Royally Rogue

Muscles

Arabella

Xander pushed off the plush sofa, the muscles his arms vibrating out of exhaustion. Still, he stood, grabbing the clothes from my brother, and went into his bathroom to shower. The sound of running water soon left us in the bedroom silent.

His absence effectively left my heart feeling empty, and he had only been gone for two seconds.

I groaned, leaning forward and letting my face fall into my hands.

I'd seen him a sum of ... 3 times? And within how many days?

This mate bond was incredibly strong, but I didn't know Xander, and I was freaking out. I felt so willing to give him anything I could, but in any other circumstance, caution would be my middle name.

"You good?" Aaron said, suddenly in front of me. I raised my head, looking up at my brother. His deep blue eyes stared into mine, prepared to catch any deception. It was pointless to lie to him, he was a master at reading faces.

"It's Xander... I know I need him- my wolf needs him. But I don't know him, and I'm afraid he'll do things I'm not prepared for, or worse, I'll do things...It's like he is 100% in this 'relationship' already, and I don't even know what his favorite flavor of cake is! Not to mention this whole running away deal tomorrow." I said the last part with a frustrated sigh, leaning back into the soft couch and hoping it would sponge all my worries away.

My brother nodded, crouching and placing his hand comfortingly on my knee. He gave a soft smile, still crouched in front of me. "Ara, you're not alone in this. I'll be here to protect you, trust me. If you're having a problem, I'm you're guy." After a slight pause, he continued with a frown. "And even though Roman is having behavioral issues, there is not a doubt in mind that he wants the best for you"

"I know that. But now that Xander is here, I won't even be able to breathe on the same room as him."

"Maybe that's a good thing. " Aaron shrugged. "Which relationship is more important right now?"

I held my breath, already knowing the answer. It hurt, but I'd have to put Roman aside. There was a lot of unresolved friction between us, and I hated leaving things without fixing them. But—

"Xander. " I said finally, sighing and nodding to myself. Aaron smiled charmingly, knowing he was right. He stood, digging into his pocket and pulling out the phone that had taken the picture of my golden eyes about 20 minutes before. Aaron held the device out to me.

"What?" I hesitantly grabbed it, raising an eyebrow at the contact it had opened up on. It had a picture of a cute brunette, and read "Melanie".

"She's a friend of mine. She's sassy as hell and tough as nails, call her up. You need someone to go out of pack lands with you tomorrow."

My heart dropped as I remembered I was leaving. Tomorrow.

I gulped. "S-she won't be awake. It's the middle of the night, probably early morning."

He shrugged, taking the phone back and pressing the green button and putting the device to his ear. I cringed, waiting to hear an angry person on the other side. I'd be pissed if someone woke me up at this time.

Someone picked up after the third ring.

There was a small sound. "What."