Lately Jade's life was made up of two parts: being with Aaron, and waiting until she could be with him again. It worried her. She wasn't used for her mood to be so dependent on whether or not she was going to see someone that day. She wasn't used to someone being able to make her stomach flutter just by popping up in her thoughts. Aaron had only been in her life two weeks, and that was not enough to love him, wasn't enough to live and breathe for him, but that didn't mean she wasn't heading there faster than she would have thought possible.
Still, no matter how fast she thought they were going, she also knew it wasn't fast enough for him, and that, too, worried her. She wasn't sure she could keep up, and yet she didn't want to slow down either.
Luckily she had Ryleigh and her scepticism to keep her grounded. Well, 'luckily' might not have been the right word, but at least Ryleigh's dislike of Aaron kept Jade from swooning too hard. And yet, Ryleigh or no Ryleigh, too fast or just fast enough, nothing changed the fact that whenever he was near her, her world lit up.
She was standing at the edge of the training field, watching the warriors train. Archer – the head warrior – had asked her to join, but she had declined. Not only was she expecting Aaron, she also didn't think her fighting style was appropriate for this relatively casual setting.
She sensed his presence before she saw him. It was hard to explain, but whenever he was near, even if she wasn't aware of it, she would feel it in the pit of her stomach, and her heart would pick up its pace, and her wolf would stir.
"There you are." He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, lowering his head to the crook of her neck.
Jade grinned, inhaling his scent deeply. She leant back against him. She knew everybody was looking at them, and it made her nervous that she wasn't able to sift through their thoughts, but it was a much-needed break.
"Do you ever fight?" she asked, tipping her head up to look at him. Archer was yelling orders, and all the fighters responded immediately – a single-minded army.
"To train? Or out of anger?"
She pursed her lips. "Both."
"I train regularly, but I rarely fight out of necessity or aggression. I have learned to control my temper."
"Have you now?" She turned around in his hold, her eyes flitting over his torso. "I do suppose you have to train very regularly to look like this."
He smirked and she chided herself. His ego really didn't need boosting.
"What about you?" he asked, creating a bit more room between them. His eyes flitted to her lips. She shared his sentiment. If they weren't getting so unabashedly stared at, she would have kissed him until her legs gave out.
"I haven't trained in a while." She glanced at the warriors. "I've considered joining them, but I'm afraid I'd hurt them. Shadow Walkers don't tend to fight fair. I usually train with Ryleigh, but she hasn't been able to, because –" She stopped.
"Because of the silver."
"Yes. She's doing better now, but still not great, and she's been acting out lately. I've been avoiding her a bit, actually. I never know which version of her I'm going to get." She shrugged, admonishing herself for speaking ill of Ryleigh to someone who already disliked her with a passion. "Anyway, I don't often get into fistfights. Usually when there's a need to defend myself, I use my magic. It's quicker."
"Must be convenient."
"Yes. Sometimes." She glanced around. "Where are your guards?"
"I told them to wait at the mansion. I know they make you uncomfortable." He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. She hadn't bothered putting it up, so it was its usual chaotic mess. "Let us find a quiet place to talk."
"To talk? Talk how? You sound serious. Should I worry?" She frowned. "I already met your parents, and it can't be worse than that." Her eyes shot wide open. "Not that it was bad! It was just hard. Well, not meeting your mother. The queen seems lovely. Not that your father doesn't. It's just complicated. He seems nice enough, really, but –"
"Breathe, Jade."
She slammed her jaws shut. "Right. Sorry."
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, but didn't linger. "I understand. You have nothing to worry about, but we do need to talk, preferably somewhere without an audience." He slipped his arms from around her, taking her hand instead.
He guided her to the mansion, into the parlour. He scanned the room, finding it empty. Releasing her, he turned and closed the door.
"O, wow, it must be important." Jade frowned at the door, then at him. "I'm worrying. Worrying a lot. What's going on? Did I do something? I don't remember doing anything."
"There is no need to worry. You have done nothing wrong. I just have no need for prying eyes – or ears – right now. But first, I have brought you a gift."
"A gift?"
He fished a little box from his pocket. She inched closer, eyeing it and him alternately. He smiled and opened the lid, showing her the contents. It was a necklace. She gasped and took the box with as much caution as though she was holding a baby. She drew a finger across the pendant, afraid she'd accidentally break it. Ever so carefully, she lifted the necklace from its cushion.
"It is made out of shift-metal," Aaron said.
"It's gorgeous." The pendant was a profile's view of a wolf's head. It was made of a black metal, and on its head perched a golden crown. In the place of an eye was a tiny, lilac-coloured stone.
"It is one of the symbols of our family."
Her heart skidded to a halt, her eyes flitting up to him. "Am I allowed to wear it, then?"
"Of course. You are part of the family now."
She stared at the pendant. Part of the family? Her wolf was ecstatic. Clearly Aaron had to be very serious about them to give them a gift like this. On the other hand, it meant she was a step closer to becoming a Royal Wolf, and she didn't know how to feel about that. Or rather, she did: she didn't like it.
"Am I overwhelming you again?"
