Royally Rogue

Spitfire

Arabella

"So, you're saying you've never actually read a full history book?" I said in shock, sitting criss-cross next to my mate, Xander.

After we had eaten the breakfast that my brother had so generously provided, Aaron had gone and left us alone. He said he had to make his "appearances", but we couldn't leave because we smelled like each other. So, I had dressed in a baggy navy t-shirt and some light wash insulated skinny jeans.

I didn't mind, I never really left the castle anyway.

So here Xander and I sat, on the floor, with the exception of the couch's pillows, in my brother's room. We were relatively close to the bathroom, just in case, someone came in. We wanted to be in a more open area, with natural light and off of the hard floor. Plus, Roman was still guarding the door.

I felt guilty towards my friend, while at the same time not caring. He was doing his job as a guard, but he was also my best and only friend. I felt I should invite him inside, just to sit down after he was poised all night on guard. But I knew Xander would get pissed to hell, and they'd both probably end up snarling and snapping at each other.

"No, not really. I've read some paragraphs here and there, but nothing completely..." My mate said with a nervous laugh, his body now fully clothed in the garments he brought over in his backpack. He wore a long sleeve charcoal shirt which defined his strong figure, along with black sweatpants which were loose enough to rip easily in need of a shift. His arms held his knees to his chest as he sat in an upright fetal position, making the king of the rogues appear vulnerable. I wondered what my next words would be, or if anything I were to say would shut him down.

"Why not?" I said softly. I sat next to him on a pillow, my body turned to his.

"Um...Well," Xander chuckled, his jaw clenching on and off with uneasiness. "I didn't have a traditional upbringing?"

His words ended as a question, as if he was asking if his response was good enough to satisfy me. Was I supposed to dig deeper? Or was this something I wasn't supposed to ask? Was it too personal, too soon?

Or maybe, I should talk about me first.

I nodded to myself, earning his gaze. He looked over to me. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his hair was disheveled from a lack of sleep. But he was still drop-deep gorgeous. His caramel eyes were glued to mine, filled with curiosity. It kinda made me giddy inside, at his legitimate interest in my personal life and what I have to say.

"My whole life has revolved around my studies, social lessons, and strategies in conflict," I said casually, wondering if that would be enough to open a conversation.

"Yeah, I can tell. You always sound so formal with me." He responded almost immediately, and I visibly cringed. All I could think was, "oof".

"I'm sorry... I don't talk to many people besides my immediate family, Roman, and my instructors." I said, sucking in a breath and subconsciously holding it. Was that in and of itself too formal? When he didn't respond, I let the air out and continued. "When the eyes of the pack are on you 24/7, you have to be strong, well spoken, and decisive. There's no room for,"

I paused, looking around for the right words which he would understand. "There's no room for mistakes."

"I completely understand that," Xander responded with a scoff, shaking his head and leaning back on the wall that was behind us.

"I didn't speak to many people, either," He said, "I was raised in a strict environment. I only knew three people, because I wasn't... I wasn't allowed to speak to anyone." I heard his voice trail off as he finished, and my heart hurt. He wasn't allowed?!