Stripping For The Alpha King

Chapter 56

"This is one of the last dresses I would've picked out for you," Holly mused, holding up my gown in my walk in closet. It had just been delivered and with the ball only a few days away we were in a flurry, making last minute decisions about my updo and make up options. "It's beautiful and I'm glad you picked it, but it's not what I expected."

I couldn't help but smile when I appraised the dress in her hand. She was right, when it had been pulled off the rack by one of the consultants I had wrinkled my nose at it. I had only even tried it on for a good laugh, thinking that I would look absurd in something so conservative. It was completely black and made from a heavy material. It wasn't free and flowing like I wanted, more structured and thick enough to keep me warm in the winter air. The sleeves reached past my elbow and were made of intricate lace. Draping on a hanger it was as if it had been made for a nun.

There was no plunging neckline, no high slit on the thigh, no glittering stones attached onto it. I thought I would want to wear something that would make people's jaws drop. There had always been a certain appeal to being a showstopper like that. And I had tried on hundreds of dresses like that, but none of them stuck. None of them felt worthy.

There was just something about the fitted lines, the smooth material and the simplicity that spoke to me once it was on my body.

"You think it's a good fit though, right?" I asked, still worried I had made a mistake.

"It's gorgeous, Keiko. I think It makes you look exactly like a queen should," she approved, tossing me a reassuring smile.

Her words mimicked my thoughts exactly. It wasn't what people back in Denver would have expected of me. It's not what I expected of myself as a stripper. But somehow it fit just right.

"Do you feel like you're letting go of that wilder side of yourself?" Holly wondered. Her hands were tentative as she placed the gown back in the bag it had arrived in. she said the words I had been wrestling with over the past week.

"I don't know," I answered after a moment of deliberation.

"Do you think it's because of Ajax? I know that the werewolves' possessive side can be quite intimidating but I don't want you to be changing just to appease him," she continued.

There were moments when I worried that the strong, feminist I knew had vanished. I could easily remember how she crumpled in front of Ajax the first time we ran into him together. But it was times like this that reminded me she was just as resilient as she has always been. Even the royals couldn't make her back down now that she had grown comfortable with them.

Still, her statement illicit some serious thinking. My hands mindlessly cleared the clutter from my desk as my mind churned her words. This had been a massive adjustment in my life. I still had instances when I couldn't believe that I had gone from being a stripper working to get my degree to this: mated to a werewolf prince and living in a palace.

"You know how my mom always taught me to use my body to manipulate men?" I asked. Holly nodded her head. "I was trained to do that. I was coached into being this woman who flaunted her body. And I did get what I wanted. It paid my way through college and the only work I really had to do was keep up my appearance and work out my body, but I felt like I was two different people. I was Chastity and Keiko. I know that I was both of them, but they were never one. Does that even make sense?"

"Of course it does. And now?" Holly hinted.

"I just feel like Keiko. I know some of my choices have been influenced by Adeline and Ajax, but it doesn't feel that forced. It feels more like I'm learning who I actually want to be alongside someone who isn't trying to mold me into something I'm not."

"So you aren't upset about the fact that, if he could, he would force you to stop stripping?" Holly pushed, quirking an eyebrow at me. Now she was intentionally pushing me.

At that I couldn't pretend to be distracted with trinkets anymore. I huffed and rolled my eyes. "You know that I hate being told what to do by pretty much anyone. My mom raised me to be as independent as I could be. Ajax might want to be an exception to my stubbornness but he is not. If anything, I feel he should be more open to that whole concept just because he is my mate and is supposed to love me unconditionally according to him."

"I heard a rumor that you tried to shift through your medication the last time he told you he didn't approve of it. Is that true?"

"I'm pretty sure that Ajax was more angry with his dad for hyping me up than he was with me. But I'm not sure if it was a shift. It's what he thinks happened but there hasn't really been a way to confirm it."

"So you tried to shift through the medication your mom gave you and you did this all in front of his parents. That is so crazy," she almost giggled at how ridiculous the whole situation was. "What did it feel like?"

"I don't know how to really describe it. for a little bit there wasn't a lot of feeling. I only knew that something was happening because I could hear my own bones snapping." I shuddered at the thought. "I felt like my vision was blurring and I was so dizzy before the pain came."

As I spoke I could hear a sickening crunching noise. The same sound that filled the dining room that morning filled the air now. And it felt like it was coming from my face, like my jaw and nose were rearranging themselves. I could feel the panic taking over my features as my eyes met Holly's. She just gawked at me, not alarmed, but certainly shocked. If anything she seemed to be excited.

"Keep telling me," she encouraged.

I was terrified but I continued on. "I don't remember much. I remember Ajax looking at me though. I remember the way he dropped to his knees and how he looked at me. It was so hopeful. He wanted it so badly."

I dropped to my knees and a scream tore past my lips. I jammed my eyes shut, trying to fend off the brutal agony that tormented my body. I couldn't stand this. there was no way I would be able to live through this. whatever was happening to my body now would surely rip it apart.

But the pain lessened almost as quickly as it had arrived. I slowly peeled my eyes apart, now looking up at Holly. Her form burred a little as I swayed, unsteady and weak. She just gaped at me.

"Keiko," she breathed, taking a small step towards me. "You did it."

Then there was a soft knock on my bedroom door. We both turned just as the door opened. The slight swivel of my head was almost enough to topple me over.

"Girls," Queen Adeline began, "the guards said they heard screaming. Is everything alright?" Her attention went to Holly first, concern clear in her expression. Then, when she saw Holly's expression she followed her gaze. When she saw me her hand flew to cover her mouth. "My dear Keiko, you have done it. you have finally shifted."

****I'm so excited with Keiko embracing her werewolf! I hope you are too. Next update at 47 votes! I have great faith that we can hit the goal this time****