Hidden Away

Thirteen: Mate

My eyes widened and I let out a gasp as the palace became visible from the car. It was more grand than any little girl could ever imagine. It looked like it could house a thousand people and still have room for more.

As we pulled up to the front gate, two guards approached the vehicle. One approached from our left, the other from our right. The one on the left signaled for Orion to lower the window. He did as he was told.

"Name and business," the guard spoke in a bored voice. It almost seemed robotic, like he had been doing this al day.

"Bloodmoon. We're here for the coronation," Orion responded. The guard's bored expression disappeared in a matter of nanoseconds. His eyes almost popped out of their sockets. He tilted his head and looked through the back window. When he spotted me, he gave me a soft smile before turning back to Orion.

"You're clear. Congratulations on finding your daughter," he said, making Orion flash a tight smile at him. He muttered something that sounded like a thanks and continued driving as the gate opened.

"How'd he know I was missing?" I asked, curious.

"The whole werewolf world practically knew," Orion responded, glancing at me through the rear-view mirror. "I had everyone looking for you." He didn't see the slight nod I gave him.

As we drove down the very long driveway, my leg started bouncing up and down due to the nervousness I was feeling. I now knew that everyone knew about me and I wasn't sure how comfortable I was with that. If people knew about me, does that mean they know about my abilities?

We finally made it to the front of the palace and Orion killed the engine. We all got out and the sound of the car doors slamming filled my ears.

Before me was a grand staircase that lead all the way up to the very large front doors of the palace. A long breath escaped my nose in awe of the grand place that would be our home for the next couple of days.

At the bottom of the steps were three people, whom I automatically assumed were the royal family. It was two men and a woman; the men stood on either side of the woman. One of them looked much older than the other.

The older looking man stepped forward as we lined up in front of them. He outstretched his arm for Orion to shake. "Alpha Bloodmoon, it's nice to see you again." The king smiled widely and shook Orion's hand before his eyes landed on me. "You must be Norah." He extended his hand for me to shake and I took it.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, your majesty." I bowed my head and a sign of respect. My head wasn't even bowed all the way before he lifted my head up by my chin.

"Don't call me that. Your family and I are friends. Call me Alaric," he said, all while smiling widely. He definately seems like a friendly person; one that anybody would want to get on their good side. You would be stupid not to.  I imagined Alaric to come off as a complete dick. I imagined to meet him while he was barking out orders and yelling at people, but no, he was the exact opposite if that.

The younger man stepped forward and took my hand. He lent down in front of me before placing a small kiss on the back of my hand. "Ms. Bloodmoon, It is an honor to finally meet you." The prince let my hand go and smiled at me. I returned an awkward smile. I could feel the tips of my ears heat up and my face turning red.

"You must be Bennett," I voiced my assumption.

"Oh no," he let out a laugh. "My brother is in a meeting to prepare for his coronation. I'm sure you'll meet him when he's finished." He looked behind him, his eyes landing on a very specific window out of the many that decorated the walls of the palace.