I had quite a lot on my schedule again, so my morning was busy with preparations for the welcoming celebration. It was not until after lunch that I finally got a moment for myself.
I texted Kayla a rundown of all that I had been doing and the times and dates for the party.
I got a message back from Kayla right away.
Kayla: [Thx!!! We got a formal invitation]
She sent me a picture of her excited self holding the fancy looking piece of paper.
Me: [Awesome, I didn't know they were sending them]
Kayla: [Looks like it's all covered. We'll be there in 2 days squeeeeeeeeee!]
Me: [I'm so excited to see you. It hasn't been that long but it feels like it]
Kayla: [I know, I miss u so much already. Maybe Rory and I will have to move to the capital one day]
Me: [That would be great]
Kayla: [It might be a bit hard to change packs]
Me: [If you really want to someday I can find out]
Kayla: [If I want to? Ur so silly]
Me: [Seriously]
Kayla: [When are you not?]
I sent her an eye roll.
Kayla: [Any progress on the 3M's?]
Me: [We're going more than fast enough]
Theoretically, at least. I ignored the impatience of the bond pulling at me.
Kayla: [hahaha whatever you say]
Me: [Cya soon, I've got to run.]
Kayla: [Later {3]
I sighed and made my way to my etiquette lessons.
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I was glad when my lessons were over. I left the sitting room where we had set up and nearly ran straight into a solid wall of muscle.
"Sorry," I said, stepping backwards and looking at the six foot four obstacle in my way. He had short brown hair and a stern jaw.
"Apologies, my lady. I was just looking for you. I'm Herbert. I was assigned to guard you by His Majesty."
"Oh, I see." Well, he certainly looked intimidating. "So do you just follow me around then?" I asked.
"Yes, my lady."
I was not overly keen on the idea of an obtrusive body guard, but at the same time I was even less keen on the idea of being kidnapped, so I decided not to complain. I would get used to having an animate wall following me around, no doubt, and at least he looked perfectly capable of handling my security.
"Very well, then," I agreed.
He nodded and I gained a shadow of pure brick.
{He seems like a worthy servant,} my wolf said suddenly.
{Yeah. So how are you.}
{Delightful. And you?}
{I just endured two hours of etiquette.}
My wolf could be cruel. {No doubt you will find it useful.}
{You'll never be able to take over our physical form if you don't learn it, too,} I pointed out dryly. Before she could answer I asked, {Can you smell Arthur?}
She considered. {Sadly no, at least not a new trail.}
{Darn.} I had hoped she would pick up something I did not know.
{I do smell what I imagine is a vampire, though.}
{What? Oh, probably the vampire delegate Arthur mentioned.}
{He smells of old parchment and death. And tomatoes. It's a strange combination.}
I supposed that made sense. She changed the topic. {I suppose it is quite frustrating for you that you can't find your mate. If only you could smell him...}
{Wait, are you messing with me? Is this some sort of revenge for how hard you looked for Pierce in the realm of wolves? Because that's not fair, we did the marking really quickly. If anything, you should be grateful.}
{Relax, silly human. I'm sure you'll figure out something.}
{Seriously, wolf, I—}
{Your mind must feel oddly empty without me livening it up as much as I used to. If only there was someone new you could talk to...through a bond... If only.}
My annoyance turned to surprise. {Oh. You could have just said that plainly.}
{That's not very fun, though.}
{Ugh. You could give me a break.}
{No, that's not really how this works. I provide you our link to the realm of wolves, you provide me with energy and entertainment. Anyway, I'll be back later when you need me.}
I frowned at my wolf's attitude and focused on my mate instead. {Arthur?}
{Yes, Anne?}
{Are you busy?}
{Not too busy for you.}
{Where are you?}
{In the gardens. Mother has me going over some plans for a charity gala she's hosting in a couple of weeks.}
{Sounds... like something.}
He chuckled, sounding incredibly hot even in my mind. I could practically see that small tilt to his lips as I imagined him looking at some clipboard with a faceless staff member. {It's something, all right. Want to come bust me out of here?}
I could not hold in my smile. {Bust you out? Won't we get in trouble?}
{No, I'm almost done anyway. You can help me finish, then maybe we can sneak away from our babysitters until supper time.}
His words sounded delightful. {I'll come find you there.}
{Looking forward to it.}
I managed to find my way to the gardens, only getting mixed up one time. I probably could have asked Herbert, but I figured it was better if I learned my own way.
I spotted Arthur as easily as if my eyes were heat seeking missiles. I walked straight across the grass towards him and it took all my self-restraint not to immediately attach myself to him, especially when he looked at me like I was the best thing in the world.
I was being forced to sympathize with all the cringey couples I had formerly criticized and it was not the nicest feeling.
Except being near him was absolutely the nicest thing. There was little better in the world as far as I was concerned, cringey or not.
He laced his fingers with mine and pulled me beside him. My brick shadow stood back and off to the side as unobtrusively as a monster could.
