3. With her bestie

Rosalie had only confided in Zeila about her love for Tristan.

Three weeks after Rosalie's birthday, she turned eighteen, but she hasn't yet met her mate. Zeila and Rosalie grew up together, and there was no secret between them. They knew everything about one another. Zeila's was Beta Maddox, Alpha Nolan's Beta.

In lycan form, Rosalie arrived at the cave where they frequently camped during school breaks.

Her wolf, Reign, flung herself onto the warm concrete and put her paws in the air to rub her back delightfully against the large stone. Her wolf could lie out there in the sun like that for hours because she loved being outside.

She knew Zeila had arrived when she noticed movements in the bushes. They hugged each other as they transformed back into humans. The last time she had seen her was a few days ago. Zeila was part of the team responsible for setting the scene for the birthday ball that was being hosted tonight in the ballroom.

She said, "He is here, Zeila," stating what she already knew. Zeila immediately deduced what was going through her head, as usual.

Zeila took a seat next to Rosalie on the stone, and the two of them gazed up at the light blue sky. "I noticed him smoking one cigarette after another while standing by himself on the patio, looking almost unhappy." Zeila said calmly, "His eyes scanned all over the whole place several times, I knew he was looking for you."

"Rosa, are you certain that the mate bond is actually broken? You two still appear to be infatuated with one another. You realize that even though he is your sister's boyfriend, it's okay to declare that you are his fated. Everyone submits to the Moon Goddess' judgment: Stan is not the right one for Kris. Rosa, you are his Luna," she emphasized.

Rosalie gave a heavy sigh.

"At the moment, I'm not sure what I feel for him. Stan marked Kris after we rejected each other, thus I should view him as my brother-in-law or the Alpha of Blue River. But it isn't even happening that way. Our continued attraction to each other refuses to fade away." She said in desperation, "And Kristine believes there is a relationship between her mate and me."

"They will be here for the whole week. Since they'll be hanging around in the main building at the pack house, avoiding him will be harder. But then, if I avoid family gatherings, people will notice and the stories will start up again. This will not go well. I don't know how to prevent this."

"Zeila, there's no way I would mate with my sister's boyfriend. I can't base my happiness on Kristine's misery; it just doesn't feel right. She gestured to her, "Imagine how embarrassing it will be for my family when I come home with Stan as a mate."

"Kris would also never accept and the peace would be ruined right away. On the other hand, Tristan was invited into my parents' home for years as Kristine's mate, and we shared dinner together at the table where they were both incredibly romantic. Stan even had more overstays. Come on, Zeila, switching his attention abruptly between the two daughters would be quite embarrassing." Rosalie reasoned.

Zeila approved after taking Rosalie's point of view.

"Of course, it would make me feel nauseous as well. Definitely feels wrong, not good," Zeila muttered in disapproval, gripping her throat to show how disgusted she was."

She was curious, "So what are you going to do now? You'll have to deal with them, you know. You can't avoid them for too long. And I worry that tonight, Rose will already be the time for you to face them. The event plan says that you will all approach the stage as a family, walking hand in hand. I did succeed in making arrangements for you to hold your father's hand while Kris and her mate walk beside your mother." She paused.

Then she continued, "However, you will still need to welcome both of them as a family in the sitting room before that can happen." Zeila said in a soothing, soft manner, obviously feeling sorry for her.

"Yes, I'm getting ready for the meeting psychologically. Thankfully, Reign concurs with me; she is eager for the Stan moment to come to a finish. There is no use in thinking about the past because he has marked Kris and is now out of our grasp." She answered as Zeila got up and grabbed her arm.

"Ok, here's what's going to happen, I'll help you prepare for the ball by joining you in the packhouse. Next, we will help one another with our makeup and dresses." Zeila said, "I'm sure it will help you de-stress and get ready to meet Tristan and your sister."

Rosalie, ecstatic, threw her arms around the neck. She said, "Really? You, baby, are the best friend anyone could ever have," with gratitude. "I'm grateful, Zeila. I am so thankful that the Moon Goddess sent me you as a lovely companion. What the hell would I do without you?!"

"Oh please, Rosa, you would have probably chosen a mate or found your second chance mate. It would definitely be another alpha because our pack has produced the majority of all the Lunas in this region. An Alpha's daughter would be no less." She laughed and undressed. Before they ran back, she packed them up so her wolf could carry them with her mouth. Rosalie pushed her amiably from behind.

Once more, Rosalie teased her bestie. "Don't even think about it. I'll be stuck to you in this pack forever. I'll always be here with you, no matter what," She gave her a wink. Both of them turned and ran in the direction of the pack house.

There would be no getting away from her ex-mate and sister tonight. Every pack in the vicinity was aware of the odd mating of the Alpha's daughters, so all eyes would be on her. While some were merely holding out for a great juicy story to come along, others were sincerely worried about the Alpha family's welfare.

In addition to telling her sister that her place next to Tristan was certain, she had to affirm the Silver Moon Pack that she and Tristan were absolutely fine.

Rosalie sauntered into the spacious living room where her family had assembled.