Chapter 26
Valarie
Everyone was rushing around me. Skirts grazed my legs as women passed, men bumped into me, I barely managed to keep my balance.
Someone grabbed my upper arm and wrenched me around.
“What are you doing!?” Sophia hissed, eyes bright with anger. “I’ve been waiting for you. You need to get to our rooms, now.”
She turned and took off down the long hallway, hair looking dangerously close to unruly. I blinked and followed quickly at a jog.
“Sorry,” I muttered as we entered the rooms and I shut the door behind us.
Sophia took the pins out of her hair and shook it out. She kicked her shoes off, agitated, and glared at me.
“What’s wrong with you? Today of all days!”
I watched as she raged around the room and cringed, managing to look ashamed of myself.
“Sorry—” I repeated, but she shut me up with one look.
“You were completely passed out this morning and covered in dirt. I had to ask one of the local maids to help me with my hair this morning—do you know how embarrassing that is!? And she didn’t even do a good job!”
With a sigh, I ducked into the bathroom to grab a comb. Having her hair brushed was one of the few things that calmed Sophia down, and I didn’t even have to say anything—she sat down on the couch as I came back into the room.
“And on the most important day of the Hunt—the actual Hunt where we’ll be running with the Alpha on a full moon—you go missing. What has gotten into you, Val?”
I was happy to be standing behind her, away from her angry gaze. For a few moments I stayed quiet, combing through her hair carefully, untangling knots as I went.
“I’m not sure,” I admitted, though I knew I couldn’t tell her the truth; that Gabriel had gotten into me. Dug under my skin until all I could think of was him.
“I think I miss home? And with the moon full now, and all the excitement, it just has me nervous.”
It was half-true.
I watched her shoulders droop and heard the sigh.
“Well, whatever it is, you need to control it. Just for today. It’s the last event, Val.”
“I thought the Hunt was supposed to be casual?” I asked, confused. “I mean, it’s not like you’ll be wearing your clothes for most of the night…”
Sophia scoffed and then winced as I hit another knot.
“True. But it’s more about appearances than anything else.
Everyone knows Daniele is out. And word is Queen Raquel doesn’t trust the Blue Pack enough to let Morgan have a go at her son.
So luckily, that only pits me against three others—and I’m absolutely sure I can take on Edith.
For a girl from the Dagger Pack, she isn’t exactly impressive when it comes to sparring. ”
I snorted, remembering that Edith had come in close to last during that first event.
“So, what’s your plan?”
Sophia rolled her shoulders. “I have Caroline and Maggie to worry about. Maggie isn’t as fast as I am… but Caroline is, and I’ll have to take her head on.”
I murmured an agreement and continued working in silence. Both of us were lost in thought. Sophia was planning her strategy for the transformation tonight. I was trying to cope with the fact that after tonight, I would have only a few more days in the Kingdom.
What would happen if Sophia won…? I assumed she would want me to stay on as her maid, but that couldn’t happen. I’d have to go back to our pack—my pack—and my family.
But Dad and Jason had an invitation now to the unions. How could I talk my mother into letting me stay in the territory instead of moving to the city? Maybe we could retain our house there, and I could live there while they worked here…
It only took a few minutes to weave Sophia’s hair into a beautiful, loose fishtail braid. It was one of her favorites and one we could get away with tonight. Unlike the sparring event, Sophia wouldn’t be in her human form for the Hunt. Her hairdo wouldn’t matter.
“What do you think?” she asked, standing. “I’m leaning toward that leather skirt and the asymmetrically-cut top.”
Two hours later, Sophia was at dinner. It was a small affair again without unnecessary servants, which meant I was left to wander down to the kitchens.
I found Ana lounging near the bread ovens and eating warm rolls.
“What?” she asked, mouth full when I sent a glare her way. “Transformation nights take it right out of me. I need all the energy I can get.”
I rolled my eyes, perching on a counter nearby.
“You won’t be transforming tonight though, will you?”
She shook her head. “No. Not on a Hunt night. A few betas might run with them, but for the most part, the bystanders fight to stay in their human forms. You’ll see a lot of half-transformations tonight.”
I shuddered, feeling my own wolf clawing to get out. She’d been quiet since the romp with Gabriel the night before, but she was acting up again now that the moon would be full tonight.
“I’m not sure I’ll be attending,” I admitted, grabbing a roll off the sheet pan.
Ana’s eyes narrowed.
“No? Princess Sophia doesn’t want you there for support?”
I snorted.
“She doesn’t need it, trust me. She’s got a damn good game plan.”
“All right,” Ana said, straightening up and dusting the crumbs off her apron. “What’s going on with you, Val? I can tell something is getting to you.”
“It’s nothing. I just want to go home,” I said, pushing myself off the counter and starting to pace. “I’m just an omega. I wasn’t meant for… all this.”
I waved my arms around at the huge kitchen, industrial ovens, everything clean and steel.
“Umm, have you not noticed that I, too, am an omega?”
“Yeah, but we’re from different packs,” I insisted. “Back home, we don’t have nice things like this. And honestly, I don’t think I’d want any of this anyway. I don’t know how Gabriel does it—”
I cut myself off, stopping short with my mouth hanging open. Ana’s eyes widened.
“What? What does the King have to do with anything? And why are you calling him by his name?”
“You call him by his name,” I said lamely, turning away from her.
“Yes, because we’ve known each other since we were children, and he insists. And I only do it when it’s he and I—and certainly not as casually as you just did!”
My face was hot with guilt. I pressed my eyes closed, knowing she could read it on me.
“Oh my god,” she said breathlessly, sinking back down to the bench she’d been sitting on. “I don’t know how I missed it. You didn’t… you didn’t just sleep with him once to get it over with, did you?”
I shook my head, biting my lip.
“How many times?” she asked.
“I’m not really sure. It’s not like I’ve kept count.”
Ana looked dazed.
“Well, this changes things a bit, doesn’t it? Is this why you don’t want to go to the Hunt?”
I nodded. “I can’t be there… Sophia, she has a good chance. I can’t be there to ruin it with how I feel…”
“About him?”
Ana was way too excited about the whole situation. She clearly didn’t understand how dangerous it was for me, for our Alpha.
“Ana, what exactly do you imagine is going to happen? You know once he chooses a mate, he can’t go back on that.”
“What if he doesn’t choose any of them?” she asked.
I frowned. “That’s not a possibility. The Queen has made it clear that this has to be the Hunt he chooses. Otherwise, the other packs have a chance of uprising.”
“Valarie, think about it. Even if he chooses a mate tonight, do you really think a quick marriage will be enough to satisfy enemies he’s had for years?”
We stared at one another, the rolls in our hands cooling slowly.