Alpha Charming | Rheon

TWENTY-ONE

Sunday brought an atmosphere of excitement to the bustling halls of the castle. I constantly bumped shoulders with servants as they scurried about to prepare for the ball throughout the day. A mouthwatering aroma clung to the air, coming all the way from the kitchen where Edda had her chefs cooking up a storm.

Strangely, I haven't seen Rheon at all this morning or afternoon. I haven't seen any Balfour, now that I thought about it. The only people I crossed paths with was Fallon, Astrid, and Freya, who also had no idea where the Craven Pride werewolves have disappeared off to. As far as Astrid knew, her youngest sister Kenna and Clemmy decided to visit Direfair, and Seren was probably with Larkin.

It made sense; Clemmy and Kenna were about the same age and were bound to become fast friends. Seren and Larkin, on the other hand, haven't separated since they discovered they're mates last night.

By late noon, I had enough of waiting around. The Nightstar and Crescent Moon packs were heading towards their rooms to prepare for the ball, so I did the same after spending most of the day browsing through Netflix. I did make the discovery of the century, though - Rheon likes to watch Bridgerton.

With that information in mind, I made for my room where my dress was still hanging in the closet. Just seeing it caused my stomach to flutter in exhilaration.

I started my preparation with a shower, washing my hair and shaving my legs for... just in case. After blow-drying and pinning my hair up in a bun, I started on my makeup. Unlike Madison, who took forever to get ready, I finished in just under an hour before finally moving on to the dress.

The final look took my breath away. I felt like a princess with the dress hugging my figure at all the right places - it even made me look taller if that was possible. Twirling in front of the mirror, I heard my phone ring on the bedside table. However, upon seeing the caller ID, my heart did a swan dive right into a pool of toxic waste.

Swallowing thickly, I answered, "Hi, Dad."

"Hello, Ashlyn." The tone of his voice could curdle dairy. "Are you enjoying your holiday?"

"It's not a holiday, Dad. I'm working." I hated how my voice shook.

"Doing what, taking pictures of the Loch Ness Monster? I know you lied to me. There is no travel agency in Direfair which makes it hard for me to understand why you're still there."

"I didn't lie to anyone," I muttered, "Someone I met at the wedding is starting their own travel agency, they want me to be their -"

"And how are things between you and Matt?" He cut me off. "He told me you're not exactly speaking to him."

My throat tightened. "It's complicated, Dad."

"Complicated enough to break up with him? No relationship is perfect, Ashlyn. Don't you think your mother and I also fight from time to time?" I opened my mouth to defend myself, but he continued, "You should be mature enough to look past the complications. Matt's a good man, you won't find better than him."

That struck a nerve. Grinding on my teeth, I said through the speaker, "I have, actually."

A short silence followed before my father hissed, "You what? Heaven's sake, Ashlyn, you were gone one weekend. You can't rush into a relationship with a man you just met! You and Matt have been -"

"Matt cheated on me, Dad!" I interrupted him, "Did he fail to tell you that?"

"What are you talking about? He'd never do that."

"Well, he did. Next time you see him, ask him about Courtney and how long they've been dating." Biting the insides of my cheeks, I decided I had enough. All he ever did since I graduated high school was criticize my choices, half-forced me into a relationship I didn't want and tried turning me into someone I'm not. "I'm tired of this, Dad; of you not having any faith in me. Would it kill you to encourage me now and then instead criticizing me? Why is it that you're the only person who thinks I don't have what it takes to succeed?"