The Alpha King's Princess
The Alpha King’s Princess – Chapter 20

Most of the day was filled with gossip about Linda leaving. It seemed there was almost no one in any grade-level who wasn’t glad that she was gone.

“She was the meanest girl I’ve ever met.”

“A total disgrace to the word nobility.”

“She was so arrogant though she wasn’t that pretty and her family just isn’t that important. I mean, it’s not like she’s the Alpha King’s niece or something.”

I shook my head as the gossip continued to roll around the school. The school forum was filled with it. People were planning parties in the dorms to celebrate her being gone. Claire laughed.

“Well, I can’t say she made dorm life easy either,” Claire said. “She would get her little followers to block off the communal bathroom and use all the hot water… And when she wasn’t doing that, she tended to bring her favorites in to have s*x in the showers.”

My eyes widened at her. “In… the shower?”

Claire rolled her eyes. “Obnoxiously loud. You couldn’t even wash your hair in peace and—”

She stopped, and her eyes narrowed on me. She smirked and leaned forward.

“Interested in some details for a reason?” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Your birthday is around the corner…”

My face heated as I thought back to the dream I’d had.

“Well, you should look into—”

“Stop!” I cried, throwing my hands up. “Please. That’s enough.”

Claire chuckled, “Fine. I’ll let it go. Have you decided on a sport yet? The rugby tournament is coming up.”

I considered it. There were eight Noble Academy campuses spread across the territories: one in the Full Moon Pack’s capital, one in the Red Moon Pack’s capital, one in the New Moon Pack’s capital, and the other five were spread out to be central to all the other territories. The Full Moon campus was considered the best of all eight in most things. The one thing the campus fell short in was the rugby tournament.

Every year, the eight campuses held an elimination-style rugby tournament. The Full Moon campus had never won. I think two years ago it had managed to get to the second round of elimination, but it had never gone farther than that. The team was chosen via tryouts every year. While it was rare that anyone who had not been on the team before made it through tryouts, it could happen.

“Being on the team is pretty high profile,” I said with a grin. “When are tryouts?”

“This afternoon,” Claire said. “I was planning to try out too.”

I eyed her and smirked, wondering why.

Francium didn’t play rugby. He didn’t play sports at all, but he was on the sports organization committee which tended to rotate its people through the sports teams. Was he set to help manage the rugby team this year?

“Well, then we’ll have to be sure to do our best on the field, hm?”

Claire beamed and nodded.

Classes seemed to pass in a blur until it was time to get to tryouts. They were judged based on speed, strength, agility, and accuracy of throwing. I couldn’t have imagined being able to do it all well before I had gotten stronger, but now that I was stronger, it was easy.

Claire cheered as I finished the last running test and we went to go get cleaned up and dressed.

As we exited the locker room, one of the rugby team administrators came up to us and handed us each a document. Claire frowned down at her page as I looked down at me.

Rejected.

“Wait a second,” I called to the administrator. “Why was I rejected? We just finished the tryouts.”

They hadn’t had the time to evaluate us.

“Your size,” she said. “We don’t have uniforms to fit you.”

I heard Claire ask her something, but I couldn’t make sense of it as those words rattled around in my head.

It had been the first time that my weight had ever stopped me from doing something. I thought of Moon Shadow, my plans, Candido, Full Moon and everyone who were watching the border waiting for the vampires to make their move.

I was going to fail them all because I was overweight.

I returned to the estate and hours later, at least two hours after dinner had been served, a knock sounded on my door. My jaw trembled as I glared down at my homework. I had been pushing through all my homework since I got back. My stomach growled, but I ignored it.

“Hedy?” Candido’s voice came from behind me. His hand fell on my shoulder. “You weren’t at dinner. What’s going on? Are you sick?”

The scent of his cologne drifted into my nose. I turned to look up at him. He was in most of a tuxedo. I remembered Allen said he’d gone to some dinner party tonight.

My jaw trembled and my eyes glossed over as I looked up at him. Candido reached for my head and pulled the hood down, stroking my hair.

“What’s happened?” He asked.

I sniffled, unable to express what it was. I couldn’t tell him everything. I couldn’t even tell him half of it, but the tears were coming, and if I didn’t say something, he was going to take me into his arms, cradle me like every time I’d cried, and I’d crack.

I had to say something.

“I’m fat,” I choked out. His eyes widened. I had never seen such a look of surprise on his face.

It was the safest thing to say. It wasn’t even something I cared about all by itself, but it was in the way of so many things.

“Hedy,” Candido said gently. “What happened?”

I shook my head. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

He cupped my cheek and lifted my head until our gazes met. “Since when does my little girl not talk to me when she has a problem?”

“When it’s not one you can solve!” I said, getting to my feet and turning from him. He grabbed me and pulled me back into his arms. I couldn’t fight him.

I melted into his warmth and sobbed tears I couldn’t even explain.

“Is this about the rugby team?” Candido asked. I sniffled but nodded. “My little girl worries about the silliest things.”

Claire cheered as I finished the last running test and we went to go get cleaned up and dressed.

I clenched my hand in his suit jacket. The need to tell him the truth, all of it, and why this was so important burned in my chest.

“A hunger strike?” Candido asked. “To think you wanted to live at the dorm. You’d starve yourself to death, and I would have to kill the entire academy.”

I shuddered as he pulled back and pressed a k**s to my forehead.

“The Moon Goddess has never made a prettier pup than you,” he said with a little chuckle. “And she never will.”

“You’re just being nice,” I said, trying to calm my racing heart. He sounded so sincere, tender, and loving. It was rare that he took that tone with me, but every time he did, it made my heart race and my stomach flutter. “Sibyl’s a hundred times prettier than me.”

“No, she’s not,” he said. “And you know I am never just nice.”

“You are to me.”

He smiled and nodded. “To you, but not now. I thought you trusted me.”

I nodded, my tension fading away. I trusted Candido with everything in me.

“Only the young and naive care about what people who don’t care about you think.” Candido said gently.

I huffed. “I’m not naïve.”

“Then do not waste your time worrying about silly things like those who do not care for you and things that are easily changed.”

I blinked up at him. I knew he was thinking that I really cared about my weight, but I couldn’t help but smile. I nodded slowly.

“Your health is what is important,” Candido said, taking my hand and leading me to the door. “And healthy little girls need to eat dinner before their stomachs stage a revolt.”

“That’s not—” My stomach roared. My face burned with embarrassment as his lips lifted into a sexy smirk.

“Come on.”

He led me downstairs to the kitchen, made me a plate, heated it, and set it in front of me.

“If you want to get onto the rugby team,” Candido said. “I’ll train you.”

My eyes widened. “But you’re so busy.”

“You are always welcome to my time.”

I smiled at him and put a mouthful of sweet potatoes in my mouth.

“Thanks, Candido.”

The next day at school seemed to pass in a blur. I was calmer, though. Candido was right. I had never tried to lose weight before because it wasn’t in the way of anything I wanted to do, but now it was.

So now, I would. As I finished my last class for the day, Allen greeted me outside the door.

“Miss Hedy, if you’ll come with me.”

I followed him to the car. He showed me to a changing room at a large, open field and gave me workout clothes. When I walked out, I could barely breathe.

Candido was there in a sleeveless shirt, shorts, and tennis shoes. He looked younger than usual in his workout clothes and grinned at me.

He offered me his hand. “Shall we?”