Chapter 15: Royal ladies academy
AYLA
"I hope I am not interrupting anything?"
I broke away from Cassian so fast I nearly stumbled backward.
My mother stood at the edge of the clearing, her arms folded, a wide smile spreading across her face. Her eyes flicked between Cassian and me, taking in my flushed cheeks, his hand that had just been at my waist and the flower still tucked behind my ear.
She looked pleased.
"No, Brenna," Cassian said smoothly. "You are not interrupting. What can I do for you?"
My mother’s smile deepened at the use of her name. She stepped forward, her gaze lingering on me.
"I would like to borrow my daughter for a bit. If that is alright with you, my lord."
Cassian turned to me.
He reached up, his fingers brushing against my hair as he adjusted the tiny pale-blue flower he had tucked there, settling it more securely behind my ear.
A smile tugged at his lips as his knuckles grazed my cheek.
"This is not over," he murmured, then released me.
I thought my face might actually catch fire.
He bent to retrieve the rest of the moonleaf and then walked past my mother with a polite nod.
I watched him go.
My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat. My knees felt weak, barely holding me upright. The spot where his fingers had touched my cheek still tingled.
"Have you taken him to bed yet?" My mother’s voice jolted me back to the present.
I turned to face her, my face burning.
"No."
The smile on her face vanished. Her eyes narrowed and her lips pressed into a thin disapproving line.
"Then what the hell are you waiting for, Ayla?"
"Mother..."
"Do not ’mother’ me." She grabbed my arm. "You have three mates. Three. And from what I have gathered, not one of them has touched you yet. Do you think men have patience? Do you think they will wait forever while you play coy?"
"I am not playing coy..."
"Then what are you doing?" she demanded. "What if the priestess comes back with another prophecy? What if she declares the bond is not necessary after all and you are no longer needed? You could lose everything. What then will you do?"
I was tempted to tell her that I did not think that was how any of this worked but I said nothing.
What was the point?
"You wanted to see me?" I asked instead, my voice flat.
My mother blinked, caught off guard by the sudden change of topic, but she recovered quickly. She released my arm and smoothed down her dress, lifting her chin.
"Yes. I spoke to Alpha Kieran." "I reminded him that you are a lowly Omega," she said, her voice carrying a note of satisfaction. You have no formal training in how to behave like royalty. No education in etiquette or protocol and no understanding of how to conduct yourself as a future Luna and he agreed with me"
Of course, he did.
I could imagine exactly how that conversation had gone. My mother on her knees before the Alpha just like Willow had been on her knees before Ares.
The thought made me sick and filled me with shame at having thought it.
I knew how hard life had been for her. I knew she had spent years as a mistress, years being passed between powerful men who used her and discarded her. She had done what she had to do to survive. I could not hate her for that.
Even when she made it so easy to try.
"Are you listening to me?" she snapped.
I lifted my eyes. "Yes, Mom."
"Good." She clasped her hands together. "You are going to be joining the royal ladies of the pack in taking classes in etiquette. You begin tomorrow."
My heart dropped into my stomach.
The royal ladies.
It meant every high-born she-wolf who had spent years looking down on me, whispering about me, making sure I knew my place. They had all wanted the princes. They had all dreamed of being chosen.
They would not welcome me with open arms. They would tear me apart with their eyes and their whispers and their small, petty cruelties. And Willow would be there at the center of it all, leading the charge.
"Mom," I said carefully, "I do not think I should..."
"I am not telling you so you can form a thought, Ayla." She cut me off. "This is already decided. You begin tomorrow."
I stared at her.
"And for fucks sake," she added, already turning to walk away, "get under one of the princes soon. Before they lose interest entirely."
She walked away without looking back.
...
The morning came so fast.
I barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Willow with a smile on her face as she proceeded to dump smelly trash on me.
A maid arrived at dawn to help me dress.
She was young, barely older than me. She helped me into a violet dress to match the color of my eyes.
It was a beautiful dress but I could barely acknowledge that over the butterflies on full rampage in my belly.
"You look nice, my lady," the maid murmured.
I almost laughed.
My lady?
I had scrubbed floors beside girls like her and now they were addressing me so formally.
I did not feel like a lady. I felt like a fraud walking toward my own execution.
The training hall was located in the east wing of the Alpha’s compound. I had never been inside it. Omegas were not allowed but I had heard stories about the training days, where the high-born girls learned how to walk, how to speak, how to pour tea, how to smile.
I arrived at the door and paused. I could hear voices and then laughter inside.
When I pushed the door open and stepped inside, the room fell silent.
Seven she-wolves sat in a semicircle around a low table. They were dressed in fine silks, their hair pinned in elaborate styles, their eyes painted with kohl and shadow. They looked at me like I had wandered into their den by mistake and they did not like it one bit.
Willow sat at the center.
Of course.
She was wearing a deep burgundy gown that matched the color of her lips. Her blonde hair was swept over one shoulder, and her eyes glinted with something between amusement and malice.
"Ayla," she said, drawing my name out. "So the rumors are true. You really are joining us."
"I am."
"How quaint." Willow’s smile did not reach her eyes. "Sit. We were just about to begin."
She gestured to an empty cushion at the far end of the circle. The farthest seat from her.
I walked to it and sat while the other girls exchanged amused glances and snickers.
Willow picked up a teapot and poured herself a cup with deliberate elegance.
"The first lesson," she said, "is how to pour tea without looking like a servant."
She lifted the cup to her lips and took a sip, her eyes never leaving mine.
"You might want to pay close attention, sister. You are going to need it."