The King & the Stable Boy

II: Avoiding him

Noah

I woke up the next morning and got ready to face the day, making sure to spray on the potion and then conceal it.

I was brushing Raylee when William barges into the stables.

"What the hell?" I say.

"I could swear I smelt her in here."

"Smelt who?"

"My mate."

"Well no one has been in here all day except for me." I tell him.

He stalks over to me leans down, and begins to sniff me and I try my best to keep my breathing even and heart beat steady as I ask "What are you doing?"

"You smell different." he says tilting his head at me.

"Different?"

"Yeah."

"Well unless your scent changes after you're able to find your mate then I'd say that it hasn't."

"It does. Wait- Shit! I forgot your birthday didn't I?"

"You always do." I say, shrugging.

"Sorry."

"You say that every year and you just do it all again the next. I'm honestly not even offended at this point. Now go shoo, I'm trying to do my work here."

He seems like he's going to say something else, but instead shakes his head and walks out of the stables.

I let out a breath of air I didn't know I was holding, and slouched down on the ground.

"This will be much harder than I thought." I mutter.

"It doesn't have to be, just go to our mate." my wolf, Chandler, speaks up.

"Don't you understand? We'll be hanged in the gallows if we step forward."

"We won't know until we've tried."

"That doesn't make any sense! There's a very slight chance he would even accept this bond, and even if he does what about the kingdom? And if the more likely possibility happens, you know the one where I die by hanging, then I died when it could've been avoided. No, I'll just reject him, like I should've in the first place."

"You don't have the nerve to do it." Chandler replies.

"Oh really?" I challenge, standing up.

"I Noah Bartholomew Matthews, reject-" I start aloud before my wolf cuts me off by loudly snarling in our link.

"You still have one flaw in your plan. No one knows the Prince's middle name except for you three close friends and his mother. Those three close friends already found their mates. It sure as hell isn't his mother. He'd still know it was you."

"I hate it when your right." I say sighing.

"Stop being a coward, go out there and tell him."

"Again. A death wish. If he still can't find his mate then eventually he'll have to settle for a princess from some other kingdom."