*Isla*
My dress is silver.
I refused to wear a dress that looks anything like the one from the dream that I had about the ball. Likewise, I’m not going into the ballroom ahead of time. I am waiting. Not with the other women, but in a room down the hallway from where they will be entering the ballroom.
I wish that Poppy were with me, but she’s not. She’s needed in the ballroom as a servant. With all of these extra women in the castle, she’s been very busy running around, making sure everyone has everything they need. My understanding is that most of the Alphas’ daughters have brought their own help for things like getting dressed, doing their hair, etc., but those people don’t bring them food or tidy up after them. That’s been left up to the castle staff.
Maddox didn’t even stay here the whole time between our discussion and the ball. He ended up leaving to go back to the front and then returning. I know that Antony got away from the people chasing him because my cousin told me so, but he is still running, and now he’s out of my mind-link range.
It’s all a big mess, and I don’t even want to do this.
But I was told they would start announcing the girls entering into the ballroom at 7:00, and it’s now 7:25, so I should be able to go out now and not run into too many of them.
My stomach is twisted into knots, and it has nothing to do with the undetectable child growing there. No, I’m so afraid that all of them will hate me, will gang up on me and give me a hard time. I’m afraid that I will be introduced only to see Maddox already dancing with another woman, staring into her eyes like he has fallen in love.
I have a lot of reasons to be nervous….
With a deep breath, I glance at myself one more time in the mirror. I look as nice as possible, I suppose. My hair is piled on top of my head with a few curls hanging down. I have on diamond earrings and a diamond necklace, gifts from Maddox, and my dress fits well. It sparkles and shimmers in the light.
I should just go, get it over with, head out the door.
But my feet don’t seem to want to move.
“Come on, Isla,” I tell myself. “At least your parents are here.”
They have come as an Alpha and Luna who have a daughter in the “competition.” All of the Alphas and Lunas whose daughters are moving into the castle have been invited.
Isn’t that nice? It makes it seem legitimate. Like a real contest.
I decide it’s worth it just to see my parents, if nothing else, so I head out of the door toward the sound of giggling and chatting at the end of the hallway.
When I reach the foyer outside of the ball, I see that the line is fairly short. There are about five girls waiting to get into the ballroom, waiting for their names to be announced, for everyone to clap.
I start to get in line, but then I realize there’s one more woman holding back. She’s standing off by herself, almost down a side hallway.
I don’t want to cut the line, so I wait. Another girl goes in, and her name is announced. I hear polite clapping. That leaves four and then the other girl who is by herself and me.
“Do you want to go?” I call to her as the line shortens up.
She steps out of the shadows then, and I see that she is quite beautiful. She has gorgeous red hair that’s piled on top of her head and pinned into place. Her dress is emerald green. She is far more beautiful than the other women who are waiting to go into the ballroom, though they are all pretty, too.
“It’s fine,” the redhead says. “You can go ahead of me. I’m in no hurry.”
“Oh?” I can’t help my curiosity. “Is everything all right?”
“It’s fine,” she says. “I just… didn’t really want to come.”
“Oh.” My tone changes completely from the first time I’d uttered the word. “Well, I can understand that.”
“You don’t want to be here either?” she looks surprised. “All of the girls I’ve spoken to are so thrilled, hopeful that they will get Alpha King Maddox to fall in love with them. They all want to be the next Luna Queen.”
“And you don’t?” I ask her.
She shakes her head. “No, not really. I think Maddox already has a woman in mind. His breeder. I’m not sure if she’ll be here or not.”
“Isla,” I say to her.
“Right. That’s her name. I’ve heard she’s quite beautiful. And she loves him. I believe he loves her, too. I wouldn’t want to be the one to come between that. And then there’s the fact that I look so much like my older cousin, it’s bound to catch a lot of people off guard.” I don’t know who she’s talking about, but I nod as she shrugs. “Anyway, I suppose neither one of us has any choice. Why don’t you want to go in?”
I consider telling her a lie, but she has been very honest with me, it seems, and I can respect that. Besides that, she’ll probably hear my name soon enough. “Because I’m Isla.”
“You are?” she asks. “Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize—”
“No, it’s okay,” I say, and we both giggle a bit. The last girl besides us is being called in now. “What’s your name?”
