Chapter Nine

* Althea *

As we finished the whole day by shopping and getting me new stuff, I concluded that if there was one person on my side earnestly in the Palace that was only Zeina. But the clothes, shoes, and even new lingerie were too much. The servants have to help me with carrying all the stuff to my bedroom.

"Oh Zeina, this is too much. I don't even have a special occasion to wear them."

Her beautiful face wrinkles as she looks at me. "Of course you have! Don't stop yourself from looking great all the time Althea. Remember, you married the Alpha King and other female wolves are always after him. Wear the dresses that I bought and the new shoes even when you are just here."

I shook my head. "But it's too much, I'm just home."

I bit my tongue after I said that, I know that Zeina is royalty and she is used to wearing fancy things and dresses even just at home.

"It's not too much my dear, believe me. You look great as it is but even better with a touch of class and elegance. You deserve everything in this Palace, my dear, my brother married you so you are his Luna and you are now one of us."

"Thank you for saying that Zeina, to be honest, I wouldn't know what to do if you were not here with me."

I met her gaze with sincerity as I smiled, she squeezed my hand. "I don't have a sister Thea, and I am glad that my brother married you. Now we can rely on each other, he is my brother but as an Alpha King he has a lot of things on his plate and there are even times that he is more domineering towards me than anyone else. But perhaps now that you are here there are some changes."

I sighed.

"I am not sure about that Zeina. His Majesty is quite busy and I don't think he would like to spend time with me."

Thinking about the last conversation I had with him, I was sure that he would not come to meet me or speak with me if it wasn't a matter of life and death. Zeina nodded and looked at me with a twinkle in her eyes.

"If he is not coming to you then let us go to him."

"What? No! We can't do that, he wouldn't be happy if I tried to disturb him just so we can spend time together."

Zeina winks at me. "I have a plan, so leave everything to me. I know my brother's usual schedule every day it is a routine. We can observe him without making it that obvious, trust me he would notice us in a way that he is not getting angry."

I don't know what she is thinking but maybe it is better than doing nothing. Surely if I had to keep to myself all day, my days in the Palace would be so boring that I don't know if I can endure it anymore.

"Alright, since you are the expert I would leave everything to you."

Zeina walked back and forth inside my room while I sat on the bed. The servants just left us after they finished bringing all the shopping bags inside my room.

"That's my girl! Don't worry about a thing Thea, this will all work out I have a feeling that my brother secretly likes you and he is just too damned arrogant to let it show."

I let out a short laugh, Zeina is just so lively and free with a lot of ideas in her pretty mind. "I don't think I could believe that Zeina."

I murmured shaking my head as she paced towards the door. "I'm gonna leave you now so that we can both rest up early. Tomorrow we must wake up at five in the morning for a run."

She winks at me. "Five am? Isn't that too early for you to wake up."

My brows furrowed, Zeina is royalty and she can wake up later than that. I think only servants wake up that early in the morning.

"Oh, just be ready by that time Thea. I will come to wake you if you're still sleeping, I'm going to show you something before sunrise."

"No problem, five am is not too early for me. I will make sure that when you come I am ready."

Zeina smiled and opened the door of my room to leave, as I watched her back I wondered what it was that she wanted to show me before sunrise and she looked excited about it.

* Alpha King Zed *

After the pack duties and all the preparations to send the warriors toward my Father's location, it took me until ten in the evening. I was busy, like it's always been but happy to have filled my role as the protector and the leader of this pack. But my main reason is to ensure that my Father is safe.

I have no idea what Zeina and Althea did all day but someone from the servants informed me that they were together outside. My sister loves to have her company I guess and I know that they would get along fine. Somehow I felt relieved that I didn't have to speak with her since my sister is around her all day, not that I would want to see her even if my sister is not around. I slept well after returning to my chambers and plan to do the same routine in the morning.

"Good morning your Majesty."

As usual, Beta Osuof is waiting for me as soon as I get out of the Palace gates.

"Morning too Beta, how was your sleep?"

He shrugged his fluffy shoulders and followed my run as I sprinted to the forest. "It's the same cold night your Majesty."

I chuckled. "Oh, likewise. Mine makes no difference but I liked it this way."

He groans behind me. "You are married your Majesty, why not make the most of it. I see nothing wrong with your wife, your Father has made a wise decision."

That erases the humor in my voice when I look back at him. "Beta, I know that you are loyal to my Father being his Beta before I even became the Alpha King but of all the decisions he made for me the worst was finding me a wife."

Then my legs move faster leaving him farther away from me. I heard his wine as the distance between us grew farther, Beta Osuof always panicked when he did not see me anymore. Serves him right for saying that my Father made a wise decision of making me marry that woman.

"I apologize, your Majesty, please wait for me a little."

I was one hill away from him when he spoke in the mind link. I did not answer and ran faster to the hill where the sun would soon come out. Beta Osouf groans as I wait for him on top of the hill overlooking the border of the East. There is nothing out of the ordinary as usual the land we are living in is in peace, and it makes me feel at ease. It took a few minutes before Beta Osuof finally arrived beside me, catching his breath as we both watched the sunrise together. Then I thought what difference does it make if I watch the sunrise alone or with him, or perhaps. I shook my head as the thought of having a female companion while watching this view every morning would be different.

"Don't sweat it Beta Osuof, I am not mad."

He sighed. "You know that at least I am a decade older than you and that makes a difference in our views and perspective your Majesty. But I am sure that when you fall in love, I am hoping that it would be with your wife or someone would get hurt."

I look at him and furrowed. "Fall in love? That's deep Beta, I'm not even sure if I am capable of such emotions."

I shook my head and kept my eyes in the other direction, I noticed that the grass had been stepped upon. Probably a few minutes earlier than us? Who from the Warriors came out here earlier? Beta Osuof followed my gaze, then he slowly walked towards it. As he gently sniffed on the grasses I waited for his judgement.

"Oh, the scent of two female wolves was here your majesty."

A smile hovered over his lips as he watched me. "Two female wolves? You mean from our female warriors?”

He shakes his head. "One is from the Princess Your Majesty but the other one I am not familiar with and I can't tell."

I gritted my teeth and walked towards him then I sniffed the ground. I could recognize the scent from my sister's wolf and the other one seemed to be more pleasant, there was no way it was from my female warriors.