Allen sighed and laid his forehead on the cool window, trying to drown out the whispers that filled the cab. The country side was a blur of lush green as they zoomed toward the palace, dark swirls of storm clouds hanging ominously above them. Allen didn't even have anything to do. They'd taken their phones this morning, something they'd agreed to in the hundreds of contracts that they'd signed. However, they'd also taken his pack of cigarettes. His hand twitched at the thought, longing for the familiarity of one between his fingers, smoke curling in his lungs as he inhaled deeply.
"What do you think, Allen?" A voice asked, breaking him of his thoughts. He turned toward the speaker. She was a pretty, asian Beta, with soft brown eyes and jet black hair. All of the people in the group were girls, and none of them seemed to be Alpha. He had been the outcast of the group this entire trip.
"What do I think of what?" He asked, tilting his head as he ran his fingers through his dark red hair. Damn, he really needed a cigarette.
"Of what will happen when we first get to the palace?" Now he understood. She were trying to include him in the conversation.
"I don't know." He tried not to sound too gruff. "Give us a tour of the place?" He figured that'd be cool. He'd always wanted to see the inside of it.
"Hopefully we'll get to meet the King." One of the other girls cut in. They all started chattering excitedly again, and Allen rolled his eyes and turned towards his window.
He did not want to be here. His mother had made him promise to try, and if he got sent home in the first week surely she'd do something cruel as punishment. The idea of trying to woo an Omega though, revolted his entire being. How could he romantically be involved with anyone else? Not after what happened. Perhaps he could just make it through the first few weeks, then get himself sent home. Maybe his mother could settle for that.
The girls left him alone the last hour of the car ride, which suited him just fine. His mood was getting increasingly worse.
When they arrived at the palace, he hardly paid attention to the grandeur of its facade, wanting more than anything to eat a something and take a nap. The plane and car ride had taken its toll on him, not to mention he'd woke up at the crack of dawn to get ready. He was really feeling the jetlag.
Unfortunately, when they were quickly whisked inside, they were taken to a large, ornate room that was parted into sections and filled with people. The Omega who had lead them inside turned toward them as she looked over her clipboard. Then she sent them all to a different stations, and Allen quickly realised it was for makeovers.
He obediently sat down in the chair as a Beta came over and ruffled his deep red locks a bit. "I'll be your hair stylist today Allen. What's your natural hair color?" The man asked.
"Brown." He answered shortly, trying to keep my anger contained. He'd already had enough of this bullshit today.
"Perhaps we should dye it back? The King is more in favor of natural hair colors." The man suggested, meeting Allen's eyes in the mirror in front of them.
"Absolutely not." He shook his head quickly, lips almost coming up into a snarl. "You're not doing anything with my hair."
The hairstylist held his hands up to show he meant no harm. "Okay, that's fine. Let's move on to the next step then."
As it turned out, there wasn't many steps for him. He opted to keep his lip ring in, and refused any makeup or manicures they wanted to put on him for the photos. He was scrubbed down from head to toe in a lemony soap, apparently not trustworthy enough to do a good enough job by himself. Then he was covered in jasmine lotion, the King's favorite scent. At least that's what he was told. After they styled his hair, they gave him a robe and sent him to another stylist. A rack of clothing was set up, all of it in his size (the application had asked for his measurements) and he was given free reign in what he wanted to wear. He ended up in a red button down, the top button undone and sleeves rolled up to his elbows as well as a pair of slacks. Not quite his normal style, but he supposed it could be worse.
After some pictures and a quick interview about how he was feeling, he was taken to a hallway and made to stand by some other people. It seemed that one by one they were being called in, but no was leaving the room. He tapped the shoulder of a guy in front of him.The boy turned around, a nervous gleam flickering in his eyes.
"Yes?" He asked, a smile tugging at his lips, making his cheeks scrunch up into his green eyes. He was a little on the heavier side, with messy brown hair. Somehow, the extra weight seemed to suit him, even if it wasn't exactly the healthiest. By the looks of it he was an Omega, his fangs were small.
