The Alpha King's Mate novel Chapter 39

"Arms up!" Jewels instruct, and I throw my hands into the air.

Leah and Jewel pull a cream corset down my arms, over my head, and down past my underarms.

"Hands on your hips, Miss Maia," Jewel instructs as she and Leah stand behind me. They work their way up from the top of my backside and slowly upward, pulling at every piece of string, trying to kill me. The corset is tight, my ribs are being forced inward, and I can't breathe.

"Are you trying to kill me?" I ask, melodramatically, gasping for air and holding my sternum, feeling winded. Jewel and Leah laugh in hysterics at my reaction to the corset.

"Beauty is pain, Miss Maia," Jewel says, her face reddened with laughter.

They tie the strings in a double knot at the top of the corset and tuck them into the corset, hidden away.

"What's next? The dress, right?" I ask, knowing it has to be the dress.

"No, Miss. Your petticoat," they say, and I roll my eyes and would rather be duelling on the training fields with Sir Hugo than endure any more of this domestic dressing.

"Arms up," Jewel says, and they throw a sleeveless, foot-length, white petticoat down my arms and over my head before I wriggle my arms through the armholes and exhale as best I can.

They fling the olive-green dress with gold embroidery over my head, and I wrangle my arms into the sleeves.

Finally, my dress brushes the floor. I stand in front of the mirror and admire myself.

Jewel smiles before asking me to sit down on the stool in front of the dressing table so she can do my hair. She spends the next forty-five minutes backcombing my hair and covering it in a strong-smelling lacquer.

"What is this?" I ask.

"This is hair lacquer, Miss," Jewel says, her fingers oily from it, as she teases my hair into an absolute mess.

Just when I think my hairstyle will be ridiculous, she pats down my hair, in sections, before sleeking them back with her lacquered hands into a very voluminous bun.

She finishes off her handiwork with an enormous diamond swan hairpiece, which she jabs into my hair underneath the bun on the side. She sticks two long white feathers behind the swan and pins their stems into my hair with the same weapon-like pins she used this morning. It does look pretty.

Jewel asks me to sit on the bed, and I stand and go over to her and sit on the bed. She slips olive-green, satin ball shoes onto my feet and then stands up and wonders what I think.

I go over to the mirror and look at my reflection again, and I don't recognise myself. I look amazing, and I only wish Damon could see me dressed like this, looking so royal. I look like a queen.

Alpha King Damon

The next day, we leave the tavern and walk around the village, searching for a tailor. Troy, Zayden and I browse the breeches, coats, cloaks, and tunics while the girls browse the ball gowns.

"I have just the ones to match," the tailor replies and leaves us momentarily.

He returns with leather boots with three silver buckles on the side.

"Wow – they're awesome." Zayden says.

The Tailor gives Troy a few outfits to try on.

Troy returns and smiles, happy with one of the outfits.

"Yes. I'm happy to go with this," he says, looking up and down in the mirror.

"I'll have the same as my friend, but maybe I'll go with an olive-green velvet coat," I say to the tailor. He gathers all the pieces for my outfit and brings them to me.

"How do I look?" I ask Troy and Zayden, standing in front of the mirror in the store.

"Like you always do when we have a ball," Troy says, and they laugh. I adjust my clothes, turning this way and that way to inspect it from all angles. Vivian and the girls have chosen their gowns and accessories.

Vivian has chosen a floor-length, long-sleeved, emerald-blue dress in satin. Ella and Grace both chose long-sleeved, floor-length pale pink satin dresses. I leave the store five hundred gold coins poorer.