Chapter 5 - Rosalia
For all her charm and grace, Rosalia was completely out of her depth surrounded by the Iron Walker women.
She rarely spent time with women. Aside from Katie, of course. Her father had never liked her mingling with other girls. He said they were a bad influence. She spent her childhood taught by private tutors, confined to the walls of her father’s manor, wandering the halls much like a ghost.
What interactions she did have with the rest of the pack tended to be with alpha males visiting her father. And she had avoided bumping into those males as much as possible. The way they looked at her…the way their eyes followed her around the room…
But the females helping her prepare seemed nothing but honest and friendly, genuinely trying to make her feel welcome.
They chatted about their mates, their children, and Roslia learnt what she could about them and their lives.
Such knowledge would serve her well. There was sweet-natured Daisy, who didn’t seem to have a bad word to say about anything.
She seemed so at odds with her sharp-edged mate, the billionaire Nicolas Accardi, who seemed to own every hotel from here to Washington, not to mention his tech empire.
Their three children, Thea, Gracie, and little baby Max, were a beautiful blend of her softness and his icy composure.
Then there was outgoing Cassie, who, despite being human, seemed by far the most boisterous of the lot.
She was, most surprisingly, mated to the Alpha of the Iron Walkers, Felix.
Rosalia remembered when news of their mating spread to the packs.
The vitriol her father had spewed. Bad enough that Felix’s ex-wife was human, and therefore his two twin sons, Logan and Danny, had so-called contaminated lineage, but an Alpha mated to a human?
Now she had actually met Felix; however, Rosalia knew he was not the sort of male to give a single thought to the opinions of others.
He lived his life by his own code and was all the stronger for it.
And then there was Lola, heavily pregnant, who appeared halfway through Daisy styling her hair with a garment bag and a grumble about her mate, Dane, and his increasing protectiveness over her in her state.
They were recently mated, a matter of months ago, and their son Sammy was still a tiny baby.
It was rather comical, the refined, bookish Lola next to the enormous scoundrel-like Dane, but Rosalia could easily tell from Lola’s fond ranting that she had him completely wrapped around her finger.
As they fluttered around her, all three dressed in soft green gowns with their hair and makeup fixed, the abstract idea of the Iron Walkers began to take shape in her mind, become grounded in reality with each passing comment, each little quip.
There was a clear camaraderie between the women, a friendship that ran deep.
They were more than friends, really. They were packmates. Sisters.
And Rosalia was not one of them.
And so, she relied on her tried-and-true manners, politely answering their questions and asking appropriate ones in return, sticking to topics like her hair and makeup and the dress, and the flowers. Nothing controversial. Nothing that they could use against her.
She felt terrible for her lack of trust, in all honesty.
But she had no idea at all what the Iron Walkers were really like.
She needed to find her footing, get a sense of how everything fit together before throwing herself into friendships.
The last thing she wanted was to reflect badly on her father.
Or Rick. She needed to keep her thoughts to herself.
And yet, when Eva looked up at her, a whispered ‘wow’ on her lips as Daisy swept a champagne shimmer over her eyelids, she couldn’t help herself.
“Are you excited for the ceremony, Eva?”
The little girl nodded, her curls swaying, “Yes! Papa said I can hold some flowers, and afterwards there’ll be cake and dancing and—”
“Don’t forget the music,” Cassie threw in, “you can show us your new ballet dance!”
Rosalia smiled. “You do ballet?”
“I do, but I’m not as good as some of the other girls. Papa got a special teacher for me who comes once a week, and now I can do an arabesque for six seconds without wobbling! Look!”
With impressive grace for one so young, she pointed her toes and extended her arms out, her chin tilting upwards with regal elegance. For a split second, Rosalia saw a flash of Rick in the little girl, but then she stumbled slightly and gave her a rueful grin.
Rosalia clapped her hands together with a laugh of delight. “That’s very impressive! I dance as well, you know.”
“You do?” Eva asked in amazement, creeping forwards slightly, arms held ever so slightly away from her body, as if having to restrain herself from hugging Rosalia’s legs.
“Mostly ballet, just like you. Although I also know how to ballroom dance.”
“Wo-o-ow!” Eva said. “You have to teach me!”
Rosalia chuckled, “It would be an honor.”
“Gosh, you’re so sophisticated,” Daisy said with a mournful sigh, “I wish I could dance.”
“You play piano beautifully,” Cassie said, “I wish I could do that.”
“But you’re studying astronomy! That’s much more impressive,” Daisy shot back.
