Full Circle

We meet… again

Present day

Chantelle

“Oh, here they are. My lovely girls,” Mother cooed as my sisters and I entered the dining area. I could almost hear her mentally exempt me from that list when she turned to me with a malicious look in her eyes.

Oblivious to mother and my eye communications, my younger sisters giggled as they took their seat. Pricilla, right next to the alpha and Larissa on one of the last two vacant seats. As I assumed my chair, I didn’t miss mother’s tender smile towards Pricilla, one of the ones never reserved for me.

“Now that the girls are here, let’s get to breakfast.”

At the urge of mothers voice, the servants got to work immediately, uncovering the dishing and helping everyone to a serving. Mother seized the opportunity to quickly make the introductions.

“Alpha Reyes, I think it would be rude of us to rush into a breakfast with you knowing clearly who you are and you knowing nothing of us.” I swallowed the lump in my throat, her words would indirectly mean that the alpha had no recollection of who I was.

Suddenly eager for something to do with both my hands and mouth, I grabbed my fork and began to twirl it in my hands.

Mother sat upright and gestured with her fingers to Pricilla. “The damsel just right next to you is Pricilla, a smart and beautiful girl. A deduction I’m sure by the end of the morning you’d be able to derive for yourself.”

A noise escaped his throat, a soft grunt in agreement to my mothers words. My own throat tightened in response to his response.

“My youngest here is Larissa,” she pointed at her. Larrisa, unaccustomed to an alpha’s attention turned a brilliant red just before our eyes and gave the alpha a shy smile which he returned with a confident grin. “She has one of the Berkeley boys head over heels but the agreements have not been finalized.”

Father nodded in agreement. Alpha Reyes gave an expression that said he was thinking of the obvious meanings behind mothers words before turning his attention to me. The last daughter to be introduced, despite being the oldest and suddenly I am taken back to the very first time I had his attention on me, many years ago.

The occasion was more important than the current breakfast, it was an important dinner that felt like an ushering into a season for young girls. I had been dressed up in one of the best clothes that evening but unfortunately, that did nothing to dampen the fact that I was a failure in my mothers eyes. So much so that she had pulled me aside just after I turned down a dance from one of the men present, old enough to be my father.

I had excused myself after her lengthy talk of how much more effort I needed to put into everything to amount to something and went to the balcony to let my emotions run loose.

Reyes had been there when I sobbed my last and asked if I had danced at all, he had proceeded to dance with me outside where it didn’t feel like pretense because there wasn’t anyone to impress. After the dance he had wiped my tears and called me beautiful before excusing himself for a meeting and leaving the venue.

The look in his eyes as he waited for mother to tell him who I was, crushed my hopes that he remembered that night, the night that had lead to my endless pining for him, watching out for him on the news and in ceremonies.

Mother did my introduction halfheartedly. “That is Chantelle.”

I smiled, for no one in particular, not even myself. Mother’s gaze swept past me like I was an empty chair. She hadn’t said my name, but the message was clear, this performance was not for me.

“Breakfast is served.” Her enthusiasm echoed through out the table. “Dive in.”

Despite the knots forming in my stomach in anticipation of a more terrible turn in events, I dug my fork into the tender meat that had been detached from the rest of the chunk and ate.

Breakfast went better than I planned in my head. Everyone was too busy trying to impress the alpha to make me the caricature of the morning.

“Thank you for the amazing breakfast lady…” “Oh, it’s nothing. If you are up for being impressed by my hosting skills I must have you know that there’s going to a picnic this afternoon, right after we take our horses for a walk.” Mother interrupted, signaling for the servants to come and clear up the table.

“You would spoil me rotten before my stay is up. Besides, I came here in a car and have no horse of mine around.” He replied, his eyes on me.

“Oh, nonsense, we have more than enough to spare,” mother replied, taking in his attention on me.

Not wanting to hang around much longer now that food was no longer keeping her mouth company, I pushed my chair backwards and got up.

Mothers next words stopped me in my tracks. “Do you mind showing him around the house Chantelle? He’d be around for a while and I’d like for him to have a mini tour before we step out.”

