Camilla's POV continues
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The room smells like honey and lavender, I’m enjoying the scent, it’s coming from Arielle. Ryan and her are bickering, there's a party Ryan is to attend, his friend's daughter turned sixteen today and since she's Alpha's daughter, the birthday's a grand occasion.
She's having it at A.C Hearst hotel, the largest hotel there is. It's owned by the Royal's, when you book it the party Hall, you also book the downstairs hotel. The one upstairs is barely a hotel, it's a party hall. There's six rooms, seven if you count the largest room where parties take place.
I had my birthday here from the day I was five up to thirteen. It was newly built and I was the first one to have a party here. After thirteen, I didn't want huge birthdays. They made me uncomfortable.
I would often keep thinking how Tiana and Talitha turned a year older four days after me and one of them wasn't here anymore. As far as I know of, this hall isn't available for kiddie parties unless otherwise. It seems I was the exception, my mother used to be friends with one of the royals when I was younger, we would go to their house, no, no it's not a house, it's a castle.
“I can't go Ryan, this dress isn't hot.” Arielle whines, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. For someone that popped out a whole baby she looks great, I don't understand why she complains.
Ryan rolls his eyes and cups her face, placing a kiss on her right cheek. The gesture makes her smile. “I think you look hot so whoever thinks that my wife isn't hot has bad taste in women.”
Arielle giggles, stepping away from Ryan. Ryan turns to me and tilts his head studying me. “Why aren't you dressed yet?”
Because I didn't want to come but you're dragging me with you anywhere because you presume I need a party to relax when in reality, I need sleep. I haven't slept well in a week because I miss the comfort of the arms attached to a very attractive yet pathetic Alpha.
“I don't want to go Ryan, can't I just go home? I have a baby.” I mumble, a pout resting on my lips when the last word leaves my mouth.
Arielle gasps, feigning a scornful expression with her hand in her chest. She blinks twice, “Umm, why is it that I had the baby but everyone else claims him but me?”
I giggle, “Because he's our future Alpha and so much cuter than you, sorry.”
“I have never met a girl that hates dressing up as much as you do.”
I shake my head, “I like it, I just don't have time for it.”
Ryan looks at Arielle and they both tilt their heads before turning back to face me. I lied, I do have time, I just feel unmotivated and I hate how people stare at me when I'm wearing fitting clothing. It makes me feel insecure and that's one of the feelings I don't like to welcome but they don't care if they're welcome or not, they dig deep into my skin and try to tear me apart until I'm slicing at myself to crack myself open.
Arielle giggles, “Baby, pick something from the clothes Annette left. Something will surely fit you and please don't take out ugly clothes. In fact, wear the beautiful white dress and I will be back in thirty minutes, comb that pretty hair and do your makeup real nice.”
I nod at her and she lets out a cute look, Ryan too smiles at me. Damn, have I been looking that bad these days? Even my brother is excited to see me look like I'm not a troll. They head for the door but when Arielle goes out, Ryan pauses peeking back inside. “Santiago called, he was worried about you. Are you mad at him?”
“No, I've just been busy with my favorite person in the whole world.”
Ryan grins and I shake my head, giggling “Jacques.”
He rolls his eyes, feigning a broken expression. “You just broke my heart kiddo, I'm telling mom and Ari.”
I laugh, falling back onto the bed as he closes the door. I almost forgot Mom and Dad are coming to meet their grandson tomorrow. My sisters are coming too, well all except Michelle. Nobody bothered to invite her because she'd have said no, when she left she made it clear she didn't want to be a Veteran anymore.
Her wedding was nice, Dad walked her down the aisle, the celebration was fun and that was the last event we had with her. However, I have bigger issues than Michelle acting like a bitch towards family.
Ryan and I agreed not to tell our parents the incidents that happened these past few months they've been gone. Mom loved my long hair, she would only allow me to cut it above my waistline.
When I was six I cut my hair because I wanted shoulder length hair like Talitha, mom wouldn't let me cut it so I cut it myself. It was a horrible cut, and so uneven too. When Mom found me she was hysterical, she cried so much I felt like a shit daughter. I apologised to her so many times for cutting my hair as she cried but she wouldn't stop until an hour later. When I asked her why it was such a big deal, she told me she loved my hair, it was unique and it made me who I am.
Changing my hair because I wanted to look like someone was a disastrous thing to do, she even had me convinced it was a sin. So then I assume cutting my hair because I didn't want to look like some dumb bitch that screws my mate for a living is just as bad right?
I give myself a mental shake as I go to dress up, I pick a different dress than Arielle suggested. A long royal blue silk dress with a slit that runs up to my thigh, it was an inch longer, everyone would have a perfect view of my underwear. The one Arielle suggested was surely made to outshine a bride at her wedding so imagine what it would do to a little girl on her sweet sixteen birthday. I never had a sweet sixteen, I didn't want one but I had something similar, a surprise party with like eighty people and I was satisfied with it because it was just family and close friends.
As I stand here in the mirror looking at myself, I can't help but notice my hair looks good, it makes me look older than seventeen. I fight the urge to grab a scissor and trim it a bit more to see if I can pass for a thirty year old woman but as I reach for it, Arielle enters. I abort the mission and toss them across the room. Arielle gasps when she sees me, “Baby, you look so beautiful.”
“You like it? I'm sorry I didn't go with what you-”
She shakes her head and fans herself. “No, I love it. You look so nice.”
“Thanks, where is Ryan?”
“He's already gone, we were running late so I told him to go and we'd follow.”
I nod biting on my lip. Arielle waves her car keys in my face as she gestures to the door and I grab my phone off the bed, the material my dress is made of making it harder to bend over. When I'm sitting up straight, it doesn't feel small but when I picked my phone up just now, it fucking felt like it would tear. I ran my hands over my dress before following Arielle out the door. This dress is definitely a keeper from now on, I feel hot in it.
When we make it to A.C Hearst hotel, my anxiety kicks in. The moment we make it inside the hall, there's some eyes on us. To my left a couple of guys whistle, I'm familiar with three of them but the rest, I had no clue of their existence until now. Arielle stops in her tracks and I follow her lead.
“Hey Luna.” One of them calls out walking to us, his smile widens when he reaches us. “You look amazing Luna.”
Arielle smiles at him, “Mmm, don't I always?”
I take the time to take a good look at the boy, blonde hair, light grey suit with no tie and some black shoes. His eyes are blue, pretty ocean blue eyes and a bright smile, too bright. His smile reminds me of a little broken boy that wants to hurt the world, I bite on the tip of my tongue to prevent me from laughing at the thought. My expression falls when he looks at me and I tense.
“You always do Luna but her. Is she from these parts?”
Arielle laughs, putting her arm around me. “Oh, Camilla, the girl your mom wanted to set you up with last year. Why don't you kids talk for a sec. I'll be over there saying hi to your mother.”
Just like that, she's gone. Leaving me with the worst case of social anxiety.
The boy, whose name I don't know nor do I plan on finding out looks at me with that goddamn trying too hard smile spread across his face. My guess is he has a name to live up to but can't because everyone attached to that name is honestly better than him, or he thinks they are so he goes about trying to fuck that feeling out his chest despite knowing it will never go away he tries nonetheless.
“Looks like you fell from heaven, did it hurt gorgeous?” He asks, his grin widening just when I thought it couldn't be too obvious, he proves me wrong.
I cringe with disgust, at his weak attempt for a pickup line. “Don't waste your time, I'm not from around these parts. I don't play the games you do but I would don't better, piece of advice, you can't fuck seclusion out your system and that smile, tone it down just a tad bit because it doesn't hide anything you feel inside.”
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