Offered to the Triplet Alphas

[Xanthea]

The next day, by the evening, Mavka had packed my stuff, and it was already sent to the Aile castle.

"I thought I'll be prepared for the night in the castle," I said as Mavka and other maids helped me wear the black lace garter belt lingerie.

Mavka merely glanced at me before getting on her knees to fix the garter belt with my sheer black stockings.

This time, instead of a dress, they made me wear a black miniskirt with a white crop top and a white denim jacket. Mavka helped me put on the white sneakers while one maid styled my hair in a high ponytail. I knew what I wore was decided by the triplets.

But I liked this look. I always wished to dress up like this, but...

I clenched my fist as a shudder ran down my spine.

I shut my eyes, trying hard not to remember all the times Nikolai hit me because he didn't like the way I dressed.

'If you want to look like a slut, wear those revealing dresses in a whorehouse, not in my palace. Do it when you are thrown out of our family. But as long as you are in the palace, you will dress as I want you to...' Nikolai's words rang in my head and I quickly shoved them away.

Growing up in the palace, I always wore the dresses Nikolai and luna Meesa allowed me to wear. Baggy clothes that covered my body. That changed a little when I moved out, but even then I never had the courage to wear what I wanted. I was always paranoid about being watched. Plus, such clothes weren't appropriate or safe to wear, given where I lived.

Even today, when I was in a completely different realm than theirs, when I didn't even know if they were dead or alive, I was still not sure if I should like the way I look.

Maybe that was why I never cared what the triplets made me wear. I was used to being treated like a doll.

Today, my outfit seemed to have been highly influenced by Raven. Especially when the hairstyle and the dress didn't just reveal, but highlight the hickey on my neck.

'Have a great time explaining this to Asher tomorrow.'

I bit my lower lips when Raven's words repeated in my head.

An uncanny nervousness drifted in my chest. With Ezra and Raven, I knew I had to prepare myself for the worse, but with Asher...

I didn't know what to expect.

I kept wondering what Asher would say or how he would react. There was something I feared more than his reaction. Something I had tamed my thoughts to not ponder over, yet they kept revisiting it - my expectations.

I don't know what, but I expected something from Asher from the moment our eyes met on the altar.

I had never had expectations from others and even if I did, I always expected something bad, but from Asher... I expected something... something that... wasn't bad.

And that's what scared me the most.

"You are ready, your highness." Mavka's voice brought me back to reality.

Even though I loved my outfit, it looked completely out of place on my body. I skimmed my eyes from my reflection in the mirror to Mavka.

"I still have some time until the car arrives, right? Can I visit the High lady once?" I asked.

"Well, actually... your highness. A car won't come to pick you up-"

"You are coming with me, omega."

Flinching at the deep voice, I turned towards the door, where my eyes met Raven's.

My eyes widened slightly as I took him in.

Raven was dressed in a casual dark gray shirt that hugged his chiseled muscles and black jeans. He completed the attire with a black jacket, which he styled with black boots. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows in a hot contrast of black and gray.

Through his long hair that hung loose on his shoulders, I could see the silvery dog tag pendant resting over his chest.

He strutted into my room. My eyes fell on his wristwatch and rings on his finger that gallantly enhanced his veiny hands.

I had always seen him in his formal alpha suits or scrubs, but this was the first time I had seen him in casuals. And for some reason, it hit differently.

An uncanny flutter built in my chest, and I quickly averted my eyes.

"Everyone out," he commanded.

The maids bowed before they walked out of the room.

I got up from the chair and stood before him. I fidgeted under his scrutiny as his eyes raked over my body.

I don't know what was left of me to hide from him. There wasn't an inch of my skin that he hadn't already seen, touched and claimed. But I instinctively pulled the hem of my miniskirt, trying to hide my thighs.

His gaze dropped to my skirt.

"What is one thing a princess must wear at all times with all her dresses?" He asked, brushing his fingers over mine. My grip over the hem of my skirt loosened.

Brushing off the creases of my skirt, he looked into my eyes again. When I didn't reply for a while...

"What? The answer to such a simple question wasn't written in your mother's diary or those books you read? Not all answers can be found in books, after all. Isn't it, princess? But then again, you were never treated like a princess in your father's pack. No wonder you don't know the answer. Bookish knowledge is not enough to deal with life. Especially for a mortal. Come on, omega. Try answering my question even if it's wrong."

Contemplating, I pursed my lips before answering. "B-bra..."

He chuckled.

I lifted my gaze at him, feeling my face burn with embarrassment.

There was something different about his laughter. Maybe that's what a hearty laughter sounded like.

I peered at him, dumbfounded. I could have never imagined Raven laughing so warmly and comfortably. Maybe with Nyssa, he could, but never around me.

His deep chuckle resonated in the room before fading away as he cleared his throat.