Truly

Chapter 5

~Toni

Max had to leave shortly after he came due to his need to get ready for that night's banquet. The banquet. I was expected to go and I ruined the top I was going to wear, last night. Even worse, would he have told his family about me yet?

"Sooooooo, you and him?" Roxy ambushed me before I could get upstairs.

"If you really need to know, he lied to me about being important, I went outside for some air because of the shock of seeing him up there with our 'Royals' and then our fingers touched leading to me running away from him, again in shock."

"Wow!"

"Yeah, now can I go upstairs now?"

"Nah, ah. I'm coming to help you get ready for the banquet."

I sighed but knew I couldn't argue with her so I, reluctantly, let her follow. She knew that I had transformed last night so she knew I had ruined my top. I don't own nice clothes, so that top was meant to go with my smart black jeans for the banquet. It looked like that wasn't happening.

"Here, you can keep this. It doesn't suit me but it will suit you." Roxy gave me a cropped sleeveless top that had a piece cut out of the back and a beaded pattern on the front.

"Roxy, that is not me." I complained.

"No, it's the girly you that came out last night and needs to come out today. Your heels will go with this outfit, perfectly."

"Fine," I grumbled, "but no make-up and my hair is just going in a high ponytail. Deal?"

"No!" I glared at her. "Fine." 

After I got ready, I looked in the mirror and recognised myself better than I did yesterday. Walking downstairs, I saw my housemates snuggled on the sofa together. Grabbing a coke from the fridge, I sat on the arm of the sofa, near Roxy's feet.

"No funny business while I'm gone." I laughed and got waved off by my friends.

The two had put a Disney movie on. I was actually getting into the movie when someone knocked on the door. When I opened it, Alpha Caleb was at the door as he was taking me to the banquet. Saying goodbye to my friends, I got in Caleb's car. Why we needed a car was a mystery. We could easily walk to the house but no, we drove there. In silence.

Getting out of the car, some people from the pack started calling to me. Calling me things that I hate being called.

"Are you telling me that I am a stereotypical girl? Get lost you idiots, do you know who I am? I am a fighter, not a girl who will play dress-up and sit around all day!" I shouted back to the boys.

"Hey, calm it Toni. They don't need to be hospitalised. You really are your father's daughter, though. Anyway, they are most probably surprised that you look like a girl. Come on." He grabbed my arm and we walked in.

Going into the entrance hall, I looked around to see that the signs of last night's party had all gone. Looking into one of the side rooms, I saw Max beckoning me over.

"Caleb, I am just going to the toilet. Go in without me."

Caleb nodded and I watched as he entered the dining room. As soon as he was out of sight, I went to Max and hugged him.

"What you doing in here?"

"Waiting for you. Listen, Lizzie is the only person that knows you are my mate and I don't want to announce it at this banquet. Can you pretend that we have never met before and you only know me from what you have heard about me and what you saw of me at the party?"

"Well, I left the party but know that you had a lot of girl's swooning over you." I laughed.

"Well, I only wanted to be dancing with one girl."

I hugged him and then grabbed his hand. We walked out hand in hand before getting to just outside the closed door.

"See you inside stranger." I let go of his hand and walked into the dining room alone.

The meal was actually going ok. I was sat next to Caleb and next to me was Max's twin. Max was sat across from me and I felt quite safe. I was happy that Lizzie knew about Max and I and she kept looking reassuringly at me as I looked across at Max, knowing I was probably wanting to be sat next to him. It was crazy. I only met him the day before yet my life without him was not worth living.

It was only until after the main meal, that the conversation went down.

"So Toni, do you still fight?" Max's brother asked. Beside me, Caleb held back a laugh and I elbowed  him in the ribs.

"I wouldn't be Toni Hatfield without the fights now would I?" I asked with a smile. A lot of people smiled or laughed at my comment. I started to drink some of my water before the next person spoke.

"Toni, dear. I am right to believe that you are unmated aren't I? Well, don't you think that your fighting could put boys off you? Do you think you will ever find your mate?" Luna Macy asked me.

I nearly spat my water out. That was not the conversation I thought I would be having at the dinner. I looked across at Max who smirked a little. I was glad one of us wasn't worried about this.

"Uuuuummm, mates? Well I believe that there is someone out there for me. There is someone out there for everyone. If I find my mate, they should accept me for who I am." I kicked Max under the table, warning him that he will have to accept me for who I am too.

"Well said. However, don't you worry that you will never find your mate?"

"Can we not talk about this?" Max spoke up for the first time. He was sticking up for me, sensing my unease.

"What's wrong with you Max? Worried you won't find your mate?" Ruby sarcastically said.

Everyone was starting to get uncomfortable. I could not find anywhere to look other than the floor. I didn't like how the conversation had suddenly turned to me not being mated. I know they didn't know that I had found out about my mate but out of all the people in the room, the conversation had to turn to me.

I quickly excused myself, making up that I needed the toilet. I waited outside the door, knowing that Max would come out as well. Sure enough, a couple of minutes later, Max appeared next to me. Instead of saying anything, he just pulled me into a hug. 

"Hey, soon they will know about us. I am so sorry. I didn't know that would happen and I could sense that you hated it. Listen, if you want, we can tell people that we are mates?" He cupped my face with his hands.

"How can we do that? After what just went off? Let's just go back in there and be normal again. However hard that may be." 

I let Max go in and waited a while before going in. Sitting back down, Lizzie squeezed my hand and I smiled at her. I could sense that I would have a lasting friendship with her. 

The rest of the dinner went smoothly and soon I was getting ready to leave. As I passed Max, he slipped a piece of paper into my hand. It was his phone number and written on it were the words 'text or phone whenever x'. I smiled at him before leaving with Caleb.

In the car, I yawned loudly, causing Caleb to look at me.

"Early night for someone. Your father would kill me if I took you back, sleep deprived."

"No, he would kill Roxy and Josh for me being sleep deprived because they are my housemates. And, something tells me that Roxy will want a word from word account of what happened tonight." I sighed.

"Well, good luck." Caleb tells me as I get out of the car.

I opened the door and was hit with Hurricane Roxy. I wished I could phone Max there and then, but it looked like I had to go through this alone.