P.S. Goal: 20 Comments & 20 Votes
"Y'KNOW, I REMEMBER meeting your first day on the island. You were a cute baby, cuter than Romulus. He was so fat in his baby pictures."
Emory had already shown Lyla all of the third and second floors of the palace, now on the first going through the public quarters, they all shared. She had expressed that the south wing was made for the guests that would stay at the palace, and the north was for the Royals where they were an hour prior. The bedrooms were on the third floor, as well as the second, holding twenty-four bedrooms and forty bathrooms in the entire lot. It was vast and divine, but they were the royal family; it was expected.
Lyla listened to Emory briefly as she would speak about the rooms they would quickly look at, then go to the next, being in awe of the architectural designs and colors. It expressed the buildings and artwork of ancient times in Greece and Rome, such a pivotal time in architectural history. Her dad, a builder on the island, would be in heaven being able to explore this masterpiece.
Now as they were on the first floor, they were making their way through the chef's quarters and his kitchen running full steam ahead with preparing breakfast for the home. Everyone was rushing, people were shouting, and pans were sizzling. It much reminded Lyla of Hell's Kitchen, but the chef, Eduardo being the sweetheart he was he let her have one of his notable blueberry muffins before they left. Lyla was much appreciative of it.
She nibbled on the muffin as they entered the second kitchen for where the royals and their guests could make meals of their own. Emory expressed it was always used on Sunday by her mother and mother's sister-in-law to prepare the family meal they made a tradition in the palace. It was done to give some normalcy to the un-normal family, something Emory was extremely fond of.
"You remember me that long ago?" Lyla asked as she swallowed a bite of the muffin that had melted in her mouth.
Emory chuckled. "It's kinda hard to forget the day your brother scared the living shit out of you for the first time. And seeing his body bend and snap the way it did, it left an impressionable image in my mind. And then you came along."
Obviously, Lyla had no recollection of the day, only the words told to her by her mother from that infamous meeting. She wished she could see that far into the past, just being a month old but the first time seeing Romulus at nine years old. It made her smile. She was sure he was a cute kid.
"Yeah...sorry about that," Lyla said apologetically with a smile on her face.
"Don't sweat it. It got me spoiled for two weeks. It was more a win for me."
Lyla giggled, then finishing the remaining bits of the muffin, and throwing the rapper out in the nearest trash.
Emory continued the tour, taking her through the ballroom where it all began just weeks ago, then into the large marble corridor that led to the gardens of the palace. On the back of the palace laid the wall of glass windows, a case of shattering material that gave a two-seventy view of the enormous gardens that led to the woods.
It was the first time Lyla had gotten a clear view of the beautiful landscaping, only seeing it at night due to her spectacular timing on things. She stared in awe, her eyes captivated by the gorgeousness that they land held, flowers blooming everywhere, even inside the glass dome that shielded them from the cold.
Hedges that made a maze that you would only see in movies lined the further area of the gardens, Emory saying it led to the private pool and floral oasis, beating what they could already see. Her mother had built it as a place for the kids to be together with their parents as a family, once again seeking normalcy for their royal pups. Although extravagant, it held some sort of commoner life, somewhat.
"This is beautiful..." Lyla said in awe, her head looking up to see the crystal blue sky with a few clouds staring down at her.
Rays of sun glowed through the glass, casting rays against the black and white checkered marble that lined the ground. Inside the glass dome was sitting areas of plush couches and chairs, as well as dining tables for when special dinners would occur. It resembled much of a garden house, just on a massive scale and supplying a living space for not only flowers and plants, but people too.
On either far corners of the oasis, two water fountains spouted fresh water that people could drink out of with rose petals, changed daily, were scattered about. It was an extra touch that made it even more exquisite, Emory's two cents into the design of it all.
"Mom had it built while she was pregnant with Rom. She loves gardening, especially flowers, and when she was pregnant dad didn't want her being out in the cold for too long. It was just his excuse to get more loving out of her, but she fell for it under one compromise: this." Emory explained as she waved her arms, pointing to standout points within the room. "And you can see, tulips are clearly her favorite flower."
Lyla's mind instantly went back to when Romulus had told her he was the one that brought her the white tulip nearly a month ago, a smile now etching across her face. He stole it from his mother's oasis, her garden, as a token for his mate. It made her heart flutter. Romulus.