My blood rushed to my ears. Mother wanted me to spend a few minutes with him alone? What was her expectation of me this time? That I would trip over my own foot and land face first? Eager to prove myself to no one but myself, I straightened and shot alpha Reyes a bright smile.

“I wouldn’t mind. Alpha Reyes, if you aren’t too heavy enough to stand, can we proceed?”

“This is the last room on this floor, it’s a guest room. Not your room obviously, mother wouldn’t have you on the first floor when…” I paused, catching myself mid babbling. Alpha Reyes must be wondering what kind of a woman I am that I would talk for minutes on end without checking if my listener was following.

I turned around abruptly to confirm if he indeed was with me and find myself staring into his eyes that stared intently into mine. Heat flared in my cheeks and I forced my eyes to other parts of his body, like his hair which he had firmly secured in a low ponytail and then his full eyebrows.

“Is this where my tour is to end Chantelle?” He asked.

My response was a confused mix of a nod and a negative shake of head. This was the end of the first floor but there were other floors to show him. I inched around him, avoid a body contact as I walked back towards the stairs that led to the next floor.

The sound of his voice calling my name rang repeatedly in my head. He made the name sound different and unique like it wasn’t the same name my paternal grandmother answered.

“Let us go to the second floor,” I said speed walking up the stairs only to remember that I’m creating a wrong impression on our guest. I look over my shoulder to gauge how far up the stairs he has come and find him directly behind me back.

I jump in fright missing the next step and free falling into… his arms. Into a careful embrace that was just as protective as it was warm.

He caught me as if he knew I’d fall. As if he’d been waiting for it.

His arms closed around me with a gentleness that felt at odds with the stories I’d heard about him.

Awareness buzzed through my veins at the realization of the close contact, where our skin touched thrummed with life. Carefully he righted my stance before looking down at me with a slight frown. Had my fall somehow offended him?

His hand lingered on my arm for longer than necessary before he seemed to catch himself and let go of me before looking down the rest of the stairs where I could have fallen to.

“Tell me about your brother Ian, I heard he might have eloped.”

The mention of elopement reminded me of the fact that he had been betrothed up until two days ago. If he hadn’t cancelled things with his fiancé… I swallowed the rest of my thought and focused on giving him a wholesome answer.

Ian was the best brother a girl could ask for.

“Ian would never elope without telling me,” I began as we continued our ascent.

“Oh really. He would take permission from you before running off with a woman?” Amusement infused his voice and I colored, grateful to have my back turned to him.

“Well, yes. You see, we’re simply that close.”

“Beautiful. And am I wrong to assume he also consults you before he f***s a woman?”

His coarse words made my ears feel like they were burning. Ian would never outrightly tell me about his shenanigans with women but…

“Chantelle, would you be kind enough to bring the alpha downstairs? We’re ready to leave.” Mother bellowed from the living room.

They were ready to leave? What about me?

My question was answered when I walked into the living room that had the rest of my family dressed in their favorite outdoor outfits.

“Chantelle dear, thank you for showing Alpha Reyes around. You must return to your room now, I had your meeting with the other ambassadors scheduled for twenty minutes from now, so you can spend the next three hours doing your job and be free to join the rest of the family once we are back.”

I hadn’t been looking forward to joining them, but it hurt to hear mother say the words in front of our guest. The guest who still had his gaze trained on me, only this time filled ugh curiosity as to what my response to my mother would be.

He didn’t smile, didn’t speak.

Had Ian been around to support my choices and had a turned out to not be a defaulted child, things would have gone rather differently and so I bow in agreement and spin around to return to my room, ignoring the heated gaze from Alpha Reyes, maybe some other time I would find the strength to feel humiliated.

By dinner time, mother has me play the role of a servant again, going to fetch our guest when there were clearly servants for the task.

“Thank you, Chantelle,” she had said afterwards with a smile sweet enough to rot teeth. “You’ve always been… dependable, in your own quiet way.”

Swallowing my complaints, I headed for my fathers office. The door was ajar and the both of them deep in a conversation when I heard something that stunned me.

“Yes, I have come here for Chantelle.”

A brief silence followed before Alpha Reyes voice boomed again.

“Do come in Chantelle.”