Claimed By The King(s) Of Kings

AINA

Molly turned around, holding the suit up toward Aina with a triumphant grin. "And look what else! I found the perfect outfit for you, Travis!" Aina looked from the jaw-dropping dress Cleo was wearing to the sharp, tailored suit in Molly’s hands.

"Honestly," Aina said, forcing a chuckle as she stood up from the sofa, "if that suit looks even half as good on me as that dress looks on you... I could wear it straight into my casket."

Molly clapped her hands together in sheer excitement, grabbing the hanger and practically shoving Aina into the empty corner changing room. "Go, go, go! Try it on!"

Aina pulled the heavy velvet curtain closed behind her, locking out the bright lights of the parlor. She turned around to face the rack, her eyes sweeping over the tailored black suit.

Her smile immediately vanished.

Are you kidding me? she thought, lifting the shoulders of the jacket off the hanger. This thing is huge! Even at a glance, the suit’s shoulders were far too broad, the chest overly wide.

Where on earth is the diversity when it comes to Alpha clothing? Aina groaned inwardly, holding the jacket up against herself. Do these designers think every single Alpha male is built like a brick wall? There have to be little guys in this world! It’s insane that all Alpha clothes are made for giants.

She sighed, resigning herself to her fate. But as she turned the jacket around to unbutton it, a metallic sheen caught her eye. Hanging from the inner lining was a solid, gilded price tag stamped with heavy block lettering:

PRICE: 100 GOLD COINS

Aina froze. Her breath hitched in her throat, and her hands began to tremble violently. One hundred... gold coins?! Her mind reeled in absolute horror. For a suit?! What is this thing made out of? Pure siren scale? Gold itself?! This isn’t even custom-made!

One hundred gold coins could buy an entire merchant ship. It could feed a small village for half a decade. She was literally holding a small fortune in her shaking, mortal hands.

"Everything going well in there, Travis?" Molly’s sweet voice called out from the other side of the velvet curtain. Aina swallowed hard, her voice squeaking slightly before she flattened it back down. "Uh—yeah! Perfectly well! Just... getting dressed!" A sudden, horrifying realization struck her like a bucket of ice water.

If this off-the-rack suit costs a hundred gold coins... how much does the dress Cleo and Delilah are wearing cost? How much does Molly’s outfit cost?!

Aina felt faint. Their wardrobes cost more than my entire mortal existence.

Shaking off the financial existential dread, she reluctantly pulled off her oversized sweater and slipped into the suit. She pulled the trousers up, cinching her belt to the absolute tightest notch to keep them from sliding down her hips, and slipped her arms through the heavy silk sleeves of the jacket.

She stepped in front of the full-length mirror and sighed.

The suit was, predictably, a bit too big. The shoulders extended an inch past her natural frame, and the sleeves rested slightly past her wrists. Yet, as Aina smoothed down the front of the lapels and adjusted her short, messy hairstyle in the glass, she paused.

Her delicate, sharp jawline, high cheekbones, and striking eyes somehow balanced out the broad cut of the jacket. The oversized fit didn’t look sloppy, it looked effortless. Cool. Daring. Aina tilted her head, a slow, confident smirk spreading across her face.

Damn, she thought, winking at her reflection. I’m actually hot.

"Travis? Are you ready yet?" Molly called out again, tapping her nails against the curtainframe. "We want to see!"

"Coming!" Aina called back. She took a deep breath, throwing back the velvet curtain and stepping out into the brightly lit parlor.

The chatter in the room instantly died.

Delilah, who was in the middle of taking a sip of nectar, nearly choked. Beatrice’s eyes widened, and Cleo let out a low whistle, crossing her arms as she looked Aina up and down. "Damn, you’re hot," Beatrice blurted out without an ounce of filter. "I honestly didn’t think you could get hotter."

The three girls—Delilah, Cleo, and Beatrice—immediately huddled together, whispering loudly amongst themselves as if Aina weren’t standing right in front of them.

"No, seriously, there’s something about him," Delilah whispered, leaning in. "Like... yes, he has this little hotness to him, if you know what I’m saying?"

"It’s a gentle type of hotness," Cleo agreed, inspecting Aina’s face thoughtfully. "His features are so soft and gentle for a guy. It’s strangely charming." Aina stood frozen in the middle of the room, feeling a burning heat rise rapidly up the back of her neck. I can’t believe they’re talking about me like I’m not even here, she thought frantically, praying her blush wasn’t visible under the dim parlor lights.

Molly stepped forward, her eyes glowing with pride as she rested a hand on Aina’s shoulder. "You look wonderful, Travis."

"Thank you," Aina said quickly, offering a tight smile. "And thank you for picking out the suit, Molly. It... fits surprisingly well."

Beatrice suddenly stepped closer, tilting her head as she sniffed the air around Aina’s neck. "Hey, Travis... I’ve always wanted to ask you something."

Aina’s posture stiffened. "What is it?"

"Why don’t I ever pick up your scent?" Beatrice asked, raising an eyebrow. "You’re always wearing that heavy, scent-blocking cream. Isn’t that terrible for your skin?" Panic flared in Aina’s chest, but she forced her face to remain completely deadpan. She made up a lie on the fly, offering a subtle, dark nod.

"My scent is just... extremely dominant," Aina lied smoothly, deepening her voice slightly. "My Alpha scent is so heavy that if I don’t block it, it makes other people uncomfortable. I just prefer to keep it hidden to avoid causing a scene."

Silence stretched across the room. Delilah was the first one to break it, her mouth hanging open in complete shock. "Wait... you’re an Alpha?"

Aina blinked, realizing she had walked right into a trap of her own making, but she committed to the lie. "Yeah. I’m an Alpha."

Cleo let out a loud, incredulous laugh, coming over to pat Aina’s shoulder. "How are you an Alpha?! You’re way too small to be an Alpha! You’re so tiny! I honestly always thought you were a Beta... or a Delta, though even that was pushing it!"

Aina squared her shoulders, puffing out her chest despite the oversized jacket. "Nope. I’m an Alpha. Just a small one." Molly frowned slightly, stepping closer as she inspected Aina’s face with newfound curiosity. "What family did you say you were from again?"

Aina’s heart did a violent flip inside her chest. Why does she want to know? Did I say something wrong?!

Nervously, Aina rubbed her hands together, keeping her eyes fixed on the floor. "I’m... from the Whitelock family."

Molly tilted her head, her brow furrowing as she mumbled under her breath. "Whitelock... Now that I think about it, I appear to have heard that surname somewhere before. I just... can’t quite place where." Aina’s throat went dry. She forced a quick, light laugh, waving a dismissive hand. "Oh! Well, Whitelock is a very common surname where I’m from!. You’ve probably just heard it in passing!"

Molly tapped her chin thoughtfully for a second before her face cleared, breaking into a sweet smile. "Well, that’s true. Maybe I’m just overthinking it!"

Aina let out a long, silent breath, closing her eyes for a brief second as she sent a frantic prayer to the sky.

Goddess above... please let this surname thing never, ever come up again.

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