CHAPTER 7
AUDREY’S POV
I quickly threw on my gown, as Sebastian buttoned up his trousers. This was crazy!
“I told you this wasn’t a good idea!” I whisper-yelled, but all he did was give a loopsided grin, making me roll my eyes. I could already smell my parents walking towards my room. Shit shit shit!
“Audrey!” I heard my mom call, and I gave an immediate response. My voice sounded so squeaky, making Sebastian laugh.
“Is someone with you?” She asked, but before I could give another response, she pushed the door open. The moment she looked in, I went still. Her gaze fell on me, before shifting to the person just behind me. I was so sure he hadn’t put on his shirt yet.
“Your highness?” Mom’s eyes widened slightly.
“Good afternoon Luna. So sorry for not informing you of my visit this time. It was quite…. unplanned.” Unplanned or not, my family was probably so used to seeing him around, this past month. Her shock was clearly not because she was seeing him, but because she obviously had an idea concerning what had just gone down between us. Sebastian and I had been sexually intimate for a while now, but never had we been as reckless as letting my parents walk in on us doing it.
“Oh, please!” She released a chuckle. “This is your home too, I’m glad to see you. I just expected you’d be in the palace, seeing as the annual ball is just a few days away.”Original from NôvelDrama.Org.
“I couldn’t wait until then, to see my mate.” He smirked and winked at me, before picking his shirt from the bed and throwing it on. Sebastian had already started referring to me as his mate, even when we were yet to perform the ritual that would cut off all connections and bonds to our goddess given mates, and keep us bonded forever.
“Awwwnn, so sweet.” Mom cooed, making me roll my eyes. She looked between Sebastian and I once more, before smiling and clearing her throat. “I see that I may have interrupted something. Please do not let me disturb you.” She muttered, before quickly walking out of the room and closing the door behind her.
Now, I could understand that she chose not to comment on the fact that we had clearly been having sex before she got here. But then, I didn’t expect her to encourage it. That was….. weird?
“See?” Seb turned to me immediately and held my waist, pulling me closer to him. “I told you there was nothing to be worried about. Your parents know we are mates now, and would get married soon. What’s there to be displeased about?” He smiled, bending to give me a kiss, which I reluctantly obliged. It still felt so awkward for my mom to see us like that. As sexually active as I had been since the age of 16, I had never had sex with a male wolf, in my parent’s house.
“Come on, give me a kiss. You know I have just a few hours to spend with you before leaving. I wouldn’t get to see you until 4 more days, so the best you can do for me is make this few remaining hours count.” I smiled at his emotional blackmail tactic, before leaning in and giving him a sound kiss.
“You like that now?” I whispered, to which he nodded.
“I love it! Another one would make me happier.” He chuckled, leaning down to kiss me again. Soon we wear pulling off each other’s clothes, and repeating what we had just finished doing a couple of minutes back.
*
*
I released low sighs as I tried to focus on the kitten in front of me. It still turned its neck around, making it obvious that whatever I was trying to do wasn’t having any effect on it. Just then, the door to my bathroom creaked open and I knew Sebastian just stepped out of the bathroom. Refusing to lose focus, I kept my eyes rooted on the head of the kitten.
“And why are you staring so hard at the poor kitten?” He asked, successfully distracting me.
“What else?” I sighed in slight frustration. “I have been trying to get a hold of this particular trick for a while now, but I keep fumbling.”
“What trick?” He asked in confusion.
“Remember the first time we met? I invoked one of my newly discovered abilities, when you acted like you were about to bite my neck.”
“Yes?”
“I’m learning how to properly control it, but it just keeps frustrating my efforts.” I frowned.
“You do realize that you could burst open the head of that poor kitten, right?” He chuckled.
“How?”
“How?!” He chuckled once more. “You literally made my brain spin because you did it wrongly. Think of what such a mistake would do to a feeble creature as this.”
“But this is the only way I can explore and control my abilities!”
“And who says you even need these abilities? You are getting married to me in a matter of weeks, and when you finally become Luna queen, you’ll have all the protection you ever need. All you just have to do, is remain a lovely wife to me, your king.”
“Are you saying I’m not worth more than just hanging my hand on your arm, and attending mindless royal events? As Queen, I should be able to fight for, and protect my people and myself when the need arises.”
“You’re probably misunderstanding me, love.” He sighed. “All I’m saying is that you don’t have to disturb yourself over this. You would most likely never need to make use of these abilities, because you would never come near harm. Then again, you would definitely gain control whenever the time is right. Don’t force it.”
“Whatever.” I muttered, half displeased. This wasn’t the first time he was asking me to stop exploring my abilities. “Shooo!!” I chased away the kitten, who ran out of my bedroom immediately. I laid back on my bed and watched in silence as he wore he clothes and prepared to journey back to the palace.
