Chapter 2

"Good morning Kiki, fancy seeing you this morning." I say with my mouth full of coco pops and my chin dripping milk that had turned brown due to the cocoey goodness, Lordess was that even a word?.

I see Kian's face scrunch up in distaste probably due to my appearance and unlady like table manners and I resist the urge to burst out laughing. Who cares? He's the one who disturbed me.

"Octavia if you are done shoving royal food down your little throat, I would like some breakfast." Kian says drawing out the chair where mother sat earlier.

What the... Since when did he start eating at the dining hall?. Also, "hey Octavia is mine, don't order her around." I say this time with a clean mouth. I wasn't lying, Octavia was my maid, mother assigned her to tend to me and only me. Now this maid thief had come and disturb dear Octavia from having her meal-that I was supposed to be eating- and then order her around.

"This is my house I can do whatever the fuck I want." Kian growls his black orbs turning darker. "Since when do you talk?." I ask in a bored tone rolling my eyes.

"Since I had to teach grown woman table manners, didn't your mother teach you not to speak with food in your mouth bunny?." Kian replies with a deadly tone that would make the commander of the the royal army run for the hills, but I'm not the commander of the royal army, I dont even know how to pack a fist.

Before I could answer him Octavia comes scurrying in with a trolley filled with different kinds of food. He was still a foodie!. When Octavia turns to leave I stand up too, ready to burry my head in another good book from the library.

"Jokes on you Alpha, I never met my mother but since you do have one, didn't she teach you to be nicer to the ladies?" I hum as I pass by him.

I hear the cutlery fall behind me and turn to find bent forks on the floor. Is he mad, those were expensive golden cutlery!. Oh well, he has tones of money to buy the whole world, who cares?.

Five minutes later I'm strolling towards the library watching the servants rush by, carrying all different types of flashy materials used for house decor. Kian's brides would stay on royal grounds for five days. In these five days they would undergo different tests and on the fifth evening Kian would choose the strongest and compatible girl to be the next Luna of Royal pack and queen of all werewolves. These girls were bred since birth to be chosens once they are grown. You don't just become a chosen.

I can't wait to meet my future sister in law and annoy her like I do my brother.

Did I mention I would be turning eighteen and shifting into my wolf in six days? To say I was excited would be a major understatement. I can't wait to find my mate either and rub it in Kian's face, the boy failed to find his afterall.

"My my, what do we have here?" A voice disturbs my peaceful walk towards the library. "Oh, Beta Damien. How are you this fine morning?" I say passing him, not really in the mood for a chat with this weird fellow. He made my skin crawl in a very unpleasant manner.

"Where are you rushing off too mama?" I gag. Eew! "To the library dada!" I shout picking up my pace. All I hear is his laugh before i round the corner of the library door. Immediately when I get in the delicious smell of old books attacks my nose and I take a deep breath in.

"Now where was I?" I mutter under my breath while heading for the book I was reading yesterday. It was exactly where I left it. Mate Bounds. I know I'm getting ahead of myself but I want to be prepared when I meet him. I can hardly contain myself. In six days, six! Lordess grant me strength.

Will it be someone from the pack? Will I need to go out of the pack to look for him?

"Princess, her highness the Queen mother sent me to tell you to wipe the floors." A voice says at the door and my brows furrow for a split second before I see who it is.

"I wonder who you're trying to mimick.?" I say laughing. Leo was my best friend, well besides Octavia. He was like the big brother I never had or never wanted. He's a bully! "Hey buttercup, what you up to?" He says strolling inside the library with his royal guard uniform on. "Oh you know, the usual." I say flicking a page.

"Daydreaming about mates I see." He says chuckling. "Hey! It's called being hopeful okay? Not all of us are like you." I yell defending myself and Leo raises his hands in surrender. "I don't know Ria. I believe everyone deserves to choose who they want to be with, not get them chosen for you." He says with his brown eyes twinkling when they settle on me.

"But that's the fun part Lee, not knowing who they are, waiting until you're of age to meet them. You just have to enjoy the process."

