Royal Outcast

Chapter 5

Seri's POV

"The prince is coming!" Annie exclaimed with palpable excitement, her eyes sparkling as she spoke.

I furrowed my brows in confusion, unable to fully grasp what she meant.

"Excuse me, but what?" I asked, my perplexity evident in my voice.

Annie clung to my arm, practically glowing with anticipation, her very presence bubbling over with a joy that seemed almost infectious.

"The Prince of Werewolves is the one coming today, silly! Didn’t anyone tell you yet?" she inquired, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

For a brief moment, I stood there, my mouth agape in shock and disbelief.

"No. No one told me about any prince. I was only informed that someone significant was coming. I didn’t anticipate that someone would be royalty," I stammered, still trying to process the profound implications of what she’d just shared.

Annie let out a laugh, clearly finding my bewilderment somewhat amusing. I suppose it was entertaining for her to witness me so completely clueless.

"Well, now you know," she said, her laughter still spilling over as she clearly enjoyed the moment at my expense.

Then she took a brief pause, giving me an appraising look as her gaze traveled from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.

"And so," she said, her voice playfully teasing, "I would suggest that you get dolled up to impress. We never know; his highness might just take a liking to us!" she added, winking at me with an air of teasing mischief.

I stared at her, feeling a chaotic mix of confusion and disbelief swirling within me.

"Why would I need to do that? If anything, I should be hiding away from royalty. And take a liking to us? Maybe to you, but certainly not to me! I’m nothing but an eyesore, Annie," I replied, my voice trailing off as frustration washed over me.

Annie’s eyes widened in genuine protest.

"First of all, you are not an eyesore! Stop saying that! You’re truly pretty, Seri. Second, why on earth would you want to hide from royalty?" she asked, a frown crossing her features as she disapproved of my self-deprecating thoughts.

I let out a deep sigh, feeling the weight of the situation.

"Because I don’t want to be the one who does something embarrassing and ruins everything for everybody else," I explained, earnestly hoping that she could understand where I was coming from.

"Oh please! What’s the worst that could possibly happen, Seri?" she asked dismissively, her bright demeanor clearly not concerning itself with such trivial worries.

I stared at her in disbelief, my mind racing with all the potential disasters that could unfold.

"A lot of things, Annie," I muttered under my breath, the possibilities spiraling in my imagination.

Annie chuckled and shook her head with a bemused expression.

"Oh, come on! Why don’t you hurry up and finish what you’re doing so you can freshen up like everyone else?" she suggested, clearly not interested in hearing any more of my protests.

I sighed, feeling reluctant but also resigned to her enthusiasm.

"Fine," I muttered, eventually nodding in agreement to go along with her plan.

I wrapped up what I was doing, following Annie back to the rooms and into the bathing area.

"You go on ahead and shower while I pick out your clothes," Annie said, flashing me a quick smile before rushing off in a flurry of activity.

Before I could muster a protest, she had already disappeared, leaving me standing there in a state of mild bewilderment.

I sighed again, realizing that I probably already reeked of sweat after all the running around I had done at the orphanage that morning. A shower was certainly in order.

Once I had showered, I dried off with a fluffy towel and wrapped it around myself, feeling refreshed but still uncertain about the whirlwind of events that were unfolding.

"Are you done yet?" Annie’s voice echoed from outside the bathroom door, impatience lacing her tone.

"Yeah," I called back, cracking the door open just enough to provide her with a glimpse of my somewhat disheveled appearance.

She wasted no time and promptly handed me a neat set of folded clothes.

As soon as I saw one of the pieces, I recognized it as the lovely dress she had gifted me for my birthday.

"You want me to wear a dress? Really?" I asked, incredulous as disbelief knitted my brow.

Annie nodded adamantly, her expression firm and serious.

"Yes. I got you that dress to wear on a special occasion. And today is definitely that day!" she declared, her tone brimming with certainty.

"But Annie—" I began to protest, momentarily stalling her enthusiasm.

"Come on now, Seri. I still need to put a touch of makeup on you," she interrupted, swiftly closing the bathroom door in my face without leaving any room for further argument.

I looked down at the dress in my hands, awed by its beauty. I understood that Annie had poured thought and care into picking it out. However, it felt like just too much for me.

I sighed, mulling over whether I had any real choice in the matter. I supposed I didn’t.

Reluctantly, I changed into the outfit that Annie had selected for me, and when I stepped out, she was awaiting me with an enormous grin plastered across her face.

She quickly gave me a once-over, her enthusiasm palpable, before ushering me toward the bed.

