The Alpha’s Arranged Bride

LAVENDER’S POV

I smiled as Caramel placed a kiss on my forehead before walking away. My gaze remained on his back as he walked away, unable to keep the smile off my face. This man was always so lovely. Mary cleared her throat, which made me take my attention off him and to her.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized quickly. Mary smiled, then shook her head with a wave of her hand. “It’s okay. I understand,” she said.

“So, what do we start with today?” I inquired.

I wanted to learn very fast and very well, so I could impress Caramel. I knew he would be proud of me either way, but I still wanted to put in the effort to make him happy. I didn’t have many options to please him, but I was determined to make the most of the opportunities I had.

I did not want him to be the only one making more effort to sustain our relationship and trying to make me feel better. I would not let that happen. I wanted to make him proud, and by mastering everything I needed to learn, I could prove that I was truly ready to be his Luna.

“We will start with the basics, curtsy,” she said. “Can I see?” she added.

I smiled and held the side of my dress with the tip of my fingers, bending my knees with most of my weight going to the top part of my feet and my head lowered slightly. I smiled after doing that because even though I was not perfect when I began greeting that way; I became perfect after having to greet numerous people a lot.

Mary nodded in approval. “That’s good. Our next lesson will be dancing. Follow me, please,” she said and began walking.

“Here in the pack, we have two dances that are popular and mostly used in ceremonies. One is the usual couple dance, which you would be knowledgeable about, because it’s mostly done in the human world. The second is divided into two. It is a dance known by pack members and embraced. You can say it is something of our culture. One version can be performed by anyone, single or paired, while the other is mostly done by a couple. A royal couple, to be precise, at least first before any other person,” she explained, then glanced at me.

“You and Alpha Caramel will be expected to perform that after your coronation as Luna of the pack,” she added, then pushed open a door to reveal a large room.

I have been in the mansion for months now and yet, I did not know we had a room like this. It was an open room, and I could tell it was a hall used for ceremonies and parties. “This will be perfect for us to use,” I heard Mary say beside me.

“So I’ll play the music and I’ll dance. Pay close attention to each step I take, but don’t push it too much, as a wrong move could dislocate a bone.” My eyes widened at her words.

What steps were they that could cause someone to dislocate a bone? I was confident that it was not going to be hard, but now I was having doubts. I did not say anything to Mary, though. She pressed the recorder, and a nice tone came through the speakers.

Mary moved with her arms in mid-air as though she was holding someone. It took her ten minutes to get to the end. She walked over to the recorder and stopped it from playing. “I’ll teach you, but without the music. I wanted to make sure you see and know what we are aiming for,” she explained, and I nodded.

She made me place my hand on both sides of her back, and then told me the steps to take. It was only when I began that I understood why she made that statement. The steps looked simple, but they were complicated. From moving back with a step, spinning, and then taking another three steps to the side, it could for sure lead to someone falling flat on their face, possibly breaking a nose.

My only savior was Mary. If not, I would have been in the hospital from the moment we began. Dancing wasn’t my strongest skill, but I could usually manage it, even if it wasn’t perfect. However, with this particular dance, I was awful. I’m still amazed at how quickly I managed to pick it up.

Caramel was going to introduce me to the council soon, and I would not want to be found lacking in this area when that time came. I had no idea what they might ask of me or what they would expect from me. Even after an hour, it felt like my legs were not working properly. I was only able to get just one step, and that was it.

I sighed after we officially clocked three hours trying to get me to recreate the other steps. “It’s okay. You’ll get it, eventually. You don’t have to rush it. It is like that for anyone who is only learning it now,” she explained.

I knew she was trying to make me feel better, but I needed to learn fast. How was I going to impress everyone if I did not? “Let’s continue. I’ll get it this time,” I said, and Mary smiled but shook her head.

“I think we should end it here for today and continue tomorrow,” she said.

I sighed in defeat. I was breathless too, and I knew I needed to rest. A knock came at the door a minute later, and a guard walked in. He bowed. “Alpha Caramel requests your presence,” he informed me, and I left immediately.

He was in his study, and once I walked in, he gestured for me to come closer. He took my hand and placed a kiss on the back of my palm. “You asked for me?” I said with a smile.

“Yes, your parents just crossed the border.”