Chapter Five

I got ready to teleport back to the garden by getting dressed in what I had, which consisted of my black tunic, my hoody, my combat boots, and a black elastic shirt with a turtleneck. I don't have any knowledge regarding the prince's whereabouts, but I could apply what I've learned in the past. He would be in the same spot in the palace gardens by this time, unarmed. As usual, I disguised my scent before teleporting to his garden. I felt anticipation building in my gut, but I resisted it and concentrated on the task at hand.

“I knew you would come back.” I heard a voice.

 

I squealed and spun around, only to see the prince standing there in just a pair of shorts. I couldn't take my eyes off of him, even though shifting without being aware of it is crucial for the full moon if it seizes control. He has the six packs, lean physique, and strong legs that I have overheard girls raving about at school. Even after I've been marveling at his body, I keep coming back to his attractive face because of his chiseled jaw and blue eyes.

“Why can't I see your face, Minty?”

 

I gulped. My throat seemed scratchy and patchy at best, like I needed a drink of water. I'm glad I put a shadow over my face because I didn't have the cat disguise to cover it, but I felt compelled to remove it and let the prince see it. I wanted to, but I composed myself and asked the question that has been bothering me the most:

“How do you know my name?”

 

The prince inhaled and exhaled like he couldn't get enough of something and said,

“Like I thought, I didn't imagine you. You are real, my love.”

 

My knees felt weak, and I would have fallen over if not for the prince, who held me from falling.

“It's fine if you don't want me to see your face, but can I kiss you?”

 

In my distracted state, I nodded, and he grinned. Inside my head, I heard a voice saying, I've been waiting for this since I met you,” before he kissed me. It's different from Mason's kiss. His lips were gentle and passionate, like he wanted to savor the moment. Before I could get into the kiss, he broke it off and said, very harshly,

“Who is Mason?”

 

“What?!” I was disoriented and only wanted to get back to kissing him, but he kept holding me back.

 

“Who's Mason, Minty?” He asked with a trace of anger in his voice, and that snapped me out of my inexcusable behavior.

 

“Get off me!” I screamed at him.

 

He stared at me with hurt eyes, but I refused to look at him.

“Look, I don't know how you know my name, but this ends here. People want you dead—me included. And you shall die tonight.”

 

He kept on staring at me, and I grew irritated by his silence.

“Why are you so quiet? Say something.” I screamed.

 

“What do you want me to say?" He said, his voice broken, "My mate hates me and wants me dead. I guess this is what I can settle for as a prince. I can't get honest opinions from people, and I can't have the love of my life either. I guess I am destined to suffer for the rest of my life. If you are going to kill me, do it fast. At least, my last moments would be with you.”

 

Hearing all that makes me pause. I didn't want him dead, but how could I tell him that without explaining myself? Suddenly, I felt an intense pain in my ankle, and I screamed. The prince rushed to hold me before I fell to the floor. My body was on fire as pain filled every part of it. The prince kept whispering soothing words in my ear.

“What is happening to me?” I moaned.

 

“You mean you don't know?” He sounded surprised.

 

“Know what?” 

 

A new wave of pain washed through my spine. I arched my back and screamed. What is happening to me, I thought. After a series of bouts of pain that felt like they lasted for two hours, I felt nothing. I tried to get up, but I stumbled and fell down. I got confused by the new sensation I felt. What is happening to me, I asked myself.

“You are beautiful,” someone whispered, or more like spoke, in my head.

 

My head snapped up at the figure in shorts. Something compelled me to nip his neck, which I did. He smelled so good, and I just sat there smelling him. He chuckled and said,

“Come on, that's all for now. I want to smell you too. You can't have everything.”

 

He pushed me away, and I started whining. He looked at me for a while and started to remove his shorts. I looked away, but for some reason, I wanted to keep looking. Soon, I saw a big white wolf standing in front of me. He smelled the same way as the man, and he snuggled up to my neck and nibbled on it. I leaned heavily on him, and he gave a wolfy chuckle.