“So….” He muttered, putting on his shoes. “I would see you in four days time? My stepbrother is already going out of his wits, knowing I have found such a strong mate. He knows he doesn’t have long before he loses the throne to me.” He chuckled humourlessly.
“He is scared already? Such a coward.” I snorted.
“He would probably pee in his pants when I introduce you to our subjects at the ball.” He laughed. “Who knows? His anti-supporters may even start a protest against him right there.”
“Must be such a delightful sight to behold.” I giggled, loving the sound of it all. I was so close to getting what I wanted.
“I guess it’s time to go!” He announced.
“Hmmm. I would see you soon.” I hopped down the bed and he pulled me close for a kiss. “I should escort you out.” I said, to which he nodded and walked towards the door. Today, unlike other times when he had visited, he didn’t bring along a suitcase. That was understandable, seeing as he planned to stay for only a few hours.
We walked out to the living room and the next couple of minutes, he had a conversation with my parents, before finally walking out the door, with his two guards following him behind. Just a few minutes after the door shut close, it opened once more to reveal none other than my cousin, Denver. Wow. I hadn’t expected him, seeing as we hadn’t spoken to each other in a while. It wasn’t the first time Denver and I were having a misunderstanding since we were kids, but this last fight hit too close to home. Twice, I tried paying him a visit to give an apology, but he never let me see him. I was sorry. I truly, was.
“Denver?” I called out in suprise, and he sighed.
“Good evening uncle, aunt.” He directed his greetings to my parents, before his gaze fell back on me. “Audrey, please can we talk?”
“Welcome Denver. It seems to be that your friendship with your cousin suffered a terrible fallout these past weeks.” My father commented.
“Nothing a good talk cannot fix.” Denver muttered.
“It’s long overdue, by the way.” I scowled. “Come with me.” I instructed and walked back up the stairs, with him following behind. The moment we got into my bedroom and closed the door, I let it out.
“Really?!” I chuckled humourlessly. “You refused to see me for over 4 weeks, and you call yourself my bestfriend?!”
“So much for being a bestfriend and yet, you talked down on my mate! So much for being a bestfriend, yet you kept me in the dark about your intended marriage to prince Sebastian, for weeks!” He shot back, making me go silent.
“You know about prince Sebastian and I?” I whispered. No one asides from my family, knew of it. Not yet. So I guess there was only one person who could have told him. I sighed. “Andrew.”
“Yes, Andrew!” He shot back.
“Look, Denver. I wanted to tell you about it, but you kept shutting me out! What was I supposed to do!”
“So it’s true, then?” He looked at me in a mix of shock and disbelief. “You are going to forfeit the chances of ever finding your goddess given mate? You are going to join in a rebellion against the crown prince?”
“Oh, please! He is barely fit to sit on the throne! Sebastian is more deserving.”
“And you think you are in a position to be the judge of that? Prince Logan is the first son, which makes him the rightful heir to the throne.”
“Goddess! Tell me you’re joking right now. This prince in question is yet to shift into his wolf form at such an adult age. What makes him more qualified than Sebastian?”
“Audrey, this is sooo wrong. You’re only saying all these because you want to rule as queen beside prince Sebastian. I can’t even believe you’re willing to give up your chances of ever finding your true mate, all because of power and status!”
“It is not just any status, Denver! It is the position of Luna queen.” I corrected. Couldn’t he see that?
“That is still not enough, Audrey.”
“Look Denver, I have already made up my mind, and your poor criticism would not make me have a rethink!” I spat in annoyance. Why was he putting up the ‘holier than thou’ act?
“I cannot believe your parents are in support of this.” He muttered in disgust, disappointment in his eyes. It only did nothing but fuel my anger. How could we have been out of talking terms for weeks, only for him to come to me with this crap?! “I just hope you know what you are getting into? If this goes wrongly, the repercussions would be too great. And I can’t for the life of me, understand why your parents would risk your life this way.” Why did that sound like a warning?
“That is because unlike yours, they want the best for me! I would never settle for the barest minimum, Denver! You’re clearly satisfied with having your slave of a mate, but never would I settle for such!” I yelled out in anger. “You’re probably pissed because we are so much alike, but this is the only part of us that doesn’t seem alike. You like to settle, but I don’t!”
“No.” He slowly shook his head. “Nothing about us is alike anymore. I doubt it ever was. Who have you become?” He asked, looking at me in disappointment. The next minute, he was leaving my room and banging the door so hard. I looked at the door for some seconds, not able to move from my spot.
With unshed tears in my eyes, I shook my head stubbornly and refused to feel like shit. He and I, were different after all. It was safe to say that I just lost my only friend.