25. Vivianna
VIVIANNA
“There is no way in hell that I am wearing a dress with a skirt so large that I could get lost in it. It would take someone days to find me in there,” I proclaimed as the ladies who were helping me get ready brought the dress into the room.
“But Dama, this is the traditional style of dress to be worn at the coronation ceremony,” Robin said, putting her hands on her hips and scowling at me.
Robin was in charge of all the women who were basically my ladies in waiting that I never allowed to do anything for me.
They cleaned the room and made sure that I had clean clothes, but that was it.
I didn’t need people helping me get dressed every day when I had been doing it just fine for twenty plus years.
“Look, I gave in to every demand you made of me getting ready for tonight, but I’m putting my foot down on this. I refuse to wear that. Pick something else, anything else,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest, matching her look.
Robin tossed her hands into the air and headed for the closet. “Of course. It doesn’t matter that we spent the past week making this dress, or that we had to get the fabric imported,” she muttered under her breath.
I was getting the feeling that Robin had a flair for the dramatic, and no matter how I handled things, she would have found something to be upset about.
Twisting, I looked in the mirror again, still amazed at what these women had managed to do with me.
My hair had been curled, teased, pinned, and sprayed into submission until it looked like an intricate, flowing weave around my head.
They had even threaded pearls throughout my hair.
My makeup was artfully done, giving me a fresh, clean look with a deep smoky eye done in copper and brown colors. Never had I looked this good.
“How do you feel about this dress, Dama?” Robin said, pulling me away from the mirror.
In her hands was a ruby-colored dress in a shiny satin material that took my breath away. I stood and walked over, reaching out so I could run my fingers over the cool, crisp fabric. “This is perfect.”
“Excellent. Astrid thought you might resist the first dress and made sure we brought this along,” Robin said, waving for the other girls to help me out of my robe.
I frowned at her. “If Astrid told you that, why did you even bother with the first dress?”
“I told you—it’s tradition. I had to at least try to get you to wear it,” Robin tutted as she gathered up the dress to drop over my head.
Once I was in and zipped, the girls flitted around, making little adjustments and touching up anything I might have messed up while putting the dress on.
When I stepped into the offered black heels, I thought I was done, but oh how wrong I was.
Next came the jewelry, a golden collar-type necklace with pearls and matching earrings.
Then Robin walked up to me with an ancient-looking box.
When she opened it, I was stunned to see a crown.
The crown was clean and polished, but it didn’t shine—it had seen too much of the world for that.
The band was thick and had etchings of wolves on it, inlaid with precious gems. There were no crazy points on this crown—it was meant to be functional more than to make a statement.
This was the crown of a queen who didn’t just sit on her throne; no, this had scrapes and gouges in it from battle.
This has to be the same crown Dama Agnes wore in all her battles.
I gulped as they placed the crown on my head. Now I was ready. Stepping into my bedroom, I looked at myself in the full-length mirror. The woman staring back at me was not Vivianna Beck, the neglected daughter of an ambassador. This woman was regal, powerful, an alpha female ready to lead her pack.
I don’t know if I can do this. So many people are counting on me to do what is best for them, but how could I know what’s best? What if I fuck this all up?
The fact you are worried about failing shows that you’re on the right path. You’re not doing this all alone, you have plenty of people around you to make sure you don’t blow it.
Yeah, but someone here already wants to get rid of me, and I haven’t even done much. I’m putting my mates and the people close to me in danger.
You will never make everyone happy, no one can. As for the people close to you, they knew what they signed up for. Remember, your mates knew what coming here would mean for you, and they didn’t flinch at the danger. Hell, Rik almost died keeping you safe, and that was his choice.
Don’t remind me. That is exactly what I am worried about. They love me enough to put their lives on the line, but should I even ask them to?
Okay, I can’t handle this with you right now. You need to put your big girl pants on and deal with it. You said yes to the job, you wear the crown. So chin up, chest out, and let’s kick some furry ass.
Um… it’s just dinner, not a battle.
