Chapter 9

I suddenly stop because I feel the whole forest floor vibrating. One vibration after another comes after each other. I'm on high alert, afraid something terrible is going to happen. Aiden nudges me and points towards the sky. I look up and see fireworks being set off in the night sky. I look towards Aiden questionably, knowing now that we aren't in danger.

(They are fireworks for a carnival that's probably happening at the castle right now.) He explains to me.

(Carnival? Please do elaborate more on this.) I nod in his direction to continue on, while we continue on our walk back to the castle.

(Yeah, every year we have a carnival. Part of the festivities for the week. First day is meet your mate for most of the people. Second day is getting to know your mate, the people who have found them. Third day we have outside games, like field day. Fourth day is carnival day. Fifth day is potluck day. Sixth day is when the humans come. Then the seventh day is when we have the ball And announce all the mates that are paired together.

We try and keep things entertaining and not so stuffy. For me though, it's just going through the motions since I've seen these mating events and been to them so many times.) Aiden explains.

*What, this week sounds so fun. Dang, I've missed so much of it already. Well hopefully nothing else arises and I'll be able to find my mate. I wonder if he is looking for me? Or if I even have one… *

I glance at Aiden and realize that he must have looked into the mind link. *Ugh, not again. This is really going to take a while. *

(So…. How did you end up in finding me?) I ask him, while we are still making our way out of the woods.

(I uh, was able to see where you were through your eyes. Because you were so tired that your guard was down when you finished shifting. I'm sorry you had to go through that alone. I know how much it sucks to do it and how painful it is, especially when you are all by yourself. Sarah and I shifted at the same time, since out birthday's were on the same day. I'm also sorry that you had to celebrate a crappy 18 birthday, partially my fault.)

(Thank you, you don't know how much that means to me.) *Wow, very genuine of his apologies. He sure is apologizing a lot. *

(I tired calling to you, but you passed out on me. I knew of the location of where you were because Sarah and I would spend time there when we had free time. We kind of felt like it was our own private area, pretending to be away from the real world for a couple of hours.) Aiden says.

(That must have been the whisper I heard last night.) I comment. (Sorry for intruding on something private again.)

(No, it's fine. I should not have overreacted the first time. It's just that I'm not used to having someone else being in those special places besides Sarah.) Aiden says while scratching back of his neck.

*Hmmm, he's changed his attitude all of a sudden. * We get to the edge of the woods and I realized that the gazebo is lite up in fairy lights. It was breath taking to see.

*Hey, would you look at that. My eyesight has improved so much that I don't even need my glasses. Well that's a good thing, seeing as I don't even know where they are after I shifted. It's weird not pushing them up against the bridge of my nose. *

We hear the chatter of voices and laughter coming from the side of the castle. I notice carnival lights coming from over there. The fried food smell that goes with a carnival smells amazing. I never been to a carnival, so I'm really excited to go. But first I need to take a shower and put on new clothes.

(Hey Aiden, I think I'm going to take a shower.) I say, while walking up the stairs that lead to the terrace. (Uh, isn't there a room that my brothers are staying in that I should be staying in as well and get ready in there?)

(That room is too small to hold all three of you in there. It only has one bed and of course it has the bathroom and closet. Not a big bathroom: has a sink, a toilet and a shower stall. The closet isn't a walk-in one. So it really is just big enough for the boys.

We are fixing up your old suite, but it's going to take sometime. So I thought you could stay in my room until it's done. Since my room is the only room that is closer to your brothers room. The couch pulls out for a bed, so don't worry about where I will sleep.

We bought clothes for you guys, since yours all burned up. You'll find the clothes in the closet, they should be able to fit you. Your brothers sort of knew your clothes size.) He says while we walk into his room, I noticed his neck was getting a bit red.

He leads me to the closet and shows me the clothes that they bought for me. (I'm going to go find your brothers and tell them that you are all right. Come find us when you are done getting ready.) He's about to leave when I comment about something.

(Uh, where's Oliver?) I ask him.

(I'm not sure, the last time I saw him was yesterday eating his breakfast with the other dogs. He's probably with your brothers.) Aiden comments, heading out the room and closing the door.

I take a well deserved and well needed long hot shower. I see he bought some female: soap, shampoo, and conditioner. That is very thoughtful of him, probably thinking of my stay in here. I change into some comfy clothes. Then I head down to see about this carnival.

I make my way to the conference rooms and find that the glass doors that went to the outside where sliding glass doors. The glass doors slide into the side of the castle, connecting the outside and inside making it so the space was wide open between them. The conference rooms walls disappeared as well. Making the conference room just one gigantic room.

