Chapter Six: Magical

Zira’s POV

The moment our lips met, it felt like fireworks exploded within me. I had read it so many times. And felt it had to be a lie. My first kiss with Killian had been okay. And yet, the real world was nothing close to what the novels made it out to be.

But with Ronan? It was my fairytale coming awake, and I didn’t hesitate to grant him entrance into my mouth.

He tasted like everything one could call perfect! There was a splash of tequila and a minty-sweet flavor combination.

There was also some third taste that I couldn’t figure out as the loud chiming of a bell blared through every building and broke the moment with how loud it was. It was either just outside this door or high up somewhere to get to the palace.

Ronan pulled away, and his hands moved down to my arms as he tried to catch his breath.

I was no better off. But with him holding me, at the very least, my legs that felt like jelly didn’t win the battle of having me flat on the floor.

“I...I have to go. That bell signifies that it’s time for the coronation, and I need to be dressed,” he explained hastily, and my heart thumped as I remembered.

Shit! I also needed to get dressed. I nodded quickly, letting him know I understood how urgent it was.

He pulled me in one more time and pressed his lips to my forehead for more than a minute. I didn’t want him to leave, but this was important, so I nudged him a little, “Ronan… you have to go.” He sighed and then pulled away, removing his hands from my arms to cup my face.

“I’ll have my Beta come here to pick you up when it’s time; it’s impossible for you to know the way by yourself,”

I nodded at his every word. Wishing I could just make him forget about me and rush to get ready.

“Do you need anything?” He asked, glancing at my small bag, and I felt like I could read his mind. It was probably impossible for him to imagine I would have everything I needed in that bag.

“I don’t; I already packed for the coronation,” I told him, hoping my eyes had enough confidence to allow him to go without any worries.

“Okay then, Miles will be here anytime soon. Just tell him if you need anything,” he said and then dashed out of the room with one final kiss on my lips.

The moment the saloon’s door closes, I slump down on the nearest chair and run my hands through the lengthy curls I had just let down.

The last hour had been the wildest time of my life, and for a moment, I felt like it was a dream I was only waking up from now.

I pinched myself twice to be sure it was all real and then swirled the chair to look at the bag Ronan had placed on the shelf.

“Yes, it certainly has to be real,” I murmur. And then nod my head one more time to convince myself again.

Yes, I have really found my mate!

I was really not dreaming.

The idea of having a mate had been pushed far from my mind from the moment I turned fourteen. Back then, one of the Royal Princes had gotten his wolf at the age of eleven. That had been a record-breaking one and made many expectations fall on the ones born after him.

My dad and the Alpha family had brought Killian and me together from the age of fourteen. In the hope that our souls would connect well enough for the moon goddess to allow us to be mates.

Unfortunately, when I turned sixteen, two years after him and got my wolf, we had not been blessed with the mate bond by the moon goddess.

I had been terribly devastated. I felt like I had let papa down. And from that moment onwards, I had pushed that possibility out of my head.

But here I was with a mate of mine!

My very mate! Instinctively, I raise my fingers to trace my still-swollen lips and then smile slightly.

The ringing of the bell another time startled me from my thoughts, making me jump up and rush to my bag. I pulled out the shimmering dress that I had brought for the occasion. A dress I had gotten for my outfit change on my wedding day would now be the dress I would wear to see my mate getting crowned.

I smiled a little at how that sounded before pulling off my outfit and changing into my dark blue ball gown. It clung to my body frame like a second skin up until my mid-thigh, where it flowed out with layers of materials to form a different type of ball dress. With my every move, each of those layers seemed to be dancing with me.

I pulled out my hair curler and curled my hair into large and bouncy curls that now allow my face to look very small and cute.

Suppose this was a day before; this would have been my look to the ball. Nothing less, nothing more.

But today was different. I was not just the daughter of a Beta from a third-rate pack. I was now the mate of Prince Ronan that was going to be crowned. And I certainly had no plans of disappointing him.

I quickly searched through the various drawers of the saloon and did a small dance as soon as I saw a medium-sized make-up box.

While I wasn’t as good at make-up as Sandra was, years of us being friends and her loving to work with my face had helped me to learn a thing or two and so without wasting a second, I did a light make-up that went along with the dewy and celestial feel that my dress brought.

I had just placed the box back where I took it from when a knock sounded on the door.