I take one last deep breath and finally gather the courage to look at myself in the mirror. I wince when I meet my pale amber eyes, but I force myself to continue to look. There are dark purple bruises under my eyes, and my dusky brown hair looks wild around my face. I run my fingers through it to try and smooth it over, but somehow it seems even worse than before. I left my hair alone and attempted to straighten my royal red tie, but something was off no matter how I pulled it. Goddess, this whole ordeal is off, I think to myself with a sigh.
I pull the tie from my neck and fling it to the side before throwing myself onto the bed. I can't do this; I think to myself as I press my face harder into the mattress. I can feel the hot itchiness of tears begin to prick at the back of my eyes, and I let out the most inhumane scream I could muster. I continued to scream as I let out all of the anger and sadness I had felt the past couple of weeks.
After what felt like hours, the screaming stopped, and I slowly turned over onto my back. I look up at the navy blue canopy above me, and my heart lurches. My mind recalls a memory from when I was a child, and my mother told me to look up at the canopy and think of the sea. She always thought the deep sea ocean was calming and used to tell me stories of mermaids, pirates, and lost cities.
"Mom, Dad, I don't want this," I whisper, hoarse from screaming.
"Your Highness? Are you alright?" I hear a familiar voice call out to me from my bedroom doorway, and I shoot up in surprise.
"B-Baxter, how long have you been there?"
"I apologize. I just came to see if you were ready to greet the arriving wolves, but you know, Your Highness, you don't have to welcome anyone if you're not up to it. Given the circumstances, everyone would understand."
Baxter comes to sit down next to me on the bed, and my heart lurches once more. Baxter was a butler who had taken care of me since I was a baby, he's been by my side all of my life, and at this point, he's the only parental figure I had left. He looks at me with so much concern in his kind brown eyes, and the guilt hits me like a ton of bricks. So here I am, sitting in my room crying like a child while Baxter is doing his best to keep my family's livelihood together.
"I'm sorry, Baxter, I'm trying," I whisper, pressing my hands against my eyes.
"I know you are Your Highness, I know. But, Goddess, if I were a better man like your father, I would have something inspiring to say to help you. Or I could make you laugh with some little joke like your mother," he sighs, and I shoot up instantly.
"Baxter, you are my closest friend and confidant. You are doing amazing under the circumstances, so please don't belittle yourself. No one will ever be like my mom and dad, but I need you just like you are. You're the only parental figure I have left, Baxter."
"Thank you so much, Your Highness. I know your parents would be so proud of the man you're becoming."
"You think so?"
"I swear on my life, Your Highness. I know the thought of becoming the Alpha King is daunting, but I also know you will be an amazing King, just like your father. The Goddess works in mysterious ways, but she would never give you more than you can handle. Your parents and the Goddess are watching over you; remember that." Baxter's words bring tears to my eye, but I also feel newfound confidence.
"Thank you, Baxter; I think I'm ready now."
With Baxter's words racing in my head, I hop up out of bed and my way to the mirror. There were still dark purple bruises under my eyes, but the amber in my eyes seemed brighter somehow. I quickly run my hand through my hair and straighten my tie. Not perfect, but it'll do, I think to myself. Baxter quickly slips on a royal red cape with gold trim onto my back, and we head out.
As we make our way toward the front corridor, I feel my wolf rise to the surface. My body feels hot the closer we get, and it takes all of my willpower to keep my wolf at bay. What the hell is going on? I haven't had these kinds of control issues since I was a kid. Baxter eyes me with concern, but he doesn't say a word.
As soon as the giant double doors of the front of the castle appear in my vision, my wolf goes ballistic, causing me to let out a low growl. I cover my mouth in shock as another growl leaves my lips. I peek over at Baxter and wince as he looks at me in surprise. What's going on with you, dude?? I question my wolf, but I get no response.
"Y-Your Highness??" Baxter questions.
I don't bother to respond as my body leads me toward the balcony that overlooks the corridor. I quickly scan over every single wolf coming in, my mind racing. Where? Where? Where??? That was the only thought in my head. I was looking for something, but I had no clue what that something was. Baxter followed after me, thoroughly perplexed by my actions. Hell, I didn't really understand what I was doing myself.
Suddenly, I am hit with the smell of vanilla and roses, causing my wolf to rise once more. I whip my head around, and my eyes zero in on the most beautiful girl I had ever seen in my life. She had pale, almost white, blonde hair plaited neatly down her back and warm brown eyes. Her eyes reminded me of logs being roasted on a toasty fire. A pale blue sundress with pale yellow suns is draped over her frail-looking frame, reminding me of a woodland spirit. A single word comes to mind as I stare at this girl.
"Mate..." I whisper, and I watch as Baxter's mouth drop open.
"Are you serious?? Where are they??" Baxter questions, scanning the hall in earnest.
I lift my hand to point her out but stop short as a group of older she-wolves approach her. I can instantly tell they're antagonistic, and my hands reach for the railing on the balcony to calm myself. But instead, I feel the rage build in my body as the group laugh and points at my mate. My mate doesn't say a word as they provoke her, and my heart lurches in pain. Why isn't she fighting back? That question runs rabid through my mind, causing me to grip the railing even tighter.
They continue talking for another couple of minutes before my mate finally tries to leave. I let out another growl as one of the older women grabbed my mate. I watch in horror as she is harshly pulled back, and in a split second, she falls to the floor with a deafening thud. She's out cold, I think to myself as the railing crumbles beneath my fingertips. Everyone turned to stare at her in shock, but not one person came to help.
"Baxter, if you don't get a group of guards down there to help her in the next 60 seconds, I'm going to rip the head off of every person in the castle," I demand in a low growl, causing Baxter to visibly pale.
Baxter quickly gets the guards on the radio, and they surround my mate in seconds. My mind is full of rage and confusion as I watch on, helpless to do anything for my mate. I had so many questions running rampant in my mind. Who is my mate? Why didn't anyone come to help her? And who the hell was the woman who dared to touch what was mine? I'm going to get to the bottom of this, I think to myself as I stalk away from the scene unfolding before me.
AN: Hello! This is my first author's note! XD I just wanted to pop in, say hi, and apologize for the lack of updates. Honestly, I'm just a slow writer, so updates on this will be...well, slow. I will do my best to update as much as possible, so hopefully, you all stick around for the journey! :D
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The Iridescent Wolf
WerewolfDanica Cardwell was a wolf-less nobody. Even though she was the daughter of an Alpha, most people treated her as less than human. And why should they? She had nothing to offer the werewolf society. But what happens when she discovers her mate is the...
