I was pretty sure the smell of Asra permeated every single one of my pores.
He had taken me three rounds; two in the shower and one on the bed, all in the space of an hour. I barely caught a break. The man was suddenly ravenous. The moment I stepped out of the shower after round two, he pushed me into the bed and drove me to climax two more times. I think I was up to about six or seven. I lost track.
I knew that his scent and our coupling didn't leave the room, no matter how much I aired it out. Serenity came in with some food for us, some small plates of various dishes the kitchen had prepared. Her face had been passive, but I watched the way her nose twitched and her cheeks filled with colour.
So even now, after half an hour of stuffing my face, I sat in a chair as she styled my hair. I was sure she could still smell it. With Asra in the bathroom doing goodness-knows what, probably pooping, I took my chance to corner her.
"How bad is it?"
"B-bad? Your hair?"
"My scent." I deadpanned.
"Oh," she flushed. "It is potent, but typical of an alpha."
My grimace deepened when Asra left the bathroom with a contented smirk on his face. He caught me glaring, and it only widened. His easy dismissal of my anger only infuriated me more.
Can this man just fear me one time?
Twenty minutes later and Serenity finished my hair and make-up. I rose from my seat, grunting with the effort. I was pretty sure that I had a dead ass. My muscles were sore from the wooden chair, plus Asra's desire to take control.
"How long do we have left?" I wondered, eyeing the two of them.
Asra lounged at the head of the bed, crossing his ankles as he looked down at his phone. I hesitated from going into the bathroom to grab my dress, taking in yet another divine look from him. He was wearing black skinny suit trousers, and his shirt was dark blue silk to match my dress. He left it unbuttoned at his chest; the collar falling loose to showcase the hair and tattoos on his chest.
I groaned, and his eyes raised from his phone to give me a strange look.
"Wasn't seven enough times?" He smirked.
Glaring, I fought back the blush as he teased me. "I was just asking a question."
He chuckled, dropping his phone to his chest. "We have half an hour."
My eyes widened. "Is that all?"
"I thought that was a good time," He frowned. "You only have to get your dress on."
"And make sure it looks goods, find some shoes, make sure I smell nice..." I trailed off, my usual routine not going to work today.
He grinned at my state, picking up his phone dramatically. "Twenty-nine..."
I huffed, going into the bathroom with Serenity hot on my heels. Shutting the door behind us, I unzipped the dress bag and gestured for her to look. Her eyes widened with glee, an enthusiastic nod as she helped me pull it out of the bag.
"You get undressed, I will get the steamer." She grinned.
I nodded, stepping out of the robe and turning to my luggage on the floor. I packed a few bra choices and hoped Serenity would help me decide. The dress was altered, and it looked great on me the other day. I just wanted a second opinion.
Coming back into the bedroom, Serenity was quick to drop the creases from the dress. Once finished, she helped me decide what bra to wear, and after a self-conscious crisis, we went with none. My breasts were not that large, on the average size of things, so I hoped I could do it justice.
"We can always tape them," she suggested.
My eyes bugged at the thought of having to rip the tape off my nipples, and despite her insistence that it wasn't that type of tape, I refused it. Stepping into the dress, I chewed on my lip as the tightness of it wrapped around my hips. I sucked in my gut and hitched it higher until it was covering my chest. Serenity was quick to take the thin straps and pull them higher. Turning around, I gave her my back as she secured them in an elegant, swooping bow.
My hands ran down the front of the fabric and across my hips, making sure it was smooth and in place. Despite its tightness, and the soft silk of the fabric, it did not suffocate me or feel heavy. I felt like I was hardly wearing anything. The cool air on my bare back was refreshing.
"What shoes are you wearing?"
"I don't know." Frowning, I stared at my feet. "I don't like high heels, but I believe it is a courtesy..."
"Where are they? We can try them out."
"They're in their own box in the room," I muttered.
"I'll get them." She nodded.
"No, no, it's okay. I'm not hiding anything."
With a soft smile, we left the room. Serenity went first, and it gave me the perfect view of Asra's expression. He was back on his phone, and barely spared a glance at first, until he realised I was behind Serenity. His head darted back up, eyebrows raising and eyes widening. I couldn't help the smug grin that erupted on my face as he leaned forward in the bed.
"Tulip," He breathed. "That dress is..."
"I know," I smirked.
A deep grumble sounded in his chest as he turned and rose from the mattress. I had barely made it through the threshold before he was striding toward me. His eyes blazed with emotions, but I kept my spine straight as he approached. When he was inches away, his hands curled around my hips, gliding up to my waist and back down.
"This dress was a good choice." He grunted.
I giggled. "You haven't even seen the back yet."
Turning in his grip, his hands stayed where they were. The moment my bare skin was on show, they moved, trailing up my spine and to my mark. He whispered a curse and my skin rose with goosebumps as he turned me back around.
"This dress is my favourite."
"I think you would say that about every dress." I teased.
