Chapter 5: Ashamed of her Body?

Julie's POV: 

"Yes.. Yes I will." I gave my answer instantly almost like I was hypnotized by his glistening gaze at me. I couldn't bear to reject being with someone who believed in me and valued me the way he did. 

It was a stark contrast from the way dad, Jack and every single person from the pack treated me. It was like I was pulled out from underneath the rubble that the moon goddess had previously thrown me in.

If only my mom could be present to witness this happening to me. I wished I could share the joy I was experiencing with her. I still had to pinch myself to make sure that I was still in the real world. 

"Good girl." Brandon remarked, stroking my dirty blonde hair strands hanging near my face. 

It was at that moment that the two of us could hear the door knock before his beta, Ruby, pushed a huge trolley into the room. 

"Your Highness, this is the food you requested." she obediently mentioned standing in full attention. 

"Thank you, Ruby." Brandon said before distancing himself away from me and getting off the bed. 

He parked the trolley close to the edge of the bed before lifting up the silver domes to reveal a wide range of food before me. My eyes widened in shock to see so much food- steak, pasta, lobster, cake.. It had it all. 

"What's all this?" I asked, shifting my sight from the food to Brandon. 

"I didn't know what exactly you like so I told the chef to prepare a large spread. I can tell that you haven't eaten properly in a while so make sure you eat until your stomach is full." Brandon explained, placing the tray of food on a small table on the bed in front of me. 

My stomach growled loudly as I didn't know where to begin. I didn't have so many choices when it came to food back home. Leftover scraps were all that touched my plate. 

"Your Highness, this is so much food. I don't know how I could repay you for all of this." I asked, feeling guilty and overwhelmed as I wasn't used to this. 

"You don't have to repay me anything. You're my mate and I don't need anything in return to take care of you. Now eat up." He explained. 

Taking a deep breath, I managed to get myself to take a bite of the steak that tasted heavenly. I thanked Brandon once again before he headed towards the door. 

"I've some work to attend to now. When you finish eating, Ruby will get you ready before we leave." he was about to close the door when I paused him from doing so. 

"Leave?" I questioned, puzzled by what he meant. 

"Yes. We have to get back on the road." he replied before closing the door behind him. 

I sat still, scratching my head as my eyebrows furrowed. I scanned the room, wondering to myself if this wasn't a room in Brandon's packhouse. Being an Alpha King, his pack was bound to be the strongest and richest. 

"Did you really think this is Alpha King Brandon's packhouse? This is just some random hotel we found on the way because he wanted to tend to you." Ruby chuckled as if she could hear my thoughts. 

I gulped the saliva in my mouth. It shocked me that despite the luxury of the room, it wasn't part of Brandon's packhouse. 

"Thank you, Ruby." I said with a smile forming over my face, taking a break from bites of the steak.

"What for?" she questioned, tilting her head. 

"For everything you did to help Brandon help me and for getting this delicious food to me" I remarked, wanting her to know that I appreciated what she had done for me. 

For a moment, I couldn't believe what was going on but she began to laugh, covering her mouth with her palm. 

"You really don't have to thank me. It's literally my job as his beta. I just do what the Alpha King tells me to do even if… nevermind, just let me know when you're done with the food so I can get you ready." she grabbed her phone walking away from my sight. 

I wasn't sure what she was trying to tell me but I knew that it would be better to not question everything. After all, she did help save my life. 

—----------------------------------

It had been quite some time since I had replaced my torn out dress with a new one. Brandon had also given me a potion brewed by a witch that was able to temporarily suppress my pheromones. Because of it, I was able to be out in public, free from the lustful eyes of any male wolf.

I felt quite relaxed in the car sitting next to Brandon who continued to work on his laptop. 

Being an Alpha King required more work than I ever thought. 

Since the journey was long, I dozed off watching the trees pass by. 

I woke up in a panic yet again, feeling as though I had slept for hours. I blinked my eyes multiple times as I found myself in a different room but it was as luxurious as the last one. 

Had we already arrived? I couldn't believe that the nap I had planned to take extended for the entire journey. 

As I was adjusting my messy bed hair, I gazed upon a note sitting on the nightstand next to the queen sized bed I was laying in, 

'Completing some work. You can freshen up. I will meet you in the room shortly- Brandon.' the note read. A smile automatically shaped itself on my face reading the note. 

I understood what my mom meant when she said mates always care for each other. Though I couldn't feel the mate bond, the amount of care and solace Brandon gave me was enough to set butterflies loose in my stomach. 

