I really wished I had a mirror.
Taking deep breaths, I tried to calm myself; I'm not sure why, but for some reason, I thought I had more time before these guests arrived. I loved the braided hair; not going to lie; even the paintings on my face, shoulder, neck, and arms gave me a strange sensation of power and mystique. I felt like a powerful warrior princess from one of those Viking god movies. Empowered and mythical, well, all until I put this so-called dress on.
The leather itself was soft and nice; no doubt someone put a lot of effort into it. Not one stitch was out of place; not a single spot carried any evidence of harm or tear. The edges around my neck, cleavage, and shoulders had a super soft, white fur attached to them. And I mean, it is really white, like a newborn rabbit. But it also made me feel like a whore.
The dress was skintight around my waist, pressed around my chest, and barely covered my ass on one side, sliding down across on the other, and Luckily gave me some more cover there. But having half my ass and thighs covered up didn't make me feel any better about this. I don't get these people, not at all. Who in their right mind meets family in something like this? I wouldn't even wear it for a college Halloween party.
Again, my eyes darted to the other leather pieces placed in a heap in the corner, and I let out a sigh. I really wanted to, but I remembered the old lady's words, and no matter what I felt about this skimpy thing, I didn't want to embarrass my father or ruin his reputation in any way.
"Are you ready?"
One of the pack warriors bowed before me after he opened the door, and I couldn't help the flustered embarrassment. Not only because of the strange feeling of someone bowing before me, but I literally felt like I stood here naked. It didn't help that I felt the poor guy did everything he could not to look at me.
"Is Sebastian there?"
He looked confused,
"Who?"
"The dragon king?"
"Of course not, do not worry about him."
"I'm not worried; I wanted to talk to him.."
I had no idea what I would say to him, but I felt the need to see him. Tell me this dress is as ridiculous as I think it is, or assure me this was a tradition. That hundreds before me wore the exact same outfit and that there was nothing wrong with it. But I also understood that this was supposed to be an intimate meeting or feast for the closest family of the mated couple, a little feast before the great ceremony for Lydia and my father.
"He won't be attending before later; the meal and first meet are for the families. Inviting someone else is seen as disrespectful. "
Drifta stirred in my mind, no growling sound, but a strange sensation mixed into images in my head of her upper lip twitching and baring teeth, and I knew exactly what she felt. I'm still new to this, but the more I learn about the connection between us, the more I realize how we are now one but still two different souls. Before this, I would never have understood, not really, but slowly, I'm getting aware, and I can't picture a life alone anymore. That is a strange sensation on its own; I always wanted to be alone, feel better, and feel safer on my own. Now I've changed, I don't want a life without Drifta.
"And no, we do not have time to see him first. They are waiting for you."
He waved his hand between us, rejecting the question I didn't even ask. Then my stomach clenched and dropped like a heavy stone; they were here. Everyone is waiting for me. It all felt wrong for a reason; the sky was clear blue, birds chirping and singing around us. The blazing sun danced in the lazy waves washing up at the beach, and for a meeting like this, I always pictured the moon hanging high and a fireplace providing light and warmth. I don't know; for some reason, it feels a little more normal and safer. Here and now, there isn't even a little shadow to hide in.
There was no place to hide, no time to hide as he walked away, and I had to jog to catch up to him. For once, the sun not only felt warm against my skin, but it felt like the light beams highlighted every single feature of my body and being. The sound of crackling fire and low chattering reached my ears as we walked through the village and up behind the alpha hall.
As we rounded the corner, all eyes were on us, and it took me a vast amount of energy not to halt in my tracks. Drifta blew up her chest and lifted her head high like she was the one facing them. A slight smile tugged at the corner of my lips; at least I am not alone in this. I have a fierce and stubborn wolf, not about to let anyone walk all over our dignity.
My father almost choked on whatever he was drinking and started coughing loudly while Lydia smiled and gently pushed his side with an elbow while watching me. His reaction should have set off my alarm bells, but instead, I got worried and rushed over to him. Stroking his back, whispering,
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, I .. I am surprised you accepted the tradition! I'm sorry. But please, meet our guests."
My brows furrowed, but there was no time for questions or to have him elaborate as he stretched his hand out towards the guests sitting by the fireplace.
