To Catch an Alpha

Chapter 3 - To Catch a Ceremony Dress

"Mom," I asked at the breakfast table as she turned around to put some more bacon on my plate. "I kind of... um... I need a dress for this ceremony thing and was wondering if-" she put up herself hand with a wide grin spreading across her slightly worn face. Her light brown hair was pulled up into a bun on her head. She wiped her hands off on her apron and slowly walked over to me from the stove. "Say no more honey," she smiled at me excitedly. " Cilia, get dressed, we're going shopping!" My mother was a slight shopaholic. She enjoys buying new clothes, especially for my sister and I. "What time are we leaving?" I asked as I placed another piece of bacon in my mouth and chewed it thoughtfully. "Right away, go get dressed, comb your hair, do something!" She yelled as she headed into her bedroom to get dressed herself.

My bedroom consisted of my bed, my dresser, my desk and my television which hung on a stand from the wall. The light blue painted walls were a calming color and reminded me of ocean waves. Pictures hung all around the room. Pictures of myself, my family, James. 'Don't even think about that mess right now,' I said to myself as I marched further into the room. I dug into my dresser and grabbed a pair of black skinny jeans and a black T- shirt with a green over shirt to wear for the day. I started the shower water in my bathroom and threw my bed clothes onto my bed. "Ow," I yelled as I burned myself on the water, mentally cursing. I got it to the perfect temperature and slid inside the shower, instantly relaxing to the warm water hitting my back. I scrubbed myself clean quickly, enjoying the scent of apples from my shampoo, and dried off with a towel. I'm rushing perfection, I thought to myself with a giggle.

"Chase, hurry up!" Cecilia yelled at me from the bottom of the stairs. The ceremony wasn't for a few weeks but I had to get my dress now before they were all gone. The ceremony was meant to be a big party between all the unmated, eligible wolves in the pack. After the two that are chosen for Alpha Kaiden, the rest with rejoice that they weren't picked and celebrate by trying to find mates of their own. I threw my clothes on and slipped on my black calf high boots, heaving my wet curly hair down. "Hold your horses, I'm coming," I said as I slide down the banister to the end of the stairs. My feet landed on the floor with a hard thud. "Now just where do you think you're going?" I heard the voice of my father say to me. I turned to see him in the den, reading his newspaper. His dark hair was beginning to grey slightly but his bright blue eyes always shone with excitement. "You think you're going to walk out of this house without giving me a proper hug?" I skipped over to my father who was now standing from the chair. Wrapping my arms around him tightly, I hugged him like I would never see him again. Just in case.

"Don't give your mother too much hassle today, you know how she is with these things." He told me as he kissed my hair and let me go. My father, though he was built like a stone wall, always had a soft spot for my mother. Mates are supposed to be like that, I suppose. You have to put their happiness before your own, that's what love is. "Bye Daddy, I love you," I said as I scurried out of the house and to the SUV that already had my sister and mother waiting inside.

...

"What about this one?" Cecilia asked as she handed me a yellow ball gown over the changing stall door. The gown was like a princess dress and looked like it could swallow me in one bite. "I'll try it," I say as I slowly step into the dress. The yellow and green beading looks similar to vomit and the poofy skirt stretches my arm span. "No no, this is definitely not it." I say as I turn the door handle to show my patient mother and sister. We have been doing this for three hours straight. Cecilia broke out into a fit of giggles when she saw me, earning a scowl. "Yellow just isn't your color sweetie," my mother said as she handed me a teal blue tight fitting gown.

The teal gown had light blue detailing on it with white beads, which looked like little waves swimming across the dress. It was beautiful. I unzipped. The dress and stepped in, noticing the snug fit. I went to zip it back up, but the zipper wouldn't budge. "Mom, I need a little help," I quietly holler to her. She opens the stall door and begins to try to zip me up. After ten minutes of pulling and pushing and trying to zip, we give up. "Darnit all, I thought that was the one." She says as she hands me a burgundy dress.

