Ivy’s Point Of View
At about 5:00 in the evening, Willa suggests I go take a bath. She runs the tub for me, and eventually, I go in, locking the door behind me in case Callie shows back up.
While I am in there, alone, I make a little inspection of my own parts. I’m not sure I have all of the nubs and buds and whatnot I’ve read about in the book. I feel grossly uninformed when it comes to my own anatomy.
When I get out of the tub, I am not any more prepared than I was going in.
But Willa gets me all made up in a beautiful silver gown. She and a few other maids come in to do my hair and makeup. I look really pretty—for me—and the maids are all kind enough to tell me how "ravishing" and "gorgeous" I am. I wonder if I will get any food stuck in the gap between my teeth or if my nose will get in the way when the Alpha tries to kiss me.
A couple of hours after the preparations begin, there’s a knock at the door. My breath catches in my throat. Time sure has flown by. Is it really so late in the day already?
What if it’s him? What if it’s my Alpha?
Willa pulls the door open to reveal Beta Owen.
"Good evening, Miss Ivy," he says. "I’m here to escort you to dinner."
"Oh," I say, trying not to sound disappointed. "Where’s Callie?"
"She’s... late," he says, closing his eyes.
"Okay," I say, not wanting to poke the bear. "I didn’t want you to be late, too."
I can only assume they’ve argued about this before he left her to come get me.
"Well, I’m ready," I say. I lift my gown with both hands as I walk toward him, afraid I might otherwise trip.
Beta Owen takes my arm, and the two of us walk in silence to the dining hall. I am certainly not asking him any questions about the Alpha. He doesn’t seem like a chit-chatty kind of guy.
When we arrive, Owen pulls a chair out for me on one side of the king. His Majesty greets me, and I try to keep my heart from beating out of my chest. I am near the center of a huge table where hardly anyone else is sitting. Yet.
Owen leaves, I presume to go back and get his wife.
A few minutes later, more people begin to pour in, and my eyes fall on the handsome face of the blond Alpha—Chase—as he pulls out the chair next to me. "Good evening, Miss Ivy," he says to me after he has already greeted the king.
"Hello," I say. I can hardly get the word out.
The rest of the guests come streaming in, and almost immediately, someone says to Chase, "Congrats on winning the race, Alpha," and I bite back my shock. He is the winner!
That means, the handsome man sitting next to me gets to claim me first... My hand trembles as I pick up my fork to start the first course.
The other Alphas are seated right across from me, so I could speak to all of them—if I could speak at all. But I remain quiet for most of the meal because no words will come out of my mouth no matter how hard I try to force them. I am too nervous.
Besides, on the other side of King Victor, Beta Owen, and Callie, sits Marissa, the king’s cousin, and she will not stop talking.
She and I are going to continue to have major issues.
"You look so handsome tonight, Julian," Marissa says seductively. I can’t see her, but I see how the Alpha responds.
"Why, thank you, Marissa," Alpha Julian says, smiling at her politely.
Talia, who is sitting right next to her brother, looks almost as annoyed as I do. I remember how much I liked that girl when I first met her.
As dinner goes on, Chase tries to speak to me, but all I can give him is a bunch of one-word answers.
"How do you like it here?" he asks me.
"Fine," I say, not lifting my face to look at him.
"Do you miss your family?" he wants to know.
"No," I say. It’s true, but he might think I’m not a nice person.
"You’re not close to your parents?" he inquires.
"No." Is that the only word I’m capable of speaking?
He nods his head. "Me neither," he says, and it’s nice to know I’m not alone.
Rather than asking me questions, he begins to talk about his life back at Rivermist Pack. I’d much rather listen to his smooth voice than try to talk to him.
Dessert is delivered too quickly. He tells me about his younger brother while I poke at my cake, and then, when the plates are taken up, he says, "Are you ready to get out of here?" and flashes me a dazzling smile. I can’t say no, but my heart is beating out of my chest as I look at him and slowly nod.
I can’t believe the moment is here—and I’m about to give my virginity to a man I’ve just met! My hands continue to shake as I prepare to stand.
His smile widens. "Great. I thought I’d never get you alone."
He gets up and takes my hand, and we say goodnight to the king. We back away from the king and then, nearing the door, as we turn to walk away, I see Marissa glaring at me. She lifts a hand and rubs her nose, and I feel my insides begin to scramble.
All I can think about is... what if my giant nose gets in the way?