Chapter 30
Iris
I held my heart in my hands, reliving his promise to get me some new clothes. My excitement might have taken him by surprise but I was the only one who understood why I went overboard.
"Are you ready?" He asked, placing his hairbrush on the dresser.
"Yes," I beamed at him, straightening the collar of the oversized shirt he'd given me.
In his words, he said that he wouldn't watch me wear a piece of rag out of his room no matter what. So he quickly produced a white shirt with an extra large size and a pair of shorts then asked me to wear it.
The size didn't matter, what I cared about was the motive.
As soon as we stepped out of the room, he stretched his hand and nudged me to take it. My eyes almost popped out of their sockets and I was forced to ask him if he was sure of his actions.
"Don't overthink it, we are acting remember?" He intruded on my thoughts while I flashed a fake smile at him.
Trust him to spoil the moment.
"How will I forget?" I replied sarcastically, squared my shoulders and took his hand.
My mission had taken a dicey turn. Not only would I prove to his father that his son had found a mate in me, but I'd also show the pack that used every opportunity to belittle me that I was strong, confident and worth their attention.
We strolled through the courtyard where most of the servants were attending to their chores and immediately they saw us, their attention was averted to us.
For the first time in my life, people weren't staring at me because of a false accusation. Today, it felt like I'd earned their respect.
'In your face, bitches' I muttered with a smirk and huffed.
"Greetings, Prince Gradel."
"I hope you're feeling better?"
"My lady, please take care of yourself, we don't want the prince to be sad because of you. Don't you know that his heart won't be able to take it if anything happens to you?"
Those were the words of the pack members as we made our way to the market.
The market had two sections: a part for the elites, where high-priced shoes, bags and clothes were sold. While the other section which we called Tana, belonged to the people who couldn't afford to the expensive commodities.
It was sad how I couldn't even afford to get everything from the Tana market. My situation was that bad.
Fortunately, there was no discrimination between the rich and the poor, but most of us who belonged to the lower class knew our place so we hardly branched into the elite section.
My heart brimmed with happiness when I stood in the showroom without feeling less because my mate was with me.
No one dared ask if I was there to take something that didn't belong to me or give me a suspicious stare, instead, they kept flashing nervous smiles at me, asking if I was comfortable as they didn't want to get into a bad place with me.
"You can take whatever you want. I'll be waiting for you right here."
I nodded and traipsed into the cloth section. Beautiful dresses of different designs, sown with expensive materials screamed for my attention. Though Gradel had asked me to take whatever I wanted, it still didn't feel right to just snatch what caught my fancy.
My interest was fixed on a short sleeveless yellow floral dress, appropriate for an evening stroll or a casual outing and then I felt a familiar presence behind me.
"You know, if you want to be taken seriously then you have to act like a woman who knows what she wants." He uttered behind me, stooping lower so his jaw rested on my shoulder.
The hairs on my skin rose and I fought a giggle. "It's not my fault, Sire, I wasn't trained to spend the pack's resources lavishly." I retorted sharply.
"Well, I think that dress suits your skin. You can check it out in the dressing room," He nudged me.
I tucked my hair behind my ear and asked the attendant who stood beside us patiently to bring the dress along with her while we headed to the dressing room.
It was satisfying to see that the people who looked down on me were now eager to do my bidding.
Standing in front of the mirror, I took off Gradel's shirt gently and tossed on the dress. My lips parted widely when I stared at my reflection in the mirror.
The golden yellow color complimented my red hair just like he said.
"By the gods, I look so beautiful," I gasped, palming my mouth.
I dragged in a deep breath, wondering what his reaction would be if he saw me. It shouldn't have been important to me because had clearly stated that he didn't want me, but my curiosity had taken a greater part of me.
I picked up his shirt, moved to the door and slightly opened it and then I thrust my head forward, taking a sneak peek in his direction only for our eyes to meet.
My mouth ran dry as I straightened the invisible creases on the dress, and then I approached him.
"So, how do I look?" I questioned, shyly.
He ran his eyes over my dress in a once-over and folded his arms. "Just like I imagined, you look amazing."
My insides warmed up. "Thank you."
I decided not to take off the dress and Gradel took it upon himself to choose my clothes. It felt intimate and I began to wish that it wasn't just an act.
By the time we had finished selecting my clothes, I was exhausted but happy. I could envisage opening my wardrobe and seeing different beautiful skirts, trousers, blouses and dresses that I never thought I'd have.
It felt surreal but it was as real as day.
"Now, let's go get you some jewelry."
My bladder decided to remind me of its existence at that moment as a prickly sensation tugged at my abdomen.
"I'm sorry but you'll have to wait because I'm pressed right now."
He nodded and tucked his hands into his pants. "Alright,"
I dashed in the opposite direction, unsure of the toilet's location. Fortunately, a room with a female toilet tag on the lintel came into sight so I opened it without knocking and relieved myself.
A sigh of relief coursed through my chest while I washed my hands and then I stepped out feeling better.
Upon my return to the store, a man's voice sounded in the air, quite angry and frustrated. I rolled my eyes, wondering what a man would be doing around a female toilet.
I'd almost passed the spot where he stood when my eyes caught the sight of a familiar bracelet on his wrist. Cold chills ran down my spine at the striking resemblance it bore with Gradel's bracelet.
It was black and shiny, just like the one I'd almost stolen.
'Could it be that this was Gradel's bracelet?' I thought to myself, still staring at the man.