Chapter 5

Austin's POV

I wanted to have a heart-to-heart with Maryanne after the long-overdue hot sex, but a call to the school board made me leave at once. Leaving her immediately after sex felt like repeating the same thing that had happened last time. This time, however, it wasn't my fault. I was needed. I just hoped she would understand. Well, she had to. I was the Lycan Prince, and even if she wasn't okay with what I was doing, I knew she wouldn't have the boldness to say it to me. She wasn't that brave.

It turned out that it wasn't even something very serious - just an extension for the whole welcome stuff. As soon as they were done, I left, heading back to the office to check if she was still there, but she wasn't. It was my fault. I would have told her to wait for me if I had known that the meeting wasn't going to take long. At least, she had put the things I had moved aside back in place.

As I turned to leave, my eyes caught something - her heat signature on the table, the part where I had kept her seated, her butt mark. I could see it there. I took a minute to gaze, thinking about the moment that had just passed. She was inexperienced, but sweet in the middle. With a little more practice with her, she had the potential to become the next baddest girl. I laughed out loud as I thought about it. "It's all for fun," I made myself believe, as I packed the things I needed and left for the house.

Throughout my ride home, she was all that clouded my thoughts. Her innocence was the most amazing thing about her. The petite, but well-placed features couldn't escape my memory. I struggled to keep my eyes on the road, regardless, because I didn't want my lustful thoughts to lead me into a car crash.

After a few minutes on the road, I finally reached home. "Welcome, son!" my dad, who was seated by the lawn, called out to me as I stepped in. Good thing he did, because I didn't observe him. My mind was so much on Maryanne that it seemed nothing else mattered at that point.

He was seated with the council members, including Maryanne's father. "Good evening, dad. Good evening, council members," I greeted them as I walked towards him. I took a light bow as I approached.

"Yes, my son, how's the new job treating you?" he asked me.

"It's fine for the first day," I replied to him. I wanted to keep things civil.

"The students were warm, and the staff too. I think I like it there," I added.

"I am happy that you like it," he said to me. "Being in the school system is good for your leadership experience. If you can lead the school now, you'll have less trouble leading every other person when the time comes," Maryanne's father said to me.

I smiled and nodded at him. If only he knew how right he was. My father paid an unusually keen observation to me. I even became uncomfortable. Did he see anything that gave off the impression that I had just had sex? It would be embarrassing for me.

It wasn't that, however. His eyes had immediately caught the keys in my hands, and he sighed, looking at me with a frown.

"Don't tell me you took yourself to school," he asked me.

"I... I did," I replied to him.

"I've told you time and time again, let the guards go with you anytime you're leaving for anywhere," he said, getting upset.

I sighed in relief. At least, it wasn't what I was thinking. This was a less serious case.

"Dad, please, I can drive myself. Throughout my stay abroad, I took care of myself alone. Why does it have to be any different here?" I asked him.

"It's a lot different now, and you need to acknowledge that. You're the prince of this kingdom, heir to the throne. You should behave like one," he advised.

I didn't want to spend too much time outside because I was already tired. The day's stress, coupled with the hot sex, had taken its toll. I really needed to refresh and rest.

"You know what, dad? I've heard you, and I'll try," I said to him and left almost immediately.

"What's wrong with children nowadays?" I could hear my father ask as I walked into the house. His lamentations even caused his council members to laugh hard.

I was in my bedroom in no time and rushed to the bathroom almost immediately. When I was done freshening up, I had something to eat, then returned to the bedroom. My brother wasn't around, so it was just me in the boring compound. As expected, my mind went back to Maryanne. I wanted to text her or something like that when I realized that I didn't even have her number. It wasn't really a problem, though, because I had the school database on my laptop, and I knew her name. All I had to do was search for it, and I would see all the information about her.

I thought about texting or calling to inquire if she had gone home safely, but that thought was cut short by a call. The phone was a bit far from me, so before I reached it, the call had already ended. However, the person was quick to call again almost immediately. As I picked up the phone, about to answer, I looked at the caller's name and took a step back. The caller was Becca, with a heart emoji attached to her name. I grew restless, unsure of what to say or do at that point.

Should I answer it or not? That question sent shivers down my spine. Not many things did that. Luckily, the call ended before I could come up with a concrete decision. I put the phone down and sat on the bed, breathing heavily. "How did she get this number?" I asked myself. Yes, she had my old number, but I had changed it when I left the country, and I had been using a new number since I got home. How was she able to get my new number? Who gave it to her? I kept pondering.

A few seconds later, a text message arrived on my phone, and with heavy hands, I picked it up. The text read, "You can ignore my calls all you want, but you can't get rid of me, Austin. I am your fiancée!"

It was Becca Stanley, my fiancée from abroad!