AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh, sorry about that,” I said, walking into the modern and expensively decorated penthouse. “I was busy with last-minute preparations. I really want everything to be perfect tonight.”
“It will be. You have nothing to worry about.” Kayden led me to her private dressing room, her confidence in me as unwavering as ever. “I overheard Willow telling Kessa how much you’ve impressed her.”
“Really?” Kessa—the former alpha’s wife, and Holden’s mother—and Willow were best friends. If that’s what she said, it had to be the truth. “I’m so glad. I’ve been so stressed out about making sure my first solo event goes off without a hitch.”
Kayden opened the door to the dressing room that was larger than my own bedroom on the third floor. Many of the council members lived with their own packs on their own lands, but due to the nature of my position and work, I lived on the estate along with several other council members, countless staff, and elite enforcers. We were never far from the alpha and his mate.
“Just remember, things could quickly go south tonight,” she said. “But it certainly won’t be due to the job you’ve done—I couldn’t imagine the dining hall looking any better than it does.”
“Thank you.” I twirled a strand of my dark blonde hair streaked with highlights around my finger. “Now, if I can just do half as well with my own appearance. Sometimes I miss having a personal assistant to help me get ready.”
When Kayden and I had competed in the Contention, we’d had our own stylists and assistants to dress us up every night. Luckily, I’d picked up a few tips and was experimenting with my own style.
“Well, I still have Faye,” Kayden said with a fond smile. She hadn’t been sold on the benefits of an assistant when she’d first come to the estate, but now Faye had proven herself indispensable. “And you’re in luck; I asked her to send up a rack of dresses for you to choose from.”
Kayden gestured to one of the many clothing racks lining the walls of her dressing room. I ran over and squealed as I flipped through the fine fabrics. “How does she always know the right things to pick?”
There were more than a dozen elegant evening gowns to choose from, all in my size. Knowing Faye, she would have selected dresses that perfectly accentuated my curves. Barely over five feet, I sometimes feltfrumpywas a more accurate word thancurvy, but Faye was a superstar when it came to style. I’d feel confident tonight, no matter which of these dresses I chose. Good thing, too, because my nerves at being Garrett’s date were making me second-guess everything.
“How are you doing your hair?” I asked Kayden as I selected a black silk gown and moved to the three-way mirror, holding it up to my body. I shook my head. It made me look pale and ghostly.
Kayden sat on a stool in front of a makeup mirror and began applying foundation, while I moved back to the dress rack. “I think I’m just going to wear it down. What do you think?”
Kayden always looked beautiful and picture-perfect, and her waist-length hair was no exception. “I always like your hair down. Do you think you could help me with mine? I want to wear part of it pulled up, but I can never get mine to curl like yours.”
Kayden laughed. “If you’re asking me for fashion help, you must really want to make a good impression. I’m still pretty new to this, you know. I was a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl before coming here.” She caught my eye in the mirror. “Hoping to snag the attention of a hot, single alpha, perhaps?”
An image of Garrett flashed through my mind, and my heart beat a bit faster. This crush I’d harbored for him over the past few months was ridiculous. I hadn’t told anyone, and I’d done my best to keep it hidden, even from Kayden.
It was silly, pointless. Garrett wasn’t the kind of guy I needed to be dreaming of. He was wild, untamed, and definitely loved the ladies. His charm was legendary—as was his inability to commit to anything serious. Though I might not mind getting a taste of why so many ladies loved him right back.
I shook my head to clear the steamy thoughts. It wasn’t like I’d ever get that chance. I was the complete opposite of his type.
“Jess?”
Shit. I’d totally zoned out. “Sorry, I was debating which dress to wear.”
Kayden narrowed her eyes. Yikes, I needed to be careful if I wanted to keep my silly crush under wraps. She set her makeup sponge on the dressing table and came over to the dress rack, tapping her finger against her cheek as she flipped through the options.
“What about this pale pink one? It’s sweet and classic, but still flirty and subtly sexy.” She pulled it off the rack and held it up to me, nodding. “The crystals glam it up a bit, too.”
“Classic is good, but glam? I don’t know, Kayden…” Simple was more my style.
“Just try it on.” She pushed the dress into my arms and stood with her hands on her hips, waiting.
“If you insist,” I said with a laugh, undressing quickly and slipping into the garment. The soft caress of the silk felt exquisite on my skin. I moved back to the mirror, and Kayden helped me adjust the dress, zipping it up the side. It was more revealing than what I usually wore, dipping low on my back and skimming my curves in all the right places. The sweetheart neckline highlighted my most impressive assets, and I immediately wanted to say no, to shrink away from the attention I knew it would garner. It was too much for me.
But Kayden knew me well. “Don’t even go there, Jess. You look fucking hot in this. If I were a dude, I wouldn’t be able to take my eyes off you.”
My cheeks heated, and I bit my lip, blowing out a nervous breath. That’s not what I wanted… was it? For a moment, I allowed myself to pretend I was the confident, sexy woman I wanted to be. The strong, empowered woman I was trying so hard to become. It held some appeal, and Kayden wasn’t wrong. Ididlook good.
But years of conditioning to be prim and proper, to be an appropriate example of how an alpha’s daughter should behave, were hard to overcome.
“I don’t know, Kayden. This is pretty racy. I mean, myfatherwill be here tonight.”
Kayden arched a perfectly manicured brow. “And? Last time I checked, you’re a twenty-seven-year-old woman. Who cares what anyone thinks?”
That was the difference between us. Kayden never gave a flying fuck about what people thought of her. She’d defied expectation and custom all through our Contention, and now she and Holden were doing the same with how they were leading the pack. I admired and respected her for it, but that just wasn’t me.
