Page 61 of Chasing Luna
“I don’t know, I thought that maybe… you’d want him to be your mate or something.”
I blush at her blunt words. “There’s absolutely nothing on my mind right now except to do good for my pack and for the people around us,” I state and Eliza immediately rolls her eyes.
“God, being royalty must be a pain in the ass. You’re missing out on a lot,” she comments, a glint of something malicious ignites in her eyes.
“What do you mean?” I stop eating for a moment.
“I mean, you’ve never… known the touch of a man.” A hand flies out to push her from the bed.
“I have experience,” I simply state, shame filling my cheeks.
“Yes, but not all the way.” She giggles. “Oh, dear. Can you imagine being Gregory’s mate? You’d probably bruise all over from his touch alone. He’s probably a little too rough—” I shove a pastry inside Eliza’s mouth.
“Eliza, stop!” I blush furiously. I shake the image out of my head.
“Look at you, so cute. No matter how much of a badass you are in fighting, you’re still too innocent when it comes to lust.” She shakes her head as she stifles her giggles. “Go get dressed after that. We need you to oversee some of the decorations tonight.” Eliza slaps my knee and takes another pastry.
“I thought that was supposed to be my gift.” I pout.
“You’d get to eat more later. Hurry up, okay?” she instructs before closing the door behind her. I attempt to calm myself down after Eliza’s incessant teasing. But images of a half-naked Gregory fill my mind and I ignore the heat overtaking my body.
“Okay, let’s just take a cold shower,” I mutter before hopping in the bathroom.
***
“Listen, this can’t go with the blue color, they’ll clash.” I watch as two decorators fight over the table arrangements.
Ugh. I just want this over with,I mentally complain.
“Princess, you’re here. I’ve been looking for you.” Eliza’s voice rouses me out of my misery. “It’s time to get ready for the coronation.” I nod, and let myself be dragged to a secluded area in the estate.
I’m led to a large bath filled with rose petals. Salt lamps and scented candles adorn the edges of the bath, and a dress hangs in the background. “What’s all this?” I ask.
“You need to be cleansed of impurities. The bath has been filled with the essence of the demon wolf spirits.” My grandmother comes out of the shadows. “It’s supposed to bring you closer to our ancestors. After that, you’ll wear the dress prepared by our seamstress.” Beside her, someone bows to me in greeting. “Her family’s been making the traditional garments for our family. This is a special occasion, and so you can’t just wear something from… the mall.” She makes a face at the mere idea of me wearing some frilly thing I bought on sale.
“Okay,” I say and strip off my clothes, and get into the bath.
As soon as I do, hands clamor to scrub my body for me. I close my eyes and relax, feeling the maids massage my tense muscles. The scented candles and the salt lamps’ lights flicker behind my closed eyes, making me drift off to sleep. “Your Highness?” someone’s voice wakes me up from my nap.
“Yeah?” I whisper groggily.
“It’s time to get up now.” I nod and open my eyes. The bright light from the moon illuminates my bare skin. Something in this bath is making my body glint and glimmer in the moonlight. I step out and those around me utter words of praises and awe at my naked form. “Here, put this on first.” I am helped into the traditional garb by the seamstress. It’s a very pretty dress with jewels adorning the sleeves, and it feels like it was weaved from the clouds. A hooded robe is draped over me and it conceals half my face.
“It’s close to midnight. It’s time for you to make your way to the sacred ground.” Eliza ushers me out of the estate. But she secretly slips me something cold and sharp. I take a feel and instantly recognize what seems like silver daggers. She winks at me. “I actually had this one specially made from a blacksmith out of town. The design is exquisite. Happy birthday, Isabela,” she whispers. And I can only nod back, keeping the daggers inside one of the inner pockets of the dress.
“I’m not sure where we’re going,” I respond after a while and she shushes me.
“I do, so just follow me.” She nods and I look ahead. In the distance, I see lights flickering amongst the trees, glimmering as if beckoning me to come closer.
“Come, child,” my grandmother greets me and takes me to the center of the clearing. I look around and see selected pack members around us. In front of me, I see Gregory, right beside Kenji. I also see a couple of unfamiliar faces.
Probably caterers?I scan the crowd further and see Nicolo’s face staring back at me. I almost choke on my own spit.Holy shit. They’re already here?
“Stay in the middle, Isabela,” my grandmother instructs and leaves the book of spells open on the stone slab in front of us. “When the clock strikes midnight, you’ll feel the power of the moon and our ancestors overtake you. Do not fight it; instead, welcome them. Feel their power. Invite them to make you strong.” She steps back and I feel the ground beneath me start to shake.
Translucent lights start to ripple from my body, and I look up at the moon—a certain heavy feeling makes me drop down to my knees, before I black out.
Chapter Fifty-Seven