"Sheti kar, hathaan ta ki mehandi laggi a teri?" she screamed from the staircase before hurrying away.
[Hurry up, have you got henna drying on your hands?]
"Atti hain, you penchod," I shriek, tugging on the deeply cut neckline of delicate ruby lace.
[I'm coming, you fucker.]
They should've heard. Or perhaps I thought so. Fucking idiots could hear if I opened a Doritos bag in the kitchen despite being in the room upstairs or in the house next door, so to not hear this was beyond me.
It took all my will to not change out the marvelous attire. The gown was of shimmering red, with lace and off the shoulders plus a Victorian style puff for the lower half. The sequences shown as of they were reflecting diamonds, hugging the skin beneath the trim, the neckline skimming the fullest part of the small chest before dipping, and going around my back and arms.
I had to sigh. For every grad class they held a boat cruise party which, however much they tried, was more like a regular awkward dance but just hosted upon a boat. It was like a tradition to go and to be honest I had no interest but Greysan insisted. I had missed mine after all, especially since the party was held on the day I married Greysan and my blood family died.
The day we had received the invite, after two weeks of the circling the mail, was another long story.
"You missed it," he said flatly.
"What?"
"Your boat cruise, Mani." He stalked closer, holding the dark blue envelope with my paid invite. I couldn't resist the wince on my face. "It just passed and you didn't mention it."
"Must have slipped the mind," I shrug.
"It was on the 24th, the Friday, the day we married!"
"Greysan it's just a boat cruise, I'll find other ways to drown," I waved it off, hoping off the bed to stretch my limps. Huh. Wonder if walking too much was bad for the baby.
"That's besides the point," Greysan growled when I moved to the comfy chair, reaching for my newest novel.
"I don't want to go to any dance parties, not for awhile at least. Unless it's something like out of a book, I don't want any part of it," I said nonchalantly, showing him my new purchase.
He stared before slowly widening the grin on his face. "What about a masquerade party like the one Emma and Julian attended in Lady Midnight?"
I had to slam my hard cover book shut, narrowing my eyes on him. "The lottery scene wasn't a masquerade party."
"Okay, same thing but-"
"Not the same thing! The lottery was explicitly a party where they dressed up nicely for. Not the same thing as a masquerade."
"Wifey," He sighed thought his nose. "Fine, not the same thing. But please, pretty please for gods sake. Let us have a masquerade party to celebrate your graduation and our wedding. You can dress up as the Feyre to my Rhys," he wove my fingers with mine, pulling me up to my feet, "the Clary to my Jace," he began twirling me in a waltz, "Nora to my Patch," he kissed, voice singing. "The Alina to my Darkling."
I shook my head playfully yet seriously. "You've read too much."
So here it was, the big not-so-surprise after god know how long of trying to persuading me.
Hands came around from behind, teasing the tightness of my thin waist with a gentle cinch. Luckily the material was breathable for my lung expansion and light weight to walk in. Maybe even too tight, I look like a skeleton.
He must have seen the expression on my face for him to say with a dangerously soft voice by my earlobe, "If you don't learn to love yourself and this body I'll have to do it myself."
My toes curls with some type of excitement, breathe almost snatched when he touch the bare skin of my shoulder and kissed the bone. I heard the deep growl for lust and felt his need to hold me from how he hugged me like a teddy bear clutching its stuffed heart.
"We have an audience."
He whipped his head to survey the bedroom. "There's no one here."
I roll my eyes. "Downstairs, no?"
"They can wait," Greysan huffed, snuggling closer. "Maybe we can give them another reason to celebrate."
"I'm already with child," I reply bashfully with a wince. The thought still hadn't sat well with me although I tried to not let it get the better of me.
"Nevertheless," He said, smiling and guiding me towards the door. The flat of his palm was creeping the edges of my flattened waist. "You look lovely so."
A rush of heat came to my face when I said lowly, "Thank you Greysan.
"You know for what, so don't make me say it." I later added as a thought when confusion warped his face.
His grin faltered, dulling only the slightest when he hung his head. By personal request, I was having laser hair removal done discreetly. Greysan had approved without hesitation, being nothing but supportive from the start. He asked only once if it was what I truly wanted, and hadn't comment on anything even when I decided to stop as soon as my first symptoms began. It was indeed a blessing. So much of it was gone in less than 3 treatments, almost about three quarters was invisible, softer, and skin paler than before without the enlarged pores. It was still here but hardly noticeable.