"Possibly," He grinned, bending down to kiss me softly. "Finish up and we shall go."
I nodded, stepping out of his grip to look in the mirror. I fought hard to stop the nervous-fuelled negativity as I stared at my reflection. The dark blue contrasted my pale skin wonderfully; my neck and shoulders were exposed. My makeup was soft and natural like I asked for. Despite Serenity's comments on it being a formal ball, I didn't want to be too different.
Turning, I eyed the open back and how it clung to my lower back. It was smooth, hugging my thighs before pooling at my feet. There were a few inches trailing that I knew I would trip over, so I would have to give in and at least wear a small heel.
Staring at my tightly plastered hair, I untucked a few strands to frame my face, unhappy with its sleek look. Serenity had tied it into a bun, the usual wild orange flames tamed for the night. I never often wore it so sleek and brushed back, and it made the colour look strangely darker. The spray Serenity dowsed it in probably didn't help, but I rather enjoyed the look she gave it.
Sighing softly, I turned away from the mirror to not infuriate myself further. I walked toward the shoe bag and pulled out a pair of dark heels. They were only small, barely three inches, and gave me the height I needed to not trip over.
"Here," Asra mumbled, coming up behind me.
I turned expectantly, only to be surprised when he handed me a small velvet box. Raising an eyebrow suspiciously at him, I found him now fully dressed. He buttoned his shirt and wore a black suit jacket over it. There was no tie, and the top neck button was undone, but I didn't comment on his lack of formality.
Humming, I pried the box open to look inside. Laying on a red velvet cushion, was a silver bracelet. It wasn't too thick and felt weighted enough that I could feel it in my hand when I pulled it out. There was nothing fancy to it, just a simple hook fastening.
"It's pure silver, a little protection." Asra smiled tensely.
"It's lovely, thank you." I mumbled, taking his outstretched hand.
He grinned, taking the bracelet from my grip to wrap around my wrist. His thick thumbs fumbled with the clasp, but he got it on in one go.
"If it's silver, why can you touch it then?" I mused.
His eyes twinkled with mischief. "I am... special."
I laughed, my head falling back with amusement. "Okay then, Mister special, thank you."
"Ready?" Asra wondered, smirking.
"As ever," I breathed.
I bid Serenity my goodbyes in the hallway and heard her footsteps retreat to her own room. She could not attend unless working, so she was going to spend the night in her room. I took a moment to be grateful that Asra assigned Serenity. Her softer nature was more comforting than someone like Mya. As much as I loved the girl, she could be loud, and I was way too nervous to cope.
We descended the staircase and left the house with thanks to the butlers holding the door. Apparently, the grand room was a building of its own, and they set it further back in the village. Asra tried to make us take the car, but I had spent enough of my time inside death-boxes today that I suggested we should walk.
I took in the picturesque surroundings, admiring the cobblestones paths and old buildings. The entire pack screamed old money and history, with hidden wealth and history in every piece of cement and mortar. I kept my arm looped through Asra's as we slowly walked in peace past various houses. When I caught sight of the ballroom, all the nerves from the past few days came swirling back to me.
I hesitated in my steps a hundred yards from the entryway, and Asra pulled us to a stop. It was like fear paralysed me, and I stared up at the double doors with wide eyes. Asra grumbled, taking my cheek in his palm and turning me to face him. I blinked up at his dark eyes, taking in how well they glittered under the evening's glow. The sun was just going down and cast shadows across his already terrifying, and yet so handsome, face.
"You look beautiful," Asra murmured.
"That's not what I am worried about." I replied quietly.
He breathed a laugh, kissing my nose. "There is nothing to worry about. You're with me."
I fought back the eye roll, chewing my lip with frustration. Asra grumbled, forcing my lower lip away from my teeth with a frown.
"Stop," He muttered. "You are beautiful, strong, incredible, funny, smart, witty... You are a luna, my luna, and you are meant to be here, Tulip."
His words had the butterflies multiply like a warm spring day. "You are trying too hard to flatter me."
Asra chuckled, kissing my nose again. "Come, before they start actually staring. I have taken you to the back entrance, so there is no grand announcement and we can just sneak in."
His words had me relaxing slightly. I was worried about the potential stares and mutters as we entered the room, fearful of having all eyes on me. But Asra had thought of that and saved me that anxious embarrassment. He may be stubborn and obnoxious, but he had made me feel better purely by thinking ahead. No one had ever thought of something as simple as that for me before.
I stared at him with a soft sense of awe, but let him pull me the last few steps to the front doors. Just as the butlers opened them, I made a last-minute check of my dress and smoothed my hand down my stomach.
Nerves, please chill.
It was just a bunch of wolves. Hopefully, none of them had an appetite for human tonight...
Here we go.
******
Haaaaapy Monday!
My kids are off school for the week, have you got any plans?
Also The ball is a big one, lots of things ahead.
See you wednesday!!