The North

'I don't believe in magic.' The young boy said.

The old man smiled.

'You will, when you see her.'

-- Atticus.

***

King Dante Ezra Leonnard.

Lord Alpha of the Northern territory.

That was the man I was matched with.

It was highly unorthodox.

Royal Matches are usually considered huge events, depending on the status of the royal.

He wasn't even supposed to be here

Alpha kings host a special ceremony once a year to find their mates. They dont actively search for them.

But he was waiting for me in my room.

Did he catch my scent?

I was still in shock as I recieved the the half-baked congratulations from my Guardian and his family.

He was all teeth and smiles as he spoke to my mate about how much I'll be missed and how they'll mourn my absence.

If I was at all interested in his shrivel , I wouldve scoffed at his comments.

But my mate held all of my attention.

He simply listened to the Alpha, his face void of emotion.

I wanted to ask him so many questions, but this was neither the time nor the place.

I came over my shock and fixed my pack members with a reluctant smile as I recieve their congratulatons.

Some looked back at me with smiles tinted with fear and others with defiance.

It was useless to me now.

I linked my hand around my mates and the touch of skin nearly made me shiver with excitement.

He mightve taken my gesture as a sign of fatigue because he signaled to his entourage, and with a nod towards the Alpha we were preparing to leave.

I was led to the line of black jeeps were the rest of the Northern wolves were.

They all stared at me intently before dropping their knees to the ground.

I had no idea what was expected of me, so I smiled instead.

I recieved some smiles back while others simply nodded in respect.

"This way your majesty," A silver haired female spoke to me.

From her attire she looked like a guard.

I was placed in a jeep and she closed the door behind me. There were already two wolves in the car.

I'm asssuming guards too.

"Nice to meet you, My Queen" The blonde in the front seat smiled Excitedly.

Immediately the words left his mouth he was smacked on the head by the driver.

I snickered as the blonde clutched the back of his head in pain.

"Forgive his lack of manners your majesty," The dark haired driver said. " I am Axel and this is my twin brother Xavier, we will be your personal Guards from this moment onward."

He was the strict twin.

I smile at him.

"I'm Selene, and its nice to meet you both."

Xavier seemed to sober up from the pain at that point and extended his palm to me, whcih was once smacked again by Axel.

"Why do you keep hitting me!?!" Xavier exclaimed.

"You're being rude," Axel answered calmly.

"By trying to properly welcome My Queen," Xavier feigned an offended look.

"She isn't your Queen. She's her imperial majesty of the Northern Empire," Axel explained.

"Same difference. I'm a wolf of the Northern empire and she's the queen of the Northern empire, therefore My Queen." Xavier argued.

"Xavier-"

"Axel-"

Their bickering was interrupted by my chuckles. They were beyond comical and they didn't even seem to know it.

My laughing seemed to have shocked Axel, Xavier on the other hand seemed amused by it given the smirk on his face.

The whole atmosphere changed as soon as I notice the other cars begin to move.

Axel put the car in drive.

"Aren't we waiting for my mate-I mean the king?" I asked.

"He is already in one of the other cars with his personal guards." Xavier answered calmly.

His face suddenly turned serious like Axel's as he scanned the surroundings as we drove on.

I won't lie, its a bit dissapointing to not be seated in the same car as him, but i chalked it up to safety reasons.

I lay my head back and stare at the forest scenery as we dove past.

I fell asleep soon enough,

The itchiness of my mark my last lingering thought.

***

We reach the North by dark.

"We've arrived your highness."

Flickering lights and Xavier's grinning face greeted me as i opened my eyes.

I grabbed his extended hand as I adjusted to the light.

There were no cars in sight except for mine.

Axel must have noticed my confusion because he spoke first.

"This is your private entrance to the Castle your majesty, and the King, was pulled away by urgent duties as soon as we arrived."

I nodded, my attention elsewhere as I notice the four other wolves in our midst.

"These four are also a part of your security team, but Xavier and I will mostly be by your side." He explains further.

They all started moving and before I knew it, everything went by so fast.

I was ushered in, dressed in fancy clothes and led to a hall that I assumed to be the throne room.

Different Alphas, and members of the Royal family came to welcome me. Even envoys from other territories were present with several gifts and wishes.

No one was allowed to get too close and No one was allowed to be in my presence too long.

I felt like a prized artifact up for display.

For some reason, no one could wait to see the Queen.

"Your last obligation is to meet with the Elders of the North, your majesty," my assistant, Carlisle said.

He had shown up shortly after I was freshened up to drag me away for my duties.

"I'll leave now to inform them of your presence."

With a bow, he was gone.

He was tall with thick brown hair and black glasses and peculiar gold coloured irises.

He insisted on a tour of the castle, immediately I was done nodding and smiling to the creme of the crop.

I tried to speak up, but he seemed to already have a plan in place.

Everybody seemed to be moving so fast.

Like they wanted me to take charge and be a Queen right away.

I had barely been Queen for 24 hours, yet a lot of things were expected from me.

I strolled around my chambers, studying and admiring.

It was huge and beautiful.

I already had dresses and various accessories ready for me.

For some reason I couldn't shake the feeling that I was expected here today.

I moved out to the balcony and I was stunned.

It had the view of a luxurious garden.

There were different pavilions and tea houses in the maze of it all.

It was filled with few royals, most of whom I recognized from the throne room earlier.

My mark throbbed suddenly, and it was like instinct.

He's close

I scanned the garden for him, but it was hard to see anything since it was dark.

It was the blonde hair that drew me to a certain secluded structure at the corner of the Garden.

He was seated with a stunningly beautiful woman.

I couldn't make out her features from here but if she looked stunning from here, I feared to see how she'd look up close.

My mate, however was doing something I had never seen him do in the whole 24 hours since we discovered each other.

He was smiling.

My mark throbbed painfully and my insides churned.

I whipped back to face Axel and Xavier but they had their stares rooted to the ground.

Oh no...

I stared at my mate again, just in time for him to tuck her hair neatly behind her hair, before jointly leaving the garden.

I stared at the spot for a while, trying to make sense of what I saw.

There were several reasons for their closeness.

She could be his sister, cousin, relative of any sort.

I shouldn't jump to any conclusions

Mates don't cheat on each other, its unheard of.

"Your majesty," It was Carlisle.

I stepped back into my room.

"The Elders aren't all present in the Castle this evening and have suggested having a meeting with you sometime tomorrow?"

I said nothing, just simply nodded my head.

He began talking again but I could barely concentrate on a word he said.

When he was done, Axel and Xavier bowed to me, murmured a quick Goodnight and exited the room.

"Have a pleasant night your majesty."

Carlisle was about to step out when I stopped him.

"Carlisle...does his majesty by chance have any relatives that live in the palace?"

He seemed confused at first but then his expression turned to one of understanding and it might be just me but a little bit of pity.

"The king has one younger brother, but he lives in his own castle, well away from here. But you'll meet him at your official welcome party."

I nodded once more and with a bow, he slipped out.

It was almost midnight , but I could'nt help waiting.

I hoped and prayed that he'd show up. But the more time passed, it became quite clear that I had been matched with someone who didn't want to complete our bond.

The mark on my neck throbbed painfully and I'm sure his was having thesame reaction.

This wasn't normal.

We're meant to consummate our bond on our first night.

Tears slipped out slowly as my body craved his.

I wanted to go to him, demand answers, but I didn't...I couldn't.

I was his wife, his queen and he abandoned me on our wedding night.

Tears slipped out more rapidly, at the dreaded thought that he might've abandoned me...

...for her.