye on the dress. It wasn't one of her better moments to be so petty, but she found some satisfaction in it because Bailey always got what she wanted
Bailey just frowned, responding, "That dress is outdated anyway. I found a much better one that suits me." She sauntered past Josephine, ensuring to bump against her with her shoulder. Josephine resisted the urge to growl. She wouldn't let her spoil the night.
Bailey was wearing a tight black dress with a deep neckline and black heels. Her hair was up in a high ponytail, had blush on her cheeks and was wearing bright red lipstick.
"She looks like a cheap streetwalker, and an ugly one at that," Rylee remarked.
"That's not nice," Josephine replied.
"It's the truth. You should hear what Mable says about you. Bailey can't even dress decently at home. Who is she trying to impress?" Rylee argued.
Rylee never liked Bailey since she constantly bullied Josephine while growing up. Everything had to be done her way, and if Josephine resisted, Bailey would find a way to hurt her. As soon as Josephine could shift, Rylee made sure to give Bailey a beating.
Josephine and Bailey entered the dining room where their parents were. They were drinking wine and conversing, but they halted as soon as the girls entered.
"Oh, you look so lovely!" their mother complimented Bailey.
Josephine had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes while Bailey literally shone from the praise of their mother. Bailey gave Josephine a smug look before sitting next to their mom.
Their mother gave Josephine a fleeting look before saying, "Oh, Josephine. You know, red is not a good color for you, but at least you've been eating well at school. How are your studies going?"
"I passed all my exams. Again, all A's," Josephine happily stated.
Josephine sat opposite Bailey, her mother, and her father. She thought it was strange that they were all seated across from her, but she pushed that thought to the back of her mind.Her mother casually commented, "That's lovely, darling," before changing the subject as if it was a figment of formality. "Do you have that dress I mentioned, Bailey? The white one?"
"Yes, I got it. I also got it at a discount. We had a credit once we returned the other dress," Bailey explained.
Josephine lost her enthusiasm upon realizing that once again, no one cared about what she had accomplished. She poured herself a glass of wine and downed it in one go. Josephine glanced at her father, who seemed too preoccupied to greet her while he was engrossed in his phone.
"Don't worry about them. We now have mates. They will be our family," Rylee said to cheer Josephine up. Josephine could only look forward to retreating to her bedroom and the upcoming mating ceremony. She would be where she was wanted, with Gladwin.
Her mother and Bailey had been chatting when her father cleared his throat, drawing their attention towards him. Her father said, "I'm glad that you are doing well in your studies, Josephine, but there will be no need for you to return in the spring."
"What do you mean?" Josephine inquired.
"Now that you're mated, it isn't a productive use of your time. You should prepare to be a dutiful mate," her father responded.
"Look, I can do both. I have everything all plotted out. I will be able to attend Luna's lessons during the day and school at night," Josephine argued. She had spent much time and effort with the academic advisor to make that arrangement.
"That money could be utilized for something else, like your sister's mating ceremony ," her father proposed.
"Bailey! You have a mate? That's exciting! Why didn't you tell me? We can go dress shopping together!" Josephine happily exclaimed.
Bailey scoffed and said, "You won't be needing a dress. Dad, just tell her already. This is simply sad."
"Josephine said, looking confused as she turned to look at her father, 'Tell me what, dad?'"
"I had a discussion with Alpha Jack of the Gray Blood Pack. His son, Gladwin, will become the new Alpha in a few months. His father and I have concurred that Gladwin needs a strong partner by his side to properly lead the pack," Josephine's father explained, "And that isn't you."
Josephine felt as if her entire world had been turned upside down. She didn't know whether to scream or cry. How could they make this decision for her?
"In three days, you will attend the rejection ceremony, and then in a week, you will have a mating ceremony with someone else of your tier, his brother, Gordon Fletcher."
