Page 24 of Escaping Wildfire

She looked up at me with glistening eyes and nodded as she squeezed my hand. “Just be careful, okay?”

“I will be.”

I followed Nora back to my room and noticed a red dress on the bed. “Alpha sent up a dress and shoes for you. He’d like me to do your hair and makeup as well. I’ll let you get showered then I’ll come back in a few minutes to finish up.”

She walked back out, and as much as I wanted to rebel and not do as I was told, I turned on the water and waited for it to warm up. I wondered what Noah was doing right at this moment. Was he completely freaking out because he couldn’t reach me?

I got into the hot water and let myself cry again as the water ran down my body. I was scared that Alpha Marek just wanted me as one of his playthings. He had asked me when my birthday was, so I was hoping that meant he’d leave me alone tonight.

I finished my shower, and I wrapped myself in the robe that was left for me before stepping out of the bathroom. Nora hadn’t returned yet, so I brushed my hair out while I waited for her, which didn’t take long as she arrived just as I had set the brush back down on the vanity.

“I’ll do your makeup first, that way your hair can air dry.” She opened a few drawers in the vanity to reveal an array of brushes and colored shadows.

She turned me to face her as she pulled out some foundations and got started on matching my skin tone. I looked up at her as she worked. She had light brown hair, thick eyebrows, naturally pink lips, and flawless skin. She was pretty, but her hazel eyes looked sad and tired.

“How old are you?”

She looked taken aback by the personal question. “I’m 18.”

“Have you always been here at Wildfire?”

“Yes, my parents were both pack warriors, but they died when I was younger.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” I was at a loss for words. I’d never considered myself good at comforting others.

She finished and turned me around to face the mirror. “There, what do you think?”

She’d given me a soft smoky eye, dramatic but tasteful. I looked like myself but older and more elegant. If I didn’t know better, I’d think I was just a girl on her way to a party instead of a girl being put on the chopping block. “It’s beautiful, thank you.”

She gave me a small smile before getting started on my hair.

“Have you found your mate yet?”

Her eyes widened, and she took a deep breath not seeming to want to answer my question. Our eyes made contact through the mirror, but she quickly looked down. “No…I haven’t found him.”

I got the feeling she no longer wanted to make small talk, so I remained quiet as she finished with my hair.

“There, now you can put on the dress. Dinner will be in 15 minutes, so you have just enough time to finish getting ready.”

She had always been quiet and shy with me, but I noticed her demeanor became even more stiff after I asked about her mate. It made me wonder what the story there was.

I slipped on the dress and tied the heels on my feet before walking over to the full-length mirror. I was wearing a red one-shoulder dress that came up to my thighs. There was an angled cutout to show a bit of my cleavage, and my hair was left down in big curls. I felt more like I should be heading to the club than to a dinner.

“I’ll walk you down.” Nora opened the door for me, and I followed her into the hallway. The further we walked, the more I fidgeted with my hair. I walked silently behind Nora feeling more like she was walking me to my execution than to dinner.

“You’ll be dining in Alpha’s private dining room.” She said as she led me up the stairs. My chest tightened with nerves, and I started to feel sick. We’ll be in the Alpha’s apartment tonight, just us?

“Here we are, Miss.” She opened the door and let me inside before leaving.

I walked in, and the first thing I laid eyes on was my mother. “Mami!” She rushed over to envelop me in a tight hug. “Gema!” She pulled away and cradled my face in her hands as she looked me in the eyes. “Estás bien?” (Are you okay?)

“Yes,” I replied as my dad walked up behind us, awaiting his hug from me.

My mother stiffened beside him and gave him a pinched look, which was unlike her. My parents were fated mates, and I had never seen my mom give my dad anything less than heart eyes every time she looked at him.

“Felix and Miles said they’d locked you and their parents up in the cells. How are you two here?”

“They did lock us up, but they let the two of us out for this dinner.” My mother looked down at the floor, not seeming to want to look at my dad.