“Come on, love. Let's go for a run.” I heard someone say it in my head.

 

I gave a happy yip and tried to stand, but I couldn't. He used his snout to hold my underbelly, trying to help me stand up. I vaguely remember that I have to avoid this wolf, but why should I when he smells so good? I was able to stand up, and he walked ahead of me. I took my time and paced my steps as I followed him. Soon, we were trotting, and after that, we started a race to see who would reach the pond.

 

When we got to the pond, we started playing in the pool. He would get up and start shaking his wolf furs, splashing water in my eyes, and I would laugh and do the same. I don't remember much, but I remember kissing him in human form. The full moon must have taken advantage of the fact that we weren't in control of our feelings. We were both naked from the transformation, but we didn't go beyond kissing, which I am thankful for.

 

That morning, when I woke up, I remember snuggling on something that seemed like a nice, hot pillow, only for me to get up and find out that it was a hot, chiseled chest. I panicked, but I couldn't teleport. He only held me tighter and didn't wake up no matter how hard I pushed. What happened last night? My memory loss was a huge disadvantage, and at the time, I actually thought that I had slept with him. But judging by the bond, I am still attracted to him, but not as much as I would be if I were mated to him. Even after I thought about it, I accused him of rape so that he would feel guilty. It worked even after he told me what I had thought before I accused him. I remember seeing the hurt in his eyes and thinking how he could read my thoughts before I teleported.

 

No matter how low I described the prince, that moonless night was the best day of my life. Even if I can't remember it. It made me feel giddy inside, and I will sometimes start giggling or smiling out of nowhere throughout the day. I couldn't control it, and I tried to stop myself during school hours, but I ended up laughing at odd hours or just pretending to giggle at random words the teacher would say or write.

“Spill it,” said a masculine voice.

 

I followed his arm and looked up to see a pale, fair-skinned girl. She had her black hair cut short to her scalp, with the hair in the front bigger than the ones at the back and sides. She wore a black leather jacket over a cotton t-shirt and a mini black leather skirt paired with black ankle boots. She had make-up on and a killer smoke eye that made her black eyes pop out, and she wore black gloves on each of her hands. I was surprised that she was speaking to me, and judging by the scent, she's a werewolf, but that fact made it more confusing.

“Excuse me,” I said with a raised eyebrow.

 

“Sorry. Let me introduce myself." I am Randy, and this is my mate and girlfriend, Emily.”

 

I let my eyes rest on a petite girl. She seemed ordinary, like an ordinary girl, until you zoomed in on her longer than normal lashes. When she blinks, she makes it seem like she's seducing you, and I could feel myself caving into something I think I want but might need.

“Nice to meet you.” She said that, and that's when the spell was broken.

 

"Em, you too.” I muttered, a little distracted by her lashes.

 

“You can feel it too, ah,” the girl in question said.

 

“Feel what?” I asked.

 

“The arising need to be with your significant other. I'm sorry. We just wanted to make sure. You are different.” She said. 

 

I stared at them for a while and said,

“What are you talking about?”

 

“I'm talking about my lashes. We know that you have found your mate, but the way you acted yesterday when you saw our Alpha, it's questionable.” Emily said this as she started eating her spaghetti.

 

I nodded and thought, "Oh, alpha Mason's pack members.

“So what are you doing here, and where is Alpha Mason?” I said.

 

“He's behind you, but he's assigned us as your guards for today.” Randy said this in between spoonfuls of rice.

“Point made, but I am not Alee. I am Minty.” I said I was watching them to see their reaction.

 

“We've got that covered. Our alpha is very sensitive, and so he would rather stay away from you than try to talk to you. Your scent seems to be disturbing him.” Randy said.

 

“But I don't believe you are Minty. I think you are the same person with bipolar issues.” Emily said.

 

“Whatever. I would love to have a chat with my bodyguards, but unfortunately, I've got to crash somewhere, anywhere.”

 

I winked at them and left the table.