Run! The Lost Princess of the Black Wolves

Chapter 10 - Why don't you do right

“Finally,” Freya exhaled as they ascended the staircase to her floor. “Goddess, it must be tough for you to hear all those comments! I don't know why my father is so insistent on hooking you up with Marcus."

"It's a bit awkward," Chloe confessed. “Especially since Marcus already has another Luna in mind.”

"Right?" Freya scoffed. "Not that I'm sure Juliette is Luna-material. But you're clearly not in love with Marcus, so why bother? It's just annoying."

Freya opened the door to her quarters and slumped into a plush armchair, dangling her legs over the armrest, while Chloe sank into the other armchair with a sigh.

"What was that lap dance all about, anyway?" Freya chuckled, letting her hair down, her red locks cascading down her shoulders.

“Oh, that," Chloe grimaced. "Marcus tripped and fell into the snow, and I was going to help him up. But he tricked me and made me fall into his lap! I guess I was so surprised and embarrassed that I didn't think before jumping into the lake afterwards."

"He's such a jerk!" Freya rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry my brother put you in to so much trouble. I know you have history but dragging you down into the snow like that was not okay."

"He did save me from drowning, though," Chloe pointed out. "And he was really gentle and caring afterwards. So, he's not that much of an asshole anyway."

"Asshole!" Freya exclaimed, bursting into laughter. "Oh, I loved how you mispronounced ice hole earlier! Was it a Freudian slip or something?"

"I didn't!" Chloe shook her head vigorously. This would probably haunt her forever! "He misheard me."

"Yeah, right, whatever," Freya giggled. "But okay, shall we look at our outfits? Can't you fetch the dresses you plan to wear so we can see if we're matching styles?"

"Do we really have to match?" Chloe arched an amused brow.

"Of course, we do!" Freya grinned. "Goddess knows what those northern bit.ches will wear. At least, you and I can match up, so we don't feel like total aliens."

"If you wish," Chloe chuckled. "I'll go get them."

Chloe hadn't yet decided what to wear to the Winter's Ball, so it was fortunate that Freya reminded her. She hadn't given much thought to the northern girls or what they might wear, but maybe it was best to have some common ground, as Freya suggested. Although Chloe didn't really care what others thought of her, she wanted to make Freya feel comfortable. If that meant they were going to match their outfits, so be it.

That was, unless Freya had something super-girlish in mind. Chloe was really not in the mood for that right now... On the contrary, for some unknown reason, she was feeling vicious! And she was ready to dress the part.

With the rack of dresses in tow, she wheeled it into Freya's quarters where they dove into the task of selecting their outfits. The event was set to last for two evenings, and they would be spending both nights at Chloe's cousin's castle.

“According to Marcus, the first night is the formal one, so we need to dress appropriately. The second night, we can go a little wild if we like!” Freya's eyes lit up with excitement as she spoke, and she winked seductively. "You should wear that red dress of yours."

Chloe smiled at Freya's enthusiasm. "Which one?" she asked. "I have several."

"The sparkly one, of course!" Freya exclaimed, her finger pointing at the shimmering red dress Chloe wore to John's inauguration. “You’re insanely hot wearing that.”

“Oh, that one…” Chloe hesitated as she gazed at the beautiful dress on the rack. Memories of John's inauguration flooded her mind, memories of chaos and destruction. Her heart beated fast as images of the fighting pit and Nicholas' lifeless body flashed before her eyes... And Nolan, all covered in blood. With a deep breath, she tore her gaze away from the dress.

“No,” she finally managed to say, shaking her head. “It brings back too many memories.”

“Oh honey, I know,” Freya said sympathetically, placing a comforting hand on Chloe's arm. “But you need to move on. You deserve it. That dress deserves it! You can't let it languish in the back of your closet."

Chloe hesitated. “I'm not sure it's a good idea,” she frowned. “But you can have it if you want to!”

“Me? No, no,” Freya laughed. “Red is so not my color! I would be a walking red overload... And I really want to avoid looking like a tomato. Besides, the shade clashes with my hair.”

“No, I’m sure it would look amazing on you,“ Chloe's eyes lit up with a mischievous glint. “You would look like Jessica in 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit!"

“Who?” Freya let out a confused laugh.

“You haven’t seen it? It was my mother’s favorite movie when she grew up, she let me watch it on her VHS player when I was a kid,” Chloe took out her phone, googling the movie.

“Never heard of it," Freya looked puzzled. "What’s it about?"

