Author's Note:
Happy first Friday in February!
I've been writing The Vampire and the Rebel for the past month and a half, and I'm about halfway through. My intention is to finish it before I exhaust my HTSAWR buffer and then turn my attention back to this story.
I will not let myself get distracted by this ONC thing no matter how much people's enthusiasm keeps turning my head. "Nelle, join us... It sounds so fun... Drop all your strategic writing plans... Start a new project before finishing your old ones... Join us..."
(Unless I do? 😶)
Haha, staying strong! (Since I added this author's note earlier today I totally wrote an idea down... Shall see if I get terribly inspired or not, in truth that will probably be the deciding factor.)
Thanks for reading!
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I had been turned into something of a werewolf mannequin eight ball.
I was supposed to stand there perfectly still while the designer draped one swatch after another over me and then wanted me to predict what would work well for some future functions that were still a mystery to me.
Perhaps I would have eschewed comfort and spent more time paying attention to couture in my tiny backwater town if I had known I was going to be mated to the prince, but the unlikely scenario I now found myself in had never even crossed my mind as a possibility.
Finally, I pleaded, "Couldn't you just pick for me? You're the expert, right? I'd just like clothing that's fairly comfortable and not too flashy."
"Well, I do suppose I could, Lady Anne."
"Thank you," I said gratefully.
I assumed I would soon possess an insane number of clothes, so surely I could find something tolerable with so many choices at my disposal.
When my ordeal was over, I began to make my way in the direction I hoped was my room. I had paid careful attention to where I was going, but my mind kept drifting towards all the things I had seen in my tour with Arthur. The royal city had some amazing sights and also some terrible ones.
Would it be possible for a princess to do some sort of actual charity work, or would there be too many security issues? It would be nice if I could do some good with my position.
"Lady Anne?" A soft voice interrupted my thoughts and I realized that there was a gloriously beautiful woman coming towards me. She had silvery hair and diamond eyes and I realized she would be exactly the sort of woman who Arthur would keep in his underground harem, if he had been scandalously libertine rather than responsible and controlled.
I nodded. I had never worried about my appearance since I, like all werewolves, was quite attractive, but this woman made me feel as plain as a sheet of blank paper. She swept into a curtsey that put my earlier attempt to shame.
"I am Luna Fleur," she told me in that melodious voice. I wondered if she was part Siren.
I bet she could launch a thousand ships if she put her mind to it.
I might get a dozen, if I tried really hard and was particularly lucky.
"It's nice to meet you," I said as nicely as I could manage. What woman did not want to meet someone who made her look plain in comparison? I shoved the bitter thought away. It only mattered how I looked to Arthur, and surely he at least would choose me above this goddess.
"Do you live here at the palace?" I asked her.
She shook her head. "I'm only staying for a while, I think."
I considered her words. "Where is your pack located?"
I felt instantly guilty about my question when I saw her downcast eyes. Of course if she was staying in the palace she probably had a lot of problems back home.
"The Blue Moon Pack is south of the capital," she explained a bit wistfully.
I put it together then. The queen had mentioned her when listing mate problems.
I could not help but feel a bit relieved that she was mated.
I would feel even more relieved if she was happy with him. I already believed Arthur would be faithful to me, but I still did not really fancy the idea of a load of beautiful women wandering around under his incredibly perfect nose.
"Um, do you like the capital?" I asked.
"It's very nice and peaceful."
I had a very different impression of the capital. It seemed intrusive and bustling to me, but I supposed she had a different perspective coming from an unpleasant mate relationship.
I smiled at her. "Well, Luna Fleur, I was just trying to find my way back to my room. Hopefully I'm going the right way."
She smiled back. "I assume you're in Prince Arthur's room, so you were indeed going in the right direction," she told me.
Her words were like waving flags in front of a bull, although the way she had said them seemed to have been totally innocent. How was she to know that the most beautiful female I had ever met casually mentioning my mate's rooms would make me see red?
I forced a larger smile as I hurried past her, trying to keep my irrational aggression from showing.
<I told you so,> my wolf said suddenly. I had not even been aware that she was watching.
<Very mature.>
<What, is saying the truth now immature in human minds?>
<Gloating is the immature part.>
She ignored my words. <So are we going to be marked soon?>
<What did I tell you about pestering me?>
She huffed at me. <You're so touchy. Turn right here.>
I followed her directions. I did not bother to ask how she knew, she was no doubt following our nose. Her mind was much better at detecting and interpreting scents even with my human sense than I was.
I would have made it back there on my own, but I would have been lying if I said having her guiding me did not make me more confident.
I pulled open the door and was pleased to see Arthur was sitting on a couch. He looked over at me with a smile that was more appealing than any of the wonders of the capital that I had seen all day.
I walked closer and he took my hand and pulled me down beside him. I moved closer to him and he put his arm around me.
"So, well, I know it's still a bit early maybe, but when do you want to mark me?"
He became very stiff beside me and I wondered if I had said something wrong. Did he not want to? No, everything he had said and done should put those sorts of fears to rest.
