1. Dumb Bear

Rori.

I leaned casually into my locker applying a thin layer of cherry red lip gloss using the mirror I had taped to the inside door, as Sage leaned against her own locker next to mine her eyes scanning the hallway for anyone of interest whilst she held her book to her chest like a protective shield. Sage was a rare shifter being half wolf, half witch and today she had turned her long blonde hair bubble gum pink with her magic powers. Sage was almost a year and a half younger then me but we grew up together as part of the Pea's. The Pea's was an originally cruel name given to us by the other children years ago to tease us as we had grown up together in a pod sheltered from alot as we were all Royal blood and heirs. It however stuck and now while we all attended the Royal Academy together we embraced it to spite the other students. I was Her Royal Heighness Princess Rori Catherine Sinclair daughter of the legendary Green wolf and direct descendent of the Moon Goddess Charlie Tudor the werewolf Queen and my Father was a pure blood Alpha and the King Emmett Sinclair. My twin brother His Royal Heighness Prince Eoin William Liam Sinclair was the crowned Prince and would be the next werewolf Alpha King. I had a younger brother Ash and a sister Victoria and the horrible feeling my parents were working on adding another sibling. My parents were loves true fairytale love story they were fated mates and madly in love. Their love story should of made me want to find my mate all the more but for some reason finding my mate seemed like another thing that would bind me and tie me down. I wanted to be free to love who I wanted and not have it decided for me. I knew it went against all we learnt as werewolves and that the bond was sacred but to me it was another thing in my life pre decided for me just like my Title of Princess and the duties that came with it. Besides the one boy i would or could consider as a mate had an expressed desire to see my as some kind of kid sister. I was one month from getting my wolf at eighteen and I hoped she shared my views on mates. Whilst I didn't want a mate it didn't mean I wasn't open to a bit of boy candy fun and I did have my eye on one particular person that I knew wouldn't treat me like some kid who needed bossing around. I reached down and rolled my school skirt up another inch at the waist band revealing even more of my sun kissed golden legs. Sage and I had spent the weekend making sure our tans were top notch lounging by the Palace pool. Smirking at my perfectly placed make up I grabbed my gym bag and shut the locker door only to find myself face to face with Ben.

I inwardly groaned. Ben was another member of the Pea's and had grown up with us close by. He was my brothers best friend despite the nearly two year age gap. Ben was a bear shifter and was Alpha Gideons son he and I had been extremely close until we suddenly weren't. When I turned sixteen and Ben was eighteen he changed towards me. Ben had always been super protective of me and we went everywhere together along with my brother Eoin. But he was always soft and kind to me until that one night. The night we had all been gathered in the tree house on the Royal grounds. The siren royal twins Arthur and Amira had been there along with Sage, James the Royal beta's son, my brothers Eoin and Ash, his friends Colin and Anthony, Francesca and Morgan and of course Ben. we had been playing truth or dare and my friend Morgan knowing my crush on Anthony had dared me to kiss him. Anthony had stood and as he reached his hand for me Ben had intervined.

"The game is over." he snarled even now thinking back to the night it gave me angry chills. He used his Alpha aura and being that he had his Bear and in fact had been shifting since the age of three he forced them to comply but it never affected me for some reason. Anthony nodded stepping away and everyone looked uncomfortable.

"Excuse me?" I asked him. "Its not over it was my damn turn." I yelled.

"Drop it." Ben said his Bear in his eyes flashing me a warning.

"I will not drop it. Who do you think you are Ben." I spat. He stood firmly in front of me as the others moved to the tree house exit. This was not unusual Ben and I had developed this dynamic recently over the summer. When I wore my first bikini that summer to the watering hole he made me wear my shorts in the water like some over bearing lunatic older brother and my usually good natured best friend had humilated me. This had continued on, with Ben pushing me away and that all lead us to that explosive night in the tree house.

"We are not playing anymore." he yelled back.

"We are going in for pizza." Ash called but Ben and I were locked in a staring match . For two people who had been together always and so close the summer had destroyed it.

