The Alpha’s Bald Luna

A new mission

~ KELANI ~

It was the third day since my first meeting with Alpha Mardeo at the lab. He asked me to visit again in three days when he would have gotten ingredients and equipment for the experiment ready.

I also hadn’t seen Princess Orlanda since the night she received news of her lover’s death. She had not sent for me and if I could visit her without being sent for, I didn’t want to find out. But I learnt from Coco that she had not left her room even once since then. Most times, I’m happy to remember she’s feeling miserable. Other times, I find myself sorry for her loss. She must have really loved Philip and I know how it feels to suddenly lose people you love.

With all the drama that began on my very first day here, I thought I would never have an uneventful day in Shanakoi but for the past few days, my schedule has revolved around waking up, eating, and idling about my room. It was not lost on me that this was not the life of a slave but when life gives you lemonade, you don’t return it and request for lemons. Besides, the free time meant I could properly mourn my parents and pack. Every evening, I made sure to light a candle for them.

I sat straight in bed, watching Coco dutifully scrape off cooled candle wax from one of the stands, her last chore in my room for the morning. She worked in silence, occasionally falling into a hum and stopping when she caught herself. She never says anything to me except I speak to her first; just comes in, completes her tasks and leaves.

“Can I ask you something, Coco?”

She looked at me with her small sunken eyes that definitely saw more than her mouth could ever tell. I didn’t get a yes or even a nod but I could see her slow down, waiting for my question.

“How long have you served the princess?”

Her eyes narrowed like she was calculating. “Two years by the summer. I replaced Dot who was killed.”

The only logical following question was about rolling off my lips when my room door opened without a knock.

It was the second maid. I didn’t know her name yet as we had never interacted. She looked a little older than Coco and if my people reading skills were any good, really mean.

“I’ll take over from here. Go water the plants on the balcony.” she said bluntly to Coco who promptly left. The second maid began to work in silence. Her silence was different from Coco’s. It was cold and uncomfortable.

“Don’t I get an introduction from the stranger in my room?” I asked.

“Gwen.” she shot back. Okay, my people-reading skills were good.

We didn’t exchange any more words until she finished cleaning the candle stands and left too. I locked the door after her and let my legs carry me to the far end of the room, my heart thumping in my chest. I had never been to this side of the large chamber before - for a reason.

With every step, my heart beat louder and faster like it was threatening to explode until finally, I was standing in front of it - an ornate full length mirror with a golden frame. But I couldn’t look at it just yet. I bowed my head and prayed. I wasn’t expecting a beauty but I prayed I wouldn’t see a beast.

When I got tired of staring at my feet, I raised my eyes to meet the ones in the mirror. My prayer was a waste. I shattered into a thousand pieces.

I couldn’t recognize the girl in the mirror. She didn’t look anything like the girl who used to teach etiquette to the little pups in Left Stone. The girl who hosted mini fashion pageants in her room where she was both the performer and the audience. The girl who used to style her hair almost daily.

Growing up isolated because of my sickness, I had built my entire identity and self worth around my beauty because I didn’t have anything else. Now even that beauty was gone and the realization was crushing me. My curves were hidden under ill-fitting masculine clothes. My head was bald. My skin was blemished with scars. And I was forced to act masculine; walk more briskly, talk more hoarsely. Maybe it helped that my voice was already hoarse from crying every night.

My knees gave way and I sank to the floor, hands against the mirror, sobbing quietly. I didn’t want to draw any attention to my room, especially from the new maid.

Suddenly, I heard a creak. I stilled, waiting. Nothing. When my hands pressed against the mirror, I heard the creak again. Fearing that the mirror was not strongly attached to the wall and might fall on me, I hurriedly got on my feet and stood aside. That was when I noticed the mirror had lifted and there was a sliver of darkness between it and the wall.

I wanted to move away from it. To run back to my bedside and continue to pretend this half of the room didn’t exist. But curiosity got the better of me. I carefully placed my hand between the sliver and pulled. My mouth fell open as the mirror continued to move until a dark room was staring back at me. The darn mirror was a camouflage for a door!

