Forty-Five

                                    

                                          
Noelle
                          
"Are you sure you don't want to go sit at a three-hour long ceremony in a hot-ass polyester gown while we listen to a bunch of boring speeches and a long list of names of people we don't care about?" Remi asks as we walk down the hall toward the dining room. We promised everyone we'd stay out until they were done decorating. 
                          
With a laugh, I say, "I think I'll pass. Skipping to the party sounds like the best idea we've had in a while." 
                          
"Agreed." He looks down at me and smiles, his cheeks flushed.  
                          
"What?" I ask, looking down at my clothes to make sure I wasn't showing any private body parts or something. 
                          
"Nothing, I—I was just going to ask how it's going with Eli." 
                          
"Oh...Oh." I understand the red cheeks now. "It's going great. He's amazing, Remi. I think–" I stop and gnaw on my bottom lip. "I really think I'm falling in love with him. Not just because we're mates. He's the best thing that's ever happened to me." 
                          
"I'm happy for the two of you, I really am. Seeing the way you look at each other makes me hopeful that there is someone out there for me."
                          
"So, you don't feel jealous at all?"
                          
He shrugs. "I mean, Eli has a gorgeous girl who can do earth-shattering things with her body. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't jealous. But hey, I have a hot best friend now and that is worth it."
                          
My chest blooms with warmth and affection for Remi. I knew from the beginning that Remi and I had a connection, and the fact that it had ended up being as best friends was better than anything I could've hoped for. "Thanks for sticking with me through everything," I say, hooking my arm through his as we draw closer to the dining room doors. 
                          
"I'm glad I could be here when you needed a friend and...a helping hand." He opens the dining room. "Now, let's party for the first time as graduates." 
                          
The long table is packed with food, and on the far end sits a pile of presents. A banner hangs on the wall, congratulating Remi and me. Everyone around the table stands and claps as we shake our heads with embarrassment and take our places. When the noise calms, everyone takes their seat and Corbin remains standing.
                          
"We have a lot to celebrate tonight," the alpha says.
                          
Elijah leans in, brushing his lips against the shell of my ear. "Not just tonight, every night since you came into my life."
                          
My cheeks flush and I angle my face toward his, the confession I made to Remi in the hallway on the tip of my tongue. I want to tell Elijah how I feel about him, but not in front of everyone. "Can we talk later...alone? I need to tell you something important," I whisper. 
                          
He narrows his eyes, and one side of his mouth ticks as he fights a smile. "Yes."
                          
Avery clasps her hands on the table and stage whispers, "You two are so fucking cute and nauseating at the same time."
                          
"And you are nosy, little sister," Elijah says.
                          
"And you're obnoxious, big brother."  
                          
"Sounds like I'm doing my job."
                          
Corbin clears his throat, breaking up their back and forth, and stands. "Remi and Noelle have accomplished something that most beings their age experience with fewer complications. They have learned who and what they are, and both have a path of service ahead of them. They are our people's future leaders and protectors. And I believe what they have in store will pave the way for a new era of peace. So I ask you all to raise your glass and toast them on this first major milestone of their adult lives."