"Come here! Let's dry your hair and do your makeup," she said eagerly, practically bouncing on her feet.

I nodded, allowing her to guide me to the bed. Once there, she instructed me to sit down and plugged in the hairdryer, expertly arranging my hair as she began to dry it.

"Can you imagine?" she mused as she worked, her voice filled with wonder.

"The prince coming here to the orphanage—what an incredible dream!" she exclaimed, her excitement undeniable.

I chuckled softly, feeling a mix of amusement and skepticism.

"I’m surprised that someone with such a distinguished background and title would travel all the way here just to visit our humble orphanage," I commented, my curiosity growing.

Annie beamed. "I heard that the royal family is prioritizing visits to different werewolf shelters and orphanages these days," she explained, her eyes dancing with enthusiasm over the thought.

I nodded thoughtfully, intrigued by the revelation.

"I also heard it was the Queen and the Princess’s idea," she added, as if imparting some hidden treasure of knowledge.

"Really?" I asked, raising an eyebrow in genuine interest.

"That’s fascinating! But why isn’t the Princess herself visiting instead of the prince?" I queried, my curiosity piqued even further.

Annie shrugged with a thoughtful expression.

"I’m not entirely sure. My guess is that they have split the duties or perhaps there are just too many places to visit. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of shelters and orphanages in the kingdom, and only five members of the royal family," she reasoned, her tone indicating she had contemplated this before.

I nodded slowly, grasping the logistics behind it. It made a kind of sense, after all.

"And also, it seems the prince is trying to find his mate during his travels, visiting one orphanage and shelter after another," she added casually.

"Well, if he’s trying to find his mate, shouldn’t he be looking in more prestigious werewolf families or well-known packs? It seems rather odd that he would choose to come to a shelter like ours," I remarked, puzzled by the seeming contradiction.

Annie’s lips curved into a knowing smile.

"I heard he already looked in those places, but wasn’t successful in finding his mate. So now he’s visiting more secluded and distant locales like ours," she explained, her excitement barely contained.

That made a little more sense, though I still couldn’t quite wrap my head around it entirely.

As Annie continued to style my hair and apply my makeup, I felt myself growing increasingly drained. The entire process felt like an endless array of steps and meticulous attention, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was merely a doll for her to dress up.

"Is all of this really necessary?" I asked, beginning to feel frustrated with the excessive attention to detail.

I’d never been one to invest time into my appearance. As long as I looked decent enough, that was good enough for me.

After all, I didn’t have anyone to impress, especially given how isolated we were here at the orphanage.

"We have to give it our all today," Annie insisted, her voice imbued with determination.

"Who knows? Maybe one of us is actually destined to be the prince’s mate!" she suggested playfully.

I laughed, though my reaction stemmed more from disbelief than genuine amusement.

"That’s unlikely. Impossible, even. At least for me," I retorted, shaking my head in dismissal.

Annie just grinned, her determination not wavering in the slightest, as if it fueled her resolve to see me through this transformation.

I sighed, accepting my fate. After what felt like an eternity, she finally completed the styling of my hair and makeup.

She instructed me to stand up so she could inspect her handiwork.

"Can you slowly turn around for me?" she requested, her voice soft yet earnest.

I complied, spinning around as instructed, still grappling with the looming question of why all of this truly mattered. But if it brought Annie joy, I was willing to play along.

Annie’s eyes sparkled with delight as she took in my appearance.

"You look absolutely breathtaking, Seri," she said softly, her tone genuine.

A blush crept onto my cheeks, leaving me feeling flustered and unsure of how to respond.

It was always challenging for me to accept compliments, especially when they came from Annie, who always seemed to see me in the best light possible—a light that I sometimes struggled to believe existed.

"The prince would be exceptionally lucky if you turned out to be his mate," she added with a teasing grin, her enthusiasm unyielding.

Annie had always been that steadfast friend—the one who reassured me no matter what. Whether it was about my appearance, my feelings, or just life in general, she was always there to remind me of my inherent worth.

I chuckled softly, rolling my eyes at her comment.

"I highly doubt it," I said, shaking my head in disbelief.

Annie simply smiled, her eyes shimmering with hope and amusement.

"Well, I genuinely think you look amazing," she stated with finality, her faith in me enough to make me smile back in return.

Despite her kind words, deep down, I still highly doubted the thought of me ever being the mate of a prince. I knew it was far beyond my reality—seemingly impossible for someone like me to be aligned with someone so important and powerful. It simply could not be.