"I'm sorry I'm not as optimistic as you princess."

"So, are you off duty?"

"Yeah, I'm done for the day. Marcus switched with me, I'm not feeling too good." I frown at that. "Are you okay, what's wrong?" I ask in a slight panic. Werewolves rarely got sick and when we did it was usually a sign of death.

"Are you dying?" I ask the same time he says, "I guess I just needed some vitamin BC" I roll my eyes, wanting to hit him with the book. Vitamin BC meant vitamin buttercup, which happened to be me.

Leo laughs, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "Okay then your royal pain in my ass. Where do we suppose we go this fine morning?"

"It's mid-day chicca."

"Oh, must have gone blind from looking this sexy, I didn't notice." We both laugh and link our arms together as we exit the library walking in sync like lovers.

Leo and I head to my first favourite place on the royal grounds. The gardens. It was huge,with benches and fountains, you'd swear it is a park. When we get there I immediately let go of Leo's arm and start hoping around touching the delicate petals of the flowers. Leo sits in his usual place on one of the benches and just stares at me like I'm the light to his dying universe.

"Oh Lee, look look!" I shout pointing at a butterfly that sat on my hand. Leo makes the 'good' sign with his hands and smiles.

After a while I hope towards a nearly asleep Leo on the bench and tiptoe towards his ear "Hey buddy, you ready to get spiked!" I shout and he nearly falls off the bench in fright. I almost die laughing, the pout on his face makes me laugh even more.

"Play nice buttercup."

"But where's the fun in that?"

"If I have a mate out there Aria, I wish she's just like you." Leo suddenly says with soft but serious voice, he tucks a loose braid of my kinky air behind my ear. Before I even answer him, a disturbing growl shakes the whole garden. I'm sure the even the dead wolves in the Avian ice heard it.

"Get the hell away from her pup!" Kian roars with each mighty step he takes towards us. What the hell is wrong with this guy?. Leo doesn't budge next to me, we just stare at the fuming alpha like he's grown two heads, which would have been comical by the way.

"I said, get the fuck away from her" Kian says clutching Leo's hand that was still cupping my face. I look at the bite mark on Kian's left hand and I almost snicker with pride. I can leave another one now if he doesn't leave my poor Lili alone.

"Kian let go of him." I said looking at his black eyes. Instead of doing as I say Kian clutches Leo's hand even harder and gasp trying to get him to let go. "Kian you're hurting him!"

I see Leo looking at Kian with an unknown expression before a smirk graces his face and I frown. What's there to be smirking about when your hand is about to get crushed by the devil.

"Kian please, Leo didn't hurt me. Please let him go." I say feeling my eyes burn with tears. Yes I cry a lot.

Seeing the look on my face Kian pulls Leo off the bench unceremoniously and barks in his face "leave pup" Leo just winks at me and turn to leave, leave me with the devil himself who was currently trying to calm himself down. His breath coming out raggedly.

"What's wrong...with you?" I finish my sentence in his tight embrace, his face buried in my neck. "Uhh... Kiki, are you okay, are you sick?" I ask starting to be really concerned about his behaviour. I hear him chuckle, his hot breath fanning my neck.

"Sick? No bunny. I don't want to see you with that boy ever again." He growls out with my tinny shoulders clutched in his huge hands. I giggle. "Oh silly Kiki, your big brother instincts are kicking in huh?" I giggle even more. "Lili is my friend and he's harmless, plus I'm gonna find my mate in six days Kiki what will you do then huh, bark in his face too?." I say patting his head like he's a toddler. The murderous look on his face amusing me even further.

"Leave pup!" I growl out mimicking him and then laughing in his stoic face. "I will tear any male, wolf or not, who ever comes close to you to pieces. I will feed them to my lycans in the dungeons." He says not blinking and I gulp, the playfulness gone from my face.

"You will not touch my mate Kiki, if you do so much as look in his direction I will elope with him." I tell him in all seriousness before I swivel and run out of the gardens, missing the pair of eyes that stared down from the balcony.