*Isla*
The days pass slowly, and for a few, I don’t see King Maddox at all. I am beginning to think he has forgotten about my existence. I wonder how long it might take for him to realize he has a guest in his castle—or am I a prisoner—sitting in a room, withering away?
Of course, Poppy brings me food and keeps me company quite often. Sometimes I am alone. I have books and the window. I like to look outside at the gardens. Sometimes, a gardener will be out there working, making the plants beautiful.
Some might think it is boring, and to some extent it is, but it’s nice not to have to work all the time.
I miss my family so terribly, though. I wish I could call them or otherwise receive word of how they are doing. I have no way of knowing what Alpha Earnest told them. For all I know, my parents might think I am dead.
Thinking of my mother missing me, of her assuming the worst, makes my heart heavy.
I sleep a lot, too. I find myself nodding off in the chair by the window with a book or I climb into the plush bed and let my head sink into the fluffy pillows.
I sleep so that I can dream.
I dream so that there’s a small chance I might get to see King Maddox.
In my dreams, we are a couple. He cares about me, not just as his breeder, but as a person. He smiles and holds my hand. We laugh and spend time together in the garden.
Sometimes, we make love, and it is always so soul-shattering that when I wake up after such dreams, I find my body clenching and spasming in places I didn’t know existed before I came here. My face is always flushed, and a thin layer of sweat always glistens on my skin.
Thankfully, Poppy hasn’t walked in right after one of my dreams has ended—yet. I suppose I can always just tell her I was having a nightmare and had to run….
The more I dream about King Maddox, the more I know that I am not doing him justice. When I get to know him in real life, if I get to know him, he will probably be nothing like in my dreams, and that will be disappointing.
But right now, dreams are all I have.
Dreams at night, and daydreams.
I do plenty of that, too, imagining what it would be like to spend time with the king. I can’t think about my family without getting teary-eyed, so I spend my time thinking about him….
I am sitting on my bed with a book in my hand one afternoon several days past when King Maddox stopped by my room to see if I would be willing to get to know him when there is a knock on my door. Poppy is straightening the room, something she does often, even though there’s no reason for it.
She crosses to answer the door, and I feel a fluttering in my gut.
What if it’s him?
My hair is pulled back in a braid, and I am wearing an outfit for lounging, linen pants and a blouse, both in shades of gray. It’s not the best outfit I have, but it’s comfortable, and I don’t look bad.
I hold my breath as Poppy opens the door.
It’s Seth.
I let my breath out. “Hello, Poppy,” he says as she bows to the Beta. “May I speak to Miss Isla, please?”
“Of course, sir,” she says. He comes into the room and stops at the end of the bed, smiling at me. I start to get up, but he signals for me to stay. Turning toward the door, he says, “That will be all, Poppy.”
I know that she is supposed to leave so he can speak to me alone, but she never seems to remember that until she’s asked.
Poppy goes out and closes the door behind her.
“How are you?” Beta Seth asks me.
I nod. “Well, thank you. And you, sir?”
He smiles at me, a slight chuckle under his breath. I’m not sure why. “I’m well, thank you. I have a note for you.” He withdraws a paper from the inside jacket of his pocket and hands it to me.
I stare at the paper, noticing my name is written on the outside. It is sealed with a red sticker so that no one can open it without me knowing.
“Thank you,” I say, staring at my signature. The slant of the writing makes me think it is a male’s handwriting, but I don’t recognize it.
Could he note be from… King Maddox?
“Go ahead and open it,” Seth prompts me.
“Of course,” I tell him, blinking away my daze. I break the seal and unfold the paper.
The message isn’t long. I glance down the length of the paper quickly before I read:
Dear Isla,
If you are available, I would like to have dinner with you tonight.
--M
That’s it. That’s all it says.
If I am available?
“Well?” Seth asks me. “Are you free?”
“I will have to check my calendar,” I say with a small smile.
He laughs. It’s sad that we both know I have nothing else going on.
“Yes, I’m free. I would be delighted to have dinner with the king,” I tell him, my stomach twisting as a spray of butterflies launches, trying to work their way out through my throat.
“Good,” he says, still smiling. “He will be pleased. Be ready at seven o’clock, please.”
“Yes, sir,” I tell him.
He shakes his head slightly. “There’s no need for you to call me sir, Isla. You’re not a servant here.”
“But aren’t I?” I ask, giving him a pointed look. “I might not be a maid, but I am a servant, I believe.”
Seth takes a moment before he says, “In a way, we are all servants, here to do what our king and the kingdom require. But, no, you should not think of yourself as a servant. You are a guest of the king.”
“Yes, sir… I mean… Beta Seth,” I correct, feeling heat rise in my cheeks.
