King of the Alphas

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten
Smalltalk at Dusk

Alpha King Adrian Regan

I stared into the mirror, my fingers padded over the silver scar on my eye. The face I saw in front of me was all too familiar, but somehow - a stranger.
Ares inside of me was tense, he felt contained, caged, chained. I usually kept him that way. I knew he was anxious because of Abigail. He wanted to see her, to love her, to touch her.
As did I, but, it's not the right time. She's a human, humans like to take time, they're stubborn, they like to fall in love slowly, deeply. I would know, I used to be one.
But neither of us are ready. You'd think after all my years of waiting I would be ready. I'm not until she is. Hopefully she will be, I pray to the moon that maybe she would like to get to know me, to give me a chance.

Somehow the world has given me a chance, though I thought i'd be damned forever. It would kill me if I was given a chance but my mate didn't want to take it but... I will be happy as long as she is. But she's not happy, probably never has been.

It was late at night, my normal routine of reading, pacing back and forth in and out of my room. I did not have to wait on my balcony anymore, it was weird not needing to have to wait all night for her. This sad and sorrowful routine was over.
I've never been good at change. In fact, i'm the most nervous i've ever been, and that makes Ares all the more tense as well.

She's here now, in my castle, my kingdom. With the fairies and the sprites, with the vampires and the cat people and the wolves. It must be so strange to her, not even the Council of Alphas know about the magic that lies within my kingdom. I've hidden it from them - the council is evil, a doing of my own making thousands of years ago. Once led by myself and my former Betas.
But things are different now. Im not so enraged as I once was. A prophecy we found has been started by my Abigail. It is up to me to fulfill it.

It's up to me do right the wrongs I have done the world. Abigail is my change.

I was done pacing my room, I decided to walk the halls. They were quiet, sounds in the royal kitchen were muttered in the echoes of the hallways. The sprites must be working.

It was cold in the hallways, but I liked it thy way, so did Ares. It kept us calm, it helped my anxiety. I wore only socks, the cool of the floors felt good beneath my feet. The childish part of me wanted to slide on them. Being over 1000 years old teaches you that youthfulness is everlasting. It's easy to lose it, to forget it. But it keeps us young, it's a mindset.

Honeysuckle, pine, rain, mist. My nose inhaled the most enticing scent, I have only smelled this around my girl- my mate. It feels so weird to think that I have a mate.
There she was, her back towards me, silly human can't sense I'm here. They're all brains aren't they. She was gorgeous in her silk pajamas, her soft hair cascaded down her back, her cute frame stood looking at pictures on the wall.

I didn't want to scare her, I had to make my voice light, soft, gentle.
"Hey.." I started in a whisper "what are you doing up so late?"

She turned around, her eyes wide. Innocent. My gut told me she wasn't completely as innocent as she looked. She seemed intelligent, witty. I just wanted to know everything about her.

"O-oh, hey. I just couldn't sleep that's all." She stammered looking at me.

"I'm sure. This transition is a lot for you, the last thing I want to do is rush you and make things feel.. worse. I already know it's hard." I said softly, trying to empathize.

"What could you possibly know about how I feel?" She asked, but it wasn't in an attitude, it was just an honest open question. Like she was confused. Maybe she was expecting me to be different? My castle to be something else?

"Well I don't, but I know things aren't easy on you right now. It there anything I can do?" I asked her.

"I don't think so. I just met a bunch of sprites so that was weird. I feel exhausted but I can't sleep. My heart hurts." She said sadly.
It was nice to hear her open up although my heart tore at her words. People tend to be more honest at night because when they are tired it leads them to be more open on their feelings, less closed off.

"I deeply apologize Abigail." I said sorrowfully, it was hard to look in her eyes.

"Why have you avoided me since I got here? I met you once, was rushed into moving, and then you just- disappeared." She exclaimed, sitting down now against the wall and on the cold floor. I decided to do the same, across from her.

"I wanted to give you space. I know you weren't happy to come here, and I know you aren't exactly thrilled about being my mate- or a mate at all. I don't want you to hate me you know Abigail." I replied calmly, leaning my head on the marble walls. There was a moon roof above us and the stars were out, the light of the moon cascading down on us, creating a night light, only highlighting certain parts of our faces and bodies. It made her look mysterious, and beautiful.

"I don't hate you.. I hate, this. I just feel trapped, kind of alone." She yawned, "I was thrown into my own room with some clothes and I stayed there for the day. Things just seem so uncertain and rushed, I just have so many questions, no answers. I'm not good with new people and there's new people all around me. I feel lost, I feel thrown into this life." Her eyes started to blink slower, she was tired.

"I can't say I know you're situation, but in a really sick and twisted way, I understand the feeling." I said calmly. "And if you'll have me, maybe we can untangle these emotions together." I said hesitantly, it was a long shot, i was expecting a scoff, or a no.

"Alright. I guess. You're not really like the other werewolves." Her eyes were almost all the way down, I wasn't sure if she knew what she agreed to, I wasn't sure if she even fully knew she was talking to me.

"What are other werewolves like?" I asked.

"They're mean.  Full of themselves. Impatient. I don't really know what you're like but, you treat me different. I know we've known each other for like 2 days but you actually ask me questions and want to hear what I have to say. I only truly felt that from my Mom and now she's gone. I dunno." She yawned again.

"You should get some rest. Maybe we can talk again sometime Miss Abigail." I didn't want to keep her like this.

"okay Mr. Wolf King." She laughed tiredly.

I hoped that this was progress.