A new start, a new home.

Joye

We both stood in silence while I tried to control the overwhelming emotions building up inside of me. So this was happening. An ordinary slave like me was being mated to the Lycan king. Never in my life did I think one of my daydreams would ever become reality.

As we stood waiting for Kaelan's return, I decided to make use of the opportunity and ask his right-hand man some basic questions about the man who is my mate. The two of them seemed to be friends rather than just work companions. If anybody knew anything about Kaelan, it had to be this man.

Deciding to speak to Aiden was an easy task, doing the talking was the difficult part. I had no idea how to start my sentence, or how to even pull his attention towards me. He seemed so serious and formal about everything, that I feared he might yell at me if I approached him with the wrong tone and words.

Unlike Kaelan, the air around him was denser. He was always on guard at all times, and it made him appear strict despite his alluring facials.

"Is anything the matter, my lady?"

'My Lady? Who?' I glanced around my surroundings trying to figure out who exactly Aiden was talking to. But when I found nobody, it dawned on me he was referring to me as 'my lady.'

I saw his lips curl up in a mocking smile, and it further confirmed my suspicions.

'Hell No!' I screamed mentally. I was not ready to be addressed so formally. It made me feel awkward, and I didn't like it one bit.

"My lady?" I questioned with a curious look on my face. My voice was faint, and I had doubts he even heard me.

"Yes." Came a firm reply. "Since you are the king's mate, it's only natural that I accord you the respect that you deserve."

"Please don't call me that." I pleaded with my head hung low. I wasn't ready for such just yet.

"As you wish," Aiden replied. I wanted to tell him to stop with the excessive formality too, but I feared I might be asking way too much from someone I just met minutes ago. Now that we had sort of talked, the tension to ask him about Kaelan seemed to have reduced a little.

I looked at him, not without trepidations. And finally asked. "Kaelan...." I paused.

Aiden's eyes trailed to where I stood, and calmly, much to my surprise he asked. "Is there something you want to know about his majesty?"

I nodded almost immediately. He understood me almost too well, and it was saving me the stress of talking too much. I was a big introvert, and conversations like this weren't my specialty.

"Tell me, what kind of man is he?" I had no idea how he was going to react to my question. He might flare up that I still doubted Kaelan's objective despite his kindness to me. Or he might not even give a damn about what my intentions for that question were.

The result was the latter. His face lit up in a bright way that seemed to sap away the fear in me. This man was not a bad person.

"I can't say much, I think it would be best if you learned more about each other by yourselves. But I can assure you that he's a good man. And he's going to do everything in his power to make you happy." The man who I guessed his name to be Aiden, answered with no shred of doubt.

I just met this man today, but I already trusted his words. He just had that kind of effect. He was nothing like the bastards that I have spent my life with.

"On a scale of one to ten... how... strict is he?" I asked, this time with a face turned away. All my life I've lived around these people who were never kind to me. I knew exactly how to react and act in front of every one of them to avoid getting into trouble. If I could learn more about Kaelan, I could be able to avoid getting on his bad side.

Aiden laughed at my question, and at that moment my cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. I had only come to realize just how stupid my question was, and Aiden was making no effort in hiding its absurdity.

"You're a funny one aren't you?" It was a rhetorical question, one that I didn't need to answer, but I did anyways.

"I just want to know him better," I muttered, but he heard me.

"I've told you not to worry, your majesty is not strict to his subjects. He's going to treat you just right." Aiden reassured.

"What's this? You're already having fun with my mate in my absence, you're a backstabber Aiden."

That voice, it was Kaelan. My knees immediately began to wobble and trickles of hot perspiration fell down my pale face. He was misinterpreting the whole situation, and now I had gotten Aiden in trouble. Or so I had thought. But the man walked straight to Aiden and threw his arms around the man cheerfully.

"Your majesty, please you should not do this. This is no way for a king to act." Aiden reminded. Kaelan's once expressive face got suppressed almost immediately, and I felt a wave of seriousness suddenly overwhelm the atmosphere. Aiden was like a strict parent, and Kaelan seemed to play along with Aiden's words.

Their relationship was beautiful and I couldn't help but smile at them. I could feel the authenticity of their bond, and there was no shred of hostility between these men. This was the type of friendship I wanted for myself but never found one. Even the friendships within these walls were tainted with hate, and I could somehow sense it.

Aside from their relationship, I couldn't help but praise the fluidity of Kaelan's personality. Hours ago, he was this hot-tempered man who was ready to crack open skulls without a second thought. Then in the next moment, he was a cheerful man who seemed to have no problems whatsoever, and in the next second, he was suddenly this man of royalty. I was loving him with every passing second.

As if reading my thoughts, he walked straight to me and planted a kiss on my forehead before warming me up in his embrace.

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting." He apologized even though there was no need for that. He had no idea just how much the fact that he was taking me out of this place meant to me. Even if he had spent a month inside that meeting place, I would gladly wait for him without complaints.

"Aiden wasn't trying to hit on me or anything," I explained mildly while still being comforted by his warmth. I couldn't see his face, but I could sense he smiled childishly at my words.

"You wouldn't leave me for him, right?" He questioned playfully and I nodded in affirmation. "Your words are all that matters, and I'll believe them no matter what."

I was close to tears. Aside from my mother, never in my life have I ever felt this important to somebody else. I just prayed deep down in my heart that all this wasn't a scheme to take me away into an even worse place. I understood the reason for my intrusive thoughts, but so far these men have shown no sort of hostility towards me.

Kaelan pulled away from the embrace before asking me about my mother.

"You can bring her with us if you want." He informed.

I had already asked Mother, and she said she won't be coming along with me. She wanted me to enjoy my new life without having to worry about her or anybody else. That is how kind Mama is.

"She's not coming with me." I provided. "She said that I should not worry about her."

He took my hand and squeezed it gently as we proceeded toward the car. "You can visit her anytime you want. And If she ever changes her mind, our doors are always open for her to come in."

I bowed slightly in appreciation. Before asking, "King Kaelan, where are we going to?"

The whole part that I referred to him as king seemed to have thrown him off a bit. And just like I did with Aiden, he requested that I not address him so formally. After that, he then answered my question. "Your new home."

Those words brought warmth to my soul, and my entire body felt relaxed. So much so that I dozed off almost immediately I got settled inside the car. No one could blame me, I barely got enough sleep and was tired from all the torturous activities I'd been put through.

I lost track of time, but the next time I opened my eyes, we were in front of a big edifice. I couldn't tell what time it was, but it was obvious our journey was a lengthy one.

Kaelan held the door open for me and aided me in alighting from the vehicle. Then with a bright smile on his face, he said, "Welcome to our new home."