"Never the way she looked, always the way she was.
I could have fallen in love with her with my eyes closed."
_______________________
Groaning, I lazily rested my head on my palms as I regarded the spacious training field.
Livius stood in the middle of the clearing, his glorious form moving swiftly as he trained with one of his wolves, and I sighed, waiting impatiently as I clicked my heels together in the dirt.
I had already changed into a warm turtleneck sweater, a buttoned mini skirt, and a pair of suede boots, and was now simply waiting until Livius concluded his business with his men.
Clutching my bag to my chest, I watched as my mate corrected the wolf's position, before allowing him to attack again.
Werewolf culture was strange.
Growing up as a Fae, it was rare for my father to ever train with his warriors, but then again Livius was much younger. He probably did it for fun.
Fae warriors often trained with my fathers second or third in command. Never with the King himself. But perhaps it was better to personally train your fighters. This way Livius knew all their names, their strengths, their weaknesses. He knew his people.
I smiled to myself as I slowly got up and dusted off my clothes.
Stepping into the ring, I walked past all the males and instead came to a stop before my mate.
He stared down at me curiously, his brows furrowed, "I said thirty minutes, love."
"That includes the ten minutes it'll take you to shower and change," I said, extending a towel to him, and he simply blinked at me.
"Alexandria," he sighed, "I have a responsibility."
"To rule, not to train, besides I'm your mate, I should come first, right?" I pouted, and he crossed his arms as he narrowed his eyes in thought, attempting to see whether I was serious or not.
Giving me a pointed look, he shook his head, and sighed, "Goddess, you're so high-maintenance."
I frowned up at him, "I am not!"
Livius simply took the towel from me, a smirk playing on his lips as he wiped the sweat on his forehead.
I huffed, crossing my arms, and he chuckled before pressing a quick kiss to my forehead, "I'll be back down in a couple minutes. Meet me in the garage," was all he said, and just like that he was gone. Sauntering out of the clearing, his form already heading towards the castle as I stared after him in shock.
He listened to me.
I smiled to myself, my heart melting at that thought, before hardening again as Damien unceremoniously cut through my thoughts. Stepping towards me, he stopped a few feet away, "Y'know that's the first time he's ever left the training grounds early," he mused.
I shrugged, "What about it?"
He scowled at me, "He was right. You are high-maintenance."
"Fine. If it upsets you this much that he's gone. Then I'll train you," I proposed, looking down at my nonexistent watch, "you have five minutes, show me what else you've got; although I have seen some of it, and might I say that your form definitely needs working on," I assessed casually, and Damien gave me a "what the fuck are you on?" look, before narrowing his eyes at me.
"You up for a rematch?" I smirked at him, suddenly elated, and he hesitated for a moment, eyes unsure, before slowly nodding, his lips also pulling back into a grin.
Crouching down into a fighting position, the air shifted around me as I focused on the wolf ahead of me, his eyes darkening.
"No magic, Queen Alexandria. It's unfair," he warned, and I rolled my eyes.
Why the fuck did he think I'd waste my magic on him anyway?
"You don't have a snowball's chance in hell of winning, regardless of whether or not I use magic," I shrugged.
He rolled his eyes, "I think I missed the rude and overconfident side of you."
"I didn't realize it had gone away," I grinned, casually circling him.
"Oh, it had. For a while," he responded, green eyes flaring as he also prepared to attack.
I guess he did have a point though.
Fighting wasn't nearly as fun anymore.
I hadn't fought anyone for almost two weeks. To be honest, I simply didn't feel like it. I no longer felt that thrill and excitement that came with a battle. It wasn't as enjoyable as it was before.
Perhaps that thrill had filled the void that my family had left behind.
Perhaps getting into fights made me feel empowered, and strengthened.
But now it wasn't training that made me ecstatic, it wasn't dancing around my bedroom, or singing weird tunes with Elle. I no longer looked forward to such tiny, forgettable moments. What made me feel happiest were the moments I spent with my king. The conversations we'd have when both of us couldn't fall asleep. The smiles we'd exchange before going about our daily routines. Those tiny little things that controlled my universe, that weighed down on me yet at the same time made me feel as though I was floating.
