Daring

Cillian's POV

Did she… Did she just ask me to take my hands off her?

I removed my hand immediately astounded. She was like a breath of fresh air that I didn't know I needed. No one had ever treated me like that.

I had gone into the Northern district today with the intention of seeing how Killian, my twin brother,  ruled his side. I could never have predicted how the day turned out. 

The way that excuse of a wolf Ronny had tried to maliciously accuse her and how she had kept an air of elegance around her even in the toughest situation.

She was stunning. The most beautiful woman I had ever seen and my wolf agreed wholeheartedly. From her beautiful brown hair that was in a simple ponytail to her clear blue eyes that reminded me of a wintery sky. 

She might have been an omega with that timid frail air about her but she had a steel backbone that just… 

There was just something about her that had made me stop the car in the middle of nowhere to intervene in her situation.

"Not everything is about money. Just because I'm poor doesn't mean I–"  She seemed to realize who she was speaking to. "I'm sorry, my prince." She averted her gaze suddenly. "I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. I…"

"No. It's fine. May I ask why you are so angry?"

I needed to understand why she had gotten angry. I had only meant to help out. My wolf didn't want her to suffer, it had taken all of me to not kill that man. 

Imagining her going back to a life where that sort of thing was commonplace didn't sit well with me at all.

Rosalind hesitated biting on her lower lip. I reached out without realizing what I was doing until my finger was on her lower lip releasing it from the bite. 

Our gazes locked and my finger lingered. Goddess, she was perfect. She was an omega I  didn't even know. I removed my finger. 

Rosalind looked away, her cheeks and neck colouring prettily. 

"I… it might seem silly to you, especially with my financial situation but I don't take freebies. I was raised on the streets where anything goes but Anna, the girl I grew up with made me understand that I chose what part of the streets I let affect me." 

She blinked and I saw a tear fall to her cheek. I burned to brush it away, to make sure she never cried again but I had already taken a lot of liberties with her. I clenched my fists.  

"Anna might be dead now but her lessons live on in me. I'm sorry, so sorry but you can't help me. I have to go." 

She reached for the door handle again and I panicked. What if I never saw her again?

"If I offered you a job, would that be counted as a freebie?"

She hesitated. "My prince, how could I possibly impose on you like that?"

"It is a job. A very tasking one. You will work for every bronze you get and more but it pays better than Ronny would even dream of."

Her hesitance was more delayed now. I pushed once more. Nothing could come of these strange feelings that I was developing yet I had to see her again. 

"You don't have to decide now. Just come to the castle tomorrow and check it out. You can decide then."

She bowed. "I am honoured, my prince."

"So you'll come?"

Her cheeks turned pink again and I felt the sudden need to be the cause of every reddening, every blush on her. This was going to be dangerous. Very dangerous but I couldn't stop myself. I didn't want to stop myself.

"Yes, my prince. How could I say no to you?"

I fought the urge to tell her to stay longer. She had a home to get back to as did I. Time would not stop for me even if I was royalty.

"I will see you tomorrow." And because I could I reached over to unlatch the door. She blushed again at our proximity and I considered my day fulfilled.

She bowed then she was out and I was left with just the scent of her to keep me company.

Naturally, this good day had to be ruined by none other than my brother.

"Look what the cat dragged in." He commented snidely

Killian was in a mood it would seem. I had just gotten back to our castle that we were forced to share since leaving early. I wasn't ready for this interaction.

We might have been exact replicas in terms of looks with our hazel eyes and dark hair but that was where the similarities ended. We were polar opposites. 

This might have been due to our different upbringings as we had been raised separately after our mother's death but I liked to believe that there was no way I would have ended up as jaded as him if our parents were traded.

"A good evening to you too brother."

 I tried to move past him but he would not let me.

"And where have you been?" He questioned me harshly.

My features tightened. "That is none of your business. You forget yourself, brother. I am as much a prince as you are. You cannot command me."

Killian's eyes -my eyes- darkened as he leaned in. "Then maybe like the little 'prince' you are you would have been at the very important meeting that was held today. No. You were busy playing dress up for our subjects."

Oh shit. The meeting with the council members. How could I have forgotten so easily? An image of Rosalind flitted into my head. Yes, that was how it had skipped my mind. 

I had been on my way back to the meeting when I'd seen her and I had forgotten any prior engagements. 

"I am sorry. It slipped my mind. Also, I wasn't playing dress-up. I was taking care of very important affairs regarding our subjects."

Killian scoffed. "Unbelievable. You still can't accept your shortcomings. If you truly want to help the so-called subjects that you care so much about then you will attend meetings that decide their fates."

"I intended to. I told you, I was occupied and it slipped out of my mind." I tried to reason with Killian but I should have remembered that he couldn't be reasoned with.

"Intentions are insufficient to rule this kingdom. This is why Father should have entrusted this kingdom to me. You aren't strong enough for this position."

My wolf stirred within me eager to show his dominance. He was our brother but even he had to respect our authority, our birthright.

"Killian! Caution yourself. You speak of treason."

He smirked. "And what are you going to do about it? I am a prince as you are. I decide what is treason. I define the law. I am the law."

By the Goddess could a man be more arrogant? It baffled me sometimes how we could even be related.

"Must everything be a problem? Must everything be an argument with you? Can I not have one peaceful day?"

"You could always abdicate. Leave the throne for me alone. You know I will do a better job than you could ever dream of."

Here it was the crux of the matter. Killian wanted the throne. From the moment Father died, he couldn't seem to imagine a future whereby he alone didn't wear the crown despite the fact that he knew he wasn't the only heir. He thought he alone was suitable to be king. A trait I feared my father's sister who raised him must have instigated.

"That will never happen, Killian. When Father left the throne for both of us, he knew what he was doing. Mind your division and I will mine."

Killian glared at me. "We shall see about that."

Then he walked away angrily. I would have to ask the council members for the minutes of the meeting instead of my own brother. 

I walked up to my room feeling drained and ran a bath. I didn't bother the servants. I could see to my business well enough. 

I was soaking in the tub thinking of Rosalind and her shy smile when Xavier, my second knocked and stood outside the door to give me privacy. 

"Speak." I directed him.

"Killian went out on a hunt immediately after you left. Then he had a meeting with the ministers and he–"

"The ministers, not the council?"

"Yes, Prince Cillian."

"Which of them?"

Xavier hesitated. "All of them."

I recalled the tenacity of his words. Was he already making a move for the throne? It was possible. I needed to be on high alert. Killian felt I was the softie. The malleable prince. And I was to an extent but I wouldn't seat back and let my birthright be taken from me. Not even by my brother.

"Xavier, I have a task for you."