"Why do you get to decide we are not playing anymore?" I stamped my foot.

"I just did." he snapped. "What is your actual problem here did you want to kiss Anthony that badly?" he threw at me through gritted teeth.

"You do not get to decide who I kiss." I had said determined as I stepped towards him. He had suddenly grabbed me pulling me close and crashed his lips to mine. I felt my own lips move with his continuing to fight for control with our lips and tongues before I pushed myself away. Ben had stolen my first kiss. I had stormed confused from the tree house into the cool summer air and we had never spoken of that kiss after.

Shaking myself from the memories of that night I glared at him.

"What do you want?" I was irritated.

He said nothing but reached around to the waist band of my pleated school skirt unrolling it so it hit the regulation knee length. His eyes bore into mine as he unrolled my skirt waist band i could feel the warmth of his hands through my white school blouse.

"you are insane you know that?" I snapped pulling myself back to reality and away from his sizzling glare.

"You are a Princess not a call girl." He murmured.

"And you are a teenage boy not my father." I bit back as he ran his thumb over my lips no doubt removing my newly applied lip gloss.

"Stop touching me." I growled pulling myself away from the heat radiating from his body. He caught himself and moved back. I re opened my locker and stubbornly re applied my lip gloss before shooting him a glance and grabbing my gym bag I pushed past him.

"what is going on with you two?" Sage asked trailing me.

"I haven't a clue. He is worse then my father." I grumbled.

"Maybe there is more to it?" She pushed

"No its some weird older brother protector crap that I will get away from." I sighed. "and you are going to help me." I added as Sage sighed.

I pulled on my training sports bra and shorts, tying my hair into a messy bun I went to basketball training as Sage went up into the bleachers to wait for me. She sat reading and I was relieved to see Ben wasn't there he must be out at Alpha training today. Ben played basketball on the school boys team, along with football and soccer. I played basketball, softball and soccer which kept our evenings in the academy busy. Along with Luna training and my clubs I had no free time to dwell on Ben's overbearing nature. When training ended I hung back to practice a few free throws and to kill time before Eoin came to walk us home. Sadly if I didn't wait for Eoin or Ben then Sage and I required a royal gaurd, those were my father's dumb rules I was only glad today was Eoin's day. I tossed the free throws and looked up feeling the presence of another in the huge gym.

"Want me to pass the ball back for you?" Anthony asked his soft light brown hair slightly messed from his own training it was damp meaning he had been swimming. He was tall with broad shoulders and had an amazing smile. He belonged in a boy band all the girls in the academy swooned over Anthony. Anthony was the son of the Alpha of the largest pack in Britain. His British accent added to the sex appeal greatly. Titled as Sir Anthony he was as good as British royalty and he was a good student. He tossed the basketball back and waited as I took another shot before he gathered it and returned it.

"I was hoping to catch you here." he said looking around and spotting only Sage in the gym he visably relaxed. Presumably he was looking for my usual obnoxious bodyguard.

"Oh really." I giggled sheepishly.

"There is a party Friday night I was hoping you would accompany me?" he said.

My heart skipped slightly and I couldn't help but smile broadly.

"I would love that." i added.

"Great I will text you." Anthony smiled just as the gym door flew open and Ben entered.

"What are you doing here it's Eoin's day." I snapped my mood changing right away.

He looked from Anthony to me and back again his eyes dark.

"What are you doing here?" He asked Anthony his tone cold.

He irked me so much I chose a dangerous road to anger him openly.

"Oh Ben shame you just missed out on the sex show where I was stripping and being a call girl not a Princess." I smirked. " I had just got my sports bra back on when you entered I wouldn't have bothered if I had known it was you and not my dear brother." I continued. Anthony looked terrified and Sage mumbled something from her position in the bleachers whilst shaking her head.

"Rori...." Ben warned his eyes lingering on my chest as he openly stared.

Rolling my eyes at him before snapping.