Lost in thought, I still managed to sidestep as Damien lunged forward, my body instinctively moving to the left, but he caught me off guard when he quickly recovered and swung his fist.
I immediately lifted my hand to block it from hitting my face, his knuckles making contact with the delicate skin of my forearm.
The attack was too fast to dodge.
He had gotten better since the last time we'd fought.
Annoyed, I raised my knee, bringing it up to his stomach, but he swiftly pulled back, missing the attack by inches.
I internally growled.
For the first time ever, I chose to continue attacking. Running forward, I brought my fist to his abdomen, his eyes sparking with shock and anger as he immediately stumbled backwards. I pushed him to the ground, straddling him as I hesitated to continue my assault, unsure as to whether we were to continue, or if he was done.
He answered the question for me when he attempted to grab my wrist and flip me over, his hand instead sloppily clamping over my fingers, the force he exerted causing one of my acrylic nails to chip off.
My jaw dropped in shock, "Damien!" I screeched, instantly getting off of him as I stared at the now broken nail, and he furrowed his brows, slowly getting up, and dusting himself off as I stumbled away from him.
"You messed it up," I whined, staring down at my hand, and he rolled his eyes.
"For someone who's so strong, you sure are pretty girly," he muttered, and I glowered up at him.
Clenching my fist, I surprisingly swung at him, messily attempting to land a hit on his pretty little face. He immediately dodged the hit, smoothly dipping his head so that my clenched fist passed over it.
"Woah," he drawled, raising his hands in surrender when he noticed the angry look in my eyes.
"Perhaps we could postpone our little rematch," he offered, stepping a few yards away from me as though he was scared I'd throw a ball of fire at him or something.
Which I was tempted to do, but...
I looked around at the wolves that surrounded me, most of them acting as though they were training amongst themselves, but I could see their attempts to cover up their subtle glances.
"So how about it?" Damien asked again, chuckling nervously.
I glowered up at him, "You're a dead man," I bit out, and he paled.
Just as I was about to pounce on him, Noah appeared amongst the other men and laid a hand on Damien's shoulder, his eyes serious.
"What is going on here?" he questioned, brown eyes taking in the situation.
"Nothing," the infuriating wolf coughed, averting his gaze from me, "I was actually just about to-"
"You're not going anywhere Damien, we're not done yet," I cut him off, my voice sharp, as Noah quirked a brow.
"I am unsure of the cause of your anger this time, your highness, but his majesty is waiting for you in the garage," Noah stated, nodding his head towards the castle, and successfully managing to save Damien's ass.
I glared at the wolf for a few moments, eyes hesitant, before I let out a frustrated growl. Shooting Damien one last simmering look, I stomped out of the clearing, my arms crossed as I headed towards the garage to meet Livius.
Goddess, I was so annoyed.
Approaching the spacious area filled with several different vehicles, I caught sight of my mate leaning against a sleek black car, keys dangling off his finger as he glanced up at me with a curious look. Not saying anything, he opened the door for me, and I murmured a silent 'thank you' before settling into the passenger seat.
Livius started the car, and slowly backed out of the garage, his eyes focused until we reached the main road that lead away from the castle.
"Mind telling me who managed to upset you in less than ten minutes?" he spoke up, eyes on the road.
I hesitated a moment, eyes unsure. Yes, I'll admit I was being a little extra, but fuck it.
Raising my hand, I stuck out my index finger, bringing attention to the nail that Damien had so carelessly managed to break, "I don't know how he managed to break it off," I muttered grumpily.
Honestly, I don't give two shits about these nails, they were getting old anyway, and could easily be replaced, but I couldn't help it, I was curious. How would he react if he saw me fussing over a broken fake nail?
Livius' eyes darted off the road, and drifted down to my hand, before allowing them to meet my gaze. Slowly, he raised his right hand, instead choosing to take advantage of the moment and intertwine our fingers. "Isn't there a Nail Salon at that mall? I'll drop you off there first."
I smiled.
Fuck, he was perfect.
