Royally Rogue

Knowledge

Arabella

"You don't have to veer away from all affection, dear." The old librarian said with a smile, sliding a book in front of me. "Affection may be what saves you."

Melanie and I were sitting at a table, while Claudius stood like a professor. His hands were behind his back, and he leaned over with a smack of his lips.

His wrinkled face studied mine as I held my breath, pulling the book with the title The Mating Process.

"I know it may seem all too fast, but mating doesn't have to be immediate. The moon goddess doesn't want to pressure anyone, just coerce. " Claudius finished, humming to himself as he pushed the rest of the books aside.

"Claudius," I said slowly, turning to the first page and studying the words. I looked over at Melanie, who gave me a look while she put her hair back in a ponytail.

"Hmm?" He said without looking up at me.

"Why do I feel like you're not saying something? " I questioned, turning the next page to view a diagram of the werewolf body.

"Yeah, all these riddle games are getting on my nerves," Melanie mumbled, leaning in closer to look at the book. I centered it so we would both have a clear view of it.

"Oh, Luna!" Claudius chuckled, rubbing his dry hands together. The white tuft of hair on his head swaying with his motions. "I'm not hiding anything, just ask and you will receive."

I looked up, furrowing my brows. Why did he give me this book to look through if I could just ask? Was it so that I looked in between the lines? Or did he think my question was generic? Maybe he didn't really know my true intentions.

"Hold on," Melanie spoke up, leaving her finger on a part of the sentence where she'd left off reading. "You picked us out books, but you know them inside out. Why didn't you just lecture us?"

I turned to my traveling companion, eyes widening as I looked back to the smiling librarian. How the heck did she know exactly what I was thinking? Wow...maybe she did understand me more than I thought.

"Well, if you studied these on your own, it would take an eternity." He chuckled,  grabbing the chair in front of him and pulling it out. "You see, I have lived a long time, and I myself went through the mating process-"

He paused, looking at me with a knowing gaze that made me feel awkward. It felt like my parents were about to give me the birds and the bees talk.

I put my hands under the table to grip my shirt, preparing for some weird old man story that I'd have to excuse myself from. Would it be rude to get up and take the books? I could research pretty well on my own.

Claudius looked at both of us, and then around the library. He was suddenly acting paranoid as if someone was hiding in the shelves who could hear. He pulled up his jean pants and flipped his brown cardigan behind him as he sat down in the chair. The librarian leaned forward, hands in front of him and eyebrows raised.

"And we found that the marking process postponed the heat." He finished.

I inhaled sharply, quickly looking at Melanie for her reaction. She was looking at me as if saying, can we trust that?

I shook my head in uncertainty. This old man hadn't given me a reason not to trust him, but the way he knew everything still kept me on edge.

"How do I know you're not just trying to get me marked." I blurted, narrowing my eyes at him.

Claudius chuckled, smiling mischievously as he knew something we didn't. "Marking, although permanent, does not solidify the bond. Unlike the mating process, it doesn't have to be a mutual ceremony. Therefore, the only true effect it has is a protection against other males and/or females. It brings the two closer, but nothing else."