FIVE!!... Hello mate

“Okay, let's not get worked up Father," Adam stepped in, holding his hands up in the air before him, smiling funny. “

The king's Lycan gaze shifted to him, threatening to burn his shirt off him. At least that's what, I thought, would happen eventually if the king kept glaring at him.

“I'm not worked up,” he gritted.

“You are,” Antonio hummed, a small smile gracing his lips. “Look at all that steam coming out of your ears.”

“They are not!” The king roared, and my head dropped to the ground as a jolt of fear spread through me.

What The hell was going on? I felt foolish, stuck in an argument that was about me, but I didn't have a clue why exactly.

“I believe they are,” Adam taunted, obviously enjoying his father's discomfort. “Look, our mate is all terrified. What kind of father-in-law are you?”

I peeked up at the king to see him falter in his steps, his eyes flickering from gold to blue as if he were uncertain of what to do.

“You two cannot just drop a bomb like that and not expect me to be shocked,” He snapped, stepping down the stairs and walking towards us. Goosebumps broke out on my skin. I was certain this was it. I was about to be torn to pieces by the Lycan King because he would discover I was a fake mate!

“Shocked?” Adam teased, rubbing his jaw, and glanced at Antonio. “Do you hear that, brother? One would think that our father would be happy to know we finally found our mate.”

“Indeed,” Antonio played along with his brother's antics and rubbed his jaw, arching a brow for effect. “I wonder if he is our father after all.”

“Assholes,” The Lycan king grumbled when he reached his sons, a tiny grin on his face. He must have realized his sons were playing with him. “You have my face literally pasted on you, and you doubt your lineage?”

“It is a matter of concern,” Adam replied and earned a shove in the stomach.

The king's blue eyes tore away from his sons and then focused on me. My stomach dropped when they did. It had been a bit easier to breathe when he didn't stare at me and was all wrapped up in his children's drama, but now, I felt suffocated. I fixed my gaze on the ground, trying not to look at him.

“Raise your head,”

Unlike the playfulness in his tone while he conversed with his sons, his voice had grown deeper and weightier. He hadn't made a request, he had given a flat out command that I had no choice but to obey.

So this was the power of a Lycan. They were domineering, commanding, exuding power beyond anyone could think of. An ordinary werewolf would yield to such a power easily, how much more a puny human like me.

My eyes met the King's, and he stared at me for what seemed like forever, before looking back at the boys.

“She's human,” He said, and they nodded in sync. “I hadn't expected this. The moon goddess certainly enjoys playing tricks, doesn't she?”

“Aye she does,” Antonio replied.

“She really does,” Adam joined in, but the mischievous tone in his voice had me alarmed. “Would you like to know how we met her father?”

I glanced at the bone head Lycan wondering what he was about to say. I didn't think he was stupid to expose that this was fake, but I was worried that he would come up with a ridiculously tall lie that would be so obvious. From the corner of my eyes, I could see Antonio look at his brother warily.

“With the way Antonio's looking constipated, I'm definitely interested in hearing it now,” The king grinned, folding his arms.

Not even the robes could hide how impressive his body was. His muscles flexed the loose material as he moved. At least now I knew where Adam and Antonio had gotten their looks from. They reeked of gorgeousness, it was both terrifying and intriguing.

“Well, we went for a run in the villages,” Adam began. “By the way, father, we really need to talk about Fang Village. We heard some… Interesting news. That aside, we found a stream and were going to take a bath when we heard a splash.”

The Lycan king arched a brow and I frowned. Where exactly was this going?

“I thought it was a rodent, and I was going to skew it all up and roast it for lunch, but hey, it turned out it was a puny little human, drowning in the stream.” He chuckled and pointed at Diane, who surprisingly had been listening all along, her eyes wide with curiosity. She had always been a fan of stories.

“Me!” She said excitedly, clapping her hands.

“Yes you honey,” Adam cheered as he turned to his father. “We saved her, helped her get home and then a scent, Fuck, the most addicting scent ever, right Antonio?”

“Aye, her scent,” He said darkly, and every hair on my skin prickled in attention. I didn't need a seer to tell me he was looking at me.

“Yeah. It was so damned addicting. We saw her step out of the house and knew she was the one,” He finished with a flourish.

I almost snorted. What the hell was that? The king was obviously going to see through-

“I met your mother almost the same way,” The king said with a sweet expression on his face as if he were lost in a daydream. “She was upside-down in a stream, screaming bloody murder.”