"Oh shut up you dumb Bear we were playing basketball." I was exasperated as I threw the ball in my hands at Ben. Grabbing my bag and water bottle I stomped from the gym. Ben followed and I paused to allow Sage fall into step with me.

"Why do you always poke the bear?" She asked softly.

"I don't know." I mumbled as the bear in question suddenly stopped us.

"Have you a sweater?" He asked looking uncomfortably at my bare mid rift.

"Nope, Its hot." I replied shrugging as he pulled a sweater out of his bag and held it out to me. I folded my arms across my chest and glared at him.

"I am not wearing that." I snapped.

"There are paparazzi on the Palace road do you really think a sports bra and shorts are becoming for a Princess?" He asked.

"I'll be in your car who cares." I fought back. "You know this is becoming extremely tiresome Ben." I added pulling his stupid hoodie over my head. Ben was very tall and he had extremely broad shoulders with well defined muscles, his hair was black and soft and he had chocolate brown eyes. His hoodie swamped me like a dress and I inhaled his familiar scent which both comforted me and upset me in a confusing mix of emotions. I marched over to his black convertible and tossed my bag in the back seat and yanking open the passenger door I threw myself in slaming the door closed behind me.

"Hey." Ben protested at my treatment of his beloved vintage car. Sage climbed into the back in a more dignified manner.

"when did you become such a brat?" Ben asked turning the key in the ignition.

"When you became my father last summer and decided to try control me and treat me like a child." I replied kicking off my trainers and socks and putting my feet up on his dash.

"I do not control you." he muttered. "Take your feet down please." he added and I raised my eyebrow at him.

"No I will not." I smirked stretching my toes out defying him in a deliciously satisfying challenge. "If you do not control me then I shall place my feet where I like." I smiled widely at him as I could visably see him bristle. "You changed last summer Ben." I added.

"I had to change Rori and one day soon you will understand why I did." he whispered but with my shifter hearing I heard him clearly.

"You always treated me the same as Eoin. We were all equal and now....." I trailed off.

"And now what?" he urged.

"And now you are exactly like the others an Alpha who views women as weak or to be protected." I truthfully told him. "I always thought you were different Ben but you are just another man in my life with some possessive claim over me No man will ever own me and that includes my future mate." I told him as the car slowed at the Palace steps. I climbed out in my bare feet gathered my shoes and bag with one cold glance at Ben I simply said.

"Thank you for driving me home as my Father commands."

Ben paused looking up at me slowly

"and if you had the choice?" he asked me sincerely.

"I would walk myself and Sage home alone. I am just as capable as Eoin is." I slammed the car door knowing it bothered him "and i definitely wouldnt chose to get into your car" I spat turning and walking into the Palace.

I walked to my fathers office and knocked before entering. I did however as I always did cover my eyes with my hand.

"Is it safe?" I asked.

"Yes." my father sighed. My parents were like two teenagers totally insatiable and having walked in on some situations that I could not unsee over the years I now was cautious.

"Emmett have you never learned to lock your damn door?" my Grandfather Alpha Williams voice filled the room as I pulled my hand down smiling. I ran to him as he stood to catch me in an embrace.

"Grandfather." I smiled feeling so safe in his arms. He regarded me as he held me at arms length taking in my attire and no doubt the masculine scent from Ben's jumper. He raised an eyebrow suspiciously at the jumper and I rolled my eyes.

"Its not what you think." I said as I pulled it off. "Apparently according to that dumb Bear my training clothes are not appropriate attire for a Princess." I added looking at my father.

"He means well........" my father began.

"Why do you always do that?" I asked my fury surging up. My father always seemed to side with Ben or have a weird understanding of his ridiculous behaviour."You always take his side." I added.

"Princess I don't and I will talk to him OK but he does mean well. We have all been through alot and he was very young when he and his Bear took it apon themselves to protect you kids and I think he has a hard time letting that role go." my father said softly as he sunk wearily into his desk chair.

"Whatever. Sort him out or I am going to post his dumb ass back to the mountains in an animal create." I said storming from the room.

"You can't do that Princess." He called as I went to sulk in my room.