“Atlas,” I called out as my mate came over and crouched down, his eyes running over my expression while he tugged on a wave of my hair.
“What’s up?”
“I’m worried while we are gone that Bella will get too close to the edge,” I admitted softly. Warmth saturated our bond, and he nodded in understanding.
“We can put her in one of the bedrooms while we stay here. It won’t be for long,” he promised, and relief filled my chest.
“Good,” I murmured as he helped me up and I carried Bella with us towards a large set of doors. When we opened them, I found a large room that featured three beds, all of which were set perfectly, except for where Anani and Ledger were sitting on one of them and Sai stood near the window. I let Bella down and she scampered across the floor, interrupting their conversation only slightly.
“Do the rest of you stay in the other room?” I asked. Atlas easily led me from the room, closing the door and showed me another multi-bed room.
“This was for Henry and I, and then Marco usually slept in the third bed, but that should work for Croy. Each of the dorms also feature a large suite for the alpha, so luckily, we have enough room for everyone.” His tone was relaxed, and I looked at the smaller bed and frowned.
“I think we should all sleep together. Those beds don’t look large enough,” I pointed out as Atlas flashed a dangerous smile that had my cheeks heating.
“I love the idea of sleeping together,” he mused, and I let out a small giggle as he easily swept me up into his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck, my legs pressed together in a princess hold.
“Who is sleeping together?” Croy asked curiously as we entered back into the main room. Despite this clearly not being the realm he was most comfortable in, he looked relaxed. Although there was a very vibrant contrast between his dark clothes and intense green eyes and the light, warm shades around us. I didn’t usually view Croy as dangerous, but in comparison to everything else around us, he looked very much like the lethal predator I knew his wolf could be. His wolf I still had yet to meet.
“I was saying the beds were too small for everyone,” I pointed out. “You guys are massive, so we should sleep in a bigger bed all together. Makes far more sense.”
“I can’t argue with that,” Atlas chuckled before dropping me on a couch next to Croy. My mate crouched down next to me and squeezed my hand. “For now though, you should get ready. We can go see the physician as soon as you’re ready.”
Oh. So soon?
I nodded nervously and looked towards the one door I had yet to enter. I stood up and neared it, knowing that Marco was in there. I knocked only once before the door opened, finding Marco going through a large box of something on the bed, his eyes filled with a relaxed warmth that made me feel better about everything going on.
“Getting ready?” he asked.
“Yes.” I nodded and approached the box with curiosity. “What is all of this?”
“Some stuff we left behind from academy. I was trying to see if there was anything worth bringing back.”
My fingers immediately selected a photograph from some thick sweaters and flags that featured both the royal crest and another red and gold one. The picture, though, had me smiling as a small laugh escaped my lips.
“How old were you guys here?” I asked, looking at the picture of a much younger Marco and Atlas.
“Maybe fifteen?” His arm tightened around my waist, and I looked up at him before looking back down at the photo. I had to admit, Marco was much bigger now than he had been, but I could see the same eyes and familiar smile. Although it was toned back a bit, not as free as it was now… around me, at least. Atlas looked far more different, his hair pulled back and face a bit more youthful and soft.
“You should bring all of this back,” I murmured. “I love memories like this.”
My chest squeezed, realizing that I had no childhood photos of myself. No childhood really to speak of. Marco, as if sensing my mood, set down the photo and clasped my jaw, tilting it up so that I was looking into his mint eyes.
“I promise we will make a ton of new memories.” His voice was soft and almost vulnerable, making me nod as I curled into him. I almost found myself wanting to ask him if we could ditch this doctor thing for a bit and instead cuddle or watch a movie. I wanted more time together, even if it was only an hour or so.
“Marco, we need to get to the physician.” A voice from the door had me looking up to find Atlas watching us.
“I know,” he grumbled and nipped my ear, making me jolt. “Alright baby girl, go get ready. There are clothes in the bathroom. They were delivered this morning, they should work for our time here.”
I would never understand how Marco thought ahead about stuff like that—it was really impressive. I pressed a kiss to his cheek and walked towards the connected suite, closing the door behind me as I regarded the large white and gold bathroom that was actually very impressive.
As I began getting ready, I found myself growing increasingly more nervous. Not just about the physician, but the plans for the night as well. What did I know about meeting a queen? I didn’t want to mess this up for my mates or embarrass them. I knew they clearly held power here to some extent—everyone treated them as such—but I still was nervous that I would cause problems for them. I did find it interesting that the dominance and power they seemed to have on Earth was only intensified here.
Quickly, I took a shower, wanting to wash the mud and blood off me but wishing there was a way to keep Henry’s scent on me. I pulled my hair back and just washed my body and face, loving the way the hot water seemed to roll off my skin and the feel of the expensive soaps, making my skin feel far softer than ever before. After stepping out, I let down my hair and looked at myself in the mirror, wondering how extensively I needed to get ready for this.
Brushing out my hair, I secured the top half back with a jeweled clip that was on the vanity. I wasn’t positive how they had managed to gather so many different products for me in such a short amount of time, but I was taking full advantage of it, the process soothing a part of my soul that was very anxious about all of this. I wasn’t fantastic with makeup, but I did the best I could, freshening up and making sure to lightly line my eyes that seemed more gold than brown today. When I was done, I turned towards a door that was partly open, clearly leading to a massive walk-in closet.
Stepping into the room, candle-like lights along the walls lit up to reveal rows and rows of clothing, both male and female. Immediately, my eyes pulled towards a grouping of pink dresses, some of them glinting with cream and gold, much like what I’d worn earlier. Was it too much to hope for something a bit lighter than the heavy dress from before? The one that was now sitting in a pile on the bathroom floor? I felt bad about that, but to be fair, it was not only torn from the Ledger incident but had dirt on it.
A smile broke out onto my face as I found a light dress made of pink tulle with a cream colored base that looked to be off the shoulder. It was looser and looked like it was floor length, a gold ribbon wrapping around the center of the dress, but considering everything in here appeared to be extremely formal, I was going to have to assume that was normal.
I grabbed a pair of undergarments from the shelf below it, a pair of simple lace white panties the only thing provided. I slipped them on and then grabbed the dress, gently easing it on over my head, the cream slip tightening on my body as if it was made for me. I let the material fall around me and then easily tied the gold bow, adjusting the off-the-shoulder straps and walking back towards the entrance of the closet. I paused only momentarily to grab a pair of gold sandals that slipped on easily and allowed me to stand in front of the full-length mirror feeling as though my outfit was complete.