"I'd do whatever you ask whether it kill or wound me. This was the most I could do," Greysan said softly, arm loomed around me as we walked the silent hallway. "You must be feeling so confident."
"I am," I said, expecting a lecture on how I was already beautiful. What I got was surprising.
"You look so too, ever since the first time you've been so happy. You smile more despite saying the gesture doesn't suit you or that it's confusing. Honestly Sylis and I are so happy for you when you say you finally feel comfortable in your skin or that you're confident because we're assured you'll make a great Luna if anything were to happen to us."
"How bold of you to assume I'd be alive without you," I counter in almost a whisper, perking his attention as we rounded the first set of staircases.
I glazed right by him, reddened lips curling upwards tentatively. Everyone appeared to slow down upon on our descent. The black tiled room was spacious despite people dancing in their finery, swaying golden curtains along the outward domed wall toward the north doors and large glass panels against the sound wall.
We laced hands on the way down, my shimmering gown making a train behind us and heels clicking. The sound of the instruments and people twirling in the center had everyone's attention except for the few whom you could see were watching our descent beyond their mask.
Before my friends or any of Greysan's could make their way, a tall male in an ashen suit and silver mask stalked on up to us. He wasn't bad on the eyes, maybe a little to unbelievable with the exaggerated tan, lean muscles and ravenous black hair. There was also a strong scent of tobacco clinging to his being which was so strong that I almost felt like gagging. It subsequently reminded me of hookah, or shisha, a popular thing to smoke back in that city where I grew.
"Alpha Iqbal," Greysan nodded, fingers still intertwining mine and bringing me closer to his side.
"Alpha Greysan, Luna," the Alpha acknowledged, looking ahead at Greysan only after hardly glancing where I stood besides him. "Lovely party you've hosted. Better than the last Christmas one you held no doubt."
"Thank you, and the Luna for gracing this and the last one with your presence." Greysan replied smoothly. "Where is the lovely Luna anyway? I hope she's not at the buffet table, the waiters aren't much to look at anyway. I specially made sure of that, considering how she slept with one of them last Christmas."
Some primal submissive part of me wished to act horrified at the remark. I feign otherwise, looking unaffected while drinking my drink a passing server offered, that is until I heard the voice I was praying to never hear again.
"Aye, no! Manpreet!" I choke when the drink made its way down my trachea.
"Amanraj," I rasp as Greysan rubbed my back. There, in a golden dress with a slender full skirt and strapless top, was my cousin, the one I hoped to never see again.
"Whore ki haal hai?" She asked sweetly, draping herself from Alpha Iqbal's extended arm. He appeared to be wearing a frown, holding his breathe and staring at his feet in disdain.
[How are you?]
Now it was Greysan's turn to choke. Wide eyed and glaring daggers, he said, "Excuse-me?"
"Nothing new Amanraj. How are you?" I asked politely, wanting to stab myself. From the corner of my eye, Sengara guys were moving further away from we were while dragging Greysan's friend along side.
"Same old. I found my Mate though, he's the Beta of his Pack," she chirped, newly dyed blonde streaking her black swaying hair while she tugged on Alpha Iqbal's arm. "I heard you found your Mate? Is he him?" She gestured with her darkly lined eyes to Greysan. "Please don't say yes, he looks way too old compared to you. Why, by the time you have kids he'll look fifty!"
"Amanraj," I grit my teeth. "He's my mate and the Alpha."
I didn't want to mention the father to my kids, she'd explode hearing it.
"Still though, I've heard the others," she kept rambling in her dramatic tone. "He's better looking though, I guess. The others were saying he's too white but he has a decent tan. I heard you married him too, no? When was this?" She glanced at the choora on my hands. "Why, I think you two rushed it! Especially since you wedded him the day of the death!"
"Your point?" I wanted to scream but rather ended up exclaiming a bit loudly.
"Cmon Manpreet, you know what I mean," she laughs. "He's a gora. You should've thought of the family, and not have been selfish," she retorted smoothly.
"That family doesn't give two shits about me! They forgot I existed unless my mother or father mentioned me. You," I spat distastefully, "on the other hand, have no right to discriminate Greysan with your rude racist comments." I wanted to yank her hair, badly.
"Wow, talk about blood loyalty," she murmured, sipping her champagne.
