One

Alex Heartman

Alex pulled off his shirt and dropped to the floor with his palms propping his chest up. His muscles rippled as he did his early morning push-ups, a routine he had grown accustomed to since he turned twelve.

'Fifty-five, fifty-six!" His wolf, Max, counted in his head as he effortlessly pushed himself up and down.

Just when he reached sixty-nine, there was a knock on the door and he paused, jumping to his feet.

"You may come in." His deep voice reverberated throughout the navy blue walls of his room.

The doorknob twisted and his royal maid stepped into his room. Alex noticed her cheeks turning crimson as her eyes traveled down his chest.

"Oh!" She squealed, widening her brown eyes and quickly shielding her eyes with her palm. "I'm sorry, my lord. I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine, what brings you to my chambers?" He inquired, maintaining a straight face.

"It's time for breakfast, your highness." She replied, still pressing her hand to her eyes.

"Will be there in a minute." He crisped and she gave a curt bow, quickly exiting his room.

Alex trudged into the bathroom. He stayed under the water faucet for ten minutes before striding out and dressing up for the day.

Taking a last glance at his reflection, he blinked once and took in his warm green eyes, which had clouds of emptiness floating in them. He sighed, combing his blond hair back.

He strode out of his room and locked gazes with his mother who was sitting beside his father.

"Ah, there you are," His mother said, seeming irritated by his tardiness when her green eyes took him in.

"Hi, mom." Alex greeted dryly with a blank expression and then averted his eyes to his dad. "Hello, father."

"What took you so long to arrive?" His father asked with a crease on his forehead.

"Morning routine," Alex said, taking a seat opposite his mother and patiently waiting for the royal maid to serve his dish.

His father's plate was already filled with roasted lamb and potatoes, and so was his mother's plate. They were going to begin breakfast without him but he didn't care, he was used to it.

"We have something very important to discuss with you but that'll be when you're done eating." The alpha, Heartman explained, helping himself to a piece of roasted lamb.

Alex shrugged, picking up his fork and stabbing a lamb, carefully shoving it into his mouth. He chewed slowly, shuffling his gaze between his mother and father.

The alpha leaned closer to the Luna and whispered into her ear. Her cheeks turned crimson and a shy smile tugged her lips. She glanced at Alex and he averted his gaze to the cup, which the royal maid was filling with water.

'What do you think dad wants to say this time?' Max, Alex's wolf asked.

'I have no idea.' Alex responded in his head, chewing some of his potatoes.

'Were you caught plowing someone's daughter?' Max asked in a bid to tease Alex.

'We both know I'm not promiscuous.' Alex responded.

'You should, maybe we could have some real fun instead of-'

'Im not interested." Alex snapped and Max tsked, recoiling and keeping his mouth shut.

Alex felt his ears twitching when he heard his mother chuckling, seeming as if his father had whispered something flattering into her ears.

"Oh, you!" She beamed.

The jug slipped off the maid's hand and landed on Alex's thighs. He jerked to his feet, feeling the cold liquid soaking his jeans.

"What is your problem?!" The queen exclaimed, staring daggers at the royal maid.

"I'm so-so sorry my queen, I didn't mean to do that." The maid's voice shook as she apologized, staring at the floor the entire time.

Alex felt bile rising in his throat but he swallowed it. He could hear how violently the maid's heart pounded against her chest in fear.

"You-"

The Luna wanted to speak again but Alex interrupted, taking his seat and picking up his fork. "It's fine, mother." He looked at the trembling maid. "You may leave."

"Thank you." The maid hastened her steps out of the warm dining, which was simply decorated with only a flower vase filled with pansies on the large dining table.

"You're lenient-"

Alex sighed, interrupting his mother's long lecture about why he shouldn't have let her leave without being punished.

"I'm not too lenient, mother... I like to be fair and that's it." He pointed out, helping himself to a glass of orange juice.

They sit in silence and only the sound of their cutleries hitting the plates could be heard.

"Well," the alpha cleared his throat, setting his cutleries down and steepling his fingers. "Alex, I'm going to make you the next Alpha, while your mother..."

The king drawled and Alex gazed at them, watching as his father took the Luna's hand in his and planted a short kiss on it.

"... And I go for a tour around the world." The alpha announced.

"Oh." Alex let out, staring blankly at the duo who he always found their uncanny resemblance weird.

'I heard sex is the reason couples look alike.' Max chipped in but Alex ignored his wolf.

"Aren't you excited?" His mother's thin voice rang.

"Well-" Alex didn't get to finish his sentence because his father interrupted.

"Yeah, we know you are." The king wiggled his brows at the queen.

"Stop!" The Luna chuckled, jerking in her seat.

Alex sensed his parents were playing tag under the table.

"You know I love you, right? How about we finish what we started this morning?" His father voiced, rubbing his nose against that of his mother.

Alex averted his gaze to his plate with a blink as he felt sick in the gut at their display. He continued eating his food, not showing any signs of emotions.

*****

Alex peeled off his clothes, not bothered about what his father said, perhaps, he didn't mean what he said, and even if he did, Alex was used to leading the affairs of the kingdom and doing things on his own ever since he defeated his three masters at the same time at a young age.

He walked into the lake he always swam in whenever he wanted to meditate, while Hendrix, his personal assistant sat on a stone.

"Father wants to make me alpha," Alex announced, immersing himself in the water.

"The moon goddess! That's great news!" Hendrix beamed.

Alex didn't feel excited, he was rather numb and unaware of how to react.

"Aren't you excited?" Hendrix asked.

"No-" Alex paused and the hairs on his nape were propelled in the air when he heard a soft and distant giggle. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"