The following two nights went by faster than I had ever expected. While I had wanted to simply soak up the time I had with my family and Jason, the night of the Alphahood Mating ceremony came quickly. The night before, Jason and I had led another hunt with the Kiplings and a few of the other European alphas. And after we came back, I had curled up in the alpha den with my family, exhausted but beyond happy.
This is how your life should be, my mind said softly as I continued to curl the last few strands of my blonde hair. I sighed quietly and moved onto the last few of locks. You have happiness and someone who understands you. You can do this.
"Serenity," the sound of my mother's voice called from the sitting room of my suite. "It's nearly nine."
I inhaled again and nodded, knowing she couldn't see me. I had about a half-hour before it was time. "I'll be right there," I answered. I finished the last curl and spritzed them with hairspray. I ran my fingers through the ends and then stepped back into my bedroom. I undid the ties to my silk robe before reaching for my gown.
Once again, Jason's taste didn't disappoint. He had given me several options that had waited for my return with my family. They had all been made of soft, lightweight organza and nearly see-through, like gossamer. I had gone with the silvery, off-white gown of the three. Its bodice fit like a second skin and was made of sheer material layered to look like leaves made of lace. The neckline was encrusted with silver beading that covered my torso and breasts. The skirt was long and went to the floor, embroidered with more silver beading to look like tree branches, with a slit in the layers of organza for easy maneuvering.
I hung the gown up on the changing screen before taking my robe off. I slowly slipped into the dress and fastened the catches in the back without looking. I pulled my breasts into the right place beneath the fabric leaves so I was fully covered. I stepped out from behind the tri-fold panels and walked over to my vanity table with its display of moonstone and white gold jewelry.
Finding the wooden box with the Mistress Alpha circlet, I carefully lifted it out of its velvet bed and placed it on my hair. I adjusted the clasp at the nape of my neck and then arranged the curls around my face. I reached down for the matching moonstone bracelet that also had a few small diamonds and sapphires set within the design. I smiled at myself and then picked up my pinkish-nude lipstick. I carefully slicked it across my top lip and then my bottom one.
The woman who stared back at me in the mirror made me smile. She was an Alpha with indigo eyes. And I felt whatever little bit of dread in me dissipate.
I picked up my strappy nude heels and walked towards my sitting room off the bedroom. I pushed the door open slowly to find my mother and Jenny waiting, sipping from glasses of blood and nibbling on the platter of food someone had left for us.
Jenny's head turned in my direction and I watched her face light up in the same moment my mother smiled. "Oh my god, Seren, look at you," my sister-in-law breathed.
"You look gorgeous," Mum said, putting her glass down.
I smiled. "Thank you. Do you like the dress?"
My mother's mouth quirked when she looked at how risqué the top of the gown was, but then it smoothed as quickly as it had bunched. "It's definitely you," she said at last.
I glanced down at the bodice and nodded. "Don't worry, it's more covering than it looks. No wardrobe malfunctions."
"Regardless, you look amazing," Jenny replied, nodding her head in approval.
"Thank you," I said again. I moved forward to sit in one of the grey armchairs. I slipped into my heels and fastened the buckles around my ankles. "Please tell me there's coffee."
"Yes, there's coffee," Mum laughed, nodding to the setup. "Just be careful you don't spill something on yourself."
"Way ahead of you," I giggled. "I can't go to my own party with a stained gown." I leaned forward and picked up the carafe, pouring some of the dark brew into a porcelain coffee cup. Not bothering with cream or sugar, I leaned back and brought it with me. I sipped slowly, my eyes closing with the strong taste.
"Are you ready?" Jenny asked as she tore another corner off her croissant.
I nodded slowly. "I think so. It's not like they can declare we're not bonded. There's no denying it. If we weren't, then I'd be concerned. But this is what he wants, and I think I'm ready to take on being the mistress alpha."
My mother smiled as she sat her cup down.
