Stripping For The Alpha King

Chapter 63

I arrived in Denver with no delays and no hiccups which seemed like a miracle. I thought Ajax would somehow get in contact with the pilot and force us to return, but it didn't happen. We hit my hometown with no delays. I lugged that massive dress through the whole airport, not even batting an eye when people ogled. I was on a mission now. I knew that my mother and Ajax would be following closely behind. I wasn't ready to see either of them yet, even after that long flight had given me time to think. if anything the time alone had only made me angrier.

"Princess Keiko," a man whispered, coming up beside me after I had gone through the airport security. I wasn't surprised that he knew who I was. In fact, I was banking on Ajax raising the alarm. I had no money, no credit cards, no car, and no other clothes. But, if people knew I was a princess then they would provide all that. All I had to do was be easy to spot and in this black couture dress that was simple enough.

"Hello," I greeted warmly.

His nervous behavior made me assume that Ajax told him I would be irritable at best. "My name is Jack. Prince Ajax told me you would be arriving and to meet you at the airport," he explained.

He seemed nice enough, but he was unable to pull his gaze from my dress. I wondered if Ajax had told him everything or just demanded that he intercept me. It didn't matter, I suppose. I'm sure I could make him useful one way or another.

"Hi Jack, did you happen to drive here?"

"Of course."

"Lovely, I hope it's not too much to ask, but I would love a ride to my house."

He agreed without any hesitation. I knew he would. The same way that I knew he would report back to Ajax with my location. Still, I thanked him when he dropped me off in front of my mom's house.

I found the spare key hidden on the underside of the mail box. I went through her house quickly, grabbing whatever I thought I would need for the next couple of days. I knew both she and Ajax would be here in that time, but if I could be self-sufficient that would be ideal. In about half an hour I had pulled on a new, more reasonable outfit, packed a duffle bag with my old clothes, counted the money in my old piggy bank, and started up my mom's spare car. Then I was heading for an obscure hotel that was outside of the city limits.

I had two days of silence and peace before I got in contact with Holly. She was delighted to hear I was safe and provided me with the main palace line. We talked for a little while, giggling like I had toyed with a selfish high school boy instead of a prince. I promised I would see her again soon before I hung up with her.

My phone call to the palace was answered on the first ring.

"Hello?" Ajax said.

I paused. I hadn't expected him to answer, I thought he would be here looking for me here. Not that it changed anything. Finally, I found my voice. "Can you put me through to the queen?"

"Keiko," Ajax whispered, "I'm so sorry sweetheart. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. Just tell me where you are and I'll come. We can talk about all of this in person, okay?"

His words were kind and sweet. But he wasn't listening to me. I wasn't in the mood to be plowed over again.

"Put me through to the queen," I ordered.

"Please," he begged.

"Ajax, I will hang up. I called to talk to your mother, not you."

"Okay, okay, just hold on for a second," he said, defeated on the other end of the line.

The phone was filled with possibly the worst hold music ever. Thankfully, it only took Queen Adeline a minute to answer.

"Keiko," she said, her voice soft but not surprised. "I thought dragging Ajax home from the airport was difficult. Keeping our conversation just between us is going to be a challenge."

"I was wondering why he hadn't come here already. I figured that he would've torn all of Denver apart looking for me. But, since you're keeping him at bay I was wondering if I could trouble you for a favor?"

"For you, anything," she replied.

Three days later Queen Adeline, Holly, and I were all roaming through a massive, cabin-style estate in Aspen.

"So, what do you think?" I asked, facing both of them. I wanted to be proud and certain because I felt like this was a move in the right direction, but I still worried that the queen might not approve. Maybe she thought this was some kind of masked hostile takeover.

"It's so pretty, and this view," Holly gasped, staring out of the massive windows. Even in the dark you could see the ski resort in the distance and the city below us. "This wrap around balcony is going to be the highlight if you ever have guests over. I imagine that if this is the house you pick you will have people over all the time."

"I think it's a great fit," I ventured, peeking at the queen. "I would have preferred a more modern place to call home but modern doesn't always go with the mountains. Besides, there is plenty of offices, a huge kitchen, and enough guest bedrooms to house an army if need be. Werewolves just love the mountains and the wilderness."

Queen Adeline surveyed the vaulted ceilings, then looked down at the flooring beneath her. The way her eyes moved told me that she missed nothing and I was just concerned that I had dismissed so massive issue with this home.

"What about the packs that surround this house?" she asked.

"They are relatively small, but peaceful. And there are many packs in Colorado, so it would be easy enough to monitor them from here. Plus, with the state being so central it would be easy to hop on a plane to resolve the issues." As I spoke I felt like I was doing a school presentation for marks more than I was discussing the place where I would live.

But Adeline just nodded her head in agreement. "You were right about this place Keiko. And you did your research. I think this would be a wonderful place to have an American branch."

Holly shot me a thumbs up and an excited smile.

"So I guess I should call Ajax and ask him if he wants to come see this place before I put in an offer," I said.

At that Adeline scoffed. "Ajax will be fine. You do not need to ask him permission to move here. You do not need his approval to start an American branch. I'm the Queen and I'm telling you that I want you to be the head of my American branch. You will develop the knowledge and skill set that you need to be a successful ruler here and by making this choice yourself you have shown me you are ready. So, go ahead and call Ajax, but don't ask him anything. Tell him what you have decided."

~~~~Distraction Section~~~~

I found it interesting that some of you assumed Keiko was flying in an effort to please her mother. I don't think many people would be forgiving to a mother like that, at least not right away. However, Denver is her home and she needs a base. How do you think Ajax will take all of these changes?

Question of the Day: What is your favorite kind of movie?

I'm a sucker for cheesy romances, obviously. And (almost) anything Disney.