"And the relatives suddenly approve of your Mate?" I snap.
"He's a jatt," she seethed dangerously as of it explained a heap lot. "Unlike a few, I actually value culture and talk to my relatives."
"Would you have left your mate for the colour of his skin if he wasn't one of them?"
"At least my mate didn't kidnap me from my house and family," she countered defensively. "Mind you if he had even, I would've written or tried to contact my family again so they knew I was alive." As if to inflict more pain, she mentioned with a delicately cruel grin. "Unlike you who saw a chance and ran like a coward when it was too much to handle. Such a disgrace if I say so myself. I would've killed myself from shame. True surprise you're still standing."
Words were snatched from my lungs, cheeks blooming redder by the second. The skin on my being became an iron cage.
"I really think you should leave Amanraj, with an apology." I couldn't have been more grateful of Alpha Iqbal when he said that to her face. Her face was warped a sourness for being scolded. Gathering whatever crumbles of her dignity, she left but not before regarding us for one final time without another word.
"As her superior, the Alpha, I apologize for the disrespect," Alpha Iqbal said shortly after seeing her blond dyed hair disappear in the crowd. He sighed and removed the mask, glancing at me with an apologetic yet timid smile. "The ladies in our Pack aren't much for kindness."
"No need, to apologize I mean. Everyone knows how she is. I'm sorry you have to be with her here," I said, squeezing Greysan's hand. It seemed as if he wasn't breathing at the time because of his anger. "I'm sorry you two have to deal with her. She thinks being Punjabi and flaunting about it everywhere makes her elite. She ain't one for modesty either, as her dress suggest."
"That indeed," Greysan agreed, happier and less taunt than when she was here.
"I mustn't take up more of your time," Alpha Iqbal inclined his head in farewell. "No hard feelings?"
"None at all," I replied calmly. Sauntering the other way, he soon disappeared too.
"Don't think," Greysan twirled to face me. "Don't think one second about her. Like you referred too, she's not worth it and thinks rather highly of herself. People like her fall badly; they land on their faces and tear their skin when they get a taste of their medicine."
"I'm not thinking of her," I brought myself to say cautiously. "I-I was thinking of you."
His honey suckle eyes glittered for an explanation, so I gave one. "You were kind to me and yes I've said it but Greysan, I want to empathize that you are not a bad Alpha nor should you take anything she said personally. Don't let your beautiful flaws be a reflection of who are. Her words don't change you."
I remember our conversation from some time ago where he confided the truth of being ruled with sadness and anxiety of being an all powerful Alpha. He was scared and hurt just as much as me, him staggering back proved as much. "Don't be hurt by her."
He gaped at me with new eyes, shaking his head after a while. I wanted to sit him down on the staircase and hold him to my chest but his Pack was here and he, we, needed to be strong. From the distance I saw Greysan's parents at the seated tables. They wouldn't have wanted their son and his Mate to breakdown here.
At first I reached out to lace our fingers together before pulling myself into him. By his ear, despite being a little smaller in height even with the short heels, I whispered just how I loved him before kissing the area beneath his lobe. His tension collapses under my touch, and he inhales my scent for assurance. Luckily no one paid us any heed.
His eyes beamed with a new amber light when he pulled away. "Shall we dance or would you like to see your present first?"
"Present?" I ask, "Whatever for?"
"Walk with me," he huffed a laugh, guiding me with a hand to my waist. We went around the crowd rather than through, going through the west corridor and down some secluded dimly light hall. I knew it was the west side because of Rosza and Xavier tumbling out of a spare bedroom accidentally, clearly more than three bottles down.
Despite being here in this palace for awhile, it was a challenge to remember where some rooms met or halls joined. It was just so big!
Candles with flickering flames lit our path, a ruby rug greeting our feet beneath and I could've sworn there was an open window somewhere because of the cool breeze in the air. Just when I had thought we were lost, Greysan swiftly unlocked a door towards the end.
I hadn't bothered to say anything, wrapping myself with my arms to save some heat. I swear being anemic was just the worse, as if the sudden dizziness and constant tiredness wasn't enough.
"No way!"
Greysan grinned when standing by the door to let me enter for a better view. The contacts of mine adjusted and showed the cluster of them in a medium sized pen in the center.
"Is that a chicken?"
...
I playfully hate my friends. 😬
I am seriously going to regret this story we're creating. Late night shit.
~xm_vermanx15~