The next fey days seemed to fly by in a blur. My routine consisted of: wake up, train with Valen, eat, learn from Von, eat, explore pack lands with Aislinn, dinner with the royal family, and then sleep. Then I'd wake up and do it all over again the next day. I was beginning to get very comfortable here.
It was brought to my attention that night at dinner that the ball was only three days away.
"Are you excited for your birthday?" King Ruben asked me. I nodded in return, my mouth stuffed full of delicious roast pork.
"That's very good Indigo. I have some other news for you as well."
The room grew silent as everyone stopped to listen to him. Queen Stella didn't seem surprised at his announcement, but both Von and Valen looked like they had no idea what he was talking about.
He cleared his throat. "The council would like to meet with you tomorrow. They've been watching you during your time here, and they are ready to make a decision on your status in the pack." His eyes roamed around the room before landing on me.
"Whatever they decide may change, though, based on what happens the night of the ball." I slowly swallowed the food I had been chewing.
"Can you give me a hint on whether it's good or bad news?" I asked him. He smiled back at me.
"I cannot. I'm not permitted to do so at this time."
"I understand, your majesty. Thank you for giving me a heads up about the meeting. I'll make sure to be prepared."
"Not a problem, child. Aislinn will be helping you tonight to prepare for tomorrow. She'll get you an outfit appropriate for the meeting and will make sure you're presentable." I frowned and looked down at myself.
I guess you couldn't really meet the royal council in workout clothes, now can you?
I nodded.
"So basically, she's going to be my stylist?"
"Yes, dear," Queen Stella replied. "Think of it as a spa night for you. Aislinn is very good at what she does." I nodded my head in agreement. Valen cleared his throat.
"Father, why haven't you told us about this?" He looked between his father and his brother.
King Ruben's eyes left me as he stared at them directly.
"Because, son, there's no promises that if I had told either of you, you wouldn't have let it slip to Indigo too early. Even a fool could see that you both have a soft spot for her. She's the first she-wolf to ever crack through your defenses Valen," he said while looking at him.
His gaze them shifted to Von. "And as for you, Von, you've taken up things I haven't seen you passionate about in years. You're smile is genuine these days and a dark cloud no longer looms over your head every morning. It's safe to say there is no doubt you would have given her the answer she wants, as well."
Both princes flushed and looked down to their plates, but didn't comment further.
I was stunned. Sure, we'd been getting along really well recently, and I definitely had some complicated feelings to wade through, but I had assumed they were like this before I came here.
I couldn't believe that they had changed enough for King Ruben to notice it in just a short time, because they never seemed to give away what they were really feeling around me. Panic began to rise in my heart.
They both have feelings for me. I have feelings for both of them. How in the world will I ever be able to choose one mate and simultaneously break the other one's heart? My fists clenched under the table, and I began counting my breaths in order to calm my racing mind.
"Oh, and Indigo, one more thing."
"Yes, your majesty?"
"You're Aunt Maddie will be here tomorrow night. She was given permission to arrive early."
A huge grin broke out on my face. I couldn't need Aunt Maddie's guidance more right now. My mood shifted into excitement and I hurried my way through the rest of dinner.
***
Later that night, I was still running over everything King Ruben had said at dinner while soaking in the bathtub.
Aislinn had filled it with various different smelling oils and salts, going on about how this one was good for you skin, and that one is good for your hair, and blah blah blah. I hadn't really paid much attention to what she'd said, but I was so relaxed right now that I made a mental note to ask her what the concoction consists of.
I ran a wet cloth over my arms and sighed. The time felt right to see what guidance my mother could offer me. I pulled the plug to the drain and grabbed a towel. After drying, I wrapped it around myself and made my way to the nightstand, where I had left the pouch in the drawer, before pulling it out.
"What's that?" Aislinn's voice rang out. I jumped and nearly dropped it.
"Goddess, Aislinn, stop doing that!"
"Sorry. But what is it?"
"It's a pouch full of belongings that my mother entrusted to my Aunt to give to me when she thought I was ready." Aislinn's eyes got big.
"Have you already pulled stuff out?" I nodded.
"There's not much left in it, but I could really use some comfort from my mother tonight. I'm worried about tomorrow." She rubbed my arm sympathetically.
"Is it okay if I'm here with you while you do it?"
I contemplated for a moment. Besides Artemis, Aislinn was the best friend I'd ever had. I felt like I could really trust her with anything. I nodded and she squealed in delight. We sat on my bed facing each other, with the pouch in between us.
"Well, go on." Aislinn prodded.
I rolled my eyes at her impatience but began to pull something out. I gasped when I got a good look at it. This was not something I was expecting to see in here.
Tears formed in my eyes and Aislinn scrambled over to take the offending paper away from me. Her eyes went wide as she stared at it.
"Is this..?" she questioned. I nodded.
