Page 103 of A Warrior's Fate

It was beautiful. Too beautiful. Too nice.

But her admiring of it was cut short when something else within the box caught her eye. Jewelry of silver and diamonds and gemstones so crimson they looked like blood. Like the sheen of an alpha’s eyes…or the trademark color of Io.

All of this must’ve cost a fortune—but it was necessary. At least, in Kai’s eyes.

It was a spectacle, she was. She had to be. As much attention as possible had to be on her tomorrow night.

If it weren’t simply for the bared skin of her body and the daring cuts of the dress, the thin straps and the low cut back would leave her lumerosi exposed. If the lumerosi didn’t draw attention or conversation, it would be the jewels. One way or another, Kai needed her to interact with as many people as she could, and get as much information as she could glean…a warrior and the alpha’s spy.

With the dress still in her hands, Isla walked to her window where she could just catch one of the towers of the Pack Hall dwelling in a sea of sunset—reds, oranges, purples, and blues.

How bad could it be?

CHAPTER 24

Right when her clock hit four in the afternoon the next day—the day of the banquet—Isla received a knock on her door. She groaned, rising from the edge of her mattress where she’d been working to remove her mud-slicked shoes and hobbled over to it, her limbs barking in protest.

She’d just returned from training with the guard again and there was only a little less than two hours until she’d need to meet General Eli in the lobby. She would need every second of it—mostly to remove all the dirt that seemed to coat her like a second skin. She didn’t necessarily have time for visitors.

Hand on her sword, that she always had perched by the exit—while Lukas’s dagger, claimed as her own, remained hidden under her pillow—Isla opened the door, leaving the chain latched.

“Davina?”

On the opposite end of the threshold, the fiery-haired woman beamed, green eyes sparkling. Isla moved to close and unlock the entrance.

Once given full view of the warrior, Davina’s features fell, screwing up as if she’d eaten something sour. “You haven’t showered yet?”

Isla retreated a step, feeling self-conscious. “I just got back.” She darted her eyes to the large brown leather trunk that sat at Davina’s side. “What is that?”

The floral scent of Davina’s perfume wafted through the room as she brushed by Isla, dragging the heavy-set box along behind her. “I told Rhydian to make sure you got back here by three.”

No answer to the question, but Isla didn’t bother asking again.

“Rhydian’s not my commander,” she told her, closing her door softly.

“Funny, he said the same thing, but I’d heard countless stories of the boys sneaking out of things before; I figured he’d get creative.”

Davina heaved the trunk onto the bed, and Isla watched as it bounced on the mattress, listening to whatever was inside rattle. She bent down to untie her other shoe, not removing her eyes from the case. “What are you doing here?”

Once again, Davina failed to answer right away, instead, moving to flip the brass latch on the front of the trunk. It came undone with a click beneath her fingers before she flung it open. Isla rose to peer inside, abandoning her shoes in their spot.

She let out a soft whistle at the overabundance of cosmetics and hair accessories, seemingly for every occasion. From the soft hues of morning brunches to the dark, sultry shades of nights out and dinner gatherings.

Davina turned to Isla, placing her hands on her wide hips and proclaiming, “I’m getting you ready for the party.”

Isla’s mouth opened and closed as a particular silver and ruby comb caught her attention. It almost looked like a tiara. She met Davina’s eyes. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to,” Davina argued, pulling a few powders from the trunk and comparing them against Isla’s skin. Isla wasn’t sure how she could even see it beneath the dirt. “You’re going to blow everyone in that room away. Especially that mate of yours.”

Isla ignored the rise of wicked excitement her words had brought and instead focused on the reminder of her objectives. Why she was attending the party in the first place. “Did Kai make you do this, too?”

Davina scoffed, dropping the powders and picking up a rouge. “Kai is my alpha, but he doesn’t make me do anything.” She dropped the blusher, then went to examine Isla’s fingernails, smudged with the grime that was also matted in her hair. She clicked her tongue before waving her off. “Go shower. We don’t have much time, and you look like you’ve been living in the mud.”

When Isla emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in the fluffy white robe that had been left complimentarily with the various soaps and hair products, Davina was examining her dress hanging near the closet.

“This is gorgeous,” she commented, running her fingers over the silk.

Isla continued scrunching her hair with a towel. “It’s not mine.”

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