A Royal Pain

chapter seven

A week later, I was still digging shrapnel out of my leg. Sitting on the edge of my bathtub, I winced as the pieces slowly came out of my skin. I didn't even get the worst of it. Mason shielded me from most of it, which would have been surprising if I didn't know that it was his wolf's instincts. Some of the warriors were even able to catch a few of the rogues that arrived with Marina.

Kim filled me in on some of the information they'd discovered during interrogations. On their way to the packhouse, the rogues had dropped multiple explosives. Fortunately, only two of them went off. The rest were removed. Although they didn't serve their purpose, the bombs were meant to be a distraction. When they went off, the rogues planned to grab me and run. Andrew backed out when he saw that not only did the bombs not go off, but Mason was focused on me. My wolf didn't hesitate to note that our mate was only worried about protecting us.

Now we were in the planning stage. The attack would be led a week from now, so it was crunch time. Mason had been able to extract some numbers from the rogues, but there was no way to know what we were fully up against. At the very least, I wanted to seek vengeance for Auggie. Marina took everything from me and I would make sure she paid her dues.

"Aurora! Aurora!" I looked up just in time to see Kim barrel into my room. I sighed, putting my tweezers down. The shrapnel would have to wait.

"What's up?"

"Daniel is coming home today," she breathed. "I have to look perfect." Kim was absolutely beaming. As I got to know her, I realized that her mate was the only thing that could turn her into a pile of mush. Daniel had been gone since I first arrived at the Blood Moon Pack, meeting with other Alphas about the attacks on my family. He led the warriors alongside Brian and as Kim had told me countless times, was the perfect mate.

I smiled up at her. "That's great, sweetie. I can't imagine a month away from my mate." It was sad how true that was. Mason hadn't gotten any warmer since the accident, and my wolf had been sulking.

Kim sensed my mood. "Oh no, no, no. You are not going to let Mason get you down. That man is so obsessed with you, I swear."

I snorted as she pulled me out of my room. "Please. He barely acknowledges I exist."

She eyed me. "Uh-huh. I wish you could have seen him when he didn't leave your hospital room for a week. Charles and I had to force him to eat."

I stopped in my tracks. "What? He stayed with me while I was in a coma?"

Kim snorted. "Stayed with you? He practically completed the mating bond for you. Both of you are too stubborn to see it."

My wolf purred as we entered Kim's room. Clearly Daniel had a sense for interior design because I knew Kim could never decorate like this. The room was luxurious yet modern, with gray walls and a black bed.

"What did you need my help for?" I asked.

She looked at me suggestively. "Daniel is coming home tonight..."

I raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"And... I have to look perfect," she said. "'So you're going to help me!" She guided me to her vanity. I already knew this was going to a very long day.

. . .

What felt like hours later, we stood in her closet as she picked out an outfit. Kim's hair and makeup were immaculate, thanks to me. Growing up, I quickly learned that maids never did my hair or makeup how I wanted it. Giving Kim a make-over threw me right back into the past when my mother would beg to let someone do my hair. I never agreed, of course.