“I have the best date ever,” Eric exclaims, plucking a flower from the vase and turning towards the door right at the moment when Valerie enters. “Here she comes, my very own Snow White.”
Valerie blushes for a moment but then giggles and wraps her arms around him. He puts the flower in her hair and hugs her back. They are so freaking adorable. Watching these two makes me hope to find my mate and to have this deep connection to someone.
“Oh, Arden.” Valerie turns to me. “You know, my friends are visiting in three days, right after Christmas.”
“Yes, I have heard about it. Everyone is going crazy because the princess is coming,” I say. I’ve only heard that she is Alpha Elden’s daughter. The daughter of our crown prince and our future king. She is Valerie’s friend, and ever since Eric announced that she would be visiting, the Council has been going insane with joy. I am curious to know what kind of princess she is. With Coralie, I have watched a few Disney movies, so through my inner eye, I have the image of Sleeping Beauty or Snow White… or Cinderella or whoever represents a typical princess.
“I will spend most of the time with them,” Valerie explains, “but, for the days I can’t be with them, would you help out?”
“Really?” I ask, shocked and deeply humbled. It’s a huge honor to be offered such a task. It’s not just a royal lycan she-wolf visiting, it’s also the fact that she and her friends are Prince Eric’s guests. “Of course, I will help in any way I can.”
Vander and I don’t head home to change. We are allowed to use Eric and Valerie’s suite to freshen up and change. We have a guest suite here to stay the night, but it’s more fun to use their spacious place.
“How do I look?” Vander asks. He is wearing black dress pants with a modern dark-green blazer.
“You look great,” I say. “Do you need help with your tie?”
“Oh fuck, yes.”
I chuckle, helping him with his tie. I am wearing dark grey pants combined with a dark blue vest and a white button shirt.
“Man, you look good, Arden,” Vander says, sounding impressed.
“Thank you.” I normally don’t make an effort to dress fancy, so it feels good to hear these words. “Come,” I say, “our beta and gamma are arriving soon with our dates.”
We hurry down to the entrance gate, where the guests have begun to flow in. Due to us having work to do in the Council, Coralie and Léna will be arriving with our ranked members. Vander is already getting giddy about meeting his date. It’s so cute to see him like that. It’s his first crush, and the first girl he invited out.
Once they enter the ballroom, he is immediately at her side, offering her his arm. Léna blushes slightly and smiles nervously. She is a very bright and kind girl. A bit on the small side and curvy, with thick curly hair and glasses. Once her lycan surfaces, she will probably make her eyesight sharper.
“This is Léna,” Vander introduces her to me proudly.
I shake her hand, smiling at her. “I’m happy to officially meet you, Léna.”
“Thank you, so much. I am happy to meet you, too,” she says. “Also, thank you for the invitation and for allowing me to come.”
“It’s me who is happy,” Vander says.
“I apologize, we are a bit late,” our beta says. “The girls had their bags with them, so we had them escorted to your guest suites to dress there.”
I nod while Vander blinks in confusion. The tips of his ears turn red. Apparently, it only dawned on him now, that his date will stay in the same room as he. The Council is spacious, but not so spacious to offer everyone individual rooms. Coralie and I will share, also.
“Don’t forget you promised me a dance,” Vander says to Léna.
“I really did that, didn’t I?” she groans.
“We had a deal,” Vander says to me. “She said when I read her favorite book, I would get a dance.” He pets her head in a teasing manner, making her glare. “My little Pokémon here didn’t expect I could do it.”
“I can’t believe you call me your Pokémon,” she complains.
“You are my very own Bulbasaur,” he says.
“Can’t you choose something cuter?” she asks.
“But Bulbasaur is the cutest,” he says. “Or wait, how about Teddiursa? They are cute but also cunning.”
“I like that more,” she says with a shy smile.
I can barely stop a chuckle, because they are so adorable!