Only two men were sitting on a massive log; behind them, however, stood four others with their backs straight and started straight into nothing. Guards, I guess. I should stare, but I couldn't help it. They both got up and walked right up to us. My father stood up next to me, ready to introduce us;
"Eir, this is Ezra and his twin brother, Jacob. White alphas, this is my daughter Eir, born Rosabella Moonscar. My firstborn and the only female born of our pack. "
Awkwardly, I let them both take my hand and kiss it; it felt so out of place and weird. It's like a romantic renaissance just mashed in with Vikings and barbarians. I would have thought it more normal if we had bumped fists, but no matter what. I now understand why they are called the white twins. Half their hair was white, and half side of their faces lacked coloration on the brows, lashes, and beard. But they stood side by side, Ezra's white side next to Jacob's white side; they formed a third white human between them. I know that was not the case, but it was a feeling I had. Like these were not twins; they were triplets. I knew it was stupid and had to shake my head lightly while squinting my eyes shut to take part in the here and now.
"What a pleasure! Our sister informed us about your arrival, and we are delighted you accepted our proposal. We never imagined we would be so lucky, not only to see our sweet little sister be mated and secured again after her hard life. But also to meet the one and only daughter of the Moonscar bloodline and the true alpha female in the barbarian's pack. "
I blushed, hated it, and then blushed even more. I was struggling a bit to put their words in perspective. But I kept my eyes on Ezra, still holding my hand while speaking, and it was getting even more awkward when I realized Jacob was circling around me. Studying my dress and markings freshly drawn on my body.
The others acted like it was nothing and didn't even glance in his direction, so I did my best to ignore him, too. Keeping my eyes on Ezra,
"Little sister? I thought she was the oldest of you?"
I did my best to smile a little, and I don't know why, but for a reason, it's something etched in my mind that a girl should always smile to lighten the conversation. Drifta knew what I meant, felt it, but huffed. Who thought you such sexist gestures anyway?
Ezra laughed, waved for his sister to come over, and draped his arm around her shoulder like that explained it all.
"See, the day I grew past her with a whole head; she became a little sister. And believe you me, she wasn't big sister for that long!"
They all laughed; I tried to laugh with them but kept getting distracted by Jacob. My head darted in his direction every now and then, feeling he often came too close, making me feel uncomfortable. Ezra reached out and grabbed my hand again, also my attention, and he met me with a dazzling smile. One eye was brown, the other so pale blue it looked almost white, just like Jacob.
"I understand that you just met your father again, and I want to assure you we will not ruin that relationship. Despite it all, we want to encourage and help you both build that bond even stronger."
My brows furrowed again, but just when I was about to answer what the heck that was supposed to mean, Drifta growled, and in one swift motion, we spun around, snarling fiercely towards Jacob. He looked stunned, but only for a brief second. Crossing his arms over his chest, the grin on his face slowly grew. The cocky bastard was the only thing going through my mind.
I had felt his hand on my neck, sliding up beneath my braid, but Drifta had taken over, and the reaction was hers, not mine. There wasn't much anger, but a warning, Drifta taking a stand she felt was necessary, and I completely supported her. It was bad enough with him walking around and studying me like a pig at the market but touching me. Nope. Not letting that happen.
Lydia gasped behind me, and I could even hear the theatrical drama she poured into her reaction. My father rushed up to her, towards me, but for some reason, he stopped. I didn't turn to find out, and my eyes were glued to Jacob's eyes.
"Calm down, he was just checking your last markings. These ones are important for us to, you know."
Ezra's voice spoke up behind me as he lifted my braid up, abruptly forcing my head and chin down. It took me a couple of seconds to react; even Drifta was too stunned to react at first. But his grip on my shoulder tightened, and he held me in place a couple of seconds more to be an ass and show that he could, I reckoned.
It all happened in sirup slow seconds, section by section, and we managed to shake his grip on us and turn around again. Now I could feel Drifta's growl rumble in my chest, making my throat vibrate, and I could even feel how my own anger and insecurity fueled the sound that originated deep inside of me. Ezra lifted his hands up to show he had no ill intent, how he was no threat. But at the same time, he had that same grin as his brother. That cocky but somehow pleased smile that gave me the creeps.
"Nothing to worry about, sweetheart! We are all good! "
The hairs on my neck rose, and I could feel the twitches on my and Drifta's upper lift as Jacob's voice chirped in behind me, followed by both brothers laughing softly, almost like the laughter was meant just for them.
"The she-wolf bites! This is going to be so much fun!"