Sun & Moon

Chapter 15 - Astrid

"I'm Astrid."

I stick out a hand to the Omega as we enter the guest room with peach walls and open windows. She reluctantly takes my hand and shakes it once firmly.

"So I heard," she answers. "Nicole."

I walk into the room and peek around the corner at the attached bathroom. Everything looks crisp and clean. The easy swaying of the palm tree outside, for some reason, sinks in the fact that this place might be my new home and the memories of cherry blossoms will soon be replaced by the tropical foliage.

My eyes immediately dart to the phone charger placed neatly on the bedside table, which I plug into my dead phone. My stomach turns in knots in anticipation of what could possibly warrant a good enough excuse for disappearing abruptly.

"Miss Astrid," Nicole speaks up while still standing at the doorway. "Please, freshen up and change into the dress that has been laid out for you on the bed."

I look over to find a light chiffon flowy gown in blush pink with a pair of golden sandals at the bed post. I glance over to Nicole, who is wearing a plain white shirt and cream trousers. Her sandy brown hair is tied back into a neat bun, while her stern blue eyes frame her tanned face.

"It's so fancy," I remark about the dress.

"It was specifically requested by the Alpha's mother." She walks over to the white dressing table above which hangs an oval mirror. "These drawers have been temporarily stocked with makeup and jewellery you may wish to accessorize with. And the closets," she gestures to the large built-in white closet encompassing an entire wall, "shall be filled in as per Alpha Rio's requests."

"Don't worry, I won't be staying long."

"That shall remain to be seen."

Nicole takes her leave. I strip myself of Rio's clothes and jump into the shower, using the lavish little bottles of floral body wash and hair products. The shampoo smells like eucalyptus and tea tree oil, which remind me of Rio. I enjoy the aromatherapy.

I dry myself and my hair as much as possible before doing a simple braid. I don the blush chiffon dress and the golden sandals, take a step back, then view myself in the mirror. This all feels weirdly ceremonial. The harrowing thought that I have to impress Corinthia Xenakis creeps in.

I look for a suitable pair of dangly earrings, a blush lipstick to wear on my lips and spread on my cheeks and a bit of mascara.

A knock on the door alerts me to the time. I hesitate to walk over to my charging phone, but would rather not be distracted during dinner with my hosts. I open the door to find Rio in a silk white shirt and khaki trousers, his black curls wet and pushed back. He smells very comforting right now.

Rio gives me a once over and nods.

"Did my mother pick that dress?"

"Yes."

"It looks good on you."

I snort. "You say that a lot."

"I can't help it," he shrugs. "It's true."

I close the door behind me, looking over at my phone once again, before he escorts me.

"I feel very dressed up," I tell Rio.

"Dinner with my mother can be quite the event."

"Will Kobe and Leon be joining us?"

"No. It will be an intimate setting. My brothers are having dinner with Kobe's friends and I'm sure they are all corrupting little Leon."