Inside the giant room, there where all sorts of carnival booths. As well as vendors selling homemade items that they have made. There were plenty of food stalls.

I was about to turn around and investigate outside, when I got attacked from behind. I was about to flip whoever attacked me from behind, when I got a whiff of who it was. It was Mikey, so I whip around and gave him a proper hug.

*Man, am I glad to see you. *

'It's stupid we can't communicate through mind link, since you aren't old enough.' I sign to him. 'I'm so happy to see you. It feels like it's been ages since I saw you. Anything new with you? Where's JJ?'

'Nothings new. How was your shift? Where did you go? Look, you don't have to wear your glasses anymore. You seem a lot more powerful since the last time I saw you. JJ is over there, looks like he and Aiden are coming this way. It is stupid we can't mind link with each other. Feels like it's going to be an eternity until I turn 18.' Mikey signs, while pointing out where JJ is.

I glance towards them and JJ has a peeved look on his face. *Uh oh, I wonder what happened between those two.* 'Calm down Mikey, just take a breath. So many questions. What happened between Aiden and JJ?'

'Uh, I don't know. As soon as Aiden came to us and told us you were all right I just went looking for you. He told us that you were getting cleaned up and would be down here shortly.' Mikey says to me while looking at the boys curiously.

I open my mind link with JJ. Wanting to finally hear his voice. (Hey bro, how's it going?) I say to JJ, while pushing into his mind.

JJ stops walking suddenly, looks up at me with shock. Then he has this huge grin on his face with tears in his eyes.

(It's really good to hear your voice sis.) I'm also in tears because after all these years I hear his voice as well. I run over to him and give him a giant hug, which he returns.

I get a tug on the hem of my shirt and look down to see Oliver. I immediately let go of JJ and bend to give Oliver the biggest hug I possibly have in me.

*Oh God, how I have missed you. *

(Have you found your mate? How was your transformation? You seem powerful. Haha) I question JJ.

(No, I haven't met my mate. Have you found your mate?) JJ asks me.

'Hey, hey, I wanna know what you guys are talking about. It's not fair I can hear what you guy's are saying.' Mikey waves his hand in our face and starts signing to us. I laugh, looking at his pouty face. Oh how I missed these two, even if it just a day.

'I haven't found my mate yet, as well. But I haven't given up hope, I hope I find my mate when the humans come.' I sign to them.

'That's the spirit, I'm in the same boat as you. I haven't given up hope either.

How was your transformation? I wish we were able to do it together. But someone *indicates in Aiden's direction* ruined it and you had to transform all by yourself. I bet that was scary for you. For me it hurt like heck, it was terrible. Wouldn't wish that pain on anybody.

Mikey asked to come along when I transformed. I agreed, seeing as he was going to experience it when he turned 18. It nice to have someone there while I transformed. It was awful and I told Mikey how it felt. I can't believe you went through that all by yourself.' JJ says, while mean mugging Aiden.

I glance at Aiden, forgetting that he was still there. He's just looking at us while we are catching up, being a creeper.

(Don't you have some where else to be, instead of being a creeper over there.) I say to Aiden through mind link.

(I just wanted to make sure you found your brothers okay.) He says while shrugging his shoulders and walking away.

*Uh huh. *

'I think we feel powerful now that we became of age of becoming Alpha's.' I commented to my brothers. 'I'm still deaf, even in my wolf forum as well. But I'm able to distinguish the foot steps on the ground when I am in my wolf forum. Like I am able to identify all the critters that are; walking, crawling, or even slither on the ground floor within my radius. I was able to identify Aiden coming my way through the heavy footsteps and long strides. I knew it was a person, I didn't know who it was until I sniffed them out. The touch in my pads have heightened as well as my eyesight since I don't need my glasses anymore. I'm guessing Aiden caught you up on what happened yesterday after you guy's left me to go eat breakfast. '

'Yes.' JJ says with a huff. 'If he wasn't a Royal, he would have been beaten up by now. The way he reacted and left you in the woods to transform by yourself. Ugh, so mad.

Mikey and I came back and we were looking for you. We found him in the gazebo by his self, we walked up him and saw this murderous look on his face. We had to snap him out of his weird funk to try and get an answer out of him of where you were. He snaps out of it and realizes that he did something wrong. That he has to go find you and try to make things right. I was trying to get more information out of him and what he did to you. He told us that he grabbed your arm too roughly and that he was finally able to let you go and didn't see where you went. I was beyond pissed by that point, hurting you was not okay.

