Chapter 6

Apple lets out another vibrant laugh when Anastacia tells her one of her most embarrassing moments she’s had with Amadeo. “So, you slapped him?” she asks and bursts into a fit of laughter as the blond nods.

“Don’t laugh! I’m still embarrassed. But he loves me nonetheless.”

“How is he? I mean what type of person is he? Describe him in three sentences.”

“He is Alpha King’s second in command. He-he is amazing and soft, though he always carries this scowl on his face. He knows my background, me being a prostitute and all, but he respects me. He loves me for me.” Apple smiles and her eyes glisten with tears. “It’s Alpha King, isn’t it? You fell in love with him.”

“No- I mean….” Apple cradles her face in her palms and groans. “Is it that obvious?” Anastacia looks at Apple’s mark and gasps as it glows.

“Is that instinctively?” Anastacia asks as she attempts touching the mark. As if sensing Anastacia’s touch, she pulls away. “Oh, I’m sorry. It’s glowing, so I thought I should touch it. Is it instinctively?”

“No. He’s near.” Apple replies and the door opens. “Dari- I mean, Alpha King.” She says, trying to hide her excitement.

‘He remembered,’ she thinks and gets up from her bed.

“Anastacia, you’re dismissed.” Anastacia bows and leaves. Before exiting, she fondly looks at the king and Apple as they faced one another, a foreign tension between the two. “Apple,” Dario says.

“You look… clean.” Dario’s jet-black hair is immaculately gelled and styled backwards. He wore his usual black attire. His eyes, the ones that seductively slides over Apple’s body, are as black as sin. “Too clean,” Apple says and she takes a step forward. She slides her fingers through his soft hair and roughs it up. “I don’t like it. I like rough Dario.”

“I like loud Apple.”

An emotion flickers through Apple’s brown eyes, and she looks down. “I don’t want you to go, Dario.” She wraps her hand around his long, thick forefinger, her eyes catching a glimpse of the tattoo that run from his backhand into his sleeve.

“Hey,” Dario slides his finger under her chin and lifts her head up. “Before you know it, I’ll be back. I’ll write to you. Promise.”

“Please don’t go.” She says as a sob rips through her like a wave that crashes onto the sand.

“Apple,”

“Yes, I know, I’m sorry. I’ve been sad the entire day. And my mark keeps on bleeding.” She says and puts her head on Dario’s chest. “Please be safe, Dario.”

Dario puts his chin on Apple’s head and shuts his eyes. If he didn’t leave now, he would stay here and never let go of her, but he wouldn’t do that. He needed to go, because if he didn’t, he’d do things to Apple that she’d hate him for. She wasn’t ready yet. But he knew if he came back in November, she would be ready for this, for them. “I promise.” He whispers and pecks her head. “I have to go now, my Apple.”

“I lo- be safe.” She whispers instead of saying something she’d regret later. Dario smiles and leaves Apple standing in the middle of her room fiddling with the hem of his shirt. Anastacia skids into the room after Dario leaves.

“Oh, Apple,” she says and hugs Apple who’s shaking. Apple cries into Anastacia’s chest. “You’ll be fine,” Anastacia whispers lovingly. “You’ll be fine.”

.

“You asked me for the book, My Queen.” Cecilia sets the book onto the nightstand. She looks at Apple who stares into space. “Apple,”

Apple looks at Cecilia. “Yes?”

“The book you asked for, My Queen.”

“Oh please, call me Apple. My Queen makes me sound old.”

Cecilia smiles and nods. “Of course. Anyway, as I said, the book you requested, and I brought you a few snacks. Seeing that you’re always hungry.”

Apple giggles, “Thank you, Cecilia.”

“May I go now, My- Apple?” Apple nods and Cecilia leaves without another word. She takes a glance at the thin, pale book.

“Greek mythology.” Apple reads aloud which causes Anastacia to stir.

“It’s too early to be awake, Apple. Go back to sleep.” A groggy voice murmurs sleepily and Apple smiles.

She gets up from her bed and silently exits the room. The lights remain off as Apple silently made her way down the hallway. She stops in front of a door with a silver plate at the top. The name Alpha King is engraved into the plate. Apple opens the door and gasps when she sees a huge harp in the middle of the room.

She mindlessly enters and takes a few long strides towards the beautiful instrument. Apple sits on the chair and slides her fingers over the instrument, a soft sound evaporating beneath her fingers.

Apple shivers when she feels her mark throbbing. She looks around the room and cautiously gets up from the comfortable chair. “Who’s there?” she asks out loud, her voice reverberates through the room. “I will kick and claw you! I know karate!” she says and starts making her way towards the door. As she’s about to exit, she hears a sudden melody coming from the harp. Apple gasps and quickly runs out of the room and down the hallway into her room.

“Where have you been?” Anastacia asks as she sloppily starts brushing her teeth. “I… I was- kind… of-worried.” She says almost incoherently.

“How long was I gone?”

“Three hours.” Apple’s eyes go wide and she paces around the room. “Why? What happened?”

“I-I was wandering around the castle and got a bit lost on my way back.”

“Oh, well that’s normal. That’ll obviously happen until you get used to the feel of the place.” Anastacia disappears into the bathroom and Apple exhales. “I saw the book on Greek Mythology. You interested in finding out about him, ask him. Those books lie about half of the stuff that actually happens.”

“Cecilia said-”

“She gave you that book, right?” Anastacia asks as she exits the bathroom. She’s dressed in black tights and a sweater, her hair pulled up into a bun. “She wants to feed you these lies because she thought she’d be the king’s mate.”

