Emily helped me get ready she wasn’t cold like the others. She talked while she worked, small things, like how Duskwood bread tasted best when it was still warm, and how the kitchen women were already placing bets on whetherLaura would try to steal the Alpha’s attention in the first week.
I didn’t know how to answer half the time, but hearing a voice that wasn’t cruel made my chest feel light.
Then Emily opened a box and pulled out a dress and my mouth went slightly dry. “This one,” she said, carefully. “Alpha Draven said you should wear this.”
The dress was lilac, it looked soft and expensive, with a flared skirt that looked like it would move beautifully when I walked. The front cupped my chest, fitted enough to make me look like a woman instead of a servant, and the back was open, s
