99
ALTHEA
It was the day when all of us were invited to the ball, to celebrate the king's birthday and the coronation of the new King. After doing my makeup and curling my long locks, it was finally the time to wear the dress. With a pounding heart, I put on my heels first then I wore the dress.
I was staring at my reflection. As I had suspected, the dress was showing off too much of my skin. It wouldn't be a problem for me if it wouldn't have been showing the whole scar on my chest. I was so lost in my thoughts, I didn't see when Alexander came and stood behind me.
I leaned into his chest and breathed out slowly. He was gently rubbing my arms, our gazes were locked through the reflection. “Stop thinking too much. You need to stop thinking. To me, your scars are the signature of your bravery. Not all warriors can have them. Trust me, you are just perfect.” He whispered softly in my ear.
I held my breath when he zipped up my dress, deliberately touching my bare skin. I gulped hard, my skin was already on fire. I leaned against his chest, trying my best to stay sane as his scent and his warmth engulfed my existence. “I can see my whole scar. I can't help it. It looks horrible.”
He didn't even miss a single beat. He pulled away from me, turned me around and he had my face cupped between both of his hands. “I was one of those people who were laughing at you over these marks on your face and your body. But let me tell you something. I was jealous of you.” I was staring at him in utter surprise.
“ya..you .. you were jealous… of me…???” I couldn't help myself. I stuttered like a loser at that moment.
“Yep! I was jealous. I was so jealous of you. The courage you showed at that age when girls only scream for help. You were brave enough to hold not just rogues, but also your parents.” My heart was thumping loudly inside my rib cage.
“These scars are beautiful to me. And your wolf wears them like a medal. You shouldn't be ashamed of them as well. Be proud of them. You did something for your Alpha and even he acknowledged it.” It was not the first time I was hearing him say such things from my mate. He had constantly been telling me that he was proud of my scars. But that day, it felt almost as if I saw literal shine in his eyes as he confessed that he was jealous of me.
I nodded my head after a minute or so. He leaned forward and I held my breath. My eyes were on his lips that curled up in a mischievous grin as he placed a kiss on the button of my nose. I didn't know why but I licked my lips. It was unintentional but he noticed that. “If I tried to kiss you right now, I'll end up doing something you don't want right now. It's better I keep a little distance. Let's go. I am the beta of the pack. We need to be at the ball.” He whispered softly and I couldn't taste his breaths into my mouth.
I could taste a hint of alcohol mixed with coffee from his mouth. I didn't know why he would be drinking but I didn't ask. He offered me his elbow and we were already on our way out of the Airbnb we were staying in.
We reached the royal hotel in no time. I took a deep breath, staring at the big hotel. I couldn't remember being in such a big crowd ever since that night when I saved Callista. Alexander placed one of his hands on the small of my back. “Just breathe. You look stunning. I bet I will be hovering all over you so no mutt will try to make a move on you.” Surely his confessions were getting creative.
He offered me his arm and I gladly wrapped mine around his. I took a deep breath as he asked me to do, then we walked inside the hotel. The ballroom was big. Bigger than the alpha mansion back at the pack. Of course, it was the royal hotel where we expected to witness the coronation of the new King.
My eyes wandered around, trying to locate the others from our pack. I saw Alpha Damon standing with some other alpha. “You stay here. I'll go and greet everyone. Then I'll come back to you with something to calm you down.” I nodded my head as I also didn't want to be anywhere near Luna Mira or Callista. I already knew that Orlando was around too.