Chapter 99

MAEVE POV

A couple of days had passed since my little chat with the alpha king, and I was not sure what to make of it.

Confrontation, I had expected from the get-go, along with heaps of intimidation, warnings, and threats—and I certainly received just that. What I hadn’t expected, however, was how easily he seemed to turn me away. Of all the qualities King Arlan was known and renowned for, patience and leniency were not among them.

If he had such a problem with me, why didn’t he order me to leave and never return? Banish me, if that was what he wanted?

Was there… even the slightest chance I was getting through to him?

“Well?” Xaden pressed with a questioning raise of his brow, cutting into my thoughts. He was seated on the loveseat in the drawing room beside me. Sunlight seeped into the room, bathing him in a beautiful, warm glow. “Have you decided?”

I huffed out a sigh, turning my attention back to the task at hand. Literally—in my hand. “I can’t. Could you—?”

He cut me off with a laugh. “I can’t pick for you. It has to be your decision.”

Pouting, I scrolled through the camera roll of my phone for what felt like the hundredth time by that point, glancing helplessly over the many pictures we had taken that afternoon.

Thanks to the lunar banquet set to take place tomorrow evening, Queen Leonora had called and kindly informed me that she would be busy overseeing preparations with the king. With this sudden free time on my hands, I spent the first three of my days off busying myself where I could. Maggie was still reluctant to let me help with chores that were too… menial for a lady of my status—according to her, at least, which lessened my options.

Still, I managed to make due, either by reading or exploring the gardens. Sometimes, I caught myself glancing in the direction of the palace. Perhaps if I looked hard enough, I thought I might catch a glimpse of the banquet, but all attempts were feeble.

I had no choice but to wait until the night of.

It wasn’t until last night during dinner that Xaden surprised me with the news that he had managed to complete all of his pressing matters for the time being, which meant he could spend the day with me.

Alone and uninterrupted to do whatever we pleased, if that was what we so desired.

And—oh, the opportunities that that idea inspired.

But, ultimately, I had asked him to help me properly customize the phone he’d gifted me.

Earlier, we had wandered the mansion grounds, taking in all the sights and giving me different options of what I might like for my lock-screen photo. In the end, I decided on a lovely shot of the back gardens, angled up towards the beams of sun rays peeking through the canopy of trees above. And for my home screen, an adorable selfie of Xaden holding me from behind while I tried to focus the camera on my blushing face.

The current issue at hand: choosing Xaden’s contact picture… which turned out to be a more impossible task than I could’ve ever imagined.

“We’ve taken, what, thirty… fifty pictures over the last few minutes,” I said, almost gaping, “and you look amazing in every single one of them. That shouldn’t even be possible.”

He pushed some fallen, dark hair out of his roguishly handsome face with a less-than-subtle smirk. “That’s hardly my fault. I practically grew up surrounded by cameras. I can’t help that they love me.”

I melted with a giggle into the comfort of his body. “Handsome and humble. You really are the full package.”

“It appears we’ve reached an impasse.”

I let my head fall to the side in false contemplation. “An alpha’s agreement, then,” I said, holding out my hand. “We both pick the picture, but you get the final say.”

The corners of his mouth twitched as he reached for my hand but didn’t shake. Instead, he pulled my hand to his lips, pressing a sweet kiss to my knuckles. One, two… five small kisses over each knuckle.

Until his gaze flitted up to mine, molten green, and he simply said: “Not a chance.”

This man…

I still couldn’t wrap my mind around how strange it was to see the same pair of eyes in such radically different people. Xaden, who treated me like the most precious thing, and then there was the king, who likely saw me as a thorn in his side.

I… never told Xaden about what happened with his father.

It wouldn’t have done anyone any good if I told him about his father’s continued hostility toward me. I had no desire to further deepen the gaping rift that already existed between them, and in all honesty, it wasn’t his business.

King Arlan’s distrust was an issue between him and I, alone.

Xaden’s hand lifted to brush my mouth, the pad of his thumb tracing the curve of my bottom lip. My breath caught in my throat. If he wanted to kiss me, I wouldn’t stop him, and the thought never crossed my mind as he slowly came closer.

When I felt his hot breath ghost over my skin, I let my eyes flutter shut.

And then—

—knock, knock, knock.

I froze just before our lips were able to touch. Someone was here. I pulled away, fully expecting Xaden to grumble and curse whoever it was that unknowingly interrupted us.

Yet, to my surprise, he barely even frowned.

Xaden pushed himself to his feet. “Perfect,” he remarked, sounding unusually pleased. “Precisely right on schedule.”

Slowly, I straightened myself in my seat on the loveseat, watching curiously as he strolled with an air of nonchalance towards the door. “Were you expecting someone?”

“Yes, but this visit is not for me,” he said, stopping at the door to look at me with his hand on the knob. “It’s for you.”

I blinked, feeling a little lost. Had I missed something? “Who is it?”

Xaden flashed a knowing smile, but did not answer me. Instead, he opened the door to reveal a white-haired woman in a neat, white suit, carrying what looked like a large, black sack, for lack of a better word.

What on earth was going on?

Before I could register what happened, Xaden had led me to our bedroom, having taken the bag from the woman after generously thanking her for her time and business, and carefully pulled out dress after dress after dress once we were alone.

More presents…

“Xaden…” I began to say, uncertain how to feel.

