Chapter 21: Chapter 21

Sierra pov.

It has been three months since I became the Moonhowler Luna. I feel happy to be around Williams, and his beta, Henry, is a nice guy too. I started going back to school and saw how everyone respected me. It was cool, and I like that I was being respected for the first time.

Alex always told me she was going to visit the castle and maybe get to know Henry more. I felt happy because for a second, I thought Henry might turn out to be her mate. It was a wonderful month, and I just hoped this day would keep on becoming more good and perfect.

"One more month, and my friends will be ready to go look for their mate as well," I thought to myself.

As I walked out of the school, I saw Nora standing by the school gate waiting for me. I smiled and walked over to her and hugged her.

"You came," I said as I stared at her for a moment.

"Of course, I did. What are friends for?" she replied.

As we both walked out of the school gate on our way to the car, James, one of the football players, walked up to Nora and gave her a letter, smiling before he walked away. I watched as Nora looked at him, and I hit her on the shoulder as I smiled.

"I think he's into you," I said to her as I saw how shy she had become.

We both entered the car, and the driver drove us back to the castle. I looked at Nora, who was busy reading the letter given to her, and I saw how she started smiling.

"I think it's a love letter, right?" I said to her as she turned to look at me with a wide smile on her face.

"Sierra, it's not a love letter. Instead, it's an invention for the Shadowclaws pack. The Alpha's son is holding a ball to find his mate," she explained as I looked at her in surprise.

I took in the sight of her, noticing the way her hair flowed down her back and the scent of her perfume filled the air. "Wow, the Shadowclaws pack is holding a ball, that's nice. Why don't you go? Maybe it'll be a way to have fun," I said, smiling at her.

She looked at me and tried to laugh, but held it in before speaking. "Sierra, the ball is next month, and the funny part of it all is that the day of the ball is on my birthday. I don't think I'll go."

I held her hands and smiled down at her face. "Maybe you'll be the lucky one to be the Shadowclaws Alpha son's mate. Why don't you just go with James? You know it's not fair to say no to an invitation, especially when it's coming from a hot footballer boy."

She laughed at my joke, and we kept it that way until we got to the castle. As we stepped out of the car, the driver opening the door for me, I took in the sound of our laughter and the crunch of gravel beneath our feet. Nora followed behind, and we laughed all the way to the front door. Just as we were about to open it, Alex started coming out as well.

"Hey, you guys are back so quick," she said, and I could see sweat all over her face.

"Are you okay?" I asked her, as she simply nodded and sampled a breath.

"Yes, I'm okay. I'm just not feeling too well at the moment."

I nodded as I asked her to join us inside. She agreed and we walked back inside. As we entered, the warm glow of the fireplace welcomed us. I gestured for her to take a seat, and we all settled down comfortably.

As we started discussing the invitation that James had sent to Nora, I could see the smile on her face grow wider. But then, I noticed that Alex wasn't feeling too well. Concerned, I turned to her and asked, "Are you sure you're okay, Alex?" She turned towards me and smiled, assuring me that she was fine.

"Why don't we go to the topic where James gave Nora the invitation later? The Shadowclaws pack is hosting the Alpha son ball," I suggested eagerly. Nora nodded in agreement, and Alex seemed to perk up at the idea.

"And I think since the both of you share the same birth month, then the Alpha son might be blessed to be Nora's mate, while Henry might turn out to be yours, Alex," I continued, trying to lighten the mood. However, my attempt at humor fell flat, and there was a heavy silence as they both just stared at me.

"Okay, sorry guys," I said, lifting my hands up in surrender. Alex looked over at Nora, who seemed to be playing with her fingers, looking confused.

"You say James invited you to the Alpha son ball, right?" Alex asked Nora, who nodded in response.

"Did he ever tell you anything? Have you two ever spoken to each other?" Nora looked at me and then back at Alex before answering her.

"I've only said hi to him, that's all," replied Nora.

Alex remained silent as she looked at both of us. "James is the son of the Shadowclaws Alpha. I thought you guys must have known that by now."

Just hearing that, I looked even more confused and so did Nora. "Really, Alex? James is the Shadowclaws Alpha's son? Where did you get that information from?" I asked, but she just kept looking at us.

I looked over at Nora, whose heart felt like it was beating so fast, and I walked over to her, holding her hands. "It's okay, Nora. Alex is just joking with you. James is a football player, not an Alpha's son. Don't listen to Alex's words."

I tried to calm Nora down a bit, but I couldn't shake the feeling that Alex was telling the truth. As we both sat there, trying to change the topic, Alex stood up and ran towards the bathroom. I couldn't tell what was going on with her.

"Are you really okay?" I asked again, trying to get to the bottom of why she looked so down.

She nodded and smiled at me. "It's nothing, Sierra. I'm just sick, that's all."