Mating the Female Alpha
Chapter 55 – The press conference.

Bernice's POV

"When is this press conference?" I ask her, worry clear in my tone.

"Most likely this evening," she answers. "I'll find out more details. Don't worry. I can take care of everything."

Public speaking was not something I was good at doing; the thought made me feel sick.

There was no guarantee that Landry was even going to let me speak during this conference. It would put me in the limelight. It could be dangerous.

"What about my appearance? Someone will recognize me if I'm the center of attention," I reminded her.

"Leave that to me as well," she says with a broad smile. "I can disguise you so nobody would think that you are the female Alpha."

I sighed, feeling defeated.

'Okay," I finally say. "You win. I'll speak at the press conference."

She clapped her hands together excitedly.

"Oh, wonderful!" She cooed. "I'll get stuff together for a makeover. I'll see you in a couple of hours."

She left without another word.

...

Nightfall came quickly. Jessie returned after a couple of hours with her makeup kit and a dress for me to wear. It was a gorgeous maroon dress with long sleeves that flared at my wrists. The dress also revealed my cleavage and pushed my breasts up, so they appeared bigger. She curled my hair, so it lay wildly around my face in large ringlets. She did my makeup, so I hardly even recognized myself.

She did a nice job of disguising my face.

Landry had looked blown away when he saw me. He mainly stayed in his office for most of the day; the first time he saw me since returning from the forest, was after Jessie had finished giving me a makeover.

He looked me over with wide eyes; he was at a loss for words. His stares caused my face to flush slightly and I had to look away.

Jessie had convinced Landry to take me with him to the conference center. But we didn't discuss me actually speaking during the conference. I wondered if he knew about it.

When I asked Jessie about whether or not she spoke to him about it, she gave me the generic, "Oh yeah... he's fine with it," response with a nervous chuckle.

The conference center was already filled with press and onlookers. I could hear their worried rambling as we made our way through the crowd.

"The mistress, Tina, was found dead this very morning!"

"I heard her body was mangled!"

"Was it a vampire attack?"

"No, it was from a rogue."

"What cruel creature could do such a thing!"

They hardly noticed us walking through; Jessie was right. As soon as word had gotten out, everybody began to panic.

There had to be hundreds in the conference center; I heard the clicking of cameras and my entire face warmed.

How was I going to get through this?

"Be careful not to throw up," Julia teased in my mind.

"Why would you say something like that?" I asked, annoyed, as I grabbed my stomach.

It was starting to rumble with nerves and for a moment, I feared I might actually vomit. That was the last thing I needed right now.

Jessie sat in the front beside an empty seat. She motioned for me to sit next to her. I did as she suggested and watched as Landry made his way toward the podium. His beta stood a distance behind him with such a serious and yet mournful composure.

I noticed Tina's parents were also there. They were sitting on the opposite side of the podium. Both wore dark clothing and they appeared to be more mournful than they had been that morning. However, there was still darkness hovering over them.

Tina's mother glanced in my direction and met my eyes.

The mournfulness was an act.

I swallowed the lump in my throat; it took everything I had not to call them out on the act. But I knew now was not a good time.

I noticed Jessie was watching me and she gave me a reassuring smile.

"Don't be nervous," she whispered. "Everybody is already upset. You can't make it much worse."

I knew she meant well, but that made me feel worse. I forced a smile though and fixated my attention on Landry. He was already speaking to the silent room; a few sobs echoed in the center as he announced the death of Tina.

It seemed that after he announced the death, everybody stopped listening to him and more panic erupted around the conference center. The press was already hounding him with questions.

"How many more deaths before we actually start to see change?"

"Do you know who had done such a thing to her?"

"Are any of us safe anymore?"

He was answering the questions as best as he could, and I admired that he remained strong and confident with each of his answers.

"We are doing everything we can to make sure something like this doesn't happen to anyone else. What happened with Tina was unfortunate, but it's a wake-up call to everybody. Nobody, including myself, is safe. I'm not going to rest until the criminal rogues are found and punished for their actions."

More murmurs erupted around the conference center; that didn't make anyone feel any better. It didn't seem to bother Landry though; at least he didn't make it look like it did. Jessie nudged me from the side.

"I think this is your cue..."

I looked up at Landry who was still staring around the crowd; he wasn't even looking at me. I wasn't sure if he wanted me to speak or not, but Jessie kept nudging from beside me. "Oh, and mention the funeral tomorrow afternoon," she said. "Everybody is invited."

I nod to her and stand to my feet. Landry finally looks over at me and I could see the slight confusion on his face. I kept my eyes locked on his as I made my way toward the podium. Now, I just hoped that my heart wouldn't beat loud enough for anyone to hear it over the microphone.

"What are you doing?" Landry asked quietly enough for only me to hear.

Jessie hadn't mentioned I was going to speak during this conference.

I should have known.

That was just great.

"Trying to help..." I murmur to him as I took the podium.

To my surprise, he didn't stop me.

Everyone started silencing me as soon as they saw me. Only occasional murmurs could be heard. I could see some shocked and confused faces.

"Hello..." I said nervously into the microphone. The speaker squeaked, causing everyone in the audience to flinch. Public speaking was not something I was good at. "I know many of you don't know me outside of the rumors. But my name is Denise, an Omega. I'm a... friend... of the royal family. I didn't know Tina all that well, but my heart goes out to her family and friends," I say that last part while looking at Tina's parents. Both seemed tense in their seats. "I know the Alpha King well and I know he's true to his word. He cares more about this kingdom than anyone would know, and you can trust when he says he's doing everything he can to bring Tina's death to justice." I pause and glance at Jessie who gave me a broad smile and a thumbs up. I swallowed hard and turned back to the audience who were staring at me with dead expressions. "We are having funeral services tomorrow. Invites have already been sent, but you are all welcome to join us. More murmurs erupted and I found my body growing tense. I glance over at Landry who was watching me with shock on his expression. I cleared my throat and spoke into the mic.

"Just know, that I wouldn't be residing in the palace, if I didn't fully trust the Alpha King," I say, looking into Landry's eyes. At that moment, it felt like we were the only two in the room. My heart skipped a beat. "I trust him more than anyone I know. So please, I ask that you trust him as well..."

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