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We arrived at his friend's place late in the evening the following day. He was very friendly and hospitable, but when it came to discussing the reason for the King's visit, they talked behind closed doors, far away from everyone else, including me.
After the meeting, the King walked out of the room looking distant. I was too scared to ask what they had talked about. Beta Dwight started to say something, but the King waved him off.
"It's fine. I want to get Ania home anyway. And you need to call Mrs. Sydney. I need her paperwork. I believe there's a lot I need to know about her," the King said. They both looked at me, and I blushed. I don't know why I was too scared to tell him the truth about who I really was.
The King hardly spoke on the way home, and we only stopped for fuel, continuing to drive through the night until we arrived home late the following day. Rina was waiting out front for the luggage, and I bounced with excitement, eager to go see her.
"Go on, I have a few things to do, anyway," the King said as he climbed out of the car.
"Stay with Ania," I heard him tell the guard who usually followed me everywhere. The guard nodded, and I rushed to Rina's side. She embraced me, and together we carried the luggage to the laundry room. Zara was in there when we entered.
Zara smiled warmly at me while Rina gushed excitedly about the King wanting to claim me as his queen. Seeing her excitement put me more at ease. I reached for a tunic on the shelf, but Zara cleared her throat.
"Ania, the King has told me that you are no longer his servant," Zara said cheerfully.
"I still want to help Rina with her chores," I replied. Zara looked at my guard, who seemed unsure of what to say, and frowned.
"I'm sorry, Ania, but unless the King allows it, I cannot allow you to wear that uniform. Those here might mistake you for a servant and harm you, and I don't want anyone getting hurt," Zara explained. I looked over at Rina, and my shoulders drooped.
"It's okay, I can just wear this instead. I'll speak to the King about it later," I told her. Zara glanced at my guard, who shrugged, and let out a sigh.
"Very well, but make sure you tell the King that you wanted to help. I don't want to get scolded for making you work," Zara said.
"But what else is there to do if not work?" I asked.
"Live," Zara replied, giving my shoulder a gentle squeeze. For hours, I followed and assisted Rina with her chores. When it grew late, my guard stepped away from the wall.
"Ania, the King is looking for you. He wants you to return to your chambers," he said. I pursed my lips, wishing I could spend more time with Rina, but she shooed me away.
The guard led me to the other side of the castle. "What is your name?" I asked him. He glanced at me but said nothing.
"Come on, you follow me everywhere, I feel weird not knowing it," I said.
"Desmond, my Queen," he said. I scrunched my face up, and he chuckled.
"Please don't call me that. It sounds wrong given I am a rogue," I pleaded.
"But you will be," he told me.
"Even then, I don't think I want to be called that," I chimed in.
"It cannot be helped; it will be your title," he told me. I yawned as I climbed the stairs. I stopped halfway down the corridor when I noticed the forbidden door open. Stepping closer, I peered inside, and it appeared to be a baby's room with a few Luna's regalia.
"Miss Ania, I don't think you should go in there," Desmond whispered. I wanted to step away just as the King turned the corner into the hall. He stopped, and his eyes moved to the door.
"What do you think you're doing?" he snapped, becoming enraged.
"Nothing, I was..." My voice trailed off. He came over and slammed the door shut before pointing at me.
"You do not go in there, never," he snarled, and I shrank away from his anger.
"My King, she was merely closing the door. The wind must have blown it open," Desmond said, and the King looked at him. The guard nodded towards an open window I hadn't noticed. King Arman looked at me, and I quickly nodded, going along with Desmond's story, thankful he saved me. I had not intended to go in there; I was just peeking inside.
The King sighed. "I apologize, Ania. That room is off-limits. I shouldn't have snapped at you," he said, scrubbing a hand down his face. Arman placed his hand on my lower back, leading me to the bedroom, and I glanced over my shoulder at the guard, who nodded to me.
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The guilt I felt for snapping at her was horrendous. I hated myself for it. The way she shrank back made it all the worse. I couldn't erase the fear on her face from my mind. My instincts were all over the place due to the anniversary of my mate's and friend's death. I knew Ania was hiding something from me, but I couldn't put my finger on it, and her attitude was becoming too much. Fighting my own instincts was becoming too difficult.
Although I knew it wasn't her fault, she was temperamental because of the moon. I had seen many werewolves shift over the decades and knew how difficult it could be. Nonetheless, I was at my best during those times.
As the moon drew closer, I understood that Ania would became increasingly animalistic until finally shifting. My proximity only intensified her instincts and heightened her urges, as her body and brain tried to process that I was her mate.