He chuckles at me again. Clearly, my awkwardness amuses him. I wonder if I will amuse the king as well. “See you later, Miss Isla.” He bows his head to me, and I give him a similar nod before he turns and walks out the door.
Keeping King Maddox’s note in my hand, I take a deep breath. I am going to dinner with the king, and I have a note from him… in my hand.
Only a few seconds after Beta Seth leaves the room, Poppy comes bounding in. “Well?” she asks me, a broad smile on her face. “What did he want?”
“He, uh… I uh… I’m having dinner with… with… with—King Maddox.” I don’t usually have so much trouble speaking, but this time, it’s all too unreal for me to comprehend, so my mouth seems uncooperative.
“What?” Poppy squeals and jumps up and down, clapping her hands. “When?”
“Tonight,” I tell her.
“What time?” she asks, impatiently.
“Seven,” I tell her.
Poppy’s face melts, and her eyes widen in horror. “Seven?” she screeches. “But… it’s past five now!”
I am confused. My forehead crinkles as I look at her. “And??”
“And—it will take a few hours for you to get ready!” she exclaims.
“Why?” I ask her. “My clothes are here, my makeup is here, everything is here.”
She is shaking her head. “No, honey! You’ll need a good soak. You’ll need to make sure you don’t have a hair on your body, and you’ll have to make sure your makeup and hair are on point!”
“No hair?” I ask her.
“No hair! Except for your eyebrows, eyelashes, and your head, of course. Now, come on!” She grabs my arm and hauls me off the bed to the bathroom.
I don’t know what to say as she turns the bathtub on and gets the bath ready, dropping in salts and bath bombs and other fragrances. I am under the impression King Maddox and I are just going to dinner. I don’t expect there will be anything more tonight. He said he wanted to get to know me.
He didn’t say anything about s-e-x.
Does he expect that to happen tonight??
Clearly, Poppy thinks so. She is going to a lot of trouble to make sure I am perfect in every way.
“Do you know how to shave… down there?” she asks me, holding up a razor.
I stare at her for a minute. “Why is that necessary?” I want to know.
“You need to be neat and tidy! The king may want to… taste you!”
I feel my face catch on fire as she thrusts the razor at me again.
“I think I can manage,” I tell her. I’ve never had a reason to shave… down there before. But it’s not exactly a wild jungle either.
She gives me a skeptical look, like she is afraid I will mess this up and leave the king revolted by my hairy mound.
“You can go, Poppy,” I tell her.
“But—”
“I can manage,” I tell her, gesturing toward the door.
Muttering under her breath, she says, “I hope you don’t mess this up.”
“Your faith in me is overwhelming,” I say sarcastically as she goes out the door. I lock it.
I can manage a bath, washing my hair, shaving… places… by myself. I will need her help with my makeup and making sure I have the right dress. But I can do this.
I think….
Stripping off my clothes, I get into the bathtub and pour in some bubbles. I like bubbles. Once I am concealed in my cloudy white sanctuary, I begin to shave my legs. I shave my armpits. I contemplate Poppy’s advice and sigh.
She’s probably right…. I shave… down there.
Something tells me this is not going to be comfortable in a day or two….
Satisfied that the king will not be revolted, I wash my hair and let the conditioner sit for a bit before I rinse that off, too.
I am about to get out of the tub when Poppy bangs on the door. “Are you about done?”
I mumble, “Give me a minute...” before I tell her, “yes.”
Getting out of the tub, I wrap myself up in a towel and unlock the door. Poppy bursts in, a whirlwind of action as she goes about getting the rest of me ready.
She dries my hair, curls it, styles it, and then moves on to my makeup, taking her time and making everything careful.
Then… I go out to see she’s laid out a beautiful sapphire blue gown that will make my eyes sparkle, as well as lacy, satiny undergarments. I get dressed, putting on silver heels and diamond jewelry. When I am all ready, she leads me to the floor-length mirror.
I look like a princess. I feel like one, too.
“You’re so gorgeous!” Poppy has tears in her eyes as she stands behind me, admiring me in the mirror.
“Thank you,” I tell her. I turn to hug her. “I couldn’t have done this without you.”
“I know,” she says, patting my back, and I stifle a laugh.
Poppy… so humble.
A knock at the door has both of us jumping. My eyes travel to the clock. It’s seven—right on the dot.
I know that it’s King Maddox at the door because of the way my stomach is reacting to him, and I can smell his spicy cologne as notes of it waft in on the breeze. I swallow hard.
“You’re going to do great,” she says to me. “Did you shave?”
“Shh!” Her voice is loud and carries. I nod as she giggles and goes to open the door.
She bows low as she pulls the door open and steps aside, and I see Maddox standing there in a suit, looking so delicious, I want to taste him, too.