THE ALPHA’S ADDICTION

Emma stretched on her bed as she opened her eyes for the second time.

Raising up her head from the pillow, she checked out the time on the wall clock. 11:25am.

Wow! She had slept for more than four hours in the morning, without disturbance. What a rare gift. She couldn’t remember the last time she had slept that freely.

Sitting up on the bed, she saw a tray of food on the table.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

She almost made a purring sound to relate her feeling of satisfaction and happiness.

She wished she could wake up this way every day. No alarms, no interruptions.

Quickly abandoning the sheets, she walked to the table.

A normal breakfast. Tea and bread with jam.

Not bad. She mumbled, even as she thought of and hungered after Melvina’s pancakes.

She shrugged, choosing to make do with what she was given, as she picked a slice of bread and took a bite.

“You haven’t brushed your teeth. That’s bad. Tsk Tsk.”

A deep voice said, and she dropped the bread in her hands, obviously startled.

Swivelling around, she shut her eyes, a tactic to rein in her anger as she took note of Prescott sitting on the small sofa in the room, his legs crossed while he checked out his nails.

“You are terribly annoying.” She finally gritted out, before bending down to pick the bread on the floor. Of course, she wasn’t going to allow it to waste.

“Oh, sorry about that, Ms. Drackson. I’m sorry if I startled you. I just meant to remind you that you haven’t freshened up this morning.” Prescott said, still looking at his nails.

Emma scoffed. Reminder her foot. The squirrel had just wanted to play around. Why would he use a deep, so foreign voice if he had wanted to just convey a message?

“Good way of showing your care, Prescott. Thank you for the reminder.” She said, already devising means to pay back the squirrel in his own coin.

“You’re welcome, Ms Drac…” Prescott was saying when Emma sharply cut him off.

“It’s Emma, Prescott. Or should I address you with the same formality, Mr Prescott?” She asked, imitating a bow, which the squirrel found ridiculous.

“That’s not even the right way to bow.” It said rather, and Emma was tempted to knock his head with the tray.

The squirrel really had a degree on getting on people’s nerves.

“I will remember to ask you for lessons when I’m zealous about learning it. For now, get out of my room.” She said, in a voice that brooded no space for arguments.

But of course, the squirrel wasn’t moved by that.

“Are you chasing me away from your room? I thought we were friends, younno, partners…” It said, and Emma snorted, refusing to be moved by his tiny voice or pitiful face.

“Get out.” She said.

“I want to freshen up.” She added after a beat, so as not to sadden the squirrel which had managed to get into her good books in a short time.

***

When Emma was done freshening up, she tied the towel she had seen in the bathroom around her chest, before stepping out slowly from the bathroom. She was a bit worried. She hadn’t brought any cloth from home.

Stepping towards her bed, she gasped as she saw a long princess gown on the bed.

Was there a ball taking place? She thought, as she felt the beautiful purple gown with her hand.

“Do you like it?”

She heard a voice ask, and turned sharply, conscious enough to hold tightly her towel, already cussing in her mind for the lack of privacy in this place.

She sighed in relief as she saw that the owner of the voice.

Lily.

“Don’t you people ever knock?” She asked, as she dropped on her bed ungracefully.

“You were bathing. I didn’t think you would hear me knock.” Lily said, getting up from the sofa.

She walked towards Emma, her eyes darting to the empty plate and cup on the tray, before she touched the latter’s hair.

“I had thought that it was dyed. It looked too red.” She said, as she saw the raised eyebrows of Emma.

“I get that a lot.” Emma said, as she ran her fingers through her long red hair. She thought that she needed to cut it a bit. She could feel it at her waist.

“Inherited from your mother or father?” Lily asked, as she ran her eyes all over the red mass of hair, with white streaks at some areas.

“None. I don’t know who I inherited it from.” Emma replied as she furrowed her eyebrows. Neither of her grandparents had red hair.

“What is the gown for?” She asked, changing the topic, as she wasn’t ready for the questions, she was sure that little girl had for her. She wasn’t going to stress her head by going through her family tree now, searching fruitlessly for someone with a red hair.

“Well…were you planning to keep on wearing the cloth you had come with?” Lily asked, finding the question silly.

“No, of course not. But I was expecting more of t-shirts, and trousers, not ball gowns. I’m not comfortable with wearing this stuff indoors.” She said, picking at the gown.

“Hmm, you would have to tender your grievances to Queen Zipfarah. She was the one that had actually ordered for you to be given gowns to wear.” Lily commented.

“I’m not wearing this.” Emma stated, looking away from the gown, gasping the next second as she saw the empty plate on the table.

“Who ate my food?” She asked, her eyes widening in incredulity.

“I don’t know. I thought you had been the one that finished it up.” Lily said, her face masked with surprise too.

“Prescott…” Emma muttered, balling her fists. The squirrel had crossed the line this time around.

Standing up, she soughed as she looked down at her towel and then at the gown on the bed.

“Get me polo and trousers. I’m not wearing that. And don’t give me the shit about what your queen said.” She stated, obviously annoyed, not concerned about the shocked look on Lily’s face.