Wow, he was crazy. They were all crazy.

The Lycan King blinked and looked down at me. “Get up, you shouldn't chaff those pretty knees. I am King Alexander. And I do welcome you into my home.”

I curtsied awkwardly and nodded. “I am Ava, Your Majesty. This is my sister Diane.”

“Ava, and Diane” he nodded briskly. “Such beautiful names. I look forward to learning more about you. Miko, the head maid, will see to it that you are properly settled in. Boys, meet me in the study, we have a lot to talk about.”

I curtsied as he walked away and heaved a sigh of relief.

“That wasn't so bad, was it?” Antonio asked and I nodded dumbly. “We'll have to go now, Miko will come to you soon.”

****

Miko did, in fact, come. She was a huge lady with a severe face, but the sweetest personality I had ever met. She walked before us, leading us deeper into the mansion and towards what looked like a set of quarters. Maids and palace servants littered everywhere, watching us as we moved. Well, not exactly us, they were watching Diane. She laughed and giggled and clapped at everything. Her fingers graced the walls as she walked, saying something about how they felt as smooth as boiled eggs.

Boiled eggs! She really was like a child. And it worried me. Would she remain this way forever? I didn't want that happening. Which was precisely why I was here, wanting it? I would find a cure no matter what.

Miko stopped before a massive door in one of the quarters and turned towards us, smiling sweetly at Diane…

“Miss Diane, here is your room,” She announced.

“Her room? We won't be sharing the same room?” I asked with a frown, anxiety slowly creeping into me. I would look better after Diane, if I was in the same room with her.

“No, Miss Ava,” Miko replied. “You'll have separate rooms.”

“I'm fine with sharing a room with her,”

“I'm afraid that will not be possible at the moment, Miss Ava.” She replied. “The king gave orders to keep you in luxury and comfort, and we aim to do exactly that.”

“B-But,” I objected. “I have to look after Diane,”

The head maid smiled, turned around and knocked. The door opened, revealing a maid dressed in her black and white frock and a pleasant smile on her face.

“This is Fiona,” Miko introduced. “She will be Diane's personal maid. She will look after Diane.”

Well, that sucked. They literally just separated me from my sister and made me feel pretty useless.

Fiona did a curtsy and stepped aside, so we could enter the room. It was huge. It would fit our little house twenty times over.

“Oh golly!” Diane cried, dancing around the room. “It's a princess room, Ava! A princess! Am I a princess?!”

“You certainly are, Miss Diane,” Fiona replied before I could, and I fixed her glare. Her eyes widened, and she bowed her head meekly, making me feel bad. I needed to quit being a bitch, it wasn't her fault that the King gave such orders.

Why don't I show you to your room while Fiona helps Diane settle?” Miko suggested. “It seems Diane likes her.”

Yeah, to my utmost disappointment. I nodded begrudgingly and we exited Diane's room. I'd work on moving Diane into my room later. Nobody was going to keep me away from my sister. Not even the King himself.

My room was next door, which was extremely relieving. And it was just as huge as Diane's. There was a maid waiting in there for me when we walked in.

“This is Maddy," Miko announced.

Maddy curtsied but when she looked up at me, anyone could see that snobby look of superiority on her face. I was a mere little human, after all. I ignored her, however, and focused on the room. It was magnificent. I never thought I would be in a room like this in a million years. I was a teeny tiny bit excited. But then I was also terrified.

What exactly did the twin Princes stand to gain?

****

After the most sumptuous dinner ever, roasted lamb with some sauce I had never tasted in my life, Maddy helped me get ready for bed.

It was damned embarrassing. No one had ever bathed me as an adult, or brushed through my hair or helped me wear a damned nightgown.

But she did. We hadn't spoken a word to each other ever since Miko introduced us. But I could feel it, her condescension. It was thick in the air and I could almost taste it. When she was done helping me wear the night dress, she stepped away and bowed before walking out of the room without so much as a goodnight.

Arrogant much?

I glanced down at the night gown. It was a silver silk gown that draped so softly against my skin, reaching below my knees. It smelled like luxury. Luxury that I couldn't afford.

A knock on the door drew me out of my self-pity. It would seem my snotty maid was back. I took a step towards the door, but it was pushed open before I could take another.

And no, it wasn't Maddy.

Twin pairs of blue eyes blinked at me as the princes shuffled in, grinning.

“Hello, Mate,”