Maybe this relationship could have a chance, despite my shortcomings. 

Heeding Brandon's words, I hopped into the shower to take a nice warm bath. My body definitely needed it, washing away the touch that Jayden and the rogues leftover me. 

I didn't want to be reminded of them ever again. 

I stepped out of the shower with a white fluffy towel covering my body while another wrapped around my wet hair. I felt extremely fresh, making my way out of the bathroom. 

However, as soon as I opened the bathroom door, a high pitched scream escaped my body when I forgot about the ledge present outside and tripped, losing control over my balance. 

Before I crashed onto the marble floors, Brandon quickly rushed in as he entered the room and held my body steady. I heaved a sigh of relief, opening my eyes. 

"You really should be careful. What if I hadn't arrived here on time?" he advised as I regained my footing, lifting my body from his arms that held onto me tightly. 

Before I could say a word, the towel concealing my body slipped opened and fell to the ground. Adrenaline rushing through my veins, I immediately used both hands to cover my chest and crotch. 

"Ahh! Please don't look at me!" I let out a high pitched scream, my cheeks reddened as embarrassment crashed against me like a tsunami wave. 

"Don't worry. I swear I didn't see a thing." Brandon assured me with a composed tone as he swiftly turned his back towards me. 

Bending over, I grabbed my towel and wrapped it around me, holding onto it so it didn't fall off. 

"I'll leave you alone so you can get changed. I just came in here to tell you to wear the dress I laid out for you on the bed. 

My eyes instantly fell on the dress. It was the most beautiful silvery-grey silk dress that was adorned with constellation beads and a crescent shaped lace. The dress sparkled under the light increasing its beauty tenfold! 

Noticing my puzzlement towards the dress, Brandon approached me, "I want you to wear this dress for our pre-wedding ceremony today." 

"What? Wedding? Why are we getting married?" I was stunned, my eyes widening in surprise. 

"Because you are my mate. I think that's enough of a reason to marry you." he revealed, his glistening blue eyes staring into mine. 

"Yes but I mean… isn't it too soon? It's not even two whole days since we met each other." I questioned meekly immediately lowering my gaze. 

The unexpected news hit me hard. Marriage was a huge commitment and I didn't know if it was the right time for it. Everything just seemed to move way too fast that my mind wasn't able to process it all.

Brandon advanced towards me even more, forcing me to take a few steps back until I hit the wall behind me. 

He placed both his hands on either side of me, sandwiching me between him and the wall. 

"Tonight is the last day, the full moon remains in the sky. If we begin our marriage today, the moon goddess would bless us with strong pups. The moon goddess met us just in time for it. I don't want to miss it and wait another year for it." he explained in a deep tone, making me realize that it wasn't just a random hectic decision. 

It was indeed true that tonight many couples who would begin their marriage rituals would receive the full moon blessings which was a special blessing from the moon goddess that would not only provide strong pups to the couple but also strengthen their relationship. 

"You're right. We shouldn't waste this special day." I shook my initial doubts aside and agreed with him. 

"I'm glad. Don't worry, after the marriage, we'll spend a lot of time together and learn about each other. I promise you that." He lifted my chin with his finger, allowing us to gaze into each other.

I could feel my heart race rapidly, being close towards him while tingles began to spread throughout my body. 

I didn't know what was going on with me but I was grateful when he widened the gap between us. 

"Is this a room in your packhouse? It's quite beautiful." I took the opportunity to mention it before he headed out. 

"No, I had to stop by a friend's pack for some business work. After that's done, we'll head to my pack up in the north." 

"I'll wait for you outside. Ruby , will help you get ready." he continued before closing the door shut. 

I kept wondering what friend he was talking about when Ruby entered the room and immediately began to slip me into the dress. 

Only the moon goddess knew how many times I had to request her to slow down as I didn't want to ruin the beautiful dress that Brandon had given me. 

Along with the dress, a veil was put over my head that was meant to cover my face during the ceremony. 

As Ruby got done dressing me, she continued to be occupied by her phone. I straightened myself up before opening the door to leave as I recalled Brandon was waiting for me outside. 

However, just as I opened the door and took a step out, I groaned in pain as I collided with a towering man walking towards the room. 

"What the hell?!!" I heard the man exclaim angrily. 

I felt my nerves tied into knots when I recognized that the voice belonged to Jayden. 

What was he doing here?!