Bound by Duty

[12] And Then I Met You

It was only in the morning that Danielle decided to stay. It was actually a very impulsive decision. There were more cons to staying than there were pros. It was quite possible for her to be put on trial because of Gerald's murder if the royals caught and identified her. They might have known the real reason for her expulsion and exile by now. All this she was risking because Lupa was averse to leaving right away.

And she couldn't understand why.

Granted, she was also curious about the king. She had heard so much about his rule, both good and bad, from all sections of werewolf society, that she had grown very curious about the man. Curiosity killed, she knew the saying. Yet, she couldn't resist staying and wanting to just see the king live in front of her. Perhaps she was infected by Lupa's mood

Dragging it on as much as she could knowing it was a terrible decision, Danielle finally went over to the main hall. The hall was packed with the more important families of the Amethyst Pack. They all stood together in neat rows. Outside, she saw the warriors lined up in formation. There was a team at the pack borders too, she was sure. She went and hid among a bunch of girls in the pack, not wanting to draw any attention.

After a while, it became obvious that the king's entourage was approaching. The people inside started getting mind-linked messages from their relatives and friends who were a part of the group that went to receive the king at the borders.

Then, hushed whispers were heard all around. 'He's here!', 'he's coming!' etc. Danielle stifled an eye-roll at the excitement they showed. But she would be a hypocrite to do that as her stupidly bizarre wolf seemed to be acting like a fangirl too. She sighed, waiting to get over with this. Yet, she was conflicted as her curiosity truly got the better of her. Staying in itself made her a person who made decisions with her emotions, but she looked down on such people. This contradiction was driving her mad and her hormones and Lupa's emotions were effectively turning her into a bundle of jittering mess.

"A royal inspection though?" she mused. It hadn't happened in years. Decades. Why was there one at this time? As she contemplated the possibilities, the buzz around her increased and so did the noise level. In the horizon, she could see a fleet of cars coming towards the pack house. Mere minutes later, they parked the cars before the pack house.

Chauffeurs came running to the side and opened the doors of the cars. From the third vehicle, Sean and Grace stepped out. From the second, McCall, the secretary to the king stepped out. He looked clean-cut and bland as his career demanded of him. Efficiency. Danielle approved.

Then she turned her to the first car, on which everyone's eyes were on. His trousered feet stepped out first. Then his whole being. Danielle felt like she had been sucker-punched. He wore shades, so she couldn't see his eyes. But the rest of what she could see consumed her as a whole. She didn't recognise this feeling. This wasn't a mere attraction. This was... this was destruction. He didn't wear a suit. He wore a t-shirt and jeans. Efficient.

He was not built bulkily nor was he lanky and thin. He was lean with power in each muscle. His firm thighs were accentuated by those jeans, making many girls drool. He had tousled, black hair which looked as if it could never be tamed.

Danielle was stiff with shock. Because this wasn't what unnerved her. It was the scent. His scent, goddess help me. That mouthwatering scent of everything she loved, dark chocolate, green grass and the woods. She lifted her feet to walk towards him but stopped herself.

He was the king.

She was a fugitive.

It would be best if she remembered that. But what she was suspecting, she couldn't be sure of yet. Immediately, she realised that she had to leave that very second. She began to make her way through the awed crowd and walked towards the window. Screw her bag, she was making a run for it.

Although she was walking to escape, her eyes couldn't leave his being. She watched as he turned her back to her. As he removed his glasses while she couldn't see. As he shook hands with Sean. As he stiffened with his nostrils flaring. As he spun around so fast that it made her head spin.

He spotted her within seconds. In those seconds, she leaned back, ready to spring out of the window, but between Lupa's reluctance and his speed, she had no chance of escaping. He zoomed towards her and stood before her, stopping her from running.

There was stunned silence in the room. Danielle was simply looking at him, still in shock, feeling a little regret that she wasn't able to make it out on time. As if reading her thoughts, his startling green eyes narrowed. Looking at her deer-in-the-headlights look, he knew she knew too. And the fact that she was ready to run despite knowing that was a matter that needed to be discussed. But at that time, he was in no mood to interrogate anyone. He was flying, his mind soaring across the skies and his wolf howling to the moon. He was in a daze, in a no better state.

McCall hurried behind him and stated, "Sire, her name is-"

The king raised his hand to silence him. He blinked twice, unable to believe that this beautiful creature was made exclusively for him. "Wh-" his voice was hoarse, so he stopped. Clearing his throat, he asked, "Can I know your name?"

She broke out of the stunned stupor she was in. Clearing her throat, she said, "Danielle. Danielle's my name. What's yours?"

A wave of gasps at the continuous disrespect could be heard. Sean was pissing in his pants. He didn't want anything to happen to his friend; he could only appeal for the king to have mercy.

But unlike everyone's expectations, A slow curve appeared on the king's lips. He absolutely loved her question. She was daring him, daring him to appear normal, daring him to go down to her level or bring her up to his. "Fair enough," he said in a low tone. "The name's Alexander Ernest Falcon Frederick Remington."

"I think I can remember that," she muttered, "in six months or so." Taken aback, Alexander threw his head back and laughed. It was a laugh full of joy and merriment. He was beyond happy; he was ecstatic. She smiled a little too, although with a little reluctance. His laugh was infectious. He stepped forward and stood so close to her that they could feel each other's breaths. he stretched her hand to touch his. The pair couldn't even hear the wave of gasps as their whole bodies seemed electrified. They slowly looked into each other's eyes. Hers turned silver. His turned gold. Sparks flew between them as they continued to touch each other's hands.

"Mate." They simply stated, their fingers entwined.

All over the continent, wolves felt a shift in their connection with their Crown. Everyone realised that they now had a luna regina, a werewolf queen. Howls were heard all over as werewolf-kind showed their respect to their new queen and honoured her by bowing their heads in submission.