King's Rose

Chapter 1: Childhood memories

20 years ago

"Hunnie, where are you?" the amusement in the voice of a young lady filled the forest, the crunch of her footsteps evident.

Behind the thick bush, the innocent giggle of a young girl almost emerged before a hand grasped over her mouth. A young boy, only a couple of years older leaned in behind her, "You're going to give us away" his voice tickling the girl's ear. The young girl suppressed the giggle, she turned to burrow her head in his chest, "Sorry Ajak" she whispered.

"Ajax" the young boy corrected with an amused smile. Ajax stared down at the young girl in his arms, his eyes wise well beyond his age. It makes sense though. This was the future Alpha king of Australia after all. Being the future king came with perks. Such as the ability to sense one's mate well before the age of 18. He sighed, the young girl in front of him had her thumb in her mouth, her body naturally craving his warmth, the perfect submissive.

"Rosanna Rie Rui! We're going home. Tell Ajax he needs to head home too!" shouted the same young lady from before. Rose pouted, lifting her head from Ajax's chest. Ajax fought the urge to bring her back to his chest where she belongs, his fingers twitching. Ajax grasped Rose's small hand firmly, lifting him and her up before emerging out of the bush. The young lady smiled, beckoning Rose over in which she skipped over quickly, "Mum!" she shouted.

The young lady looked at Ajax, his eyes darting and his legs twitching, looking ready to pounce. She stared at him confused at the possessive emotions passing through his eyes but didn't think much of it. He was probably just missing his playmate. How could a 6-year-old show so much emotion to a 2-year-old child? "Ajax, thanks for playing with Rose again, I'm sure she enjoyed your company. Do you need me to take you home?" the young lady asked politely, approaching Ajax with Rose holding her hand.

As she was approaching, a black shadow flew down from seemingly nowhere, it was a man tall and fit with a menacing aura. "Lady Catherine, we will escort the little lord back, please don't worry yourself" said the man. The confusion on Catherine's face was as clear as day as she grasped Rose's hand next to her. Lady Catherine? She was most definitely just a normal werewolf and little lord? She had imagined Rose's playmate this vacation that she had only met a week ago was an ordinary wolf pup belonging to the neighbouring pack. While she was lost in her thoughts, Ajax looked to a seemingly empty position, with a slight tilt to his head towards Catherine and Rose, a couple of black shadows hiding in the distance nodded back. Catherine gave a polite smile. She didn't think they would give her answers even if she asked.

"Alright then, I'll head back with Rose. Take care Ajax and ...?" Catherine drifted off, not knowing the young man's name.

"Brexter, Lady Catherine" the man replied.

With his reply, Brexter and Ajax observed the flicking emotions in Catherine's eyes. Brexter was a bit of a celebrity in the werewolf world. There was a legendary troop that existed in Australia; the Fairy Guards were the most elitist of werewolf warriors, a tiny group of 10 individuals that existed to serve the Australian werewolf monarch. Brexter was one of the ten individuals, but not just one of them, he was their leader.

"Oh, like Brexter, the same name as the captain of Fairy Guards," Catherine replied.

Both Brexter and Ajax cocked a smile. "I do indeed get that a lot" smirked Brexter.

Catherine nodded before turning around, leaving the forest, following the footpath. As she walked away with Rose, Ajax's eyes shone bright purple, a trait of the royal family. He fought the urge to chase Rose down. As they disappeared away from view, black shadows darted across the forest, ensuring the mother-daughter duo got home safely. It wasn't just a safety measure. The prince would have their heads if anything happened to either of them.

Brexter turned to Ajax. "My little lord, are you ready to training or are you going to take another day off?" asked Brexter.

Ajax looked at him hatefully. Though he was only at the young age of 6 years, he had started his training ever since he was five years old. Recently, with the unexpected discovery of his little mate he had slacked off training. Turning, Ajax shifted into his wolf. Another perk of having royal blood, he was much more in tune with his wolf, allowing him to shift much earlier than the average werewolf. Even so, he was still early, even for a royal. He had to thank meeting Rose for that. Meeting Rose had woken the spirit of his wolf earlier, his wolf eager to dominant over his little submissive mate. Thankfully, they both had the same mindset. They were too young. They had to get stronger. Older. Train more. Be the best man they can be.

For her.

For Rose.

For the Rose that belongs to them.