Multiple colored tulips rested inside and outside, the liking in the flower very evident to Lyla's honey eyes. Pink, orange, yellow, red and white, all beautifully blending together to make extraordinary bouquets and planters of the gorgeous flowers.
Walking up to one of the bouquets that sat on one of the several dining tables, she sniffed their scent, nostalgia falling on that intimate night with Romulus and his wolf, their first meeting. Lyla sighed happily before pulling away, her shoulders slouching in content.
But before she could turn around, Emory pulled one of the white tulips from the display, handing it to Lyla with a knowing look. "Who do you think approved of it?"
Not able to contain herself, Lyla laughed, a real laugh as Emory followed in suit. Romulus was full of surprises, his actions always holding more to it, and it made her happy.
From what she had witnessed, Romulus was not what everyone made him out to be. Yes, he loved his people and took his job seriously with devotion and hard work, but he wasn't as heartless as people made him out to be. Lyla could remember hearing the rumors people would start in school about the Alpha, saying he had rejected his mate, hence why they didn't have a Luna yet at his old age.
Typically, mates would meet in their teens, something Romulus didn't reach. He didn't follow in his parent's footsteps who had met at sixteen years old once they had fully matured after knowing each other since birth.
Katarina was born into the Beta bloodline in Astoria and was raised to be the next Beta as she was the oldest of her siblings. But things took a turn as she was bound to the soon to be Alpha, Leonardo Astor, her mate. At sixteen years old they had mated and consummated their mating in the eyes of the Moon Goddess, and just a few years later, began their rule over the island of Astoria.
People were expecting the same story for Romulus, predicting his mate would be another strong female, all eyes landing on the current Gamma, Rayne. But when nothing occurred when they were in their adulthood, the rumors began, thus giving Romulus the painting of a cold, loveless man.
It was far from the truth.
In her eyes, he was the definition of a man, a real man, that already loved her endlessly. He had a heart that just wanted to receive the love he gave, his wolf wanting the exact same. Melting like butter under the eyes of Lyla, Romulus was a lovesick puppy and would do anything for his mate.
It made Lyla wonder on how people would see her though, her humanity playing a big reason in her doubt of being the next Luna. Never had the island see a Luna with their status less than a Gamma. But in this case, it was the lowest of the lowest rank, a human. Never receiving hate or violence, but judgment and harsh glares gave her the impression of the worst. No one could physically hurt her, but their words might in the oncoming future.
Zipping Romulus' hoodie up a bit, Lyla and Emory exited the palace, a pair of guards then following the girls as she continued to show the future Luna her future grounds. To the left in the large clearing stood another building, but outside was sweaty men and women, ranging in ages, sizes, and wolves as they trained on the royal fields.
"That building is for the higher ranked warriors and guards to train just so we can have a closer eye over everything. Also, Romulus had it built, so he didn't have to leave the grounds either to increase is introverted-ness." Emory said with a roll of her eyes as she beckoned Lyla closer to the sweaty warriors.
No weapons rested near the warriors, only their fists and legs acting like them. In a world like this, guns, knives, tomahawks, etc. didn't exist. They fought like real fighters, letting their fists do the talking if in their human form, or if not, their wolves.
Split by their power, men and would fight women, and women would fight men in their respective strength ranking, gender never playing an issue in the choosing field. All were equal, which was why Rayne was one of the best warriors the island had ever seen.
"Rayne is the best female we have, and in the top ten with her brother." Emory expressed with a sense of pride.
"She's your mate, right?" Lyla asked timidly as she watched Emory's stares at Rayne who paid no mind to her ongoing gaze.
"Yeah..." Emory said almost depressively, a waver in her tone of voice before she shook it off, shaking her head as she masked her sudden change with a smile. Lyla didn't believe it, but she let it be, it wasn't her place. "But, c'mon. Eduardo is getting breakfast whipped up, and I'm sure you're hungry."
A growl emitted itself from Lyla's stomach, giving Emory all the answers she needed as she turned around, taking Lyla with her with a grasp around her wrist. Lyla blushed at herself but was excited for the food as her mouth began to salivate. Last she had eaten was over twelve hours ago, and she desperately wanted a piece of bacon.
But before they could entirely depart from the view of the training field, a deep voice came from the distance. "Where do you think you're taking my mate now?"
Sauntering over, came a sweaty Romulus who was only dressed in a pair of black exercising shorts. His chocolate mane of hair rested in a bun behind his head, sweat dripping down the nape of his neck from the amount he carried. His muscles flexed as they moved, the sweat acting as if it was a body glow as the sun would shine upon it.
