The moment our lips met, it felt like fireworks exploded within me. I had read it so many times. And felt it had to be a lie. My first kiss with Killian had been okay. And yet, the real world was nothing close to what the novels made it out to be.
But with Ronan? It was my fairytale coming awake, and I didn’t hesitate to grant him entrance into my mouth.
He tasted like everything one could call perfect! There was a splash of tequila and a minty-sweet flavor combination.
There was also some third taste that I couldn’t figure out as the loud chiming of a bell blared through every building and broke the moment with how loud it was. It was either just outside this door or high up somewhere to get to the palace.
Ronan pulled away, and his hands moved down to my arms as he tried to catch his breath.
I was no better off. But with him holding me, at the very least, my legs that felt like jelly didn’t win the battle of having me flat on the floor.
“I...I have to go. That bell signifies that it’s time for the coronation, and I need to be dressed,” he explained hastily, and my heart thumped as I remembered.
Shit! I also needed to get dressed. I nodded quickly, letting him know I understood how urgent it was.
He pulled me in one more time and pressed his lips to my forehead for more than a minute. I didn’t want him to leave, but this was important, so I nudged him a little, “Ronan… you have to go.” He sighed and then pulled away, removing his hands from my arms to cup my face.
“I’ll have my Beta come here to pick you up when it’s time; it’s impossible for you to know the way by yourself,”
I nodded at his every word. Wishing I could just make him forget about me and rush to get ready.
“Do you need anything?” He asked, glancing at my small bag, and I felt like I could read his mind. It was probably impossible for him to imagine I would have everything I needed in that bag.
“I don’t; I already packed for the coronation,” I told him, hoping my eyes had enough confidence to allow him to go without any worries.
“Okay then, Miles will be here anytime soon. Just tell him if you need anything,” he said and then dashed out of the room with one final kiss on my lips.
The moment the saloon’s door closes, I slump down on the nearest chair and run my hands through the lengthy curls I had just let down.
The last hour had been the wildest time of my life, and for a moment, I felt like it was a dream I was only waking up from now.
I pinched myself twice to be sure it was all real and then swirled the chair to look at the bag Ronan had placed on the shelf.
“Yes, it certainly has to be real,” I murmur. And then nod my head one more time to convince myself again.
Yes, I have really found my mate!
I was really not dreaming.
The idea of having a mate had been pushed far from my mind from the moment I turned fourteen. Back then, one of the Royal Princes had gotten his wolf at the age of eleven. That had been a record-breaking one and made many expectations fall on the ones born after him.
My dad and the Alpha family had brought Killian and me together from the age of fourteen. In the hope that our souls would connect well enough for the moon goddess to allow us to be mates.
Unfortunately, when I turned sixteen, two years after him and got my wolf, we had not been blessed with the mate bond by the moon goddess.
I had been terribly devastated. I felt like I had let papa down. And from that moment onwards, I had pushed that possibility out of my head.
But here I was with a mate of mine!
My very mate! Instinctively, I raise my fingers to trace my still-swollen lips and then smile slightly.
The ringing of the bell another time startled me from my thoughts, making me jump up and rush to my bag. I pulled out the shimmering dress that I had brought for the occasion. A dress I had gotten for my outfit change on my wedding day would now be the dress I would wear to see my mate getting crowned.
I smiled a little at how that sounded before pulling off my outfit and changing into my dark blue ball gown. It clung to my body frame like a second skin up until my mid-thigh, where it flowed out with layers of materials to form a different type of ball dress. With my every move, each of those layers seemed to be dancing with me.
I pulled out my hair curler and curled my hair into large and bouncy curls that now allow my face to look very small and cute.
Suppose this was a day before; this would have been my look to the ball. Nothing less, nothing more.
But today was different. I was not just the daughter of a Beta from a third-rate pack. I was now the mate of Prince Ronan that was going to be crowned. And I certainly had no plans of disappointing him.
I quickly searched through the various drawers of the saloon and did a small dance as soon as I saw a medium-sized make-up box.
While I wasn’t as good at make-up as Sandra was, years of us being friends and her loving to work with my face had helped me to learn a thing or two and so without wasting a second, I did a light make-up that went along with the dewy and celestial feel that my dress brought.
I had just placed the box back where I took it from when a knock sounded on the door.
