Freeing Starr
Chapter 30 ~ A talk with mother

Before I knew what was happening, I was tugged into a large bathroom with two females trailing behind us. Without wasting a breath, Stacia ordered the females to clean me up and despite my weak protests, I ended up in the bathtub anyway, with one of the females, who I deduced to be a maid running a cloth across my skin.

I was beyond awkward and uncomfortable as Stacia hurried around the room, setting up makeup supplies with different dresses hanging off her arm every time she passed by.

I was completely shocked into silence and allowed everything to play out. Lorena had long since excused herself after she realized her mother’s intentions and left me here with the two maids who I learned were named Frae and Talia. According to Stacia, Frae was an expert in makeup, and Talia was a great dress designer, so I was instructed to get familiar with them as she’d appoint them as my personal maids in the future.

I honestly didn’t know what to think. I thought back at when I had first mated Zion and met T’Niah, but it wasn’t the same as now. These two maids were very nice and respectful, and I felt comfortable speaking to them.

After cleaning myself, I was placed into a robe and directed out of the tub and into a chair facing a vanity table with a mirror. I closed my eyes as Frae immediately began working on my makeup.

Talia and Stacia were behind me discussing which dress would look better on me for dinner later today.

As much as being thrust into all of this unnerved me, I was somewhat... calm. It was nice being pampered for once. I’ve never worn makeup before. My father always said my natural face was prettier, and Zion didn’t care either way, so I just never bothered to learn.

After deciding on a dress, Stacia placed it on the side, then came up beside me and placed a hand at the back of my chair. I opened an eye when I felt her presence and met her eyes that stared at me in the mirror. The wolf behind her eyes was staring at me fiercely with its fangs bared threateningly, furs bristling as if ready to pounce at me at any moment.

I blinked in surprise and glanced away as my heart trembled. What was that?

“Alright, girls, I think I can handle the rest. You’re excused.”

Frae and Talia bowed in response, then immediately left, causing me to tense up. It’s not like I could hit my mate’s mother if she chose to attack me.

I watched with cautious eyes as she took up a brush and grabbed a hold of my face, turning it to face her. She stared intently and began fixing my eyeshadow. I closed my eyes.

She worked in silence for a few minutes while I nervously waited, my mouth refusing to open and strike up a conversation. What I saw in her eyes not only confused but it scared me.

“You were mated before my son,” her voice broke the silence.

My eyes snapped open in surprise, and I met her cold gaze while stuttering, “H-how do-”

Her eyes shifted to Leon’s mark, “The wound from your former mark hasn’t completely healed yet. I can still notice it despite my son’s replacement.”

“Oh...” was all I could say.

“Did you reject your mate after replaceing out my son was the king? What? Did becoming queen tempt you more than the bond you had already established?”

I flinched at the displeasure that coated her tone and sighed. It’s not like I wasn’t expecting this. Leon did say that the royal family treasured soulmates. It was embarrassing for them to get someone who chose a choice mate before even meeting her fated one.

“It’s not like that,” I muttered, “I was ready to take responsibility and reject him, but he convinced me otherwise.”

“Why? I know my son. He doesn’t take sloppy seconds, no matter who you are.”

I smiled bitterly, “It’s a long story.”

She raised an eyebrow, “Makeup takes time.”

With that said, I didn’t hesitate to share my story and what led me to meet Leon. Surprisingly, Stacia listened attentively and never once cut me off. The threat I saw in her eyes slowly disappeared, and in its stead, her wolf simply sat there looking troubled.

As my story came to an end, silence rained down in the room, and I pursed my lips anxiously as I waited for her reply. She took my hair out of the messy bun it was in and began running a comb through my tough curls.

I met her eyes through the mirror, and a frown tugged down her lips, “I’m going to be honest with you, Starr. I don’t like you.”

I nodded, “I understand. I know how much the royal family treasures soulmates.”

She shook her head, “No, it’s not about your past and the fact that you mated with someone else. You didn’t have a choice then. I understand that. It’s about my son. I’m a mother and I can’t help but wish the very best for my children, but you’re broken Starr and I don’t want to see my son offer his love to someone who can’t offer the same because of her traumatic past. I don’t want to see my son hurt.”

I lowered my head in shame. I understood where she was coming from. I was fragile. I knew I was. All the shit that has happened to me, the distrust I felt, and the wariness every time I was around Leon. This wasn’t how it’s supposed to be, and I didn’t want to see Leon hurt either, but how do I stop that from happening when I couldn’t stop myself from getting hurt?

“I know what you mean. I’m afraid to love because I know that emotional pain is worse than physical. I was taught this when living with my father, confirmed it when I was with Zion, and now I’m reluctant to open my heart to another man.” I lifted my head and stared at her through the mirror, my eyes alight with determination, “however, I want to try. I know it’s gonna be hard for the both of us, but I want this to work. I’ve always wanted to meet my soulmate, even after everything that’s happened to me. I still thought of him, wondering what he’d be like and how happy we’d be together. This is my chance to replace out. I know I’m not worthy of your son. I’m dirty... but he accepted me anyway, so I will not disappoint. I will be a great asset not just to him but this entire kingdom as well. This is my promise as his mate and your future daughter.”