The dress had an off shoulder neckline that I hadn't seen on any other dress before. The fabric felt like satin as it fell through my fingers. I loved it. There was no beading, no ruffles, just class. It wasn't too form fitting, but it also wasn't a ball gown. I slowly slipped the dress on. It fit perfectly. I twirled slightly in the dress and loved the feeling. "I'm coming out now," I say as I exit the stall. I twirled a little for them, showing my family the full spin of the dress. "Oh it's beautiful!" Cecilia yelled and clapped as she rushed over to me to feel the dress. She ran her hands over the fabric and 'ooo'ed. "You look gorgeous honey, this is the one. Take it off so I can go buy it." She demanded with a grin.

I stepped back into the dressing room and looked at myself in the mirror. My auburn colored hair reached to just above my waist and was wavy from drying after the shower. My muscular build looked feminine in the dress, unlike some of the others I had tried on. It was perfect. My mirrored hazel eyes looked into my own and I grinned at myself. I slid the dress off carefully and put it back on the hanger. Once I was redressed, I walked out of the room and handed the dress to my mother.

...

All anyone could talk about was the ceremony tonight. "I hope I get chosen, I mean even if he's not cute he's an Alpha, right?" I heard a blonde bimbo gush to her brunette friend while walking the halls. I didn't understand what the big deal was. He was an Alpha and he had power, yeah, but that doesn't mean you can like a person based on what they have. I held my books tightly to my chest as I walked past Braxton and his gang.

"See you tonight Chasey," he said with a wide grin that made me swallow hard. I nodded quickly and nearly sprinted down the hall to my AP US History class. I stepped inside the door just as the bell rang and hurried to take my seat. "Ms. Bailey, thank you for joining us," Mr. Rogers sneered as he went over the lesson. James had been ignoring me for the last few weeks. It was like I've been a ghost to him be since he snuck into my bedroom. Ever since that kiss.

He will look at me, but when I catch him he looks away. And when I text him or call he doesn't answer. I don't know what I did vto deserve this treatment. I will see him in the halls and say hi, or try to talk to him in our classes together but he doesn't respond or even look at me. He's acting like a completely different person. 'I have to get him alone and talk to him,' I think to myself as Mr. Rogers drags on about the importance of the Louisiana Purchase in the US western expansion.

We have lunch together next period, I should be able to talk to him then. The bell brings me out of my trance, so I pack up my books and race to my locker. My heart is racing as I push through people, bent on reaching James before he leaves the cafeteria with his lunch. I'm almost running as I reach the cafeteria, my hazel eyes searching for the familiar blue green ones. I'm suddenly thrown on the floor with a warm sticky substance covering my body. My eyes worked down my body as I saw the bright red liquid spilled over my clothing and into my hair. "Wow, the cliff can't even stand on her own two feet. It's a wonder why Braxton chose her as his date." Addison Turner spat at me as she dumped her empty styrofoam soup container into the garbage.

She chomped on her bubble gum and eyes me up and down with a sour look on her plastic face. Her platinum blonde hair was pin straight and hung just above her waist. Her hateful blue eyes reminded me of the sky on a nice summers day, though nothing was nice about this girl. My eyes looked back at the floor as I tried to stand myself up, afraid that she might try to kick me down. "Sorry excuse for a wolf," she muttered as she confirmed my suspicions and kicked her pale high heels into my rib cage. The air that had been in my lungs swiftly left them and I was left gasping for breath. I could only hear Addison's laugh as tears were filling my eyes.

Someone tall approached the scene, a male. A familiar voice began yelling, and that was when a flicker of hope registered within me. James helped me to my feet and out of the cafeteria. We walked down the corridor in silence, unable to say the words that both of us were thinking. We grabbed our things from our lockers and slowly trudged towards the school's entrance to his car. "Get in, I'm taking you home," James shrugged with his hands in his pockets as he leaned against the black four door car. I smiled at him, thankful to hear his voice again, and would have hugged him had the tomatoes soup not been covering my body. I took a deep breath and sighed as I moved to the passenger side door of the car. My eyes glanced over at James and caught a grin on his face as well, before he turned back to me with his stone expression