Chapter 52 Dreaming - Amelia’s POV
I was floating in that peaceful place between dreams and waking when my bedroom door burst open, the sound jerking me into consciousness like being dunked in cold water. Mira exploded into my room, practically vibrating with excitement, her honey-blonde hair escaping its messy bun in wild wisps around her face. The morning light streaming through my windows caught her silhouette as she bounded toward my bed, making her look like she was trailing gold dust.
"Wake up!" she chirped, yanking my blankets down despite my groan of protest. "It's already eight, and we've got so much to do!"
I blinked blearily at her, trying to make sense of her unexpected enthusiasm. "What's happening? Is something wrong?" My voice was rough with sleep, and I pushed myself up against my pillows, rubbing a hand across my face.
Mira plopped herself down on the edge of my bed, grinning like she was about to burst with whatever secret she was holding. "Nothing's wrong. Everything's perfect! I spoke to Elder Nora this morning, and she agreed with my plan."
"Slow down," I said, reaching for the glass of water on my nightstand. "What plan? You're not making any sense."
Her smile widened impossibly further. "You and His Highness are having a date-day!"
I choked on my water, coughing as Kaela perked up in my mind with immediate interest. 'A what now?' my wolf asked, suddenly wide awake.
"A date day?" I echoed once I could speak again. "What are you talking about?"
Mira nodded enthusiastically, bouncing slightly on the mattress. "A whole day, just the two of you. No council meetings, no interruptions, no curse research—just... being together." She waved her hands expressively. "Elder Nora says it's important for you both to have normal experiences together, that it might help with the curses somehow."
I set my glass down, trying to process this information. Yesterday, Aleksandr and I had spent the evening in the meditation garden after his tense council meeting. He'd been evasive about what had happened there, but I'd sensed the strain beneath his casual dismissal. The thought of a full day together, away from all that pressure, sent a flutter of warmth through my chest.
"So what exactly does this 'date day' involve?" I asked, unable to suppress a small smile at Mira's infectious excitement.
She held up her fingers, ticking off items as she spoke. "You've got breakfast in the garden in half an hour, then you're going for a walk around the castle grounds, followed by lunch. In the afternoon, you have reservations to see a musical in the city centre—"
"The city?" I interrupted, my eyes widening. "I haven't left the castle since I arrived."
"Exactly!" Mira exclaimed. "And after the show, you'll have dinner under the stars. The whole day is planned out, every detail perfect."
'This is good,' Kaela approved, her presence warm and alert in my mind. 'We need this. He needs this.'
I couldn't disagree. The past week had been intense—from the terrifying episode in the garden to my confrontation in his office to our tentative reconnection. We'd barely had time to breathe, let alone just... be together without some crisis looming.
A giggle escaped me, surprising us both with its lightness. "Does Aleksandr know about any of this?"
Mira's expression turned mischievous. "Nora's telling him right now. Probably getting the same shocked face you just made." She hopped up from the bed and moved to the wardrobe. "Now, we need to get you ready. Thirty minutes isn't much time."
I swung my legs over the side of the bed, suddenly energized. "What should I wear?"
"Something comfortable but pretty for the day portion," Mira said, already rifling through my clothes. "I've got a special dress for you for the theatre and dinner—I'll have it ready here after lunch."
She pulled out a casual blue and black dress I'd only worn once before—a simple A-line with short sleeves that somehow made my mismatched eyes look striking rather than strange. I nodded my approval and headed for the bathroom while Mira laid out accessories.
Under the warm spray of the shower, I let myself imagine the day ahead. A real date—something I'd never experienced before. At Frozen Mountain, I'd been too busy trying to survive to think about romance, and the few pack members close to my age had treated me like a pariah after I failed to shift.
'You deserve this,' Kaela said softly. 'We both do.'
"Do you think it will help?" I asked her aloud, the sound of the shower masking my voice from Mira in the other room. "With the curses, I mean?"
'Who knows?' she replied. 'But it can't hurt. And maybe...' She hesitated. 'Maybe just being happy together is its own kind of magic.'
I smiled at that uncharacteristically poetic thought from my usually blunt wolf. She was right—whatever happened with the curses, we deserved a day of normal happiness.
When I emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a plush robe, Mira had laid out not just the dress but also a pair of comfortable sandals and a delicate silver necklace I'd never seen before.
"Is that new?" I asked, touching the small pendant shaped like a crescent moon.
"Elder Nora sent it," Mira explained. "She said it was a gift, for courage."
I felt my throat tighten unexpectedly. In the weeks since I'd arrived at the castle, I'd received more kindness than in the four years before that. The necklace was beautiful, but the thought behind it meant more.
As Mira helped me into the dress and fastened the necklace, I caught sight of myself in the mirror. The girl looking back at me was still thin, still bore the shadows of her past in the faint hollows of her cheeks and the wariness behind her eyes. But there was something else there now too—a cautious hope, a growing strength.
"You look beautiful," Mira said, stepping back to admire her handiwork. "His Highness won't know what hit him."
'Damn right,' Kaela agreed smugly. 'We clean up good.'
I laughed, smoothing down the soft fabric of the dress. "I hope he likes it."
"He will," Mira assured me, gathering her things. "Now, I've got to run and make sure everything else is ready. The king's guard will escort you to the kitchen garden in twenty minutes." She paused at the door, her expression softening. "Have fun today, Amelia. You deserve it."
After she left, I finished my preparations, applying a touch of lip gloss and brushing my hair until it shone. As I clasped Nora's necklace more securely around my throat, I took one last look in the mirror.
"No matter what happens," I told my reflection, "today is ours."
'Damn straight,' Kaela agreed. 'Now let's go get our wolf.'