“Oh?” Apple says as she gropes onto the edges of the book that Cecilia gave her. “I never thought-”

“She made him blind. She cursed him.”

“I thought-”

“What? That he was born blind?” Anastacia lets out a dry chuckle. “That tart should’ve died years ago.”

“The king has only been blind for six years. That was when their relationship ended.”

“He told me he’s only been with three women.”

“Yes, Cecilia was the third. She was the last. That is of course until the king saved you, his beautiful, curvy mate. You gave him hope, Apple. And his people know that that is why they respect and honour you.”

“They know?”

“They’re speculating. Alpha said he’ll introduce you to them as soon as he comes back.”

“What if they don’t like me?”

“They will, Apple, you’re their queen, the one they’ve waited for since Alpha stepped up as their king.”

“Teach me,” Apple says and puts the book on the nightstand. “Teach me to be a queen.”

“Okay, but I suggest we first take you through that book.” Apple opens her mouth to protest, but Anastacia shakes her head. “I’ll tell you what you should believe and whatnot.”

“Why don’t you read it for me?”

“Where do we start?”

“The mark,”

Anastacia peers at the table of contents and pages through the book. “Alpha’s have a more powerful mark than the common werewolf. The Alpha’s bite can-” Anastacia clears her throat and shifts on her bed. “-turn you into a werewolf. An Alpha’s bite- I think we should read something else. Anything else. Or, I have a better idea. Ask me something and I’ll tell you everything I know about the king.”

“What does he do for fun?”

“The king’s version of fun differs from your version of fun, Apple.”

“I know, but I mean… or let me rephrase… what is the king’s version of fun?”

“He jumps through burning hoops. He trains, even if he was blind, he would train day and day out. He’s as fast as a car that drives 120 kilometres per hour. He’s the king of wolves, so that’s normal.”

“Has he ever been in love?”

“Yes,” Anastacia sighs. “Her name was Beata, a Latinate saint’s name. Beata was anything but a saint though. She was married and only kept the king’s bed warm because she wanted the throne for her husband. She would poison the king, but he is strong, and for a man of his power and position, poison is childsplay. The king wouldn’t believe Amadeo when he’d say something was off about Beata. He’s always been this headstrong guy who felt the need to protect everyone around him. Or everyone he trusts as a matter of fact.”

“He’s immortal.”

“He’s your mate.”

“How do I love someone like him without feeling like a commoner?”

“You’ve already fallen so hard for him, Apple.”

“I never said so.”

“I see it in your eyes. The emotion that flickers through them. If you’re in love with him, Apple, you shouldn’t be afraid or feel inferior to him. You’re what this kingdom needs.”

“I am not a queen, Anastacia,”

“Yes, you are, Apple. You were made for this.”

“I’m a commoner.”

“I was a prostitute, and now I’m married to the Alpha King’s second in command.”

“I-I-I do-don’t know, Ana,”

“Yes, you do, and stop doubting yourself. You’ll make a great queen, Apple.”

“I look at myself in the mirror with disgust sometimes. I don’t want to feel like this. I need it to end. I need it to stop. This feel… it’s nagging.”

“The people will love you. You have to stop having all these fears, they’ll drown you.”

“How long do I have?”

Anastacia looks at the pale book and slides her finger over the cover. “We’ll wait until he comes back.”

“We don’t have all the time in the world. You said it yourself, the bite of an alpha can turn you.”

“We’ll wait until Alpha King comes back, Apple.”

“A queen carries herself with grace. Though I believe each female is born a queen, some of us were created for the part.” Anastacia circles Apple twice to inspect her body. “Curves should be carried with pride. They are symbols most women wish to carry. One leg up.” Apple obediently lifts her right leg up and tries balancing on the other. She shuts her eyes as the tension uncomfortably rushes through her. “Each woman has curves, some aren’t literal, but figurative. Literal meaning they’re formed when the body expands to accommodate for your baby or you develop them when you’re a teenager.”

“I cannot do this- anymore…” Apple breathes out as if she’s restraint to do so.

“A queen learns to work through her own pain before she starts absorbing the pain of her people. When the kingdom weeps, the queen weeps. When the kingdom is joyful, the queen is joyful. Rest.” Anastacia instructs and Apple falls onto the gravel, her heart beating at an abnormal pace.

“I need water.”

“No,”

“No?”

“Yes, no… a queen considers the necessity of her people, before she attends to her own needs and wants.”

“So, do you want water?”

“Funny, but no… now is not the time for jokes.”

“Okay, geez, I mean I was only trying to help my people.”

“Get up, my queen.” Anastacia says, her face still neutral. “Other leg up.” Apple sighs but still raises her left leg. “A queen values herself and her pride. She doesn’t think low of herself. She respects herself. And the same respect she has for herself, she bestows on her people.”

“When I said teach me to be a queen, I didn’t mean abuse me.”

“A queen never complains if she’s taught to be a better person.”

“That’s bull!” Apple shouts and stumbles forward but is stopped by Anastacia’s forearm.

“A queen never raises her voice, only if it is needed.”

“Well, it was needed.”

“Tell me who you are, Apple. Tell me who Apple Joe is.”

Apple shuts her eyes, “I-I don’t know anymore.”

“Who were you before you came to the castle? Who were you before Alpha King marked you?”

“I was a clumsy, loud commoner who tried seeing the best in people who never saw the best in me. I tried pleasing everyone around me, but they never stopped to think about me and my feelings. I gave my everything to everyone to make them stop commenting on my body. I became ugly. I became what I feared I would.”

“Who are you now, Apple?”

“I am a queen.”