Chapter 400

I sigh, shifting my weight to my other foot, turning my face away from my reflection in the mirror. I’m sick of staring at it, even if this gown that they’ve created for the mating ceremony is incredible, all flowing blue silk embroidered with silver, flowing about ten feet behind me in an elaborate train.

“I’m sorry,” Pippa murmurs, looking up at me with two pins pressed between her lips as she works steadfastly at the hem at the front of my dress, getting it to just the perfect length. She takes the pins out of her mouth hand hastily makes two more folds. “I know you’ve been standing there for hours, Ariel, but this really is the last bit.”

I smile down at her and shake my head, because it’s not her fault. “Honestly it’s much harder on you, Pip,” I say, reaching down to pat her head, which makes her laugh. “Trying to crouch down for hours while pregnant like that. Honestly, you should win a medal for balancing on the balls of your feet.”

Pippa laugh a little and shakes her head. “Won’t be long now anyway – Little Girl is getting uncomfortable. I’m sure she’ll make her presence known soon.”

“Do you have names picked out?”

“Oh, it will be Margaret, for Elias’s mother,” Pippa says with a bit of a sigh. “Not really any choice in that.”

“Really?” I ask, unable to help the bit of displeasure that comes into my voice.

Pippa tugs at the finished hem of my gown, checking its final length before looking up at me. “If a daughter comes before a son, she’s always named after the paternal grandmother in Atalaxia,” Pippa says, as if it’s just a perfectly normal thing everyone knows. “As an apology to her for not producing a boy for her son. I’m guessing it’s…not the same in Moon Valley?”

“No,” I say softly, shaking my head at her. “I could name my first daughter Fizzgig Wellybottom if I wanted to.”

Pippa stares at me with wide, shocked eyes for a second and then bursts into laughter when she figures out that I’m kidding. She pulls herself to her feet with a little groan and waves to me to step forward off the little tailor’s step riser I had been standing on. I begin to walk back and forth so she can see how the dress moves.

“Really, Pippa,” I say quietly as she curls a finger around her chin and observes me. “Do you wish the bay was a boy?”

“No,” she murmurs quietly, shaking her head, her concentration on me. “Because then he’d be a prince and all wrapped up in the politics of this world. A daughter – she will be all mine, at least until she’s married. Elias feels the same.” Pippa’s eyes flash up to me then, her hand falling anxiously to her side. “But…please keep that between us. It is a Prince’s consort’s duty to provide baby Princes for the court. It would be a great honor.”

I nod to my friend, a bit sadly, letting her know that the secret is safe with me. But overall I understand – honestly, it doesn’t seem like a great deal to be born a boy or a girl royal in Atalaxia. The fate seems equally dark for both.

I groan a little myself, pressing a hand to my lower back as a tell-tale cramp starts there – a monthly little hint from the Moon Goddess that I’d better prepare myself.

“Are you okay?” Pippa asks, turning her head towards me, curious.

“Yes,” I sigh, nodding to her. “Nothing new. But…” I look towards the bathroom. “Am I stocked in there? With…monthly products?” Somehow I know that calling them “period products” is going to make Pippa blush.

Pippa’s silence makes me turn back to her, and I go still when I see that she’s gaping at me, her complexion pale.

“Pippa, are you all right?” I ask, all in a rush, stepping towards her.

She shakes herself a little, coming out of her shock. “I’m fine. But you’re…your bleeding has begun?”

“No?” I say, turning my head to consider her, wondering at this reaction that feels bizarre to me. “But I can feel my cramps starting – it’s on its way.”

“Oh no,” Pippa murmurs, shaking her head fervently and raising her fingers to her lips. “Oh, no no no. Oh, no, Ariel – the doctors guessed wrong – you weren’t supposed to cycle until next week –“

“T-the doctors?” I stumble out with, frowning at her. “Pippa, what are you –“

But a loud knock comes at the door – the impatient pounding letting me know that it’s very likely my horrible mate. I take a deep breath, preparing to shift to the other world, but Pippa gasps and puts a hand out on my arm.

“Oh please don’t, Ariel, not in that dress –“

I groan a bit as the pounding continues.

“Everything you bring there just gets so filthy,” she whispers, her anxiety increasing as she steps towards the door, “please, it’s so beautiful, and it will be such work to get clean –“

I sigh and nod to her, letting her know that I’ll stay. And with her in the room, Gabriel isn’t likely to attack me. At least, I hope. When Pippa pulls open the door, I let out a sigh of relief to see that Elias is with him too, which means I’m safe.

Elias – he has been my protector this past week. The only one who can truly keep Gabriel in check.

“Mate,” Gabriel snarls, waving his hand at me the moment he comes into his room, the blue magical manacles immediately encircling my wrists. “Don’t even think about going anywhere.”

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. “Of course, mate,” I say in reply, putting on my Princess Cupcake persona. “I have no desire to leave your esteemed company anyway.”

Gabriel just glares at me as Elias follows him into the room and shuts the door, because all four of us know it’s a lie. I go to the Land of Darkness whenever I can rather than spend time with him. Unfortunately, Gabriel has learned my trick and gotten quite fast at slapping these magic-canceling cuffs on me the moment he walks into a room so that I can’t use my Dark magic as well as my Goddess gifts.

Fortunately for me, he has to be in the room to make his magic work. So the moment he’s gone, I usually shift away to go hang out in my little encaged nest of blankets and pillows in the Land of Darkness until he comes and shouts at me to come back to Atalaxia.

“Oh Elias,” Pippa murmurs, going immediately to her Alpha and wrapping her hands around his arm, looking up into his eyes. “It’s all gone wrong –“

“What’s gone wrong?” He asks, frowning down into her face as Gabriel storms over to me.

“Ariel must begin her confinement – there’s no way we’ll be able to do a wedding tomorrow –“

“What?” I burst out, entirely shocked as I put the pieces together. I need to be confined? Because I’m about to start my period? Rage sweeps through me at the rules of this ridiculous place.

But there’s no time for that as my mate storms over to me.

“Not like it matters,” he growls, snarling down into my face. “Considering that her people have interrupted everything anyway. What part did you have in this!?” He grabs my arm, yanking me closer to him.

I resist, hard, the urge to snarl back, canines enlongated, and pull my hand from his arm. Instead, I force myself to be meek, to stumble and cry out, pretending that he hurt me.

“Gabriel!” Elias barks out, storming over to us. “For heaven’s sake, you ass, do I have to repeat our mother’s lessons about keeping our hands to ourselves!?” He smacks hard at Gabriel’s arm. Gabriel snarls but drops his hand, freeing me.

I make a little display of giving a mewing little gasp and rubbing my arm where he gripped me, which makes Pippa squeak with concern and Gabriel narrow his eyes. He knows he didn’t hurt me.

But that doesn’t mean I can’t rub it in.

“I didn’t do anything,” I murmur, looking down at my arm, sniffing a little for effect. “I was just trying to get ready for my wedding, like a good Atalaxian Luna –“

“Oh cut it, Ariel,” Gabriel snarls, taking a step towards me. “You only stopped wallowing in the dirt this morning because I threatened to kick you if you didn’t come back and let Pippa fit the gown for the mating ceremony.”

“Yes,” I say, whipping my head up to glare at him, “and maybe if you’d stop threatening to kick me so often then maybe I’d be comfortable coming to stay in this world!”

Gabriel opens his mouth to shout something else at me, but Elias steps between us. “Enough,” he says, exhausted, shaking his head. “None of it matters anymore. And Pippa, honestly, the timing for Ariel’s confinement actually works out well, because the Ceremony is being postponed.”

I turn to Gabriel in shock because…wait, what!?