Coldsnap: The Billionaire Alpha's Fated Pregnant Princess (GL)
Chapter 34 - Trick Of Charming Twins

Chapter 34: Chapter 34 - Trick Of Charming Twins

"This is Lucinda. She’ll be taking care of your styling needs today."

"Welcome. Please, have a seat."

She nodded at me without much of a smile. Which is fine with me, I’m also tired of accepting the nicety.

Taking a nap did improve my mood a lot. The short dream I had about my grandmother made me realize something.

"Sure."

It’s not always what you do that gets people to act in the way you want. Sometimes it’s what they think you’ll do, based on your history and appearance.

Lucinda assessed my hair from my view of her in the mirror. Thin fingers ran through the black strands, lifting sections to check the ends for splits and evenness.

"So, what are we doing for you today?"

"I want high twin tails. Secured tightly. Front bangs loose."

A piece of me - of who I truly was - could be reclaimed here today. I hesitated earlier, when I’d only had a shower, but my mind is made up.

Maybe my history is unknown here. Everything I do may be tainted by who Helene was.

But seeing the appearance that reminds me of me will surely get me to move more... like I want myself to. Instead of just reacting like I have to.

Her hands paused as I thought they might. Brief enough that someone might not find it rude.

Someone untrained in watching for reactions might have even missed twitch toward disgust.

"That’s... an unusual choice."

"Is it?"

I kept my tone light. With my eyes fixed on hers in the reflection of the mirror surface.

"For a woman your age, yes. It’s more commonly seen on... teenagers or even children. Perhaps a sleek updo would better showcase your bone structure?"

"Lucinda, I appreciate the recommendation, but I’m quite set on what I want. Should I ask for someone else?"

My voice dropped just enough to add a sense of severity. She shook her head, acquiescing with an expected minimal resistance.

Part of me should feel happy at that success, but I only felt a dull buzz in my head.

"Would you like a trim first? Just to even the ends?"

"That would be fine. Nothing excessive."

Her movements as she gathered the tools of her trade were practiced. Scissors with a polished gleam under the bright lights and white combs with fine teeth were pulled from a vibrant blue liquid.

The ’disinfectant’ smells strongly of its antiseptic properties. But as she worked, I noticed something unusual.

Or rather I noticed the absence of something... and that the buzz I felt was a lot like the feeling from a certain system ’ability’.

> Vrika. <

I breathed in carefully to catalog the smells around me. The chemical scent of various concoctions, the lingering aroma of someone’s coffee (or scrub), the rose perfume of a client several chairs away.

But from Lucinda herself - almost nothing.

> A human might emit less of an obvious pheromone scent to my kind than a werewolf, but there should be something. <

And in werewolf circles, that meant only one thing...

My muscles tensed as the partial shift to this body’s hybrid form eased along. The same sort of technique I used to quickly run from that stupid trio when I got here.

Scent blockers were primarily used by those who wished to hide.

This world’s supernatural hunters used them sometimes.

Werewolves looking to sneak next to another of their kind for no good? Always. They always use them.

She continued to trim the ends of my hair, unaware of my willingness to strike first. I may not be a fighter, but if I have my way I will remain a survivor.

"You have beautiful hair, Carly was right."

The comment with a name I don’t know comes suddenly. I can only guess it was the pink haired woman.

"Though a more mature style would really elevate your look. Twin tails are a weird pick for a werewolf."

Whispering the last bit extra quiet, so that a human wouldn’t hear, seemed like a test.

"Speaking of weird choices, do you fancy yourself an assassin with your decision to hide yourself?"

The scissors froze mid-snip at the words... or from my even lower voice. I watched her expression become guarded.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"Oh, I think you do."

For a long moment, we stared at each other through the mirror’s reflection. The silent standoff stretched until she finally lowered her scissors.

"I have a skin condition. The medication helps with it."

"How convenient."

"It’s the truth."

Her voice hardened. But whether she wanted to be believed because it was true or to keep up her act, it was hard to tell.

"Victoria Whitecrest told me something different about why you use it."

She stepped back when I boldly asserted this improvised lie. Hand clutching and trembling over her basic hairdressing tools.

Back home, I’d learned that people rarely question the likelihood of you knowing something - not immediately. They’re too busy reacting to the baited hook of what you claim to know.

"Whatever is between you and her isn’t my concern. Please, I just want to work here, okay?"

So there it was. The connection that woman has within this place is a woman that claims no other options.

> Weak excuse. <

"Then we understand each other. I did not come here to cause trouble. I simply want my hair styled as requested. Without a lot of extra comments."

After a few seconds, she nodded once.

"Fine."

I let her work in silence as she finished the last of the cuts, though the air between us remained charged. In a much less... pleasant way than I experienced around noon.

Flecks of blue remained in these light grey eyes. A more stable display than the flickering orange color I’d seen in the Alpha recently.

The dark hair started to come together into the first piece of elastic. A small but significant rebellion built in me on seeing it half complete.

This world had tried to define me from the moment I arrived. Painted me in the colors and past of Helene.

But with this, just like when announcing my name...

> I will wear who I am. Without reservation. <

The result after the final twist of the second elastic left me veritably transformed. The thick black hair out of this body’s skull bounced with the tilt of its face.

I lifted the chin in the mirror further... seeing not just a ’different Helene’ but more traces of Citra.

"Will that be all?"

Lucinda asked me after giving me a few moments to examine myself. I didn’t even have to think about it.

"Yes. Thank you."

Retrieving my backpack and slinging it over one shoulder - while flicking this hair over it with one hand - I began to walk toward the salon’s reception. Tess appeared immediately.

"Is there anything else you’d like before concluding your visit?"

I started to shake my head, but remember that I had her burn those clothes. Whether she did that in truth or not, and while I could theoretically just put the coat in my bag on and stroll out...

> ’Flashers’ and public indecency. Vrika, your world is somehow both very prudish and yet filled with sex in so many deviant forms. Is it all the restraint? Has it warped you? <

My wolf growls, unhappy that I’m accusing it of such like-mindedness.

"I was told you have a clothing section."

"Yes, of course! Right this way."

Following her back toward the reception area, I felt the new way this hair weighed and pulled on my scalp. More whispers followed me through the spa, but I walked with my head held high.

The woman who had entered this place... dirty, desperate, and lost...

Was not the same one preparing to leave.

At the very least, I am no longer dirty - and I would call that a win.