Princess...

Chapter 16

Ethan

Honi dragged Ace away and I watched her retreating figure for a moment before Beta Deryn came to my side

"What was that about Ethan?" He asked and I took notice of Raula holding his arm and staring up at him sweetly. I felt a pang of jealousy but pushed it away, looking back to my second in command

"Just talking to the new rogue. Are you enjoying the festivities?" I asked, taking a look around the field where my pack were milling about enjoying the party. We didn't host many ever since my parents died, it didn't seem right and I honestly preferred the quiet.

"Yes, we are. Thank you, Alpha for the ceremony." Raula replied and I chuckled lightly at my mother figure

"Please Raula, we are basically family. Alpha Lupus is just informal settings, you can call me Ethan, you know this." I took her hand for a moment giving it a squeeze before excusing myself, not looking back to the field as I walked the distance to my library, settling into the armchair with a book and engrossing myself in reading it. The party could go on for hours and I'd already had enough, despite only being involved for an hour. The clock ticked by quickly and before I knew it, I'd finished my book and the clock read a little after 11 pm. I stretched from my position and made my way into my room, flicking the lights off as I went. The party would be almost over now and that meant I could go to bed, any trouble for the night being handled expertly by my Delta, I was sure of it. As I closed my eyes under the navy comforter, I was disturbed from my slumber only a moment later.

The newbie is still outside. It was Louvel, I knew that much and that thought alone caused me to sit up, flicking the lamp on to give me some light

My apologies Alpha, that was meant for Raula. Louvel mindlinked me again and I shook my head, pulling another hoodie and a pair of sweatpants from my wardrobe over my body

Don't disturb Raula or any of the others. Get some rest and I'll handle Rogue Ace. Tugging my shoes onto my feet, I made light work of stalking through the West Wing, a million questions darting through my mind. Why was I going to deal with her? One of the workers could have handled her, I'm sure of it. Why was she outside? That question I couldn't fathom an answer to and as I exited through the back door of the kitchen, I caught sight of a figure laid on the ground. My inner wolf growled and I took off running towards her, collapsing by the small figure still wearing the purple dress that I'd instructed the elves to make for the ceremony. I hovered my larger hand over her mouth, taking note of her light rhythmic breathing and realised she was asleep, deeply. Without hesitation, I scooped her up in my arms and took notice of the empty alcohol bottles surrounding her that lay forgotten on the grass. A quick sniff confirmed my suspicions; Ace had been drinking, she was drunk. I rolled my eyes and began the walk back into the house as the small figure stirred in my arms

"Louvel? I told you I was fine. Put me down." She grumbled, her eyes still closed and I allowed myself to chuckle, staring down at the rogue as her eyes shot open and met mine, piercing blue ones that were struggling to focus on me

"Alpha Lupus, I'm sorry. I thought it was someone else..." She trailed off and my inner wolf growled, picking up on how she hadn't apologised in proper wolf etiquette. The correct way to apologise was with either 'my apologies' or 'I apologise' but the redheaded rogue had always used the human version 'I'm sorry' which was more informal. Usually, that only happened with rogues who had been accustomed to human life and hadn't made an effort to keep up with werewolf customs. Then again, I had seen her in the Rogue club and at the coffee shop, so maybe she had managed to do both? I pushed the thought away and kept walking, getting closer to the house now. We were silent as I walked through the workers quarters, only pausing when I didn't know which door was hers.

"It's that one." She sloppily lifted an arm to point to a door at the end and I curtly nodded, pushing open the door and allowing the smaller woman to fall into bed. My arms felt empty but I tucked them behind my back, stepping towards the door

"I'm lying to you... Alpha Lake. I can't tell you why but I am... I'm not from the Nevada pack. It's just what I tell people so they'll leave me alone... Goodnight..." I'd frozen in my tracks when she had spoken, turning slowly to see her already fast asleep and my inner wolf became angry, infuriated that a rogue would admit that to an Alpha so carelessly. I tensed my jaw and glared at the sleeping figure before the anger melted away and I found myself staring at the freckles that covered her pale features

"Goodnight, Ace..." I whispered before shaking my head and leaving the room, now wide awake and unable to settle. I exited the house and took off running towards the forest, discarding my clothes and shifting when I'd made it past the treeline. I knew she was lying, but why would she admit it? I knew alcohol made people do stupid things, and she hadn't told me anything new. But for some reason, I was frustrated, unable to work out why she would have told me that in her most vulnerable state.