Lola hummed in agreement, fixing a chocolate curl that had fallen loose atop her head with a pin. “I never had a head for any of the hard sciences.”
“Lola, you’re about to get your doctorate in history, for God’s sake. I’m only an undergrad!”
“A doctorate?” Rosalia asked, blinking slightly in shock as the women turned to her, “Forgive me, but…aren’t you…”
“Too pregnant?” Lola laughed. “Trust me. My studies are the only thing keeping me sane at the moment.”
Rosalia pressed her lips together, looking back down at her hands, suddenly ashamed of herself. Of course, Lola could study while pregnant. She could do anything she liked. Rosalia was just so…unused to seeing such easy freedoms.
Daisy pulled another strand of her hair back, twisting it before pinning it in place, a contemplative look on her face. “Have you been to college, Rosalia?”
Rosalia smiled, “No, I haven’t…had the chance.”
Daisy hummed, and through the mirror, Rosalia caught Cassie and Lola exchanging a look.
“Do you want to?” Daisy asked, spritzing some floral hairspray.
She swallowed. “I…I’ve never thought about it. Perhaps one day.”
Helping her stand, Daisy gave Eva a bright smile, “Why don’t you go and find the bouquet while Rosalia gets into her dress? I think your Uncle Nicolas has it.”
“On it,” Eva said with fierce determination, practically running out of the room.
Daisy chuckled as she left. “She’s such a sweet girl.”
“She is,” Rosalia agreed, letting Cassie help her out of her robe to begin the arduous process of lacing her into her wedding gown.
It was beautiful, and highly traditional, with a fitted bodice and hazy, diaphanous skirts and ribbons wrapped all the way up her bare arms. Instead of white, as the humans favored, it was a deep forest green. A symbol of connection to nature.
“You know,” Daisy said, her tone deceptively innocuous, “Rick would let you go to college to study. If you wanted.”
Rosalia blinked at her. “I’ll…bear that in mind.”
“You don’t need to be scared of him,” Lola added, before her cheeks colored slightly. “Sorry! I don’t mean to say that you are scared of him, it’s just…”
“He can be…intense,” finished Cassie, her voice inflecting upwards at the end as if asking a question. “But he’s an honorable male! Very loyal. Protective of the pack, you know?”
“Too protective, some might say,” Daisy said, throwing Cassie a look.
Cassie waved her hand, “Oh, that? That’s all ancient history now.”
“What’s ancient history?” Rosalia asked, no longer able to contain her curiosity or growing sense of dread.
Cassie winced. “Before I joined the pack, there was…um…an incident…”
“What sort of incident?” Rosalia asked, her stomach dropping.
Daisy and Cassie looked at each other, seemingly caught in silent conversation, before Daisy turned away abruptly and gave a falsetto laugh. “Let’s not rob Dane of material for his speech! No doubt he’ll be bringing that one up for everyone to enjoy.”
The wrappings of her dress suddenly felt very tight, her head swimming, her stomach roiling in nausea.
Oh God.
Oh God, what was she getting herself into?
Cassie seemed to notice the raw panic on her face, because she rushed over, helping Rosalia sit, barking orders at Daisy to get some water. As the two of them flapped around with increasing panic of their own, Lola sat beside her, a sheepish look on her face.
“I really am sorry.”
Rosalia waved a hand, the other pressed against her chest, trying desperately to calm her racing heart.
“My pack growing up was similar to the Green Mountain Pack, I think,” she continued. “Not many opportunities for females to rise beyond being…well, females.”
“It’s quite all alright, honestly,” Rosalia said, hoping her eyes didn’t reflect the swirling tornado within her. “I’ll be fine.”
“It’s okay if you’re not fine,” Lola said, taking her hand, “I know it may be hard to believe, but…no matter what happens, we’re here. That may not be much of a comfort now, but I hope it will grow to become one.”
Rosalia nodded, offering a weak smile and accepting a glass of water from Daisy.
After a few measured breaths, she stood, smoothing her dress.
“It must be getting time to go now?”
“We can stay here a bit longer if you want,” said Daisy, “there’s no need to rush.”
Rosalia inclined her head. “Thank you, but I’m perfectly fine. I don’t want to keep the others waiting.”
Daisy considered her for a moment before nodding, something resigned in her face. Almost sad.
Rosalia ignored it. She couldn’t afford to be seen as fragile, not when she hadn’t even earned their respect.
She was Rosalia Heath of the Green Mountain Pack, and it was time to face her destiny.
***