Lycan Princess

"Do you think she would prefer this or the pink one?"

"How do I convince her to open the windows? It's too dark in there and the Luna asked us to keep an eye on her."

"Luna Aurora wants us to use the pink one, the other is... depressing and she's been through a lot."

The curse of having sharp senses was that I heard every whisper and footsteps and knew people by their scent even before they made a visual appearance.

 This had been my lot over the past week since I was rescued and transported by air to a gigantic castle they called the Royal Park House of the Moon. 

Considering how deeply wounded I had been, it had come as a surprise to me that I had recovered within a few days.

I had at least stopped limping and my head had healed to an extent. 

The most shocking however was how fast the scars were fading, and each time I looked into the mirror in front of the vanity, the reality of what I was hit me deeper, harder.

A werewolf.

Had my mother known what I was? Did she hate me right now for accepting help from the ones who had killed her?

I hated myself, and although it worried the girls assigned to take care of me, I stayed indoors with the blinds and lights shut out completely.

The doorbell rang then, and even without perceiving the scent of my caller, I knew it wasn't one of the royal staff; I always smelt their fear and heard the loud beats of their hearts.

The iron doors opened a second later and lilacs and roses flooded my senses.

I hadn't met this person before.

"Oh my, is it a dungeon in here? Sarah, open the blinds and turn on the fucking lights! And for goddess' sake, redecorate this room while we are at it!"

That was new; the commanding lady-like voice which carried an aura I had only felt in the Luna.

 The house staff came in immediately, her fingers shaking as they obeyed her instructions.

 In less than three minutes, my bedroom was airy and the lights cast its rays on the silky sheets and heavy duvet, the Queen-size foam and the unique layering of colours.

Princess' dolls and pink walk-in closet stared at me, along with a beautiful girl with honey brown eyes who was looking at me in awe.

"Wow, my cousin is really beautiful, so much that I'm jealous. But you know, we can do something about your hair; were you in a short hair cult or something?"

Before I could reply, she was already touching the strands of my hair and gripping hold of my chin to observe my face.

Not used to physical touch, I moved back instinctively, and something fell in her eyes.

"Sorry. Grandma did say you had been through a lot and we weren't supposed to ask you anything about it. But I'm inquisitive as you see. So... Sorry. I'm Princess Leila by the way."

Now I felt like an ass. Her tall slender frame had made itself comfortable in the bed I sat with my short hair spilling over my face. 

I was a contrast to her full wavy blond hair and manicured nails. 

She seemed like my age, but was obviously more confident and blunt with soft exotic feminine features.

Was this what I would have been like if I had grown up here?

"No, sorry. I'm...just not used to being touched."

She didn't seem offended in the least, but smiled and flipped her hair backwards. 

"Wow, so you're like a virgin. Wow! Mia and Dominic totally owe me two thousand dollars now. Let me text them." 

She spoke rapidly and was already texting on her phone before I could wonder why I had become an object of bet.

Or even who those people were. Hell, I didn't even know her name yet.

"Your mate will be so freaking lucky. Let's just hope he's not somewhere doing it with every girl in his pack. I imagine he's an Alpha waiting for you to turn eighteen and yet here you are. Isn't that exciting?"

My lips were thrown open in confusion; mate? Alpha?

 I'd heard titles like Alpha and Luna and omega over the past week and understood they were ranks in the werewolf world, but other than that, I didn't know what they were.

 And because this girl I had just met for the first time already made me comfortable enough to talk to her, I posed the first question.

"I don't understand."

Fortunately, she took a break from her phone and pushed her designers' bag to the side, giving me her full attention.

... Then each person is gifted with a mate when they are eighteen, after they must have shifted to wolves for the first time. You have a bond, an instant attraction with your mate. So the Alpha's mate is the Luna."

An instant attraction to one's mate? I didn't like the thoughts going on in my head.

At all.

"We worship the Moon Goddess who bestows these gifts of mates to us. We are lycans, direct descendants of the Moon Goddess. We are more powerful than others and end up with the highest leadership positions. That's where you, me, Mia and Dominic are. We are cousins, grandchildren to the current lycan King and the Queen, Luna Aurora. Erhm, what else do I have to tell you?"

My thoughts were wandering, bouts of ache slamming into my heart even as the possibility of the vile demon king taunted me with nightmares of that night.

Alpha Gaia had assured me that her pack, the Crimson Moon all-Alpha pack who acted as warriors as well as the the king's cabinet had taken care of everything and I needn't worry. 

But each night while I slept, memories of his silver eyes regarding me with hate and those sensual lips I had admired sentencing me to death opened wounds of pain in my heart.

I had never understood it nor related it to anyone, not even to the Luna Queen who visited every morning and asked after my health.

I couldn't talk about it.

Hell, he couldn't be my...

Mate.

I swallowed hard, looking up to Leila who was regarding me with wide curious eyes. "But... You can be attracted to someone else before finding your mate right?"

My heartbeat went up again as I waited for her response, doom clouding my mind as it brought pieces of the puzzle together. 

I wasn't even up to the required age of eighteen, so I couldn't have found my mate in someone so disgustingly cruel and mercilessly brutal.

It couldn't be Xavier Vincenzo.

Leila's eyes narrowed for a second before they widened as something clicked in her brain.

 "Oh goodness! I knew you were too beautiful not to have some human back in New York! How is he? Handsome, hot? The high school football president? I can't wait for Mia and Dom to return so we can all go shopping and have you spill all the juicy detail."

"Shopping? I have enough clothes here."

 I muttered something useless to change the topic which was starting to make me uncomfortable. I didn't want to think about mates or boys at all.

Although Xavier was a man; all masculine and hot and...

Another bout of pain slammed into my chest.

Fuck, why did it hurt so much whenever I thought about him?

Fortunately, Leila didn't notice my expression and focused on answering my question.

 "Oh sweetie, I meant shopping for ships and cars and companies. Whatever you like. My mum told me that Grandfather already opened an account for you and waited for you to return for seventeen years. Why did you come here so late anyway? Why were you wounded?"

So many questions and all I could think of was why the same grandfather who governed the world of werewolves hadn't come to see me once,

And the possibility of Xavier being my mate.