"You'll be fine, Seren," Jenny said. "It's just a royal title right now. You'll get the hang of the rest of it in time."
I nodded again and took another sip of coffee before reaching for a plump strawberry that sat on the platter of fruit. I popped it in my mouth carefully. "Yeah... I'm just anxious."
"Get through the next couple of hours," Mum said, "and then we'll go from there."
Nodding again, I reached for another strawberry. Before I could say anything, there was a knock on the door. I leaned back in the armchair. "It's open."
The door squeaked open as the three of us turned to look. Thomas pushed it ajar further as he stepped halfway into the room. He was dressed in all-black again, making his red hair and beard more prominent. He smiled hesitantly when he noticed I had company.
"Hi, Tom," I greeted. "Is it getting to be a handful down there that you had to escape?" I added teasingly.
He chuckled as he came into the room the rest of the way. "Partially, but I figured you were probably creating your own bit of trouble up here."
The three of us giggled and I rolled my eyes. "Only on the third Friday of every month," I shot back. "Or whenever I know you're around."
"Serenity," my mother warned, still laughing.
Thomas grinned as he looked from the two of them to me. "Trouble or not, I'm still here to collect. We're ready for you downstairs. The alphas are all being asked to assemble in the throne room. Are you ready?"
I inhaled slowly through my nose before breathing out through my mouth. I glanced at my mother and sister-in-law. They were both smiling at me encouragingly. I glanced back at Thomas and smiled at last. "Yes, I'm ready."
My mother glanced at Jenny and nodded. "We'll head down and find the others. We'll see you there."
"Good luck," Jenny said as she got to her feet carefully. She followed my mother out into the hall as Thomas stepped aside for them.
When they were gone, he looked back to me with a smile. "We should go, too. I'd hate for you to be late."
I felt my chin bob up and down twice and I got up from the chair. After gulping down the last of my coffee, I sat my mug down and smoothed the skirt of my dress carefully. "You're right. Jason might kill me if I keep him waiting for too long with all those people."
"Nervous?"
I glanced up again as I started to move towards him. "Is it that obvious?"
He smiled and held the door for me. "Just remember to stay calm during the ceremony and in front of the alphas. They'll sense it, even more so once your dominance officially matches Jason's and they get the opportunity to feel it."
"Good to know," I said softly as I stepped into the hallway.
"You look perfect for the occasion. Let that be your confidence," Thomas added as we walked towards the grand staircase at the other end of the hall.
I smirked. "Thank you. Jason has excellent taste."
"Because he saw it on a hanger doesn't mean much. It's you who make it look good," he responded, giving me a pointed look.
"Thank you," I said again, giving him a smile. As we got closer to the end of the corridor, he offered his arm and I slipped my fingers around it. I could hear the sounds of people becoming quieter as they continued to file into the throne room. I breathed in again as we passed the double doors and came out onto the landing for the grand staircase. "How does this go again?" I asked slowly, keeping my voice down.
"You're both announced and brought into the throne room. You'll be presented before the alphas and the court. Then the chosen alpha will read off your bloodlines and give you an introduction," Tom began to explain, his voice calm and low. He reached over to touch my hand on his arm to steady me as we began to descend the steps. "You'll both repeat some words, like wedding vows. And then you'll demonstrate your bond for the Pack elders. You'll have to use your influence to read them and understand. There's nothing to be afraid of. All of us who know both you and Jason know your bond is real. Tonight you're just demonstrating it."
I nodded as I reached down with my free hand to gather part of my skirt in my grip so I wouldn't trip down the stairs. "Anything else I need to know?"
"Just keep your head up and you'll be fine."
"And the purists? Has anyone found out any other players that could be in league with Page?" I asked slowly.
"No one else has made comments that have been reported to me or any of the staff. As far as I can tell, Killian may have been acting alone entirely. His intersection with you was probably just a scare tactic to make you think there were more of them," Thomas said calmly. His tone of voice told me he wasn't lying.
I nodded again as we reached the bottom of the steps. "I hope you're right."