Zira’s POVI had no idea what image my brain had conjured up when Ronan told me his Beta, Miles, was coming to pick me. But I was certain that image couldn’t resonate with you if you had been here with me. Miles was twice as huge as Ronan and just a little shorter, giving him a pretty intimidating look that had been backing me away the moment I pulled the door open for him. With a sly grin, he lifted his hands and said, “I don’t bite.” With a nod or perhaps a more emphatic shaking of the head, I gaze at his face and nod.A little bit of my fear evaporated as I realized that while his body and presence were overwhelming at first sight, his face didn’t seem that daunting and even made me feel like I could relax a little around him. “Ronan asked me to bring you over to the hall. Are you ready?” He asks and stretches his hands out. I nod but don’t raise my hand to him. Miles shrugs and chuckles at my refusal but still leads the way. With him leading the way, I realized that Ronan was r
“If I…” his words are broken by a familiar voice calling his name, and I looked behind him at the same time that Killian turned back to see Leah’s voluptuous figure walk up to us in her bright red dress.I had never been this happy to see Leah. And that had to be something.“Leah! Thank the goddess that you are saved!” I exclaim out of excitement and rush forward, planning to hug her, but I’m pushed back by Killian, who pulls her into a tight hug.“My sweet mate. I was almost scared that something had happened to you,” he crooned, then ran his hands on her back in circles.Memories of me being the girl in Killian’s arms flashed through my mind. But this time, they didn’t hurt.I had my mate now.“K...Killian… do... do you know how scary it was without you? I was all alone and got lost so many times,” Leah cried out, and I shot her a cynical look.She looked every bit fine with not a crease on her dress. It was hard to imagine that she had really been lost.Besides, she was right here
Zira’s POV I had never been one to likebeing touchy or anything of that sort. Despite how much Killian had wanted usto go all the way in our relationship, I had constantly refused. But somehow,around Ronan, I always seemed to lose any bit of restraint. “You should change,” I told him as I tried to step back. Henods and then starts to loosen all his buttons carefully. A part of me still felt guiltythat I had allowed his coronation to end with him having to jump in a pool tosave me, but I was grateful that he haddone that. I watch, entranced, as he pulls off the regalia, leaving a black shirt that wasglued to his body from all the dampness and heat. Earlier, when we met, he had been a lot more casual,but seeing him now with all his body outlines, it was easy to see that he wasone of those men that would look a lot slimmer when dressed. It was hard to look away fromit. Like every part of me seemed to want to reach out to him, I eventually pulled my gaze away. There was a
Zira’s POVI gasped in surprise as I watched myselfin the floor-to-ceiling mirror in front of me.The Royal Palace stylist certainly hadmagical hands,as I felt like my whole person had undergone some surgeries that humansloved to do so much. My hair was rolled up into ahigh bun with some curled tendrils framing myface while my make-upwas delicately done to highlight all of my features. The only thing wrong with all ofthese, with the stunning blue dress and the teardrop pearl necklace seated on mychest, and Ronan gifted, was that today, I was going to watch my mate getbetrothed to another woman. “Your beauty certainly has norival even in the capital,” Ana, the head stylist, says with an adoring smile as she looks at me through the mirror. “Thank you,” I mumble, notwanting to seem impolite. “If you are ready, I’ll lead youto the hall. Weare already quite late.” Itturns out Ana was correct; the entire buildingwas alive withmusic and conversation as soon as we steppe
Zira’s POVAtfirst, it seems like I’m the only one that notices as heads are bowed inreverence to him. But hell breaks loose the moment Ronan sits down, and theeunuchs permit us to be seated.One ofthe girls beside me nudged me in the waist with her elbow.“Whatpack are you from? Your father must be daring to have allowed you to use thesame Arlen-silk that our king has used,” she says with scorn, deliberatelymaking her voice loud enough for others to talk.“Ialready felt there was something about her dress the moment she sat down,”someone added from behind. And I wished I could understand what they weresaying more than anything.Arlen-silk?Seeing thatthe color and patterns were the same, I was more than certain that I would bein trouble. Yet, it appeared to be some unusual substance at this point.Whywould Ronan put me in such a spotlight on a day like this?The queendowager raised her glass and, with cutlery, tapped on it twice to get theattention of everyone in the ha
Zira’s POVI hadall the skills that the ladies here had, but at this moment, no one cared. Allthey knew was I didn’t deserve to be here, and that was all.Foronce, I felt like I was nothing more than a lowly and weak omega with all thegazes of the people in the hall.Iwatched from the corners of my eyes as I stood alone in the middle of the halland their whisperings.The queendowager raised her wineglass, and the hall descended into empty silence.“Thisyoung girl, can you introduce yourself?” In the already quiet hall, her voicewas loud and clear, and as I met her gaze, I could feel some pressure pressingdown on me.Isquared my shoulders a little but still avoided Ronan’s gaze.“Yourhighness, I am Zira Clark, the second daughter of the Beta from the Blood Moonpack.” I gave a little head bow to her as soon as I was done talking and wentback to looking at the intricately designed floor of the ballroom.“Youare from a third-tier pack. Can you tell me how you came to be here
Zira’s POVI don’tthink I have been this scared in my entire life. Maybe something close when I lostmy mother, but it wasn’t this way.Thistime, I was desperate and scared. I was also desperate to be proven wrong.As soonas Ronan made signs to speak, the tension in the hall intensified with everygaze on him.Iallowed my eyes to focus on him for the first time since he had stepped intothe hall. Even without a crown, besides all the royal princes, Ronan’s bearingand appearance were too eye-catching. He sat there, back ramrod straight likehe was born to be a ruler.“Queenmother, I’m afraid you would have to ask my dear brothers to use today as anopportunity to pick their brides as the moon goddess has blessed me with a matewhom I intend to make my queen,” he announced, standing up from the Royal seatthat he was in.My bodystiffened, unable to believe that what I was hearing was the truth. Ronan justsaid he wanted to make his mate his queen, right?“Youhave a fated mate? Wh
Zira’s POVUntilwe got to Ronan’s Bailey, neither of us said a word. Ronan looked like he wasstruggling to understand his emotions while I had so many thoughts swirling inmy head.I hadno idea that Ronan would ever consider me for the role of queen until that verymoment. I wanted it. However, not the position, but if it was the only way Icould have my mate to myself, I could even handle such an arduous position.But Ialso understood that just because I wanted something, it didn't always mean Iwould get it. After Killian, I had been more than prepared to walk away fromhere the very moment I realized that I was some inconvenience.While seatedbeside all those girls, my mind had been running on so many scenarios. So manyreplies that I was prepared to give to the man that I was certain wanted me tobe his consort or maybe replace some omega concubine.Ronan’sguards rushed forward and pushed the door to his courtyard open. Theydisappeared almost immediately, and Ronan turned fo