She hadn't noticed him approaching, but now he pushed her hair away from her shoulders, his fingers tracing the chain of her silver pendant.
"A little, to be honest. I am honoured and touched, but I..." She shrugged, looking at him to see if he was insulted. If he was, he didn't show it.
"I understand." He hesitated. "I wish I knew what to tell you. I understand that, with your history, getting closer to my family is not something that comes easy to you, and I understand you might not be too eager to be associated with us."
"It's not that I don't like your parents..."
"You do not need to explain yourself. There is a lot of bad blood between our packs, I know that. Accepting my gift is not a betrayal to them."
"Ryleigh won't see it that way."
"Ryleigh is looking at the past. I would like to look towards the future." He fingered her chain again, scowling at it. "I thought perhaps this new necklace could replace your old one?"
She stiffened, her hand moving up to the pendant. She caught herself just in time. "I don't know if I'm ready."
"You have been practicing, have you not?"
"Well, yes, but I can't tune out all the layers yet. And it's a comfort to me to know that if I need it, I can resort to it." Her fingers fluttered just above the pendant.
"You have me now," he said.
"I know, but –" She stopped. For a few seconds, she was silent. Then she nodded. "Alright."
"Yes?"
She nodded again, a bit more certain. "Yes."
He smiled and moved behind her, unclasping the chain. He drew it away from her, hissing as the pendant accidentally brushed his hand. He dropped it on the coffee table, glaring at it. "Good riddance. May I?"
She handed him the new necklace. It was so beautiful and shiny; she didn't want to let go of it. He draped it around her neck, fumbling a little with the clasp. It was cold against her skin. She looked down, seeing the wolf's head rest against her chest.
"It is breath-taking." She smiled, trailing her fingers over it. It was weird to touch a pendant that didn't scorch her skin. Aaron would never understand, but she missed the burn.
"Just like you." He pressed a kiss against her temple. "Now, please sit. I have something to discuss."
Her hand stilled, clasping the pendant. "You're not leaving again, are you?" She surprised herself with how concerned she sounded. She had lived twenty-three years without him, and now she couldn't even go a few days alone?
"No, no. Nothing like that. Quite the opposite, actually."
She frowned, trying to figure out what that meant. He gently led her to the sofa, sitting down beside her. He took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers.
"Do you remember how I told you that, being the crown prince, I am forced to move quicker than most others?"
She didn't like where this was going. "Yes. That's why I met your parents."
"Just so. That was the first step. As it is, I think it is important that we move onto the next step. By now, the entire country knows I have found my mate."
All the air fled from Jade's lungs. "The entire country?" She stared at the table in front of her, trying to calm her pounding heart. The entire country. How many werewolves was that? Thousands and thousands. She had gone from being hidden from all the world to being known by everyone.
"News travels fast," Aaron said. "Especially news of this kind. By now, most people will know you're a Shadow Walker, and it is not a stretch to assume they also know you have been staying at Midnight Moon."
She nodded, her eyes still fixed on the tabletop.
"Jade, look at me."
Her gaze flicked to him. Had he been all charms and smiles before, now his features were set more grimly.
"My family has many allies, but we also have enemies. There are always going to be people who want to hurt us and everyone we hold dear."
Her brow furrowed. "Are you saying I'm in danger?"
"No. Well. What I am trying to say is that people of my rank – and consequently yours – are always at risk. But we have good protection. We are safe. I can keep you safe."
"I can hold my own, you know. I'll remind you that I pretty much have a permanent residence 'in danger'."
"I know. Still, you cannot always be aware of every danger. Nor should you have to. That is what we have guards for." He took a deep breath. "Look, I know that we have only known each other a short while, but in that short time you have become incredibly important to me. The mere idea that someone might attempt to hurt you..." His eyes turned lilac and he stopped.
She removed her hand from his and moved it up to cup his face, brushing a rare unruly strand of hair back into place. "No one is going to hurt me, and if they try, it will be them getting hurt – trust me. You needn't worry about me. I mean, I did survive a massacre."
"I know you can protect yourself, but I would still be more at peace if I could make sure you are protected."
"So what? You want to have me surrounded by guards all the time? I don't want that, nor do I think Ellis would appreciate it if he had half a dozen Royal Wolves walking around here all the time. It would be quite a distraction for the pack, you know. And for me. I don't think I can get used to being followed around."
"I do want you to have guards," he said, nodding.
"I really don't want them."
"You have to. It is our policy. Jade, please do not fight me on this. Your safety is the most important thing. You will get used to having guards. You will stop noticing them."
"My freedom is the most important thing. All due respect, Your Highness, I did not escape my father so I could be caged by you." She got up from the sofa and stepped away from him.
He sighed. "You cannot just use my title whenever you are annoyed with me."
"Of course I can." She walked to the window, gazing out so she wouldn't have to look at him. "I don't want guards. Everyone here is already constantly staring at me. That's only going to get worse if I add guards to the mix."
"Jade, I was not done."
There was something in his tone that made her turn around. "What do you mean?"
"I did not mean that I would send guards here. I want you to move into the castle."
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A/N: Talk about moving fast. Do you think Jade will agree to live in the castle?
As always, thanks for reading!