"Yeah. Those are my parents." She looked at me, confusion lacing her features.
"I thought your father never had any deep feelings for your mother?" I grabbed the picture back and stared at it.
In the photograph, my mother and father were locked in an embrace, staring into each other's eyes with so much love you could feel it radiating off of the small paper.
It was night time and they looked like they were by a lake deep in Moonlight pack territory, where not many wolves ventured. The sky was illuminated by thousands of twinkling stars, and a large full moon. The picture had been taken from a ways back. Like whoever had taken it, didn't want my mother and father to see them. I was beyond confused, but more than that, I was hurt.
I'd been told all my life that my parents weren't mates. That their relationship was nothing more than an affair.
Looking at the love in their eyes and the tender way they were holding each other, it was easy to tell it was more. Only mates looked at each other that way.
Why did Aunt Maddie lie to me for so long? The burn of betrayal ripped through me.
I didn't know the answer, but I knew I had to get the truth from her tomorrow. Aislinn pulled me into a gentle hug.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
"I just don't understand. How could Aunt Maddie keep this from me? Why would she? I've spent all my life thinking my mom's real mate out there suffered more than anyone, but her mate was my dad? How is that even possible?"
"Well, he could have married the Queen after your mother passed?"
I shook my head.
"No, he was already engaged to the Queen when their relationship began. But why? Who would defy the Moon Goddess's gift like that? Did my mother really die in child birth?"
My voice cracked and the tears flew freely. I always assumed my dad was a monster, but now my image of my mother was all skewed. I had imagined her as being an outgoing and confident woman who would never go against what was right.
She had to have known my father was engaged at that point, they were all the same age and it had to have been announced to the pack right away. Was my mother a monster, too? Or was she just so desperate for her mate's love that she was willing to do anything to get it. I sniffed and wiped my eyes.
"What do you want to do?" Aislinn asked me.
I looked at her.
"Aislinn, I want you to give me a complete makeover. Cut my hair off, change it, do whatever. Just make me feel like me, and not her."
Her eyes widened and a huge grin broke out over her face, as she jumped from the bed and began rounding things up in the bathroom. Her speed was chaotic and comparable to a tornado.
I stepped back and let her work while I pulled on a basic tank top and shorts and sat myself on the stool in front of her.
Over the course of the time it had taken Aislinn to pluck every stray hair from my face, exfoliate, moisturize, cut, buff and tone every part of me she could, I had told her about all of the things I had taken from the pouch. She was just as lost as to what they could all mean as I was.
Finally, when I thought I couldn't take it any longer, Aislinn professed she was done. Her face was flushed, but her smile was wide. She was bouncing on her toes with giddiness and her electric vibes penetrated through my black mood.
She spun the stool around until I was facing the mirror. I took a look at myself and my jaw dropped. If it weren't for the fact that my eye color was still the same, I wouldn't have recognized myself.
Aislinn had plucked my eyebrows into a perfect, sharp arch and lengthened my eyelashes with a clear gel. They framed my eyes wonderfully and made them appear larger and more open. My skin was clear, not a blemish in sight, and my lips were a soft pink color after she'd exfoliated all the dead skin off of them.
But the biggest change was my hair.
My waist-length raven locks were no more. Instead, Aislinn had cut it into a bob that skimmed my collar bones and parted down the middle.
She'd put a shine on my hair that reflected the same color of my eyes when the light hit it just right. Since it had air dried, the natural waves of my hair became more like loose curls and framed my face in the most flattering way.
I felt more like myself than I ever had. I thought I'd be emotional to see my hair go, since it was so much like my mother's, but I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face.
"You know magic, don't you?" I questioned her. She threw her head back and laughed.
"No, Indigo, I've just done this a lot. What do you think?"
I turned to her and wrapped her small body into my arms, squeezing hard.
"I love it. I love you. You are the best and I would be so lost without you."
"Can't...breathe..." she wheezed back at me. I dropped her immediately and she took a long breath.
"Goddess, when did you get that strong?" she complained while throwing a small glare my way.
"But I'm really glad you like it and that I could help you. Hopefully, it makes you feel confident enough to face the council tomorrow, and get answers from Aunt Maddie."
Her face was so sincere that I couldn't help tearing up again. Maybe she didn't totally understand the implications of what she'd done, but Aislinn had fit the final piece into my transformation.
No longer was I the Omega from Moonlight pack.
I was Indigo Murray.
And I was ready to take on anything that came my way.
Author's Note:
Okay, it's Friday! I've decided I'll still be updating two days a week, but I'll give you two chapters when I do. One of my favorite authors on here, Eveleft13 does that when she updates and I just love it. (ps check her out if you like romances. But not cheesy romances, nitty gritty ones)
Anyway! What are your thoughts on this chapter? What about the picture? What the hell is going on with Indigo's parents?
Don't forget to vote!
Xoxo,
CrimsynIris