The Beauty and the Beast (1st book of Fantasy Series)

Chapter 20- Steven

"You need to hang out with her more, Your Majesty," Louis said, and I growled and tossed the paperwork on the desk because I knew that I would not get any work done with him there. He hadn't bothered to knock, but I was not his biggest fan. "Or have Peter hang out with her. You didn't need to put that order on the poor boy and take him away from her." He didn't need to say her name because I already knew who he was talking about.

"No," I snarled, glaring at him. I gritted my teeth and narrowed my eyes at him because I did not like the idea of letting Peter hanging out with her and would not like him hanging out with her. "I will not let him hang out with her."

How did he know?

Louis shook his head and held back an eye roll. He scowled and placed his hands behind his back, feigning confidence. "Then you hang out with her, Your Majesty. You a-"

"No."

Louis raised an eyebrow and scowled. "And why not, Sire?" There was something in his voice that didn't sit well with me, but I made no move to comment, too tired and annoyed.

"Because I have work." I gestured to the paperwork in front of me, and he merely glanced at it before he looked back at me. "You two are not doing anything."

"Because you have told us not to, Your Majesty," Louis said. He shifted and cleared his throat. Nervousness filled his eyes, and I instantly knew what he wanted to say and didn't want to hear it. "If you wo-"

I slammed my hands on the table and growled, and he instantly bowed his head. Power filled the room we were in while I "tried" to control the powers coming off of me. "I. Said. No."

"Of course, Your Majesty," he replied. He bowed his head deeper, but I wasn't satisfied. He should leave, but he didn't.

I growled and sat back down, wondering why my human was so stupid. I could feel him becoming depressed because he hadn't been in contact with her, but I didn't care. I couldn't.

Louis sighed and shook his head, sensing that I would not listen to him any longer. "Excuse me, Your Majesty," he said. He bowed and started to leave before he paused and looked at me. "If you do want to find her, she is in the library. I don't know what she is up to, but I suggest you go there. You might be of some assistance." Again, he bowed before he left, closing the door behind him.

***

I stayed in the seat and moved a hand through my fur. I pursed my lips and growled before I flung everything off of my desk.

'Do you want to see her? Is that you have been absent?' I asked, sensing my human in the back of my mind.

He didn't reply but pulled further away.

I growled again and stood, pushing my chair until it fell over. 'Fine,' I said. 'You get your wish. We'll go see her so that your baby ass can get out of the funk you are in.'

Again, he didn't reply, and for some reason, I felt alone and sad. He hadn't been this quiet since she had walked into our lives, begging for me to see her any chance he could get.

He had been silent this whole month as if he didn't want to see her slowly fade away into nothingness because of what I- he had done. He shouldn't have done that, and I wouldn't have had to be rude to my mate.

But I shouldn't be rude to her now, a part of me thought and not my human form. She didn't need it at all.

I growled and shook my head, breaking me from my thoughts. I walked to the library, where he said she was, but I didn't feel my human stir.

When will he get out of this mess?

Snarling, I slammed the library doors open with a thundering boom and surveyed the area only to see Mrs. Perry standing with some books in her arms. "Where is she?" I asked, snarling and glared at her.

Mrs. Perry scowled and stood a little taller, glaring at me. "You do not get to do that, Your Majesty," she scolded, and I winced and looked down. She was the only wolf I respected and who got to talk to me like that without getting punished or yelled at. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

I growled and narrowed my eyes at her, and all she did was scowl and narrowed her eyes at me. I waited for her to say something, but all she did was kept scowling, not moving an inch.

Her blue eyes were hard but filled with wisdom, wisdom that my human wanted me to seek, but I never did. She was respected in all aspects of the pack, for she had lived longer than most here and wasn't afraid of me, from what I had seen. She didn't budge when she knew she was right, and today was one of those days, and I knew that if I wanted answers, then I had to respect her wishes.

I sighed and lowered my head slightly, hating myself for having my head lowered at all. "I apologize, Mrs. Perry," I said, trying but failing to keep the annoyance out of my voice. I cleared my throat and stood straighter. "I did not mean to slam the door open. Do you know where my mate is?"

Mrs. Perry nodded her head, satisfied with my apology. "Yes, Your Majesty," she said and bowed in respect. She stood and cleared her throat, lifting the books in her hands. "I am delivering these books to her, so if you would like, you can follow me." She didn't wait for an answer but twisted around and started to walk in the direction she was in, reading.

And silently, I followed her, wondering what my mate was doing here and not somewhere else.

What did she need to learn where she couldn't ask us?