Alpha King Of The Heavens (Heavenly Alphas Book One)

Mistakes Of The Past

ADRIA’S POV:

“Adria. We have heard back from Lycansbane.” Dad said as he walked into my room quietly. Like the shadows he possessed, he made no sound when he arrived. That always made it difficult to keep secrets.

“Dad, I just don’t understand why you had to make such a big deal out of this. I would have been happy had you not even said anything.” I sighed as I brushed through my long hair.

He laughed a bit. “Oh baby girl, that isn’t how politics and alliances work. You know that. This marriage has been set in stone ever since you were born. I only do what is not only best for the kingdom, but what is best for you.” He smiled as he pulled my long auburn hair off of my shoulders and laid it against my back gently. “Leo sends his apologies as he did not know of the arrangement. He will be here tomorrow. He was going to leave and take the 24 hours it would take to drive here, but I told him I would send for him. There is no need to do all of that tiring travel.”

I rolled my eyes. Of course he did. Heaven forbid he not rush things…or that he take my opinion into account for that matter. “Yes. Of course. So will the wedding be tomorrow night then?”

He smiled. “That is correct.” He turned to walk away as quickly and as silently as he came.

I sighed and laid my face in my hands. I knew this day was coming, but I had hope for a solitary second that it wouldn’t considering it had passed the original date it was scheduled. I leaned back in my chair at my vanity and thought about everything I had once dreamed of. The perfect wedding, my groom standing at the alter. We had both dreamed of this day for so long and put so much planning into it. Now, it seemed like that dream had shattered like glass right in front of my eyes. I wouldn’t meet Leo until I was forced down the aisle. The aisle that would begin the rest of my life. Dad say this is a vital marriage for a strong alliance. But, what bothered me is…since Leo did not know about this arrangement…what did father do to force his hand in mine?

Knowing father, he probably threatened war. I stood up slowly and tightened my silk robe around me. By the time I woke in the morning, Leo would be here…and I would be getting ready for the wedding I never wanted. But…a princess’s duty is to her country…not to her heart. I could only pray that he would be a kind husband. I walked over and shut my bedroom door silently and crawled into bed. There was nothing I could do to prevent this, so staying up all night stressing and worrying about it would be a waste of time. If I must be wed, then I would not be the bride who walked down the aisle with bags under her eyes. Before I knew it, a dreamless sleep had claimed my senses as I curled up beneath the covers.

As I slowly opened my eyes, the sun peaked through my dark blue curtains. I groaned as I finally heard the knocking on my bedroom door. I adjusted my pink silk robe quickly as I climbed out of bed sliding on my blue house shoes. I walked over to the door already knowing who it was.

“Good morning, Princess.” My lady in waiting, Demi, smiled calmly. “I have been knocking for thirty minutes.” A tad of impatience was etched into her voice.

I smiled warmly. “Good morning, Demi. In my defense, you know I sleep like a log and this is the normal time I wake up.”

She rolled her eyes playfully. “Yes, but today isn’t a normal day.” As she spoke, that was the moment I realized she was carrying my wedding dress and makeup.

I nodded dreadfully. “Yes, of course. Come on in.” I said moving aside allowing her entrance.

She walked in and laid everything out on my vanity and hung the dress up. There was a certain sadness in her eyes as she set up. I couldn’t keep myself from mentioning it. “Demi, tell me. What is on your mind?”

She heaved a quivering sigh and avoided eye contact trying to busy herself with setting up. “Well, today I am forced to say goodbye to a friend. These things are never easy.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh Demi. You are my oldest and dearest friend. This is not goodbye. I will be back often to visit. So often you will be sick of me. Besides, you have your own wedding to prepare for my dear. Soon, you will have your own kingdom to run. You will hardly have the time to think of me.”

She smiled. “I just wish you could marry for love like I am.”

I smiled at her kindness. “I am so happy you and my brother found love. I am so happy you will be the Queen he deserves. You are getting everything you deserve. Who knows, maybe I will find love with Leo.”

She looked away grimly as I took my seat at my vanity. “This is no fairy tale, Adria.”

I knew she was right. But I could have wishful thinking right? I laughed a bit. “Yes, so I have been told.” I was desperate to change the subject from me to her, even if it was just for a moment. “So, how are things with you and Darcio?”

She smiled widely as she did every time I mentioned my brother. “He is so sweet. When we are together, no matter where we are, he makes me feel like we are the only two people in the room. It’s the little things he does to show me he cares that mean the most though.”

I faked a smile trying to show my enthusiasm for her. “What kind of small things?” I asked curiously. It isn’t that I wasn’t happy for her, I truly was. I just…wish my own life would play out similar to hers. Sometimes I found it easy wishing I wasn’t a princess, to begin with.

She grinned. “He wakes earlier then I do most days, so he will come to my room and leave a sweet love note taped to the door. That note always makes my day so much easier. R when I ask the cook to send my meal to my room, he will send flowers and a piece of chocolate with it. Things that take so much thought, yet…not much time to do mean so much to me.”

I smiled. “I am so glad to hear that he makes you happy. I couldn’t think of a more perfect person to call my sister.”

She grinned widely. “Nor can I.” She tilted my head forward as she pinned my hair back gently.

I thought for a moment before I spoke. “So, do you know who father sent after Leo?”

She smiled. She must have known I was bound to ask that question. “Ah, yes. He sent Aura.” Of course he did. An air user. “He said it would be easier and quicker to send someone who can bend with the wind.”

