Thoughts of my mate, of what he's doing, of what he's thinking, torment me all night. Angel seems to have the same problem as me, because I wake up to hear him muffling sniffles into the pillow during the night.
We left the room so he wouldn't wake Ciri up.
The palace is larger than I thought it was. A maze of corridors and twists and turns meddled up my mind. This is supposed to be my home, and yet Angel knew his way around better than I do.
The gardens at the southern exit are beautiful. A stone path embedded in bright green grass leads us past rows of budded flowers and trimmed hedges.
Right at the back of the gardens is a pavilion, painted white. Raised up above the ground, we climb the stairs and take a seat on the stone benches. I study the pattern on the white tiles beneath my bare feet.
The silence isn't uncomfortable. Both Angel and I are in the same boat here. His mate, Zero, doesn't even accept him because he's a guy. I wouldn't know how that would feel. But then again, Jango make it clear he was going to have me as his mate.
Eventually the sun starts rising and the day plants spring to life.
"They're going to think we're missing." Angel sighs, flopping down on the bench he was sitting on. His blonde hair falls into his eyes.
I draw my knees to my chest. "I don't care."
"You miss your mate?" He rolls over and props his head on his hand, looking at me.
I don't answer. "I can't believe he wanted me to get married."
"Yeah." Angel agrees. "But I'm still confused about that whole noise thing."
"Mmm." Thinking to myself, I run the possibilities through my head. Absolutely nothing stands out, and I can't find a solution to the noise.
I'm startled as a sudden thought hits me. Didn't Kenny once mention that he thought I might be a Gifted One, like him? What if the thing that made that noise was me? If it was, how did I do that? I can't let Darius know.
"You know, I really hate this place."
"Why?" I ask.
Angel shrugs. "Don't know. I feel like I'm trapped whenever I come here, like I can't do what I want. Granted, Zero doesn't let me do anything anyway." He giggles. "But sometimes I catch him looking the other way, just so I can have more freedom."
"Is Henley really that strict?" I frown.
"Yeah. Unfortunately, he is. That's why I have Zero as my guard." Angel grins.
Voices interrupt our somewhat quiet conversation.
"Lyrissa! Angel! Where are you?"
It sounded like Ciri and Delilah. Angel dives under the bench, hissing at me to do the same. I begrudgingly hide behind the seat, in a much less vibrant way than Angel. He acts like he's in a spy movie, getting a serious expression. I resist the urge to roll my eyes at him.
He's such a child. No wonder he needs a guard.
For a moment we hold our breathes, but I faintly hear Ciri and Delilah finally walking away. Angel lets out a long breath.
"At least they haven't resorted to sending Zero." He says, hopping back up onto the chair. "We'd have no chance if that meanie appeared. He's an expert tracker."
Leaning my back against the bench, I chose to continue sitting on the floor. Absentmindedly, I play with the hem of the yellow dress I'm still wearing. "Can I ask you a question?"
YOU ARE READING
Bound To Be Mates
WerewolfI thought I was the only one. Before I moved schools, being a wallflower with a bad case of shyness was how things were for me. My secret caused me to become socially awkward - that, and the fact that I was the only werewolf living in a human orphan...