Mikey had to calm me down and say that we had to find you before you shifted. Aiden of course butt's into our conversation and say shift? I said yeah, it's our 18th birthday today and we are supposed shift for the first time. He just bolts towards the woods, leaving us in the wake of his dust. He was too fast for us to keep up with him.

We went in the location of where he entered the woods. Then we realized it was getting dark and the transformation was about to happen soon. Once it was over, Aiden mind linked with me and said he found where you were. He said he'll get you tomorrow and knew that you were safe where you were. I was still mad at him, but he knew the woods a lot better than anyone and it wouldn't be safe for Mikey and I to get lost in them.

The next day Aiden mind links with me and said he'll get you his self. We insisted that we should come along. He said no, it was something he needed to do. Mikey told me to trust Aiden and that I should continue on looking for my mate, so I caved in.

Then he found us and told us you were back and safe and getting cleaned up. He wouldn't tell us what took you guy's so long to come back

' Aiden finishes saying. He looks at me expectedly assuming I would explain what happened in the woods with Aiden.

'I don't think it's my place to tell you what happened between Aiden and I. If Aiden didn't tell you, then he isn't ready to tell you guy's. Just be patient and understanding with him. I understand now why he behaved like that. Even though it doesn't give him a pass to act that way. But I forgive him and I feel like you, JJ should start to forgive him as well. And once you have heard his side of the story, you would understand as well as I do now.' I say to them.

'Well now that we are caught up on everything, let's enjoy this carnival.' Mikey comments to us.

We tried so much food that I felt like a beach whale. The food that they had at the carnival was amazing. There was; fried donuts, fried Twinkies, fried Oreos, elephant ears, funnel cakes, pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, popcorn, chicken strips, caramel apples, corn dogs, frozen lemonade, and soda.

We went outside and they had these two gigantic barns. In the barns they had all kinds of circus animals that you could think of that were located inside one of the barns. They had clowns, a ring master, and acrobats located in the same barn as the animals. There was a petting zoo, a pony ride, a haunted house, they even had a couple of rides located in the other barn. They had so much stuff to see that I felt like we weren't able to get to see and do everything.

I was exhausted by the end of this. What with filling my belly and all the excitement from the carnival. I said to my brothers that it was time for bed. I bid them good night at their door, next to Aiden's. JJ wasn't too happy with me still staying with Aiden. He said there was plenty of room to bring in a roll away bed. I said it's fine, Aiden said the couch pulls out and I didn't want to bother someone to bring up a roll away bed.

Oliver jumps up on the bed, I noticed that Baloo made him self right at home on the bed already. I put on my pajamas and get ready for bed in the bathroom. I just realized that I didn't notice Aiden the rest of the night and he isn't in his room.

*I guess he's right about being tired of these events happening all the time. He probably is hiding some where like he said he does. *

I step out of the bathroom and see this bright white light outside. I go towards the glass doors and open them up. Right when I step out, I feel the air pressure dropping. Indicating the storm has arrived. I can smell the rain in the air and it's very humid outside.

There is an awning out on the terrace and bench underneath it. I go over to the bench and sit down on it. I love thunderstorms. I don't know what it's about with them, but some how they calm me. Sitting on the bench for a couple of minutes, the sky opens up. The rain comes pouring down and the lightning lights up the dark sky. I was entranced with the storm, that I didn't even realize someone sitting next to me.

(You were right, it was going to storm today.) Aiden makes a comment in my mind, making me jump out of my skin.

(Well hello there, nice of you to make yourself known.) I say to him sarcastically, trying to calm down my racing heart.

(Oh I didn't mean to frighten you , little one.) Aiden says, with a smirk almost forming.

(Pshaw, what, you didn't frighten me.) I say, not looking at him getting a little red in the face.

(Thank you for telling me your story. I bet it was really hard for you to do. Let alone telling it to a complete strange that you have barely even met.) I comment, after a while of contempt silence while watching the storm.

(It was hard for me to talk about. But I realized it was good for me to talk about. I haven't opened up to anyone like I did to you as of today. I haven't even opened up to my family. For you to be a complete stranger, I don't feel like you are. I don't know, there's something inside of me saying that I can trust you and I can finally open up.) Aiden says quietly to me while staring very intently at the storm.

Sitting on the bench, lost in our own heads. I felt very comfortable and content. I didn't even realize that I was nodding off. I feel myself being lifted up off the bench and getting carried inside. Then I feel the soft sheets beneath me and my head hitting a pillow.

(I don't know why you interest me so much little one.) Is what I hear whispered in my mind, right before beautiful sleep took over.