Stacia sighed and turned her head away, muttering, “Well, if you put it that way, what else can I say to protest as a bitter mother about to give away her son?”

I smiled and refrained from giggling at her aggrieved expression. I knew that she was trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere, and I appreciated her for it.

“Alright, you’ve convinced me. You seem like a sweet enough girl, so our family is happy to welcome you. Let’s get you dressed. If we take any longer, Leon might burst in here demanding I apologize for whatever I was doing to you. Like I’d listen to him.”

“Can you tell me more about him?” I asked curiously.

Stacia grinned and winked at me, “Of course not. This is your opportunity to explore my son both inside and out. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.”

My mouth fell open in surprise.

“Mom, that’s disgusting. No one says that about their own son,” Lorena entered the room with her nose wrinkled in disgust.

Stacia waved a dismissive hand, “Oh please. I carried him for nine months and pushed him out of my vagina. I watched him grow from a lil mushroom to a big one. I’m just preparing her. When I mated with your father, I was immobile fo-”

Lorena placed a hand up to stop her mother’s rambling, “Again, ew. Please stop.” Then she turned her attention to me, “so, you’ve had a talk with mother, and there are no bruises. I assume the talk went well?”

I nodded and smiled, “to be honest, I thought she was going to attack me at first.”

Lorena waved her hand dismissively, “Don’t take it to heart. Mother is very protective of her children. It’s to the point where it’s suffocating.”

Stacia glared at Lorena, “Don’t dismiss my love. I’m just looking out for you guys. Especially you. Don’t forget that guard I caught you flirting with last week.”

“He was cute!”

“He’s not your mate.”

“I know that! I’m not trying to mate the guy.”

“But he’s trying to mate you. You underestimate the value of being within the royal family. He can entice you into forgetting about your soulmate!”

“Mom, that would never happen.”

Stacia huffed, “Not while I’m here. That’s for sure.”

Lorena rolled her eyes, “anyways, I came to give Starr a tour of the castle. I thought she’d be ready by now.”

“Oh right,” Stacia clapped her hands and turned her sparkling eyes to me, “Let’s get you in your dress, love. We’re about to turn you into a queen.”

And that she did.

As I stared into the mirror at the woman who looked back at me, my heart was moved, and I couldn’t believe that I could look so pretty. I was dressed in a dark red gown that hugged my figure perfectly. The dress had a heart neckline that showed a bit of cleavage but not too much. It was pretty yet modest, and I loved it. After hearing that I wasn’t familiar with wearing high heels, Stacia made sure to accommodate me by giving me a pair of thick four inch heels that weren’t so bad to my surprise.

I felt incredibly expensive with the gold jewelry that hung off my neck and ears, and I was secretly praying that I didn’t accidentally destroy any of it. Goddess knew I didn’t even have a dime on me right now. I had long since thrown out the credit card that I had gotten from Zion.

My makeup was beautiful. It was light, enhancing my natural features perfectly with a touch of red paint on my lips that had me drowning in the thought of acting like a seductress. Not that I’d ever do that...

“Thank you,” I muttered to Stacia as I continued to stare at my reflection.

She came up next to me with a smile and patted my shoulder, “Don’t thank me. It only gets better from here. Welcome to the life of royalty. Now, let’s go show you around. Rena.”

Lorena hooked our arms and showed me around the castle while Stacia left to get dinner sorted out. She showed me the floor I’d be staying on, and yes, I was given an entire floor for just me, and it was amazing. Everything was so nicely decorated and in tune with nature. The wooden furniture and perfect blend of colors had me hooked.

Lorena told me everything there was to know about the castle and who was responsible for what. I took in everything seriously, committing it to memory whether it was an important detail or not.

The castle was large, and we walked for hours until finally, dinner was ready. Lorena led me to the dining hall while explaining, “we have a large family, but we only come together on special occasions. I’m assuming this is a special occasion, so you should prepare to enter that room and get bombarded with stares and questions.”

I nodded in understanding, “How many people should I expect exactly?”

“Well, there’s me, mother, father, Leon, my three uncles, their mates and children. My youngest aunt and her mate. They just recently got a baby girl, so they might not make it. Our younger brother and our grandparents aren’t in the Kingdom right now but we should expect them for the wedding. Then there’s my great aunt and her kids. It’s a lot.”

I blinked, “I see.”

Lorena chuckled, “You’ll be fine. Deep breaths and don’t be afraid to defend yourself.”

I nodded absentmindedly as I was tugged into the dining hall that was already occupied with people.

Leon was already there, and he looked up as soon as I came through the door, flashing me a smile and gesturing for me to come to him.

Lorena leaned in and whispered, “Good luck,” then left to go replace her seat.

Luck? I had the worst luck in the world.