I had half expected him to tell me to stop overreacting, but that wasn't him. Livius was always strangely gentle with me. No matter how harsh he could get with his wolves, how frightening he could seem to his subjects, how commanding he may be to his officers, he was always kinder around me, almost a different person.
Pulling our hands up, I placed a kiss on the back of his own, my cheeks heating up as he eyed me curiously, before his gaze softened.
"You're really trying to get us into a car accident, aren't you?" he inquired, and I pressed my lips into a thin line, shyly playing with my hair as I attempted to hide my tiny smile.
"Okay, instead how about you tell me why exactly you suddenly want to go shopping," he murmured thoughtfully, voice questioning.
"Can't a she-wolf want to spend time with her mate without being questioned about it?" I responded instead, and he quirked a brow, eyes still on the road ahead.
"Why specifically shopping though? You don't seem like the materialistic type," he analyzed.
"You'd be surprised," I grinned.
"And here I thought I had satisfied you with the closet," he mused.
"Did I mention how grateful I still am for that? There's so much cute stuff in there, and the boots, oh my goddess, the boots," I let out a dreamy sigh as he chuckled in amusement.
"I also didn't realize how much you loved shoes," he added, and I simply smiled.
Shoes were the reason I lived in this crappy world.
And him too.
But he didn't need to know that.
Not yet, anyway.
**********
I stared down at my hand, eyes observing the newly done nails. It was strange. I hadn't been to a different nail salon in years. I had a friend working at the one next to my house, so that place was always my first choice, so having someone else do it for me was... different.
I had chosen simple white nails, no special designs, because any other color probably would've ended up clashing with whatever I chose to wear tomorrow. I did, however, choose several different silver accessories, so I guess that was a bonus.
Looking around the elegant room, I pursed my lips as I took it all in. The white walls slightly overshadowed the pink lights and banners, a light scent of lavender lingered in the air, and a friendly buzz ran through the entire area. It was clearly a famous salon. They had many employees, all of them working with their respective customers with focus and precision.
"Do you like it?" the woman before me asked tentatively, looking back down at my hand as I snapped out of my thoughts.
"Please tell me if you don't, I can fix it. Or someone else can do it, if I'm not able to do the design that you want. I-"
"It's perfect," I breathed, cutting off her nervous rambling off with a smile, and she sighed in relief, her body relaxing.
"Thank you," I murmured, once again looking down at my hand.
Just as I was about to get up, I stiffened as a voice came from behind me, my mates intoxicating scent suddenly overpowering my senses as he knelt over my shoulder, "Not bad," I heard him say, his voice a deep baritone.
"I know right," I responded, instinctively biting my lip as he took my hand and surveyed it, pale blue eyes curious.
"Now you have no reason to kill one of my wolves," he nodded, and I beamed, getting up to stand beside him, his arm immediately slithering around my waist, pulling me closer.
"Is she done?" Livius asked, looking over my head to meet the gaze of the sweet lady.
"Mhmm," she nodded, wiping her hands with a towel, "you can pay up front," she added shyly, a hand coming up to play with her hair as I smiled about to head up to the front desk.
"I got it, ma reine," Livius told me, reaching the cashier before me, and smirking as he immediately took the opportunity to swipe his black credit card.
"Not fair Livius," I huffed, crossing my arms as the woman pulled out a receipt which Livius refused.
He grinned, leaning down to meet my gaze,"American currency, remember?" he added as we stepped out of the salon.
"I have my own credit card, y'know?" I pointed out, rolling my eyes.
"I have a better one."
"Stop bragging."
"Do you want to see it?"
"You're still bragging."
"Do you want to see it though?"
"No."
"You sure?"
"No."
He chuckled, and rather than simply showing me the card he had previously deposited in his wallet, he instead pulled out another from his pocket and extended it to me.
"What's this?" I asked, my eyes widening as I held it in my hands.
"It's yours," he responded casually.
"Are you serious?"
"Of course," he replied, eyes dancing with amusement.
"What the fuck Livius? This is an Amex Black Card. How do you even have this?" I questioned incredulously.
