Stripping For The Alpha King

Chapter 51

"I'm really proud of you for jumping into this whole thing," Holly said as we flicked through a rack of floor length dresses. We were in a store that had made me cringe when I had just seen the store front. Much too expensive, but Holly had insisted that I needed to look my best. We had been shopping in peace until now. "I know that this must be overwhelming for you. Not only are you a werewolf, you are mated to one, and you're going to be mated to a king. That must be a lot to absorb in so little time." Her voice was kind enough and the words were quite noncommittal.

But I knew her. I could hear the things she wasn't saying. I could hear how suspicious she was of my sudden transition.

"It was time," I replied, not even glancing over at her. I pretended to be entranced with all the dresses that my fingers skimmed over.

"Because he marked you? Your bond is stronger now so it would be harder to deny him." I said nothing in response to her theory. I wasn't ready to tell her that it was about the fact that I couldn't be in denial anymore. I had felt my body change more than once. But she took my silence to mean something else. "Okay, so it's not the mark. Did he have a heart to heart with you? Did Queen Adeline say something to make you change your mind? I've heard that she can be very persuasive."

"Holly, it was just time," I sighed, pulling out a beautiful red dress. And the gown was stunning. It would've looked incredible on someone like Holly but it wasn't for me. I slipped it back on the rack.

And as I did so Holly sucked in a gasp. "Are you two mated now?"

"No, Holly."

"I want you to know that I am fully aware that you are holding out on me. I'm just a good enough friend to let it go."

"Right," I said with a smirk, which fell away quickly. As much fun as I was having I was lugging around a heavy heart as well.

Being around all these dresses, picking out flowers, and giggling about this big event was starting to make it real. Yes, it was fun to plan and fantasize about these kind of things but people were talking about it like it was sacred, like it was a massive commitment. And it was beginning to feel like the human equivalent of a wedding with all of the hype. And someone was missing from this frenzy.

"Have you heard from my mother?" I whispered.

Holly didn't seem surprised by the question. Of course, she was my best friend and she knew how close I was to my mother. Her eyes softened with sympathy and I knew the answer before she shook her head.

"Oh well," I dismissed, but my heart ached in my chest. I wasn't entirely sure what this ball would mean for me, but it felt significant enough to want my mother there for it. and, if I was being honest, I had hundreds of questions for her. I wanted to know why she had done this to me. I wanted to know why she had drugged me for years and forced Holly to keep this from me. And I wanted to know why she had run when the royals had given her an opportunity to come forward and be with me when I needed her. Didn't she want to see me? Didn't she care enough to check up on me?

"I'm sorry Keiko. She promised me that she would be coming overseas with me. It's been weeks since I had heard anything from her."

"Do you know why she tried to keep me from all of this? Or why she would be running away?" I had asked the same questions a thousand times and I would ask them until I got the answer.

"Not in the slightest."

"Do you think that I should be afraid of the royals if she's obviously so scared?" I whispered. The words felt treasonous on my lips, but I couldn't stop them.

Holly pondered my question for a moment like I knew she would. I didn't want a fast, thoughtless answer to reassure me. This was a big step and I wanted to make sure that I was making the right one.

"I don't think that the royals are dangerous. It might seem that way sometimes because they have an animalistic side that you don't yet. it can cause them to be more aggressive and such. But I've never heard anything bad about the king and queen. Adeline and Orion have been so kind to me in the time I have stayed with them. Ajax has a bit of growing to do. He's still got a bit of an attitude in him but I don't think he's dangerous either. And the way he looks at you...it's like no one can compare. I know that he would never hurt you and he would never let his family harm you either."

The idea of Ajax being so enamored with me made my heart flutter and warmth flood my body. And knowing that she thought that I would be safe was comforting.

"I'm really glad that Ajax managed to find you and convinced you to come here," I admitted. "You have no idea how much I have needed you through this whole thing. I know that I wasn't always the best friend to you through this and I blamed you for things that weren't your fault."

Holly rolled her eyes with a bright smile. "Come on, what are friends for? I'm here for you whenever you need me if it means I get to stay in a palace and eat amazing food." She winked at me and pulled a forest green dress off the rack. "Now what about this one?"

"No, I don't do green," I said while wrinkling my nose.

"So what colour do you do?"

We answered at the same time.

"Black."

***We hit 60,000 reads! And The Princess and The Alpha is getting published on Sunday! To celebrate I will be posting one update a day until the release date of TPATA.***