He looked godly in the eyes of Lyla, who's mouth no longer watered for the food, but for him.
Romulus' eyes met Lyla's as a timid smile grew on her face at the sight of him, him quickly reciprocating as he quickly stood in front of his sister and his mate. Leaning down, Romulus softly captured Lyla's lips against his own in a quick kiss. It was fast, but gentle and sweet, and a sign of possession over his mate in the eyes of members of the island who watched on in silence.
Training had halted as the warriors watched the interaction between their Alpha and Lyla, shock in all of their eyes besides the people who already knew. Romulus cared less and less of the people who would see their intimate interactions, only making the message clearer of his ownership over Lyla.
Another blush erupted on her face as Romulus' lips left hers, leaving them pink and hot from his intimate touch. "Hi."
Lyla spoke so quietly that it made a chuckle escape Romulus' mouth. "Hi."
"Wow, laughter. The devil has emotions!" Emory cheered as she smirked at Romulus, a playful look on her face as she loved pushing her brother's buttons past their limit of return.
"I swear to the Moon God- "Romulus started, only to stop once Lyla placed a hand on his wet chest drenched in sweat, her touch sparking his body alive.
It silenced him immediately, his body tense then not as Lyla looked up at him with her honey orbs. In her presence and just by the simplest of touches it sent him into a world of solitude. He felt calm and at peace, his annoyance at his sister disappearing into oblivion. It felt as if it were only him and Lyla in this world, together, alone.
She smiled up at him as he did the same before grabbing her wrist gently and pulling her frame against his. Although covered in sweat, Lyla didn't mind as her chest fell against his stomach, her chin pressed on his chest as she stared into his blue pools of eyes. Her arms encircled around his waist as Romulus brushed Lyla's hair behind her ears, letting them remain entangled in its silk.
Romulus took a deep breath, his nostrils flooding with her scent, sending him into a state of euphoria.
"Hi," Romulus said breathlessly, again.
"Hi," Lyla replied, blushing slightly but enjoying her mates embrace around her petite frame.
"Yeah, hi. I'm here too." Emory said with a huff as she continued to be ignored by the lost in love mates.
Brushing another stray hair behind her ear, Romulus spoke. "Do you want to see how the training field works here? I want you to learn what they do, visually. No way in fuck am I putting you in the middle."
Lyla nodded her head with a supportive smile, taking on the plan with a grain of sand. She knew very little on the training tactics, only briefly listening to Liam rant about his training back on the school grounds. It didn't interest her, but she'd listen, sometimes, as it was his dream. But still, it bored the utter hell out of her.
"Um, we have a date for breakfast. Remember, Lyla?" Emory said, causing Lyla to turn herself to Emory who stood there with her arms crossed.
"Oh, right. I'm sorry, Rom- "
"How about you guys eat out here? I'll have one of the maids set up a table so Lyla can watch." Romulus suggested.
"For fuck sake. I want girl time, not girl time plus the pack warriors." Emory said with a roll of her eyes before sighing in defeat. "Fine. I'll go tell Eduardo."
Romulus smiled triumphantly as he leaned down and placed another kiss on Lyla's lips once Emory had entered the palace once again. "I always win."
Lyla rolled her eyes before reaching up and kissing his lips again, finding herself lost in her mate feeling like a puppy seeing its owner after being separated for only twenty minutes. She craved Romulus more and more every day, wanting his touch, his lips, his everything against her, causing a heat between her legs to rise in temperature and saturation.
Maybe it was the mate bond, or the sudden one-eighty of their relationship finally being on the right track, but whatever it was, it had Lyla wanting Romulus more and more.
Distance makes the heart grow fonder, and maybe the eighteen years apart was doing them just that. Perhaps, it was time to make up for lost time in ways that only they would experience with one another.
Only time will tell.
❖❖❖
And another chapter just a day later for my favorite readers! What did you think of today's chapter? What do you think of Emory? She is a harmless soul and reminds me a lot of Venus! What about Rayne? What's going on there? AND HOW CUTE WERE ROMULUS AND LYLA? Like c'mon? Leave your thoughts and comments down below! Hope you enjoyed this update!
-MesmerizingSoul
P.S. Goal: 20 Comments & 20 Votes
P.P.S. The Playlist Chapter of this book is now towards the beginning of the book under the Casting chapter if you are wondering where it went!