He gave me a pointed look, "first of all, language, my love, language," he warned, "and second," he gestured to an invisible crown on his head, "king? Remember?"
I rolled my eyes at his flaunting before gesturing for him to take it back and he furrowed his brows, blinking down at me.
"I can't accept this, Livius. It's your money, I wouldn't be comfortable using it," I told him, giving him a gentle smile as he looked taken aback.
"What are you talking about, Alexandria?"
"How do you make money anyways?" I asked instead, my brows now furrowed in thought, and he grinned as though he'd been waiting for me to ask.
Why'd he have to be so cute, the fuck?
"I have my own private excursions," he began slowly.
"Elaborate," I murmured distractedly, frowning as a group of passing girls eyed my mate, and began giggling whilst attempting to sneak in more subtle glances beneath their fake lashes.
Noticing my averted attention, Livius followed my gaze, staring at the humans for a few moments, before letting out a low laugh, "High maintenance and territorial. Goddess, you're perfect," he joked and I flushed, hiding behind my hair.
Suddenly he wrapped his muscled arm around my shoulder, and pulled me to him, both of us now walking side by side, my hand instinctively coming up to intertwine with his own.
"Former Alpha King's often chose to tax all of the packs, but I didn't take much pleasure in personally spending other people's money, so I ordered for the tax money to be used for all finances directly related to the werewolf empire," he began, and I nodded slowly.
"That card you're holding however, is connected to my bank account which contains money from an international company I started awhile back, almost immediately after taking the throne," he explained further, gesturing towards the card he refused to take back.
"So you're telling me that not only are you a King, but you're also a CEO?" I inquired, and he nodded, confirming my thoughts.
"Your mate is a billionaire, mon amour, aren't you proud?" he teased, pulling me impossibly closer to him and I snorted.
"Still can't accept," I said instead, extending the card back to him, and he rolled his eyes.
"You're Queen, my darling, I'm going to see to it that you know how to shop like one," he told me instead, and I didn't fully understand what he meant until he dragged me along to every possible store in this god forsaken mall.
He quite literally pulled me whichever way he went, and did my shopping for me. To be honest, I don't even know why I bothered coming.
It got to a point where he even turned me into a mini doll. Carelessly forcing me to try on a bundle of clothes he had randomly brought together. I tried on so many outfits my head started hurting.
By the time we were done, both he and I were carrying several different bags of signature brands, which he insisted I should wear.
"This is not what I had in mind when I said shopping, Livius," I muttered, and he simply chuckled.
"No really, I didn't think we'd actually shop," I continued, causing him to fully break out laughing.
"You ask me to take you shopping and you don't expect to shop?" he summarized, eyes filled with both mirth and confusion.
I was about to reply to his amused teasing, but my eyes caught sight of the final store, it's name displayed over the entrance in bold black letters.
Fuck, I forgot why I came here in the first place.
"We never went into Saint Laurent, did we?" Livius spoke up thoughtfully, and I immediately shook my head.
"Yea, because if you were to go in, you'd probably come out with fifty thousand dollars less than before," I retorted.
He rolled his eyes, "Not possible Alexandria. My companies revenue increases by the minute. By the time I'm done shopping I'll probably have already remade the money."
Smirking at his own smart statement, he began heading towards the final store, and I grabbed his wrist, "How about I go in and you get the car?" I offered instead.
Livius hesitated, eying me curiously, and my lips pulled into a playful pout, "Aw baby, you really should've told me how much you loved shopping. You don't even want to skip one store."
At that Livius seemed to have made his decision as he gave me a pointed look, "You're a little demon, did you know that?" he bit out playfully, and I giggled as he took the bags from me.
Standing up on my tippy toes, I pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, "I'll see you in a bit, my king," I murmured, and he shot me one last satisfied smile, before stepping towards the exit, my eyes following his form until he exited the mall.
Letting out a breath, I turned to face the store, mind still unsure as to whether I wanted to see the man working inside.
Pressing my lips into a thin line, I hugged myself, before stepping inside.
I'd have to see him sooner or later.
Might as well be now.