Chapter 6: First Official Visit

The next day, Mikki woke up feeling like none of the events from the previous day had happened. She took her breakfast in bed, went outside for some jogging and some shifting to feel the breeze of the nature on her wolf fur, before she returned to have lunch.

After she ate, she wondered what she could do to pass the time. It wasn’t like she didn’t have many options, since the palace was a huge place and she had lots of things at her disposal. But she didn’t feel like doing any of it.

After considering for a few minutes, she grabbed a book from the library and went straight to the rose garden, a place where she loved to spend her afternoons alone, just thinking about life and feeling the aroma of the roses.

The dress she was wearing wasn’t the most appropriate for a walk in the garden, but she didn’t feel like going back to her room to change it. She picked a classical princess dress, since Ace had visits during lunch hour, and she had to be presentable.

Once she got outside, she regretted not having it changed. The sun was actually quite strong today, and she felt like it would spoil her reading after a few minutes. Mikki walked around, trying to find a shadow under some trees where she could hide from the sunlight.

At the end of the garden, she spotted the tree she used to use as her secret spot, and she opened her book after accommodating herself and her uncomfortable dress.

The breeze was actually nice and she started to feel sleepy after a few pages. But before she could rest her eyes, she sensed someone approaching, so she lifted her head to see who it was.

But it wasn’t anyone she was expecting at all. In fact, she never thought he’d be able to find her there, of all places.

No one other than Max Grosvenor was walking towards her; this time, dressed completely differently from the first time she met him. He wasn’t wearing a suit anymore and his hair was not perfectly combed.

Now, he let it loose and messy, almost covering his beautiful eyes. She could also see a bit more of his tanned skin, since his muscled arms were exposed under his white plain t-shirt. He was the very image of a masculine man.

Mikki gulped and looked away as embarrassing thoughts flooded her mind. Why was she drooling over him like that?

“Your Highness,” he said, approaching her, but keeping an ideal distance. It impressed Mikki that he was so aware of the etiquette and how he should behave around the Royal Family. Not that she cared. In fact, she found herself wanting him to get closer. Much closer than it would be considered appropriate.

“Mr. Grosvenor. What a pleasant surprise,” she uttered, getting up, deciding to be a bit more polite and gentle towards him, since his first impression of her was probably not the best one.

His eyebrows raised with curiosity.

“Is it?” he wondered.

Mikki felt like punching him in the face. Was he mocking her?

“Oh, don’t get me wrong. I just wasn’t expecting such cordiality from you,” he added, his arms up in surrender.

“Why is that?” she asked, defensively.

He cleared his throat and looked away, staring beyond the roses around them. The sunlight reflection on his blue eyes reminded her of the sea.

“I thought you wouldn’t be pleased to see me,” he explained. “At all. Especially after our last encounter.”

It made sense, Mikki had to give him that. She didn’t look satisfied with his presence at Ace’s office, but he should understand that she was taken aback by all that information.

She was also happy to know that he didn't notice how nervous and embarrassed she felt with him at that first moment. She wondered if he had noticed that she realized he was her mate. But if he did, he didn’t let it show.

“I apologize for my behavior. I shouldn’t be that rude,” she said sincerely.

But he shook his head, looking back at her. And the intensity in his eyes made Mikki start to play with her book pages, trying to hide her flushed cheeks.

“You don’t need to apologize. I wanted to introduce myself to you before… you know, all that mess.”

Did he need to be so thoughtful and kind? It was going to be even harder for her not to fall for him and ignore their bond. Which also made her wonder why he didn’t seem to be feeling the same way as her. Was he so good at pretending?

But again, if she was managing to hide it from him, she guessed it shouldn’t be that hard for him to do the same.

“Can we take a walk?” he offered, showing his arm bent for her to take.

She considered rejecting his offer, it wouldn’t be good for her to be this close to him, but she also couldn’t ignore the education she received as a princess. So Mikki took a few steps forward and put her arm around his, instantly feeling it tingle with his touch on her skin.

Mikki never really had any dirty thoughts towards any men she knew. She was really innocent in that department, even though she knew what happened between man and woman once they were intimate.

She heard some of her maids talking about it one day, and she demanded they tell her after they said it wasn’t appropriate to have that kind of conversation with a princess.

But she didn’t care, she wanted to know about the affairs of the commoners, she wanted to know how life happened outside of the palace since she was kept from so many things.

It shocked her at first, of course. She never imagined things to be like that, but then her maids started to show her some pictures, books and even movies of couples being romantic, and then Mikki discovered a whole new world.

She was a book enthusiastic, romances over all. So she wasn’t that naive anymore. That’s why, from that simple touch, her mind played tricks on her, making her curse herself along the way.

He exuded such an intoxicating scent, now even more stronger than inside of Ace’s office, even though they were in an open space. He was so close that, if she looked up, she would be able to see with details his sapphire iris examining and hypnotizing her.

It would be impossible to live like this, being around this man everyday without surrendering to her feelings. She knew she wouldn’t have the willingness to do it. But what if he never showed her what he felt? What was she going to do about it?

Mikki sighed, making Max halt on his feet.

“Is everything okay?” he asked, turning to look at her, which was obviously a mistake. At least for her. She was at a loss for words as she looked inside his eyes. And those lips were so pinkish and appealing to her. ‘Focus, Mikki. What’s wrong with you?’ she reprimanded herself.

“Yes, of course,” she murmured, trying to look away from him. But Max leaned forward, lowering his head to her level, which made Mikki hold her breath.

“Am I making your uncomfortable—,” he whispered. “Princess?”

He was making fun of her. He could tell she was nervous by his side, and now it was pretty clear to Mikki by the smirk on his face.

She gulped, feeling mad at herself for not being able to hide it a bit better. But she wouldn’t give in so easily.

“Of course not. Why would you?”

He smiled.

“I don’t know, but I can hear your heart beating fast and feel your arms tensing around mine,” he explained, keeping their eyes connected.

“I'm fine,” she concluded, breaking loose from his arm. His confidence and haughtiness irritated Mikki absurdly. She knew he was teasing her, but she couldn’t take it, so she simply excused herself and went inside the palace, leaving him behind without saying another word.