Alpha Lance

Chapter 10 - missed opportunities

Calliope’s POV

“Well, Callie my pet, it looks like you’ve been invited to accompany the king and some of his family on an outing along the waterfront of Puget Sound,” mom exclaims in a delighted tone, showing me the invitation that had just come. I notice it was my name on the envelope, not hers, and I was instantly irritated that she had opened and read it before me. “I’m glad to see that the young king is showing an interest in his future mate. You must write back immediately, to decline the invitation.”

“Decline?” I ask, feeling disappointed. I was so bored being pent up in this posh apartment guest suite that even a small family outing sounded amazing. “Why can’t I go? I’d love to get out of the palace, if only for a little while.”

“Since your father left this morning to go back to Rising Moon, we are here with only Rafe and Mindy to protect us,” mother explains as our personal maid Mindy gives mother a pedicure. Mindy is just a timid little omega, though, and certainly not capable of anything resembling protecting her Queen Luna or Princess from anything bigger and scarier than a rabbit. “I can’t possibly have both of us ready to go on such short notice, and I won’t be left here on my own without protection. This city is positively teeming with humans and rogues! What if one of them gets in here somehow? No, no, it’s far too risky!”

“I’m sure King Alex has enough high ranked officers that he can spare one to protect me,” I suggest, not wanting to be locked up in here with mother all day if there is some alternative. “You can stay here safe and sound with Rafe. I’d really like to go!”

“Absolutely not!” Mother says in a tone that brooks no arguments. She may look delicate and weak, but she has ways of making sure her daughter does exactly as she demands. “I will not allow you to go out on the town without a trusted escort until you’ve been properly marked and mated to the king first! I’ve heard alarming stories of what happens to under protected underage princesses in this nasty human city. It’s just not safe!”

“Fine then,” I give in begrudgingly. “I’ll just sit here quietly all day with a book. Again.”

Mother tells Mindy to find some paper and a writing implement in order for me to write a brief note declining Alex’s kind offer of an outing today, every word dictated entirely by her.

“In the second paragraph, write this…” mother continues, and then has me suggest an alternate outing. A stroll on the grounds tomorrow afternoon at whatever time he deems convenient. “Looking forward to your reply, yours truly, Calliope.”

Then Mindy is ordered to go deliver the note to the king, or to one of his officers if he is busy. She comes back nearly half an hour later with King Alex’s reply.

Dear Calliope,

I’m sorry to hear that you are unable to join my family for our outing today. Your presence will be greatly missed.

The only time I have available tomorrow is during my lunch hour. What do you think about joining me in my mother’s flower garden for a picnic at 1 o’clock? The weather is supposed to be very lovely, and with your presence there it will be even more so.

Faithfully,

Alex 2, Lycan King of Emerald Kingdom

“May I accept this invitation?” I ask mother, although I’m fairly sure I know the answer.

“Of course, my pet!” Mother replies joyfully. “And I think I know just the sort of outfit you should wear!”

She heads straight to the closet and pulls out a cream color pantsuit, and a blush colored blouse. And at first I’m confused, as they look more mature than what I’m generally allowed to wear.

“Help me put this on, Mindy, we must go shopping!” Mother commands regally, and up hops Mindy to do her bidding. “Rafe! Order a car and driver for us, we will leave in half an hour. And ask if the king can spare an officer or two to accompany us.”

“Why are we going shopping?” I question mother, although I probably know the answer to this already. Shopping is her answer to everything. “I thought you said you know what I should wear!”

“Of course I do, pet!” Mother claims, waving her hands about dramatically in her usual fashion. “We just haven’t bought it yet!”

Half an hour later we are introduced to my future Royal Gamma Gavin, who leads us to a waiting car in the parking garage beneath the palace. Apparently there was only the one suitable town car left, because the king and his family members had just left in the other cars only moments before to head to the waterfront for their outing.

How awkward it would have been if we had arrived any sooner, since mother had claimed there was no way we would have been ready to leave in time to go with them.

“So where are we headed today, Queen Luna?” Gamma Gavin asks. “You’re still welcome to join the others at the waterfront if you like.”

“Impossible,” mother says, dismissing the idea at once. “We would be crashing the party by showing up so late! Take us to the best dress shop in town.”

“Yes, madam,” Gamma Gavin says right away, then he goes to sit up front to give directions to the driver. Rafe and Mindy sit in the back with us.

It isn’t long before we arrive at a high end department store. There I was handed a couple dozen outfits to try on along with coordinating accessories before we finally found what mother considered her ‘vision’ for a perfect princess picnic. Meanwhile mother was also trying on several new outfits for herself. I was starting to feel like a fashion doll for mother to play with.

“I have an image to uphold, you understand,” she claims, spending a vast amount of money on clothing, shoes, bags, and jewelry in a surprisingly short amount of time. When I mention the cost, she just brushes it off. “That’s in American money, my pet. It’s much more in Canadian dollars! So don’t worry your little head over it.”

“Umm… that’s not… Nevermind,” I soon give up trying to curb my mother’s spending as if daddy has unlimited resources. I know for a fact that he doesn’t. Which is one of the major reasons he wants me settled in a mate bond with a reasonably wealthy Lycan King instead of an ordinary Alpha. He had told me so in private just before he had headed back north.

“Next we need to find you a perfect Queen Luna gown,” mom informs me. Then she turns towards my future Gamma. “Take us to a high end human bridal store now.”

“Why can’t we do that some other day?” I groan in annoyance.

“You’re the one who was complaining about being cooped up in the palace,” mother chides me. “So I take you out on this mother daughter shopping trip. I’m only doing this for your future, pet! How ungrateful you’re being!”

We spend another 4 hours before we find a dress that we can both agree on, before mother will allow us to head back to the Emerald Pack palace. I’m exhausted, and starved. But now I have something new to complain about.

“What is this?” I ask, looking down at the sad little salad with a small piece of salmon in front of me.

“You’re a bit poofy, my pet,” mother says, happily digging into her identical salad. “You need to lose a few pounds before your ceremony so you’re not busting out of that gorgeous gown we just bought.”

“But I’ll be shifting in a few weeks,” I moan. “My wolf needs real food. This salad is what my food eats.”

But my mother remained unmoved, and I went to bed hungry. Ugh!