Chapter 7 Preparing For The King

TEGAN'S P.O.V Imagen worked hard on my hair, in the end resulting in something more beautiful than I could have ever done myself. She had my hair in a half up, half down style. The top part with a fishtail braid, leaving a few strands to curve around my face at the front. The tail was lying down on the curled bottom half. It looked more like a wedding style rather than a dinner style. I felt fancy for the first time in my life. I did a once over, while looking in the full body mirror. The dress snugged tightly around my body, accenting all the right spots. The v-line dipped low in the back, stopping just above my bum. The back had a little stone string attachment that dangled down my spine. There was a slit on the right leg to show off my calf and lower thigh. She did my makeup to match my shoes, red. She had me wearing heels, the heels not being too high, maybe 2-3 inches. Thank the goddess for that because I have never worn heels before. My eyes raked over my body before stopping and making eye contact with myself. I felt as if I were looking at a stranger. Who was this person looking back at me? She was someone who looked confident, who looked fierce and brave. She was not me, yet she was. The makeup was that flawless. I could hardly recognize the girl under it all. I had never worn makeup before, so seeing myself with it made me feel like I could be the person looking back at me, a different version of myself. Imagen used a shade of red that blended into a cream color. My eyelashes were thick and very dark from the mascara. She used an eyeliner on the top of my eyelid, forming a curved line branching outward. Red lipstick was painted on my lips. The makeup made my green eyes pop. The entire look made me forget who I was for a moment. I felt like I could be this girl, confident, fierce, and brave. I felt alleviated. "It's time for dinner with the King." Imagen said while tapping on my shoulder to get my attention. I shook my head as I followed her out the room. She used the key to once again lock the bedroom. I wonder why it needed to be under lock and key. As we walked down the hall, I almost face-planted on multiple occasions. Walking in heels was much harder than I had anticipated it being. I tried walking as close to the wall as I could to have something to help balance me. As we made it closer to the stairs my heart fluttered with fear. I could barely walk on a flat surface without holding onto something for support. How am I expected to descend the steps without making an absolute fool of myself? When we came up to the top of the stairs, I looked down with a gulp. I can do this, I thought to myself. Luckily, there was a handrail that I could hold onto. I stepped down onto the first step, clutching the rail as if my life depended on it. I took each step very slowly, making sure to be as careful as I could. The last thing I wanted to do was fall down two flights of steps. I don't have a wolf to heal me like most do. I would be fucked with some broken bones and goddess knows what else. We finally made it to the ground level and were almost to the dining hall. My stomach once again started doing flips. A flutter of excitement coursed through me at the thought of seeing him again. This feeling was foreign and strange, one I didn't understand but wanted to. As we entered the dining hall, he was already seated at a table alone. Nobody else was around. When he noticed me, he stood in his chair. He looked gorgeous wearing a white button-up shirt, the top two buttons undone to show the top of his pecs with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. With a suit coat draped over the back of his chair. He wore some black slacks that hung low on his hips, form fitting making them a little tight around his groin, showing a distinctive outline if you looked hard enough. Making me want to see what he had to offer, another weird thought I never expected to have from just the mere sight. Which, in all honesty, I wouldn't even know what to do with it if it was in front of me. It's not like I have ever seen one. Wolves are naturally acquainted with nudity, but I was never permitted to be around someone when they stripped to shift. My pack was commanded with the Alpha tone to never change in front of me. Which meant if I happened to be near, which was rare, they would hide to strip or just rip their clothes midshift. Therefore, I have never seen a man's other regions. I always wondered why, because nudity was supposed to be natural for our kind to see. But now sitting here as the king's contracted mate, knowing the rules to be considered for the role made me realize this was my father's plan all along. He ensured I was purely innocent by making sure I never even saw a man nude, let alone be touched by one. "You're dismissed Imagen." He said, addressing my handmaid, which immediately brought me back to reality from where my intrusive thoughts were heading. Imagen turned and walked away, leaving just me and the king alone for the first time since I had arrived earlier today. "You look great." He said while eyeing my body up and down. Suddenly, I was hyper aware of everything going on around me. He had a hungry look in his eyes, the first thing I had been able to read from his facial expressions since we met. I put my hand to my face, my fingertips touching my chin before bringing my hand back down, signing thank you. I was at a loss for words. Hopefully, my sign language wasn't portrayed as disrespect because the words just refused to leave my mouth. I felt like if I opened my mouth to speak, the salvation that pooled in there would fall out. "You're welcome love. Come have a seat. I hope you like seafood. I have ordered lobster for our entree tonight." He said as he stepped aside, pulling a chair out from the table for me to sit. My teeth grazing my lips at the idea of being treated like a princess, no, more like a queen. I walked very slowly from where I was standing over to the chair, ensuring not to trip and make a fool of myself. As I sat in my chair, he then took his seat across from me. A feral look of need in his eyes while never breaking eye contact. "So, what makes you think you're fit to be my Queen?" His question threw me off.