Arthur followed my gaze. "Herbert?"
"Yeah, he told me your father assigned him to me."
"Well, he is the best," Arthur said.
"So, what charity is this for?"
"It's a fundraiser for the Home for Little Lost Pups," he said.
I nodded.
"We'll have to attend, and then there'll be a picture shoot at the home the next day," he said.
I wrinkled my nose. It seemed a bit crass. "I'm guessing my media team will be present?"
He looked a bit apologetic. "Yes. Although they really will benefit from the donations, I promise. Half their yearly budget comes from this."
I smiled at him, feeling some relief that my new obtrusive fame might benefit some poor kids somewhere. "That's good."
"My mother would have it no other way. I know she seemed a bit...suspicious when you met her, but she truly has not forgotten where she came from."
"Where she came from?" I recalled that Arthur had mentioned something about the tale before.
Arthur glanced around. "I think they're done with me. Let's go."
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Arthur led me to a quiet corner of the garden. I did not fail to notice that my new bodyguard had hung back, nowhere in sight. I supposed now that I was with Arthur, he considered me safe enough.
I could not blame them for considering me a vulnerability.
If I had known what was coming I might have spent my free time obtaining black belts and becoming a self defense expert.
Arthur spoke, instantly yanking my attention back to him with that sensuous deep voice.
"My parents have an interesting story of how they met," he told me.
"Oh?"
"Well, my father was getting a bit older than was strictly comfortable, considering the need for an heir, and he still had not yet found his mate, so my grandfather decided to throw a ball and ordered all the unmated females from the packs in the kingdom to attend, in hopes that my father might find her amongst them. The invitations went out and one of them happened to end up at my mother's home."
I smiled at him and waited patiently.
"My mother came from the Black Creek Pack and did not have the easiest life growing up. My maternal grandfather lost his mate young and eventually remarried. He brought home his new wife and her two daughters, Amelia and Priscilla, but unfortunately they could not fill the hole in his heart after the death of my grandmother and he eventually gave up on life. My stepgrandmother had been treating my mother harshly since the death of my grandfather and the royal decree made no difference as far as she was concerned. She gave my mother a list of demands so extensive that the only way my mother might have managed to accomplish it all was if she had been a witch, and unfortunately, my mother was not. She failed to complete her tasks and my stepgrandmother forbid her from attending the ball.
"So, the night arrived and my mother's step family left to attend, leaving my mother locked in the cellar. There was only a tiny reinforced window and the door was barred and designed against werewolf strength, so she could not escape. She apparently started crying and a passing half-fae named Petunia heard her sobs. She went to the window and inquired what was wrong and my mother told her everything.
"As an eligible unmated female, Petunia was also on her way to the ball, she invited my mother to come along in her carriage. She picked the lock, magicked up my grandma's best dress a bit, cast a disguise glamour on my mother and off they went.
"They arrived at the palace and were admitted inside with Petunia's invitation alone. My grandfather's main goal was to pack the castle with females who could potentially be the mate of my father so it was not hard for them to explain that her invitation was misplaced. My mother had wanted to come, but she was afraid of being discovered by her stepfamily so she hung back. Even hiding in the back of the crowd my father noticed her scent and he hunted her down. Apparently he danced with no one else after he found her."
"That sounds very romantic," I commented, watching Arthur's handsome profile as he smiled. I could happily sit and listen to him talk all day long. His story telling abilities were either unparalleled or I was still being influenced by the mate bond. Or both, which seemed likely.
"Well, unfortunately, that's when my mother ran into her stepmother who got suspicious at the familiar scent and she panicked. She fled the ball and ran all the way home, but she lost her shoe on the way. My father found it and of course instantly knew that it belonged to her."
"I guess he had to search the kingdom to find the lady whom the shoe fit?"
Arthur laughed. "No, he had a much more efficient plan. He took that shoe straight to the head of the guards and had everyone memorize her scent. Then he sent guards out by the hundreds into the pack territories trying to find the lady by nose. My stepgrandmother tried to hide her by locking her up, but of course her scent was all over the house since she was the one forced to work around the house and yard all day. Two days later my father had my mother back in the castle and her stepmother was charged with forcible confinement and child neglect."
"Weird that I'd never heard that tale. You'd think someone would make a movie out of it."
"Well, Mother shares a carefully crafted public image and I suppose she wanted to keep that tale largely to herself. A lot of people know the basics, but few outside our immediate family know the details. All they know is that my father met my mother at that ball."
"Makes sense. Would have been nice if we had been able to do the same and keep details to ourselves."
He paused. "I'm sorry, Anne. I wanted it to be easier on you."
"I know you did and it's not your fault. I'll be fine."
He was watching me. "You know what, we'll take tomorrow off."
"Can we even do that?" I asked.
"I know you have concerns, but there are a few advantages to marrying a prince," he said. "Not many people actually outrank me. I can convince my parents."
I laughed and hugged him, and then we became completely sidetracked from our conversation.
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