The Golden Lycans (Ella) novel Chapter 35

Seventeen-Part 2

*Austin

“Tie…or no tie? Tie? I hate ties. But…should I wear a tie?” I say indecisively in front of the mirror in the bedroom. I kept bringing my gold tie up and down, wondering what to do.

“It’s a formal at a school, man, its not a big deal,” Ollie says, slipping his bulky arms into his new,

black shirt.

“Yeah…yeah I guess you’re right,” I mutter, tossing the tie aside and readjusting my shirt for the thirtieth time. It felt too tight in several places.

“This fit fine four months ago when we went to that wedding in the Cotswolds,” I muse, playing with the sleeves. It felt uncomfortable around the sleeves and across my upper back. Ollie laughs

behind me.

“Well, duh…you’ve been hitting the gym pretty hard lately Aus, particularly since your failed date. Of course it isn’t going to fit the same. Why didn’t you try it on before now?” Ollie asks with another laugh. He casually runs a little hair product through his sandy coloured hair, messing it up purposefully. I roll my eyes at him.

“Are you serious Ol? I’ve barely had time to breathe over the past two months because of you and my sad. A shirt for the one evening I have off this month would’ve been the last thing on my list, “I remind him, deciding to keep my sleeves rolled up. As long as I didn’t make any wild arm movements the back was okay. I undo the top button of my shirt which looks much better. Casual but still a little formal. It looked snug and hugged me in various places, but it annoyingly looked like it was on purpose; the sort of thing Ollie would do, not me. It would have to do, it was too late to

ask someone else for a shirt.

“Just being the best beta I can be,” Ollie declares, clapping me on the shoulder, “damn, Aus. Maybe I should’ve kept a smaller shirt size, you look jacked. Nice plan, man.”

“Ollie, I look ridiculous,” I mutter, smoothing a little of his hair product into my hands. I ruffled my hair up, wondering how it’d look if it were a little less schoolboy and a little more messy the way

Ollie had just done his..

“Aus, you FINALLY look like the alpha that you are, embrace it,” Ollie says, clicking his tongue at me.

“But uh…are you going to cash in on your promised dance with ‘could possibly be my mate but probably not since she’s human’ Ella?” he asks teasingly. I ignore his annoying comment.

“If she’ll have me,” I reply, unsure at this point if she’d allow me to have a basic conversation with

her, let alone dance with her. I’d had no indication of late that she felt the same way I did anymore.

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Seventeen Part 2

ལ་དང

Clai

Any time I was anywhere near her there was a distinctive sensation of an unseen power wanting to drag me toward her. It was gaining in strength and frequency and all it did was cement in my mind what I knew to-be true. But unfortunately, I had no idea if she felt anything, nor whether she was able to as no one had any idea what she even was, aside from the label of ‘probably not human’.

Once we are ready we head down to the atrium, which was bristling with activity.

We enter the main hall, which to the credit of the organisers, looked completely different from how it did usually. Huge drapes of fabric lined with fairy-lights went up the walls to the ceiling dome, which had also been adorned with fairy-lights. Dark blue stars and silver icicles dangled from wires going across the width of the room, a fake snow machine was set up in the corner pointing toward the dance floor, which itself was a large and shiny black circle on the floor directly in the middle of the hall, little lights inside it blinking every now and then. There were several wolf shaped ice sculptures around the buffet tables, which unfortunately for my growling stomach, didn’t have any food on them yet. The doors to the patio were illuminated with icicle lights and I could see through the folding doors that there were heat lamps on the patio and somehow even more fairy-lights.

“Good to know where our tuition goes eh?” Ollie jokes, nodding politely toward a few other guys

from our pack.

“Ollie you get to go here for free,” I laugh, reminding him of his main beta benefit.

There were some seriously beautiful young women here, but there was only one I really cared to

see.

Chin up, all is not lost, we must be patient, Atlas says, sensing a dip in my mood.

We both pick up a flute of non-alcoholic prosecco and I enjoy the bubbles as they fizz down my throat. Presently, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, as for the first time I can now feel Ella’s presence near the dining hall. I take a deep breath and turn around, facing the doorway.

Freya walks in first, wearing a rather loud, hot pink floaty dress and matching stiletto heels, her hair braided and twisted onto an elegant knot at the back of her head. I hear a low rumbly growl of

approval coming from Ollie, but I am too distracted to care while I try to look past Annabelle

standing there in her rich purple dress.

Finally, behind her came Ella. My mouth goes dry as my gaze falls on her, seeing her gussied up for the first time. She looks tall, elegant and still so deeply unaware of just how stunning she really is. Her long blonde hair bangs in deep curls, clipped back on one side revealing her slim neck. I gulp

as I took in just how well the dress hugged every curve of her body. I was used to seeing her in

workout gear, but this was different. It was like her dress was made to match the decor of the hall, a beautiful icy blue colour in intricate lace. At the end of her slim legs were a pair of heels I just knew my sister must’ve talked her into. She looks around the hall in awe, and I knew from one of

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Seventeen-Part 2

Claim

the many conversations on our date that her previous schools hadn’t done events like this. She/ walks tentatively into the hall after Freya and Annabelle, shuffling a little much to my amusement. She wasn’t used to walking in heels at all, I already knew that about her too.

“Aus, I think you’ll probably have to get in line for that dance,” Ollie jokes, gesturing toward other guys in the hall looking Ella’s way. Atlas growls loudly from within to my great surprise, before Ollie grabs my arm roughly and looks at me straight in my face.

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