“Trinity,” she says, offering me her hand, and I shake it. It seems so strange to be laughing with one of these girls. I thought they would all hate me. Maybe she will, but for now, I feel like I’m staring into the eyes of a new friend. “It’s so nice to meet you. I really do think that all of this is silly. Clearly, Maddox prefers to be with you, and I can see why. You’re so beautiful. And kind.”
“Thank you,” I tell her. I want to say more. She seems so easy to talk to, I can see myself telling her the truth, pouring my heart out to her and all of my worries. But I don’t because I just met her, and that seems absurd.
The man at the door is waiting. “I guess one of us should go,” I say.
“Go ahead,” Trinity insists. “Good luck.”
I sort of want to insist that she go first, but I am not used to using any authority, so I tip my head and turn to walk through the door.
As my feet carry me ahead, my stomach tangles even more, and I can’t help but go over everything she said to me before.
What difference does it make if she looks like her cousin?
“Presenting Miss Isla Moon, daughter of Alpha Daniel and Luna Constance Moon!” The ballroom has more people inside than I could’ve ever imagined. It is decorated in shades of gold and red, and I feel like I have chosen the right color dress as I glide in. The band is playing quietly in the background, strings and percussion.
Maddox is waiting nearby, and he takes my hand as I cross through the crowd. “You look gorgeous, Isla,” he whispers to me, pulling me into his embrace.
I wonder if he has hugged all of the other women.
So many beautiful girls are gathered near the entryway, but so are many other people. Their parents, other people who stay at the castle, and many nobles from around the kingdom.
“Thank you,” I tell Maddox and step over to where my parents are waiting to hug me. I hug my father and then my mother and when my brother, Ben, steps over to hug me, I am shocked to see him. He looks tall and elegant in a tuxedo, and I’ve never seen him look so grown up.
Behind me, I hear the announcer welcome Trinity into the room. I don’t catch a lot of what he’s saying because, after her name, there’s a large gasp that fills the entire room.
I hear some of their whispers and try to sort through what is happening. Trinity’s cheeks are pink as she steps over to Maddox. He hugs her, too, but it’s not quite the same way as he hugged me. It’s looser.
“She looks just like her,” I hear a woman behind me say.
“Yes, she does,” another woman says in response. “Exactly like her. I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart in a room together.”
“It’s uncanny, really,” the first woman says. “I don’t think Alpha King Maddox will have a problem choosing a winner from this group now. Before, I thought they were all on equal footing, but not now that I see Trinity for the first time.”
“Oh, who knows?” the other woman says. “He does have that breeder of his, too. I hear that she’s a part of this now.”
“She’s right in front of us,” the other woman whispers, quieter, but I can still hear. I pretend like I’m not listening.
“Oh. Well… she’s pretty, too,” is the response.
I take a deep breath and try to calm myself as the music begins again. I’m hoping the conversation dissipates, but I still don’t understand why everyone is so shocked that Trinity looks like her cousin.
Who is her cousin anyway?
“You look so pretty,” my mom says. “You and Ben should dance together. I’d love to see that.”
“Mom,” Ben whines. “I came here to dance with girls who might actually be interested in marrying me, not my sister.”
“You’re not even old enough for that,” my mom reminds me.
I’m about to give him a snide, but joking, remark back when there’s a tap on my shoulder.
I turn to meet Maddox’s eyes. “May I have this dance?” His hand is extended, and I feel a little better about this situation now.
“Certainly.” He leads me out onto the dance floor where a few other couples are dancing.
His smile is making me feel more at ease. But I’m still confused about everything.
“I was hoping you’d come in sooner,” he whispers. “Did you have a long wait?”
“I waited down the hall in another room,” I explain. “I wasn’t sure how the other girl would take to me.”
“I see.” He looks disappointed, but he doesn’t comment further.
“I did meet Trinity,” I tell him. “She’s very nice.”
“Yes, she is,” he says, and I can see his expression shift. He’s not sure what to think about me meeting her. I have no idea why.
I have to push forward. “She said she was anxious as well. She said she was afraid everyone would think she looks like her cousin.”
“She does look like her cousin,” he tells me.
“But… why is that a problem?” I ask him, and I hope he can understand my level of confusion. “Who is her cousin?”
“You don’t know? She didn’t tell you?” he asks, and then I hear an undertone of guilt in his voice.
I shake my head. “No, she didn’t say.”
He clears his throat. “Isla, Trinity’s older cousin was Rebecca."