Oh man, we’re in so much more trouble than I thought, if that’s what you think.
“Rik, your girl needs a talking to, stat. I can’t help her with this one,” my wolf called out using my mental link with Rik.
I didn’t know you could do that.
Neither did I, but that is fucking cool.
A knock at my bedroom door sounded moments later, and I knew it was Rik, so I just waited for him to enter, turning so I could see his reaction.
The hunger grew in his eyes when he spotted me did not disappoint.
Slowly he let his gaze travel from head to toe and back up again, a smirk pulling at his lips.
Mind you, the whole time, I’d been drooling over what my mate looked like in a light gray three-piece suit.
He didn’t wear a tie but had the top three buttons open, making me want to lick up his neck.
One of the girls who had been helping me walked by him, looking him over.
I snarled loudly at her, causing her to jump and drop her head as she scurried out of the room.
“No need to be jealous, sweetheart. I’m yours and only yours,” Rik said, walking up to me and letting his hands run down my bare arms. “Now, your wolf said you needed me?”
I let my eyes fall to the floor, embarrassed that I was having such doubt about all this. Rik tucked a finger under my chin and lifted my eyes back up to his.
“Ah,” Rik murmured as he leaned down, resting his forehead against mine.
“I was raised to be Alpha of my pack, groomed by my father in all the things I needed to know. Lesson after lesson drilled into my head about our laws and how I was supposed to act. Then, far too soon, he was taken from the world, leaving me to take over. Our pack loved my father, and he helped it to flourish into what it is today. Now they’re stuck with me. ”
“You’re an amazing Alpha, Rik,” I said, letting my shoulders slump.
Rik tilted my chin higher and placed a hint of a kiss on my lips.
“Thank you, but I wasn’t when I took over three years ago.
Then everything I learned got tossed out the window when my parents died.
I couldn’t be a level-headed leader with the pain I was dealing with.
Many times, I reacted out of anger when dealing with situations, but as time went on, we all helped each other manage our pain and loss.
No one heals from losing people they love, but it becomes more manageable.
My pack walked side by side with me through it all and forgave me for the mistakes I made. ”
“This is different. They haven’t known me since I was a kid, watched me grow up. I don’t have any leg to stand on with these people,” I countered.
“Prove to them that you’re worth it, just as you have with me and the other guys.
You stood for what you thought was right.
Were they all the right choices? We may never know, but at the end of it, we all sided with you, chose you over going back home.
Let them see who you really are, because you are amazing, Viv.
” The emotions he expressed made his voice deeper, sending shivers down my spine.
Do you believe him?
Yes, Rik would never lie to me about how he feels or how he sees me.
Good, because I wasn’t sure what to do if you didn’t.
“Thank you,” I whispered back, reaching up to cup his face in my hands, brushing our noses against each other.
Rik’s hands found their way to my hips, and he pushed me back step after step, slowly, until my back hit the wall.
He leaned in and started to kiss down along my neck, starting behind my ear.
My dress was off the shoulder, giving him lots of room to work with.
One hand glided down my hip until it reached the bare skin on my leg, courtesy of the incredibly high slit in the skirt.
“We need to find a way to get you into more dresses like this,” Rik rumbled. “I can’t decide if I want to peel it off of you or fuck you wearing it.”
I groaned, tossing back my head as he bit the mound of my breast put on display by my dress. “Rik, we can’t. It would mess up everything they’ve spent hours doing.”
“Sweetheart, you have been needy since you woke up. Let your mate take care of you. I promise, you will be no worse for wear when I’m done,” Rik said, nuzzling my neck.
Powerless to stop him—not that I really wanted to—he pulled open my skirt, revealing my matching red thong.
Rik knelt in front of me and kissed up the inside my thigh, kneading my ass as he went.
When he finally reached my core, he ran his tongue over the outside of my underwear, making me buck my hips with need.
Nipping at me, his teeth scraped against my clit, and I couldn’t help the cry that burst from my lips.
God bless a man who can drop to his knees for a woman.