Xaden, however, beat me to it. “I know, I agreed not to overspend… but tomorrow is the lunar banquet, and, although I won’t be able to truly spend it with you, I want you to enjoy yourself to the fullest. I admit, I’m not too knowledgable on the matter, but I hear—” he murmured, teasing, “that a new outfit can make all the difference.”

Not for the first time, I found myself at a loss for words—just barely sound enough to murmur a quiet, heartfelt: “thank you.”

Because nothing I’d do would ever be enough to show him my gratitude.

“So,” he smiled, gesturing to my new wardrobe, “which would you like to try on first?”

And so, I tried on perhaps five dresses that afternoon and, while all were beautiful and elegant in their own ways, none felt like… the one.

This was to be my first lunar banquet. I couldn’t wear just anything—I needed to sparkle, to dazzle, to look like the Luna Princess I would one day be—even if it was just for myself, because… well, just how many chances would I have to experience the thrill of my first lunar banquet?

And then the last dress I tried on was… exquisite.

A satin, floor-length dress made of pure ivory adorned my body, clinging loosely to my small yet growing frame. The plunging neckline left little to be desired, accentuating my chest in ways that I was not used to, yet still modest enough that I wouldn’t make a fool out of myself… and the attached, sheer cape that cascaded over my thin shoulders and down my back felt more regal than anything else I’d donned on my body.

After the dreadful fiasco that was my little sister’s birthday party, I did my very best to avoid any sort of light-colored attire, lest I was forced to endure that same humiliation again, but…

Damn, this dress was impossible to say no to.

“Oh…” Xaden murmured.

I glanced up, watching his reverent reflection in the mirror as he strode closer to me until mere inches separated us. All the while, his gaze never wavered from my body. This close, I could smell his cologne, the scent of fresh pine filling my nose. The warmth of his body radiating against my back.

And then I felt his hands on my hips, pulling me closer to him and gently squeezing. “You look fucking magnificent.”

I felt a blush settle on my face. “Do you really think so?”

“Without question.”

He could not seem to keep his hands off me, not that I particularly minded while we were tucked away in the privacy of our bedroom.

“In fact,” he continued, his hands roaming higher and higher… hot, coarse fingers toying on the edge of my low neckline, making my breath hitch and my skin burn with anticipation, “if you decided to wear this on the day of our mating ceremony, I certainly wouldn’t be opposed. I can just imagine it—how captivating you’d be, standing in the middle of Diana’s Temple, surrounded by warm, lovely candlelight…”

He pressed his lips, soft, lingering, and hopelessly needy, against my temple.

“And how nice it might look on our floor afterward,” he purred just outside my ear, making me shudder, “while we get to know each other the way the goddess intended.”

My blush deepened, now impossible to hide. “You… you say that so easily. One might assume that’s all you think about.”

A teasing smile, bright with amusement, lifted the corners of his mouth. “A man can fantasize every now and then,” he said innocently, though we both knew he was anything but. “Besides, it’s not every day he gets to see his dream girl wear what could be the dress she marries him in.”

I shifted my gaze back to my own reflection. I did love the dress, but…

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I'd probably only wear this for tomorrow's banquet.”

For a moment, Xaden’s lips pursed into a small pout before he sighed, sounding resolute.

“That’s alright,” he said dismissively. “There are many more options to choose from in the capital shops, and I’d be more than happy to watch you try every single one of them—however long it takes until you find the wedding dress of your dreams.”

“No,” I insisted, unable to stop a smile from forming, “I mean, whatever dress I pick for the ceremony, you won’t be able to see it… because I won’t show it to you.”

“What?”

Little did he know, I had decided on this long before I ever met him… back when I was innocent and naive and hopelessly fantasizing about the mating ceremony that I truly believed would never happen. Believing that if I were condemned to only find happiness in the lonely corners of my own imagination, then every minute detail would be perfectly thought out. Thankfully, the stories I read helped fuel those fantasies.

Until Xaden weaved his way into my life.

“However outdated the custom might be, I’m a firm believer in making the man wait to see his bride’s dress until the ceremony.”

He groaned, looking pained, but I couldn’t help but giggle. “You mean I’m to be left in the dark with everybody else? That’s not fair at all.”

“That’s part of the magic, though. Men might dream of seeing the dress, but girls…” I said, “we dream of being looked at like that—like you can’t see anyone else but me… like I might be the most beguiling thing you’ve ever beheld.” I smiled softly, shyly locking eyes with him in the mirror. “Like everything you feel for me is written plain as day in the depths of your eyes.”

The way you always seem to look at me, I added silently.

The way I hope you always look at me, for however long I have you.

Any hint of teasing was long gone as Xaden returned my gaze. “That… does sound nice,” he conceded, his voice barely an octave higher than a gentle murmur. “If you wish me to wait, then so be it.”

I sighed, brushing my hair over one shoulder as I took one last look at the dress. “Well… I guess it’s decided then,” I said with a smile. “I’ll wear this tomorrow.”

Xaden sighed, his features tinted wistfully. “I’d kill to have you on my arm tomorrow night… but I’ll suck it up. For now,” he said, raising his left wrist ever so slightly to play with the blue and green bracelet still tied there, “I’ll be satisfied in the knowledge that I’ll have a piece of you with me always.”

As my gaze swept over him, I felt a wonderful rush of affection through my heart… my chest… everywhere.

I might’ve had difficulty deciding on the perfect picture or the perfect dress to wear, but if there was one decision I’d made that I prided myself on…

It was to let Xaden into my life.