"If you feel like you're threatened at all, you tell me," he said. "I don't care who it is. You point them out and I'll handle it."
"Okay," I breathed as we made our way across the grand foyer. I watched as Jason came out of the grand ballroom on the other side of the open space. He winked at me as he straightened his tie and then his crown before closing the gap between us and the entrance to the throne room.
"Hi, sweetheart," he greeted. "You look beautiful."
"Hi," I whispered, my eyes closing as he kissed my cheek. "Thank you. You look quite handsome yourself."
"They're about to call me in, but I had to see you before. I'm glad I did," he said, gripping my fingers of both hands in his. "Just be you. Don't worry about anything else. It's just me and you in that room, okay?"
I nodded. I didn't know I looked that nervous.
Only to me. I can feel it.
The smile that found my mouth was unstoppable.
"King Alpha, they're waiting," Tom said quietly.
"Aren't they always?" Jason chuckled, breaking his stare with me to look at him. "Very well, Tom. Let's get this magic show underway."
"I think you mean 'dog show,'" I tried to joke quietly, making both men smirk. I inhaled again when Jason kissed my fingers and winked at me. I smiled as he took one more moment to look at me.
He turned away and strode through the doors the moment his name was announced by the same master of ceremonies that had reminded me of a small house dog during my first visit at Tanière du Loup. I listened to his footfalls and the quiet murmuring of those in attendance whispered inside.
"Ready?" Thomas asked softly.
My chin bobbed up and down a couple times as my eyes closed. I inhaled slowly again and centered myself. I walked forward a couple of steps, just off to the side of the doors. I exhaled the breath over my tongue and out of my lips. My fingers unclenched from fists and I made myself relax. I couldn't walk in there with my nerves in my throat and my fear known.
"The Prodigy-Daughter, Duchess Serenity Kay Mezdor of the Shadow Stalkers."
I breathed in again, as if about to dive into a cold pool and begin to swim. I walked through the doors as the were held open again. I felt my chest swell with the need to prove my dominance and it released from my center. I glanced from side to side quickly, taking in the large number of people on either side of the throne room as they remained standing in front of their chairs. The warmth from the chandeliers painted the room in bright golden light, bathing the ivy along the walls as it continued to sprout more greenery. I watched the wolves look down as I approached their aisles in respectful submission.
My eyes shifted forward to see Jason waiting for me at the top of the dais in front of the thrones. His silver crown glinted in the light. It was hard to imagine that we weren't getting married as I walked towards him. But I had no bouquet of flowers in my hands or a veil covering my hair, no father figure at my side to give me away.
And somehow, I knew that it was different. We were proclaiming our souls were already tied to one another, beyond the human confines of marriage, beyond all of the world and everything in it. It was us proving that there was no one else in the world whose heart and spirit matched our own.
For that reason, it felt like so much more.
I reached the end of the long walkway to stand just beyond the dais. I glanced to the left to see my family waiting in the front row. On the opposite side, my cousins, uncle, and aunt sat in their visiting thrones where they had been during Jason's coronation. I dipped my knees without sacrificing my dominance, my eyes still lifted to Jason's. It still amazed me that our eyes now matched.
Just like our influence, he answered me. Just you and me, always.
I smiled as he held out his hand for me and I ascended the steps up towards the thrones. I glanced to the side to see the three men, all appearing in their late fifties or sixties, as they waited. I did a double take, surprised to see Vraal among them.
It's the honor of the dowager monarch to become a pack elder along with the most recent dowager betas, Jason explained quickly, sensing my shock.
Good to know. Next time, please tell me when your father is going to be deciding my future, either politically or otherwise?
He smirked discreetly so it wasn't heard by anyone else. He'd never go through me to reach for you again.
Thank you.
We made our way to the top plateau of the dais and turned to face the crowd. I gripped his fingers a little tighter as we stood there and I turned my head to look at him the same moment he looked at me.
This moment, just you and me, he said.