I nodded. “Of course. I was just curious. He never said who he had sent.” I paused for a moment more. “Is Leo already here?”

She paused as she titled my face gently to look at her. “Yes. He brought his beta with him to help get him ready. Darcio is helping as well. Since the wedding is here, the king thought it best if he dressed traditionally. Leo agreed with it. Before you ask, yes, Leo seems kind.”

I looked at her a little shocked. She knew me all too well. “You have met him already?” I asked as she began to apply my foundation.

She nodded. “Only a short meeting. Darcio introduced me as your lady in waiting. It was a quick hi, how are you type thing.”

For some reason, I felt a bit calmer that Demi had met him. She was typically a good judge of character. She finished my foundation as she noted me becoming lost in my own thoughts. She was always the one who could pull me from my own mind. “If it helps any, I believe he will be a great husband.”

I smiled a little listening carefully to her words. “It does help a bit. Thank you.”

She grinned a bit. “Now, to make you the most beautiful bride of all.”

I laughed a bit. “Oh, my dear. How you are so mistaken is beyond me.”

She smiled and c****d an eyebrow. “Oh? Whatever do you mean?”

I smirked. “It is you who will be the most beautiful bride of all.”

She laughed. “Ah, I see.” She said as she began putting my eye shadow on. She did an elegant smoky eye. “It is you who are mistaken.”

I laughed as I watched her delicate features. The rest of my makeup didn’t take long. It was my nails and hair that took the longest. I sat still in this chair for about an hour and a half in silence watching her do my nails. It became very time consuming as I watched her paint the acrylics gold and black. As she finally stood up after finishing my nails she immediately began to work on my hair. My hair would be a different battle entirely.

My hair was going to be curled and laying on my shoulders. Sounds simple right? Wrong. She had to take my hair and take her time threading black diamonds into it shaping it into the face of a wolf out of respect for Leo’s home. I watched her through the mirror getting lost in her work. About three hours later I took a sigh of relief as I watched her grab the hair spray and douse my hair.

She smiled apologetically as I coughed a bit. “Sorry, I have to make sure the diamonds stay put. This design took too long for me to allow a simple hair flip to mess it up.”

I laughed. “It’s okay. Thank you for all of your hard work.”

She smiled. “Alright, here. Let me strap your shoes. Then I will leave you to get dressed.” It was when she said this that I remembered I took my clothing off and got into a towel before she started.

She knelt down and put my black high heels on that strapped up my ankle. I laughed a bit. “Thank you. You know I have such a hard time putting this on. Those straps always get tangled.”

She smiled. “Anytime. Now. Put your dress on and your brother will come to get you shortly. I thought it would be easier if he gave you away, so I had him speak to your father about it.”

I smiled gratefully. “Thank you. I can not express my appreciation for you.”

She smiled as she walked out the door leaving me to myself. I sighed as I stood carefully letting my towel hit the floor. I grabbed the dress slowly and removed it from the bag. I traced my fingers over the dress. It was truly beautiful. It was a white dress overlapped with black lace that drug the floor. I sighed. It was truly stunning. Along the waist line it had the most gorgeous diamonds wrapping around. Through the lace some more smaller sized diamonds were threaded through. I bet this dress will be radiant once the light hits it just right.

I slid the dress on slowly making sure not to mess up my hair and studied how my figure looked in it in the mirror. I traced my hands along with the diamonds and the lace. The only flaw this dress had was it was strapless. But mother insisted that my chest and arms were my greatest assets. I was so focused on how I looked in the mirror that I never heard the door open from behind me.

“Wow. You are so beautiful.” Darcio smiled as he stepped into the room.

I smiled. “It is your job to think that.”

He smiled. “You look concerned, tell me, what is it?”

I sighed. “What if I and Leo don’t get along? What if he hates me and both I and he are miserable for the rest of our lives with miserable children?”

To my surprise, he laughed. He…laughed. “Is that all baby? I just spent the entire day with the man. I wouldn’t let you be married off to him if I didn’t think there was a real chance that you could be happy. Even if it meant starting a war with father. Have I ever lied to you?” He asked as I shook my head. “Exactly. Why would I start now?”

I smiled. He was always so easy to talk to, and it always seemed so easy for him to talk me off the ledge. “Thank you. For everything.”

He smiled. “It is what brothers are for. That and to harass their younger sisters.” He said as he tickled my sides.

I laughed. “Cut it out! You are going to make me mess up my makeup.”

He laughed. “And? That sounds like a you problem.” He said continuing to tickle me.

I laughed and squirmed in his grip. “Demi will kill you! She worked so hard!”

His face went pale. “Alright. Let’s not upset my bride to be shall we?” He said releasing me. These were the moments I would miss the most.

He noticed the reminiscent look on my face and smiled. “Oh don’t go getting all emotional on me. This isn’t goodbye. We will see each other constantly.”

I sighed knowing he was right. “I know.” I looked in the mirror not knowing what else to say.

He smiled and put my veil on me. “Are you ready?”

I laughed at the question. Would I truly ever be ready for a forced marriage? I looked up at him feeling the veil lay on my hair and trail down. “I suppose I have no other choose then to be ready.”

He smiled sadly. “Shall we?” He said holding his arm out for me to hold.

I wrapped my arm around his gently as he opened the bedroom door and led me down to the throne room where the wedding would be held. My heart raced. Of course Leo would play civil around my family. He had no choice. But what would happen when I returned to Lycansbane with him? My mind began to envision the worst as we approached the throne room. I watched as the massive doors slowly creaked open.