Best Friends Mated

Chapter 2

"Breakfast is served!!" Erica yells rather loudly as she walks into the kitchen. Luna Irene is working away making fried potatoes, French toast, bacon, scrapple, fruit salad and so much more. She walks over and places a soft peck on Irene's cheek.

"Grandma, everything looks and smells fabulous!" She said smiling at her grandmother.

"Thank you, deary! Now go on and make yourself a big ol plate." Irene tells her as she turns back to the bacon cooking on the stove.

After filling her plate to the brim, Erica walks over to the counter and sits down. She whips out her phone and google searches elegant hairstyles. She isn't sure what to do with this mane on her head. Her thick and curly brown hair is always a challenge. She doesn't want to straighten it tonight like she sometimes does. Tonight is special. She wants to look perfect. She wants to impress her mate, if she finds him. After 20 minutes of scrolling and searching she finds the perfect style. Long loosely curled hair with a broach on the left side pulling back a small portion of her hair with a small puff. It's soft, elegant, timeless and beautiful. It will go perfectly with her dress.

She gets up from the counter and takes her dishes to the sink, rinsing them off. Krista hasn't come downstairs to eat as usual. She doesn't really eat that much after what happened. She's probably up in her room reading, Erica thinks to herself as she makes her way back up the steps of the pack house.

The pack house is nice. It isn't grand but it isn't small. The Alpha and Luna's family live here along with the Beta and Delta's families. The warriors have their own house next door and the other pack members live throughout the territory. Unlike most packs, we don't tell our people where they have to live. They know our territory and are allowed to choose where they wish to live. Some choose in town, some choose seclusion. Every house is built by the family that live there. If they can't build a house for themselves, we have pack housing that they can live in. Again, unlike most packs, our pack houses are single family homes and not apartments. Alpha Melvin and Luna Irene believe that every family deserves privacy and a place of their own. It works out well for us and everyone loves it here.

As soon as she turns the corner, Erica runs smack into Krista. As usual, Krista's nose is in a book. Erica rolls her eyes and grabs Krista's book as she grabs her best friends arm and links it to hers.

"Little House on the Prairie. Really?" She says as she tosses the book over her shoulder while they begin to descend down the steps. Before Krista could object, she's pushed out of the front door and into Erica's car. She sighs in defeat as Erica makes her way over to the drivers seat.

"You're going to enjoy today." Erica says as she points her finger at Krista. "It's the day we have been waiting for for our entire lives!" She says excitedly as she pulls out of the drive.

*The day YOU have been waiting for...after what happened with Mitchel...* Krista thinks to herself.

*Fuck Mitchel, fuck what he did to you. A mate will never do that to you. They will never hurt you.* Erica reply's through the mind-link. A perk of being a werewolf, you can hear your pack members thoughts as long as they don't block you out. Krista always forgets to build her wall up around Erica. *Now can you please try and have a good day! If finding a mate doesn't excite you, think of the alcohol!!*

Krista immediately laughs. "You got me there!" She laughs as her best friend grins.

******************

Half an hour later they arrive at the salon. They go inside to check in and head to the waiting room. Erica is going on about what style she has chose for her hair as Krista is still looking. About ten minutes later two women come out and call their names. Erica winks at her best friend as they are separated. As soon as Krista is pulled in a separate direction, Erica can no longer feel her mindlink to her. She shrugs and proceeds to follow her hairdresser who's name is Gina, to her station. She goes over the look she wants for her hair and shows Gina the picture. As Gina starts to work her magic, Erica begins surfing her social media accounts. After a good hour and a half, her hair is done and she is taken to the makeup room. She expects to see Krista but she doesn't. The mind-link is still being blocked and that isn't normal. She's a bit worried but her thoughts are interrupted by a man who walks in.

"Erica, darling! I'm Aiden! I'll be doing your makeup today, lovey! Tell me what you had in mind!" He sings excitedly. She couldn't help but laugh at his flamboyance.

She tells him exactly what she wants. A dark, mysterious and sexy look. Smokey glitter eyes, dark red lips, fake lashes, and such. He excitedly claps his hands and jumps up and down and then gets right to work. As time goes by, there's still no Krista. Forty five minutes go by when Aiden shoves a mirror in front of her. She can't help but gasp at herself. She looks beautiful. It isn't often she feels this sexy. She quickly thanks him with a hug and goes to the register to tell them it's on Alpha Melvin's tab. She sits down in the waiting room when the woman who took Krista away approaches her.

"Erica, is it?" She questions.

She nods.

"Krista told me to tell you to head home. She finished about twenty minutes before you and had an errand to run. She will be back at the house before the party." She says with a smile.

Erica was skeptical. Krista never blocks the mind-link and she also would never leave without telling her. Just as she opens her mouth to speak the woman cuts her off.

"She's perfectly fine. Alpha Melvin knows and sent her brother to escort her." And she walks away.

That made her feel better. She exits the salon and gets into her car and heads back to the pack house. Once she arrives she looks at her phone. 4:37pm. The party starts at 7. She better go in and start getting ready. She walks inside and heads up the steps. She noticed Krista's door is shut which means she must be home. She tries to go inside but it's locked. She must want to be alone. She isn't thrilled about tonight. Instead of trying to call for her, she walks away to give her space. She will come back when it's time to leave.

She goes into her room and immediately goes to the walk in closet. Her gown is hanging dead center and she is itching to put it on. It's absolutely beautiful! It's a dark red color with a single that goes around her neck. The strap is covered in diamond all the way down the deep v neck, the back is open until just above her butt and the right leg has a slit that comes up to the top of her leg. It hugs every one of her curves perfectly. She had saved all her money to buy this gown, ever since she was a kid. She knew that once she turned 21 she would have to attend this ball if she hadn't found her mate. She wanted to look her absolute best. She slips out of her yoga pants and tank top and into the dress. She goes over to her mirror and takes the diamond necklace and earrings her mother gave her and puts them on along with the diamond bracelet her father gave her. Lastly, she walks back to where the dress was and gets the box of shoes that was beside it. Christian Louboutin's. The beautiful black stilettos with the blood red bottoms she has always wanted. She slips them on and goes to her full length mirror. She is absolutely awestruck at the woman she sees staring back at her. It's a beautiful, confident woman that she would barely recognize if it wasn't her.

A knock at her door breaks her out of the trance she was in. She slowly makes her way over and opens the door to be greeted by her little brother Benjamin. He whistles at the sight of her and she laughs.

"Damn sis!" He exclaims. "I'm willing to bet you break a few necks tonight!" He laughs.

Ben is a year younger than her. He is also 21, as she is about to turn 22 in 2 days. He's dressed head to toe in a dark navy suit with a crisp white shirt under his suit jacket. His tan belt and shoes popping against the navy. His dark brown hair slicked back and a blue bow tie completing his look. He looks dashing.

"Thanks benji! You look great yourself!" She says as she hugs him.

"You ready to go? It's a half hour drive! Dad said i can take the Mercedes if you'll ride with me!" He wiggles his eyebrows as if to ask.

"Sure! Let me get Krista and I'll be down!"

"Uh, Krista has left already, sis." He informs me.

My brows furrow but i shrug my shoulders and take his arm. Before we leave we tell our parents goodbye and take thousands of pictures. When we climb into the car, i turn the radio on. To be honest, I'm pissed at Krista. She left me at the salon, left me to get ready alone, left me to arrive alone...what's wrong with her?! She probably isn't going to show up and didn't want to tell me. I roll my eyes at the thought. I bob my head and sing along to the music and before i knew it, we had arrived.