"When you're ready, Anne," he choked out.
"What if I'm ready now?"
<Am I dreaming?> my wolf asked.
<Seriously, I will back out to spite you. Mates sometimes drag this process out for months.>
<Terrorism is beneath you,> she growled, but she went quiet.
"Are you sure?" he asked slowly.
I nodded.
"What brought this on?"
"Well, I was already thinking about it and then I met Fleur, so that reminded me that I really wanted to do it."
"Fleur?"
"She's very beautiful."
He chuckled. "You're more beautiful."
It was mate coloured glasses all over again, but I was hardly going to complain when it resounded so obviously in my benefit.
"But I don't want to do it for that reason, Anne."
The way he said my name made me shiver.
<What!? Humans are so aggravating!> My wolf seemed about ready to make a grab for control and shove our neck into his teeth, if only I would let her.
"Well, mostly I just want you to," I told him, ignoring my wolf's anguished howls and complaints and curses in the back of my mind.
He smiled and pulled me over so I straddled him. He kissed me deeply until I had no other thoughts in my mind but him, then he broke the kiss and asked, "Are you sure?"
"Yep." If I backed out now my sanity would not survive my wolf's disappointment.
He pushed my sweater off the side of my shoulder and I waited. His mouth touched my flesh and then I felt the pain of his canines stab through my skin and into my muscle.
It hurt a bit, but not too badly. It was more satisfying than anything.
He loosened his jaws and looked at me. I could read his concern. "Did I hurt you too much?" he asked.
I smiled and shook my head.
"Want to return the favour?"
I met his eyes in surprise. "I can mark you?" A lot of males did not seem to really like that so I had just assumed I would not, but again I should not have underestimated my mate.
"Of course. It would not hurt to remind the unattached females around that I'm completely taken."
<I take back everything I said. Arthur is the best human,> my wolf informed me.
<I'm not the best human?> I teased.
<Well, you are quite tolerable, but he's definitely better looking.>
It was high praise coming from her so I did not push it.
<Quickly now, let's mark him and I'll be off to find him properly. Pierce, here I come!>
I glanced at Arthur and I realized he had already unbuttoned his shirt so I could get at the spot I needed to bite.
I could see part of his chest and stomach and he was seriously toned. My heart fluttered and I felt warm.
<Focus, human. You can ogle him later.>
I brought my eyes up to his face and his encouraging smile.
I leaned down and I felt the oddest sensation of my wolf joining me. Usually it was me or occasionally her in control of my physical form at any given time, but it was like we overlapped in that moment through our joint purpose.
My canines extended and I bit into his neck. I tasted his blood, but it did not seem quite as gross as I thought it would be. I was not super excited by the taste like some creepy vampire, but it was not a worse flavour than if I had bitten my own tongue.
I released him and then I felt a pleasing rush of possession as the mate bond solidified further, marking him as mine and I as his. I smiled at him.
He kissed me and again my thoughts fled. I barely even heard my wolf telling me she was leaving and her warning not to screw anything up while she was gone, because I had finally found the direct centre of my universe.
We continued kissing and somehow I managed to lose my sweater and Arthur's shirt ended up completely open baring his torso to my perusal, and peruse I did.
He was absolutely wonderful and the more I learned the more that his perfection seemed a fact of the universe. His face was like a composite of the twenty best looking males on the planet, his muscular chest and abs should have been on some Greek statue in a museum rather than on a living male.
Then he stopped kissing me and I blinked at him in confusion. What madness was this?
He looked strained but resolute. "I promised your father," he groaned.
"Really? You meant that?" I asked in disappointment. It had seemed reasonable enough at the time, but now it seemed like a terrible mistake.
If my wolf had been there she would have told me to just push him over the edge, but I could hardly play so dirty. I sighed and forced myself to smile in spite of my terrible frustration. I pulled back on my sweater, still hoping he would stop me.
Arthur smiled crookedly. "If it makes you feel any better, love, I'm not happy with myself either." His voice sounded satisfying strained.
I gave him a real smile for both the endearment and the sentiment. "I'm just glad my wolf isn't here to chew my ear off."
"Very true. I doubt I'll hear from mine again for a week, unless something terribly interesting happens."
I smiled. "Can we mind link each other now?" I wondered. I knew we could in theory, but it's not as if I had ever marked anyone before.
<Can you hear me?> he asked.
<I can,> I said. His voice was a bit hard to hear, but I supposed it would get louder in time. It was nice to hear him in my head, it was usually only me and my wolf or occasionally a friend or family member.
I wrapped my arms around him. "I'm really happy."
"Me too," he agreed with another mind melting grin. "So, would you like to go out somewhere with me tonight?" he asked.
"Yes," I said. "Where will we go?"
"Out for dinner. Let me surprise you."
I nodded. I did not have many fancy things to wear, but I would manage somehow. I rather thought he would be happy no matter what I did.
My instinctive satisfied smile did not escape my own notice.