Okay, Kelani. This is super creepy. You should close this ‘mirror’ and go about your life.

But who was I kidding? I had always been a curious cat. And a part of me wondered if this was some kind of escape route.

I hurried to the familiar half of the room, picked up a lamp and returned to the dark room. Carefully stepping in, I held the lamp up and looked around. It was a big room filled with rails of elegant dresses. Lots of them. In many colours and fabric and styles.

Who owned the clothes? In fact, whose room was I being kept in? That was one of the questions I was going to ask Coco before Gwen interrupted.

I walked through the rails, half fascinated and half nervous. One yellow silk dress caught my eye, maybe because it looked similar to one I had back home - the one I had hoped to wear when I met my mate. Mine was probably a pile of ashes now.

Without thinking, I yanked down my slacks and unbuttoned my shirt faster than I had ever done. My hands untied the bandage and my breasts came loose. A red mark was forming by both sides of my breasts from the friction of being bound so tightly day and night. I would have to find a better alternative to the bandages - like Alpha Mardeo had found a better alternative to peakwort.

Slipping the yellow dress off its hanger, I ran my hands through its soft and luxurious material. It was a long dress with a high stuffed collar that looked more like part of an armor and beautiful silk roses adorning its train. All bright yellow.

It wasn’t easy to get into - definitely the kind of dress that required assistance from a couple of maids - but I finally put it on. It was heavier than anything I had ever worn but it was a perfect fit.

I went back to the mirror to see myself in the dress and tears returned to my eyes. It was a beautiful outfit. Maybe if I stayed in it long enough, I would feel beautiful too.

So that’s exactly what I did. I mourned the death of the old Kelani in it. Ate my breakfast in it. Took a nap in it. Spent the entire morning in it. Only when it was afternoon and time for my meeting with Mardeo did I reluctantly remove the dress and return it to its place on the hanger. I closed the “mirror”, knowing very well I would be visiting again.

My bath was long as always. Bath time was the only time of the day when I could really be myself. When I could see my lady parts and be reminded of what I truly was - a blooming young woman. The Luna of Left Stone. Kelani Hulker.

After bathing, I changed back into my regular clothes, sighing as I fastened the bandage around my breasts.

A knock on my door. It was Gwen. Sour faced Gwen.

“The princess wants to see you.” she said, blunt as a rusted knife.

Took long enough.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Princess Orlanda looked like sh*t. Deep dark bags around her eyes, very pale skin and she even looked like she had lost some weight. But the order she just gave me? That was what confirmed to me that the grief was really running her mad. Not pretentiously mad. Real actual madness.

“I can’t do it, princess.”

“And why not? I thought you also wanted to be free from his stupid experiment.” She seemed genuinely surprised.

“I do. But not this way. Not by killing him.”

“Have you met Zikel yet?”

I was taken aback by the change of subject. “Zikel?”

“Prince Zikel to you. My brother.”

“Oh.”

“When you meet him - hopefully not, but if you meet him, you will notice he has a scar by his left eye. I left that there. You know why?”

I swallowed hard.

“He read my diary without my permission. I mean, no one grants anyone permission to read their diary, right?” she laughed, “But Zikel read mine and even dared to tell his friends my secrets. I tried to stab his prying eyes in his sleep. He was lucky he woke up at the time he did. My father nearly killed me for doing that to his ‘heir’ but I have no regrets.”

She stepped closer to me. “All this, Kelani, is to say I do not forgive. Ever. Mardeo has taken life from me and he will have to give his in exchange. You will put this poison in his food. It is odorless, tasteless and traceless. Best part?” she said with her usual smirk, “It has no antidote.”

“I’m sorry. I… I really can’t do-“ I stammered.

“What did you have for breakfast, Kelani?” she interrupted.

My eyes narrowed in suspicion. I figured I knew why she was asking. I hoped I was wrong. “Toast and tuna.”

“Yum, I suppose. Who served you?”

“Coco.”

She closed the space between us, pressed the small bottle into my palm and folded my fingers around it. “Two drops in Mardeo’s meal today or it would be four in yours tomorrow.”