Queen of the Lycan, Karina Espinosa [accelerated reader books .TXT] 📗

I bit my lip to keep from laughing. “He hasn’t really seen it yet.”

Amy choked on her scrambled eggs. “What?!”

After all the shit I gave Alexander about letting me pick my own dresses … He was just starting to get used to the idea, and now I was going to the extreme. He was going to have a heart attack.

I winced. “Let’s just call it a surprise.”

Amy tossed back her head and gave a great, big belly laugh. “Shit, Kenz, you’re fucked. You’re going to look like the Queen of the Dead.”

“Hey!” I pointed my fork at her. “I’m gonna look slim and classy.”

She snorted. “Yeah, okay.” She took a mouthful of French toast, syrup dripping down her chin. “Jackson and Ollie are with Bash, helping him get ready. You should have seen them when they were reunited. It was so cute, the little bromance they have going on.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, whatever.” On the outside I played it cool, but inside I was over the moon. I knew Bash missed his friends from back home. He didn’t have anyone here that he shared a strong bond with besides me. At least not yet. With Jackson and Ollie around for the next few days, at least he wouldn’t feel so lonely when I wasn’t around. There was only so much I could do. Hopefully, others from the Brooklyn Pack were able to make the trip as well. It would be good for him to see people outside the castle and get a piece of normalcy.

We finished breakfast and I drank three full cups of coffee that would hopefully sustain me until my next pick-me-up. Stopping off in my bathroom to brush my teeth, I wiped my mouth and headed into hair and make-up with Amy.

Just like for my coronation, they molded my hair into a braided up-do that crowned my head. There were so many pins in my hair, I could already feel them stabbing my scalp. I shook my head from side to side but my hair didn’t move an inch, as shellacked as it was with hairspray and as welded with bobby pins as it was.

They decided to go with a smoky eye and muted makeup to offset my dramatic gown, then topped it off with my favorite shade of red lipstick. The make-up made my gray eyes pop. For once, I felt glamorous and couldn’t stop staring at myself in the mirror.

“Wow, Kenz.” Amy stared at my reflection in the mirror from behind me. “You look like a dark queen. You’re beautiful,” she murmured wistfully.

For the first time in the two months I’d been in Scotland and since I’d assumed the throne, I actually felt like a Queen.

“Are ye ready for the dress, Yer Majesty?” Ana asked as she walked up beside me. I looked over at her and nodded.

“Yes, please.” I watched as Helena entered with the garment bag containing my dress.

“Chickie, are ye ready?” Helena said with a bright smile on her face.

I beamed. “Yes, Granny.” I untied my robe and stepped onto the platform in the middle of the room, wearing only my underwear.

Helena hung the garment bag on the rack and unzipped it, revealing an all-black, long sleeved gown with a deep v neckline. The fabric cinched at the waist, then the skirt flared out in a curtain of supple satin and lace.

Ana and Helena helped me into the dress, zipping me inside and tugging on my seams to get the placement just right. I’d never felt so regal before. Not even on the day of my coronation.

Amy entered one of the dressing rooms to change and emerged in a dark emerald dress that accented her red hair and green eyes perfectly. Her hair was pulled back in a sleek ponytail with massive curls spilling down her back. She looked stunning.

“Yer rings, chickie.” Helena handed me my MacCoinnich ring and engagement ring. I slipped them on and decided to not wear any other jewelry since I would also be wearing the gold crown on my head and didn’t want to look like a disco ball.

“Thank you, Granny,” I offered as I accepted her help stepping down from the platform.

“Of course, hen.” She patted my cheek with a broad smile. “Let’s get ye down that aisle.”

Ana walked across the room carrying a burgundy pillow with the gold crown resting on top, the rubies catching the light in a million starbursts. Helena plucked the crown from the pillow, and when I lowered my head, she placed it on me.

“Perfect, chickie. Now you’re a Queen,” Helena muttered as she adjusted the crown on my head. She reached for my hands and gave them a comforting squeeze.

I didn’t let her go. “Were you nervous when you went through your mating ceremony?” I asked.

Helena smiled and the corners of her eyes wrinkled. “Oh, hen, I almost did nae show up.”

My eyes widened. “Really?”

She nodded. “Ye see, I had what the humans call an arranged marriage. Yer grandda was a great Lycan, but I did nae choose him. I learned to love him over time.”

I frowned. “That’s … messed up.”

She gave a slight shrug. “It was the way things were done back then.” Helena patted my hands. “He never mistreated me, but I always knew my place, and that was as a luna and then as Queen. It’s different for ye, chickie. Yer no ordinary luna. Ye can choose who ye love, and yer nae the queen of a king, ye are the Queen of the Lycan. There is nothing ye should be nervous about.”

Of course she was right. At least I wasn’t mating with some stranger like she had to do. I was being mated to Bash. My soulmate. My best friend. My other half. This should be as easy as breathing. We were already bonded in every way possible; what was so difficult about going through the mating ceremony? It should be a piece of cake.

“You’re right, Granny.” I took a deep breath and