As I ran my hand down her spine, she shivered and snuggled closer to me. Earlier, Ania had whined and growled, annoyed that I kept putting her to sleep. However, I knew that the more she slept, the smoother her transition would be when she shifted. Our bond was strong, and I had no doubt that when she shifted, she would recognize me as her mate instantly.
I was pulled out of my thoughts by a knock at the door, which annoyed me as I was enjoying the quiet and the feel of her body pressed against mine. Dwight walked in and sat down in the armchair.
"Could you turn away for a second?" I asked him, and he obliged by gazing at my bookshelf. I rolled Ania onto her back and covered her naked body with the blanket, tucking it under her chin. She whimpered, so I jammed my pillow next to her face and watched as she buried her nose in it while Dwight chuckled.
"I see the bond has formed," he observed.
"Yes," I replied, walking over to him. "The journey did a great job of bonding us." Dwight looked at my arms and chest, which were covered in bite marks from her. She even bit me three times while she was asleep.
"Definitely almost forged," he laughed, as I sat down across from him,
"I think you need to sleep," he urged .
"Why the sudden visit? It's almost 1 am," I asked.
"Did you manage to get any sleep?" he inquired, looking at me closely.
"Do I look like I have?" I replied, running a hand over my tired face.
"You really should get some rest," he insisted.
"No, please tell me what's on your mind. It must be important," I said, noticing him glance towards Ania who was sleeping on the bed. I followed his gaze and saw that she had kicked off the blankets.
I got up to cover her and returned to sit down, but she kicked the blankets off again.
Dwight turned his seat towards the wall, pretending not to notice as she became naked under the blankets. "You seem to have a thing for her being naked," he chuckled.
"I like the feel of her skin. It helps keep my Lycan side calm," I explained.
"So you haven't shifted," he stated.
"Not because of the anniversary, though I lost my temper earlier. I thought she went into..." I stopped, unable to bring myself to say it.
"Desmond told me," Dwight said. I nodded guiltily.
"Well, as long as you're in control, I suppose I'll tell you," he said, brushing his fingers through his hair.
"We spoke with Mrs. Sydney. She's still trying to find the rest of the information from Rina and Ania. Her birthday is in two days," I nodded. That made more sense.
"So why is that an issue? If anything, that's good news," I told him, relieved that I wouldn't have to wait for weeks.
"Mrs. Sydney has asked us to go and see her today. She wants to make sure and has requested some files to be sent over. She didn't say what it was about, only that it was important and had to do with your 'dead' mate," he informed me.
"Why does she want to see us?" I asked.
"I'm not sure, she wouldn't say over the phone. We'll be leaving at noon, as the men need some rest before we move out," he replied. I glanced over at Ania, who was sleeping soundly.
"I'm not sure Ania will want to go back there so soon. I don't want her to fall back into old habits," I said to my Beta, who nodded understandingly.
"Gary can stay or I can stay with her. I'll also assign extra guards to watch over her," he offered.
"I insist that you remain with her," I said to Dwight.
"Very well, I will. Try to get some sleep, Arman," Dwight replied before getting up and leaving the room.
As I got to my feet and walked over to my bar, worry consumed me. I grabbed the bottle of whiskey off the shelf and was about to pour a glass when I saw that only a quarter of the bottle was left. Instead, I decided to drink straight from the bottle.
Ania stirred on the bed, tossing the blanket off and bunching it between her legs. I couldn't wait until she started nesting and destroying the sheets. Nesting she-wolves became territorial, and I wasn't even sure she would allow Dwight and Gary in here when that time came. By the look of her now, as she bunched the sheets, it wouldn't be too far off. She would make this her haven, and once I made her a vae-wolf, she would kill anyone who entered her den.
My sister accidentally killed her handmaiden when she started nesting. She felt terrible, but I would ensure that didn't happen with Ania.
I brought the bottle to my lips and swigged from it. Enjoying the smooth, sweet taste while my eyes trailed over her.
Her bare pink p***y was displayed for my eyes to devour as she laid on her stomach with her leg bent. My c**k twitched, and I couldn't wait to bury it inside her.
Walking over to the bed, I placed my whiskey bottle on the bedside table. My hand skimmed up the inside of her leg from her ankle, brushing between the apex of her legs. A smile split onto my face as she moaned softly, pushing back against my hand. Leaning over the bed, I kissed her naked shoulder, but before nipping at her jaw, she groaned.
To be continued...