Chapter 5

Phoebe

Looking at my outfit in the mirror, I tuck a strand of my white hair behind my ear and smooth out the crisp button-up shirt before making my way out of my room. The ball to welcome the Nightstone pack began an hour ago, and Lance linked me, stating that I was free to clean King Levi’s room now that he was occupied with our guests. With this news, I went to my room and changed into my uniform, not wanting to be mistaken for anything but the king’s maid.

Thankfully, many of my packmates are at the ball or have gone home for the night to their families, leaving the halls mostly empty.

“Where does she think she is going?”

From the corner of my eye, I see the maids in charge of cleaning the royal wing—excluding King Levi’s room—glaring at me. I suppress a scoff, ignoring these girls, and continue my steady gait toward the king’s room. No one but Lance and I are allowed in here.

“Probably to the king’s room to try to seduce him tonight,” someone answers with a small growl. They don’t even try to whisper, knowing that it is only the five of us in the hall. Everyone else is busy.

“Too bad she didn’t even go to the ball. Maybe one of the Nightstone wolves is her mate, and we would be rid of this gold digger.”

“Who’s to say she wouldn’t reject him on the spot in hopes of climbing into bed with King Levi?” another responds right away.

Clenching my fists, I suppress the tears that want to spill. Everything inside me tells me to confront these she-wolves, to chide them for thinking I would disrespect the sacred mate bond, but I hold back. Instead, I rush into King Levi’s room, close the door swiftly, and lean against the wall, taking deep breaths.

Maybe Lance is right. Maybe I should accept the university acceptance letter and move on to find my mate and join his pack. Then it hits me—the sweet scent of mangoes. Every part of my body hums in bliss as a small thread that I know is the mate bond pulsates.

“Mate,” I whisper in awe, feeling the warmth of the bond. King Levi is my mate.

This revelation shocks me, and I fight the urge to march down to the ballroom and hunt him down. The man I was meant to protect is the other half of my soul.

'Lance?' I whisper into the link, calling out to my friend. I can feel the link stir, letting me know Lance is listening but is also busy. My guess is that he is entertaining a wolf from Nightstone, perhaps the daughter of Alpha Stone, judging by the flicker of annoyance I sense coming from my friend.

'I-I think I found my mate,' I continue. Shock filters into the link, and I grin, excited to finally have a normal life. If King Levi is my mate, then the rumors will end, and I will no longer have to hide my true strength.

'That’s good, Phoebe. I can’t wait to meet them tomorrow!' Lance calls back half-heartedly after silence settles in the link. I know this tone of his; it’s the tone he uses when he is busy. Telling him we can talk later, I wish him good luck with Agatha Stone and chuckle when he groans. It seems she is not an easy she-wolf to deal with.

Happy to have some time alone in King Levi’s room, I flick the light on only to come face-to-face with a mess. That idiot mate of mine has left his room in disarray, with clothes everywhere and the bedding practically thrown onto the floor. Frowning, I get to work cleaning the room, starting with figuring out which clothes are still clean and which are dirty. The scent of mangoes wraps around me, fueling the small mate bond that continues to grow.

King Levi has always been adamant about not taking a bedwarmer during his rut, claiming he would be cheating on his mate if he ever found her. That’s why I stayed by his side, to help prevent any she-wolves from sneaking into his room to take advantage of him in that state.

Now, though, the idea of curling up on his bed and waiting for him crosses my mind. It won’t help the rumors spreading about me if I don’t leave within the hour it takes to clean his room, but I don’t care. King Levi is my mate. The rumors can be dismissed when they see his mark on my neck—a mark that will never fade, unlike a chosen mate mark.

It takes about fifteen minutes to organize the clothes, finding that the majority were items thrown about the room while King Levi was preparing for the ball. I chuckle, wondering if he scented me earlier today and was trying to find the right outfit for when we come face-to-face.

Lance did tell me that King Levi had scented his mate earlier today, excited because it meant the rumors about me would end as soon as I bend the knee to the luna queen and proclaim my loyalty to her. To think that the scent the king is becoming obsessed with is my own.

With the clothes either put away properly in the closet or thrown in the hamper, I tackle the bed, picking up the pillows from the floor and fluffing them. Without thinking, I find myself grabbing the one that carried King Levi’s scent the most, bringing it to my face and inhaling that intoxicating aroma of mangoes. My heart skips a beat, wondering if King Levi would accept me as his mate. I know he believes the rumors and has been cold to me since they began, but maybe the bond will change that. He will see that I was only doing my duty as a loyal packmate and nothing more.

'If you are still in King Levi’s room, leave now!' The link between Lance and me is ripped open, his words a harsh warning.

'Why?' I ask back, scared to hear the urgency in Lance’s voice. Before I can get an answer, the link is abruptly closed without an explanation. Only one person can force a link to close, and that person is King Levi himself.

Without warning, the door to the room slams open, and I jump, clutching the pillow tighter to my body. Whirling around to face the intruder, I find King Levi standing there, his pupils dilated and chest heaving. His power radiates off him in waves, nearly suffocating me, but that’s not what scares me.

The scent of mangoes is strong, stronger than I expected, and I realize why Lance warned me to get out of King Levi’s room. It seems my mate has gone into a rut.