“Well basically, it’s about Roger Rabbit and his wife Jessica Rabbit, and a murder and…”

“Wait a minute,” Freya gasped, her eyebrows arching in disbelief. “Are you seriously comparing me to a rabbit?”

“NO!” Chloe burst out laughing at Freya's reaction. "Jessica isn’t a rabbit. She’s a woman, or actually a cartoon. But anyhow, she’s insanely hot, super sexy, but also kind and down to earth, just like you," she added with a playful wink. “Come, I’ll show you.”

Both girls snuggled up in Chloe’s armchair as Chloe showed Freya a video clip of a sensual cartoon woman, singing ‘Why don’t you do right', a seductive version of the old-fashioned song.

“Wow,” Freya chuckled.

“See, I told you,” Chloe grinned. “It’s you!”

“Ah, OK,” Freya's lips curled into a wry smile. “I admit, I can see some... similarities. But I won’t be able to pull it off! I insist that you wear that dress. Consider it as a CBT session, completely free of charge.”

“CBT?” Now it was Chloe’s turn to be confused.

“Yes CBT. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, you know?” Freya shrugged. "Why don't you try on the dress now and see how it feels? It might even help you move on."

Chloe rolled her eyes, "So you're my shrink now?" she teased, but then she complied and pulled the dress from the rack.

Freya's face immediately brightened up as soon as Chloe slipped into the dress, and she helped her to pull up the zipper. "Oh, Chloe," she breathed. "Just as I remembered it. You look absolutely stunning! I’m pretty sure that you'll turn heads and stand out from the crowd wearing that."

Chloe hesitated as she looked at herself in the mirror. She wasn’t too sure she actually wanted to stand out in the crowd… As far as she was concerned, the main point of this trip was to find Freya’s fated mate.

"Oh, come on, who do you think you're fooling?" her wolf scoffed. "We both know you love being the center of attention! You're just making excuses because you're too scared to wear that dress."

"Why do you have to be so cruel?" Chloe replied, shutting her wolf out.

Freya's fingers danced over Chloe's rack of dresses, not noticing Chloe's inner dialogue. "Since you're wearing that beautiful piece," she mused out loud, her gaze landing on a stunning green sequined dress."Could I borrow this one?" She plucked the dazzling dress from the rack.

“Of course!” Chloe smiled. “Go ahead! You’ll look like the little mermaid,” she added as Freya held it up against her petite figure in front of the mirror.

"We'll be the stars of the Winters' ball with these," Freya exclaimed, beaming with excitement. "I just need to powder my nose, then I'll try it on."

As Freya sauntered off to the bathroom, Chloe stood in front of the mirror, scrutinizing her reflection. She felt deeply conflicted about the dazzling red dress she was wearing. Sure, it was a pity if it wouldn’t be used properly, it was a stunning evening gown... And it did look gorgeous on her, hugging her curves in all the right places.

With a sigh, she deftly twisted her black hair into a sleek black bun, allowing a few locks to cascade down to frame her face while the updo exposed her elegant neck. She slowly twirled in front of the mirror, studying her reflection thoughtfully. The ensemble did accentuate her personality, making her look utterly feminine, classy, and yes... even a little bit seductive.

"You see..." her wolf emerged once again, this time with a softer tone in her voice. "You should wear it."

"Alright, alright," Chloe surrendered. With a deep breath, she slid her arms behind her back in an attempt to unzip her dress. However, it was proving to be more challenging than she remembered.

As she tried to get a better hold on the zipper, she tugged at the dress, aiming to pull it higher up, but in vain! The fabric was too tight, and the zipper was too long... And while she struggled with the stubborn dress, the door suddenly swung open - and in walked Marcus.

He took one look at Chloe, who was stuck with her dress halfway up her shoulders, and his eyes widened like saucers.

"Damn it!" Chloe groaned, her cheeks blushing. This was not how she wanted him to see her...

“Let me help you.” Before she knew it, Marcus was by her side, his voice deep and husky.

As he slowly unzipped her dress, all the way down to the small of her back, their eyes met in the mirror. Chloe gulped, almost forgetting how to breathe.

Nervously, she bit her lip, which only caused a low rumbling growl to escape from deep within Marcus's chest. He moved in closer, his breath tickling the nape of her neck while keeping his gaze locked with hers in the mirror.

“Thank you”… she breathed.

The soft flowing fabric instantly fell down her shoulders and she had to grasp onto it to prevent it from slipping down completely to the floor.

“Marcus!” Freya’s voice cut the air as she suddenly emerged from the bathroom. “What on earth are you doing?”