"Do you know what's going on?"
The boy shrugged. "I think we might be having another interview? I'm not sure. Allen, right? I'm Robbie." He stuck his small, chubby hand to shake.
"Nice to meet you." He smirked, shaking Robbie's hand. "You're the first one who's actually introduced themselves to me."
"Really?" A slight blush tinted his round cheeks and he giggled. "Maybe it's because you've been glaring at everyone."
Allen's brows furrowed as he frowned deeply. "I haven't been doing that."
This only made the Omega erupt in another set of giggles. "You're glaring at me right now. And I saw you with your stylist, you looked angry."
"Oh." Was all Allen could think of to say. He hated that he fell into the stereotype that Alphas couldn't control their emotions, especially that of anger and possessiveness. He felt as though he should be better than the nature of his rank.
"Well, it looks like I'm next. See you later, Allen." Robbie smiled cheerfully before disappearing behind the heavy wooden door.
After about ten minutes, Allen's ears picked up on a muffled "Come in." from inside the room. An uneasy feeling pooled in the pit of his stomach as he pushed open the door and slipped inside.
The room wasn't large, with a high ceiling and plush, decorated carpet. Four large vases sat in the corners of the room, and on the opposite wall there was a door. The main focal point of the room was two loveseats facing each other, a small coffee table separating them.
Sitting on one of the loveseats was King Scott. He was peering at Allen with bright green eyes, curiosity brimming in them as he looked him over. Without his crown, he looked more normal.
When Allen looked at Scott, though, he was reminded of deep blue hair, half-lidded forest green eyes and sweet whispers between damp sheets. He sucked in a breath, the images crashing over him in a wave.
"Are you all right?" Messy black curls swam across his vision, bringing him back to where he was. Scott was standing in front of him, a look of concern on his delicate features. "Are you feeling faint? Come sit."
A small hand wrapped around Allen's wrist, pulling him over to one of the loveseats. King Scott was smaller in person, standing at least a full foot shorter than Allen. It was nearly comical.
"I'm sorry." Allen mumbled, sitting down a little less than gracefully. He tried to calm his nerves as the King took his seat across from him.
Scott waved his hand dismissively with a shake of his head. "It's fine. Are you okay, though?"
"Yeah, I just wasn't expecting to meet you today." Allen lied with a nod then added, "Uh, your majesty." He didn't want to come off as completely rude.
The King laughed, making Allen's chest tighten with how much he sounded like him. "Just call me Scott. I wanted it to be a bit of a surprise, just to see all of your reactions."
Allen forced a smile in his face. "Gotten any good ones yet?"
"Yeah, a few. The man before you actually kneeled in front of me. He was sweet though." Scott leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand, a smile curling his pretty little lips. "How was your makeover, Allen?"
"Fine. There wasn't much to do." The Alpha shrugged. He didn't want the conversation on him, so he turned it back towards the Omega. "How are you feeling about all of this?"
The King seemed surprised by the question, and he took a few moments to answer it. "Anxious is the best way to describe it. This is a delicate situation. Who I choose will not only be my partner, but will help me rule the Kingdom. And with my rank... whoever I choose will be in the limelight. They'll have to be prepared for every move they make to be ridiculed, for the entire nation trying to get a look in their life... Ah, forgive me, I'm rambling." He smiled apologetically, with a small shake of his head. "Did what I say frighten you?"
Allen shrugged. No, he wasn't scared at the idea of being the King's mate because he was certain he wasn't going to be in that position. "No, it's okay. You must have a lot on your plate though."
"I do, fortunately my advisors-" And suddenly there was a high pitched beeping that could only be from an alarm. Scott pulled his phone out of his blazer pocket and turned the alarm off. "Sorry to cut this short. I have more suitors I must meet. If you'd like to go through that door, someone will show you to your quarters. It was nice to meet you."
Allen stood up, ignoring the small disappointment in his heart as he headed towards the exit. "The pleasure is all mine."
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