#Chapter 5: Not Quite the Same

Alexander

My wolf found a calming presence.

“The purple dress,” he repeated over and over like a mantra. “The purple dress, the purple dress, the purple dress.”

So I sent a Beta off last night to investigate, to see if there was a woman in the Prospective Luna dormitories in a purple dress.

I’m woken early this morning with the news that there is indeed a woman there in a purple dress – but that she’s being led to the execution grounds for a punishment of twenty lashings.

“Find her,” my wolf implores. “FIND HER.”

I rush to the execution grounds, though I make sure to grab a shirt and my crown. Not all the staff knows what I look like, and the crown ensures they treat me with the appropriate level of respect.

I’m particularly glad that I’m wearing my crown when I arrive at the execution grounds, the new executioner’s gaze flitting to me even as he pulls back the whip. I watch his eyes flick from me to my crown to my eyes as I firmly shake my head.

“Protect her,” my wolf whines, and I approach the woman in the purple dress on her knees as the executioner drops the whip, kneeling to bow to me.

The woman, sensing that something is amiss, peaks over one shoulder then the other until our eyes meet. I dip my fingers gently under her chin, tilting her beautiful face up toward mine. Examining her almond-shaped, hazel eyes.

“What’s your name.” It’s not a question but a demand.

“Evelyn,” she replies evenly, her eyes filled with surprise, not fear like so many others.

I breathe sharply through my nose at the onslaught of thoughts swirling around the execution grounds. People wondering if I’m going to kill the intriguing women in front of me while others wonder if we somehow knew each other before this moment.

I work to ignore them as usual, partially for my own sanity, but nowadays also to keep my wolf from losing control.

Though as I push away everyone’s thoughts, I realize none of them are coming from Evelyn. I focus on her, intentionally trying to hear her thoughts – but I hear nothing at all.

I release her chin, though she keeps her head raised. I really should get out of here before everyone’s thoughts drive my wolf wild.

But when I check in with him, he seems completely unaffected by the cacophony of thoughts. Like Evelyn’s presence really is keeping him calm, just as he knew it would.

“Release her,” I command the executioner. “She will serve as my personal maid.”

“Alright,” Evelyn agrees as if she has any say in the matter.

Her luscious brown hair is pulled over her shoulder in anticipation of her lashings, revealing her long, elegant neck. I pull my gaze away from it just as a voice interrupts my distraction.

“Your Highness.”

I turn as a woman around Evelyn’s age steps forward from the crowd of eager onlookers at the execution grounds. The deep green of her dress emphasizes her porcelain skin, and she bows deeply, intentionally revealing her low neckline.

“Allow me to inform you, Your Majesty,” she continues as she rises out of her bow, “that the woman before you is suspicious. Her punishment is for sneaking around the palace. She may very well be a threat to you.”

She kneels then, casting her gaze downward. “It would be my honor to serve as your personal maid instead.”

But her thoughts reveal her true intentions.

I’ve never heard of a personal maid to the king. Imagine the level of access, of consistent alone time I would have with him. This is surely a fast-track to becoming his Luna.

And if it’s not, I will be close enough to him to turn him against any other female who gets in my way.

I’ve seen so many greedy people like her before, it no longer phases me. It’s not surprising, nor is it an effort to keep my expression neutral.

Because even if people like this no longer surprise me, they sure as hell piss me off. Their lack of morals is utterly disgusting.

“This one,” I point a royal finger at the well-endowed woman with ulterior motives, “will receive thirty lashes, then be expelled.”

I nod once to my beta, indicating that he will carry out my orders. I ignore the shocked gasps and confused stares. I turn from the surrounding thoughts, spinning theories and spiraling through confusion.

And I leave the grounds without another word.

Evelyn

I never expected King Alexander of the Lycans to be my second chance mate. My wolf has been urging me since the moment our eyes locked to recognize our bond.

I can feel every cell in my body, in my wolf’s body, propelling me toward him as if I’m biologically drawn to him.

But that doesn’t change the fact that this king is an unpredictable tyrant feared by everyone. How could I ever be bonded to someone like that?

All I want is to return safely home to my parents. I would rather never have another mate than be tethered to the king of the lycans.

To my surprise, Alexander turns on his heel without another word. Almost as if he didn’t recognize me as his mate.

When Lucas and I made eye contact for the first time, I could feel in myself the truth that he was my mate just as strongly and unquestionably as I could see that same truth resonating within him. We each instantly knew just as we could tell the other knew as well.

I hesitate for a few seconds, surprised that it’s not quite the same the second time around, then I follow the king all the way to his wing of the palace. It’s farther than I ever made it while exploring yesterday.

The majority of the palace makes a big circle around the Royal Gardens. I hadn’t made it farther than those hallways yesterday. At the heart of the gardens, protected on all sides by the rest of the palace, stands the grand and imposing King’s Palace.

I follow him into what I assume are his private chambers, trying to keep up as I take in our luxurious surroundings.

“You will assist with my bath.”

I start at the command but quickly recover for fear of upsetting such a terrifying ruler who could have just as easily had me executed as rescued from my punishment. I make my way toward the door that he nods me toward, entering his grand, opulent bathing chambers.

The bath, which has three steps leading up to it, could fit three people comfortably. I quickly turn on the water, ensuring it’s the ideal temperature. I look through the supplies lined along shelves, adding some soaps and scents.

I even light a few candles to add to the calming ambiance – something that’s surely helpful for someone known to lose control of their temperamental wolf.

Once the bath is ready, I turn to leave, but I’m blocked by Alexander as he enters the bathroom, his crown no longer atop his head. He saunters in, casually stripping off his top then his pants.

Apparently, he’s not wearing anything underneath them.