107 Chapter One Hundred Seven
The Royal family walked out moments later leaving the two to a short moment of silence. âAre you okay?â Cole asked Katie, enjoying his role of âcushion.â
âYes, Iâm fine. Emotions as a werewolf are just a bit harder to control,â she replied, trying the breathing technique to wipe her emotions away from her. Unfortunately, this didnât seem to help at all. She could still feel the surging mess of emotions welling up within her. At the back of her mind, a wolf chose to make herself even less noticeable to the hunter. Maybe that way, the hunter would be able to confine her emotions like she was used to...
âDonât... Youâre a part of me as much as I am a part of you,â Katie said to the wolf within her. Ashley had taken a deep dive into the memories of her counterpart and found out everything about her. She didnât know why, but something about the memories appealed to her. She even found the reason Katie had been stunned by her name. The dead child that was still being mourned bore a similar name with the wolf.
âWell, for someone whoâs only just found out that she is going to be taken from her home, you are taking this quite well,â he said.
âItâs like you want me to snap at you,â she sighed, âCole, Iâm hungry.â
âHuh, that was sudden,â the Royal was surprised.
âFeed your mate, Cole. Iâm starving...â she continued, her wolf pushing forward with excitement. Cole noticed the change in her demeanour. Her voice was playful and she didnât give him the option of getting up, âBefore Iâm forced to eat you instead...â
âYou donât have to get cannibalistic. Iâll ask Caden to bring you something. Just hang in there,â he said, holding up the girl who was now fake fainting. She was only getting heavier in his arms, not that he couldnât hold her. She giggled at the manâs efforts only to cringe in pain, âAre you okay?â
The concern in his voice made the girl feel like melting. She almost forgot the pain that had only just shot from her abdomen, âOh, Iâm fine. It was just my stomach. I strained myself during the fight. How long was I out?â
.....
âNot long actually... Your healing speed is top tier even for a Royal. The fighting only ended hours ago. Itâs currently the middle of the night. Happy birthday, princess,â he summarised placing a kiss on her forehead... The girl huffed in disappointment... âWhat...â
âNothing... Were there any injuries?â she asked from her position across his laps, doing nothing to change it.
âYou just have to draw the report out somehow,â he groaned, âWhen I heard that you were injured, I didnât pay attention to anything else that was happening. You werenât stabilising and I was growing worried sick and when the doctors did manage to stabilise you, you kept growing weaker,â he explained before sending a message to his alpha to bring her food.
âOh, sorry to worry you... And thanks for bringing me back. I donât think I would have gotten out of that,â she said, her eyes glazing over.
âDid you really see him?â he asked her.
âHuh, who, the Rogue King... Oh yeah, I saw him. He was big and powerful... And a Royal,â she said.
âOh, then what happened? I donât think youâd let him get away from you if that happened,â he said to her.
âOf course I wouldnât have let him go. I was weak, but I would have at least stalled long enough for the Mighty warrior made it,â she said, âThey are only called upon when there is a high likelihood of the Rogue King appearing. My parent... sorry, guardians were spot on in their prediction,â she said to him.
âYeah, they were... Can you promise me something, Katie?â Cole said, suddenly getting serious.
âIf itâs reasonable, then yes,â she replied, noting the demanding tone in his voice.
Cole sighed at the reply. He had known she wouldnât be easy to convince, but he still wasnât going to take no for an answer. Part of him hoped she would realise this and give up, âYou are not allowed to go into battle on your own regardless of whatâs at risk,â he said to her, keeping his voice as cold as he could. It was a small price for what heâd experienced when he thought she was going to die.
Katie kept silent taking in the words she was sure were directed as a command and not an option. She didnât want to make such a promise, but she knew he wasnât going to drop it either. âYou know we did almost die...â Ashley spoke into the girlâs mind.
âI know... I guess I just hadnât let it sink in until now,â she mentally replied. Sighing, she gave in to her mateâs demands. Her shoulders relaxed more than she thought was possible, relieving her of unknown stress, âFine then... You have my word on this, but...â
âI might not be able to accept that...â
âJust hear me out, okay? I donât want us to have any regrets if the time ever comes. I wonât risk my life again if thatâs what youâre afraid of, but the next time I do something solo, Iâll ask you first. Only when you let me will I go,â she was practically begging him to accept the condition.
Cole knew what she was trying to get at. If there was ever a time that she would get a golden opportunity to end the war, this would allow her to break her promise without going against the promise she was making to him. It was unlikely and he didnât even see a point in raising such a point. Nonetheless, knowing she had the liberty to act in such a situation would give her the peace of mind she was seeking. âI will be the one to decide that then,â he accepted.
The door creaked open just enough to allow a blonde head to peek through. Sandra surveyed the room and backed out to see if the coast was clear before sneaking into the room, âHey, I thought you heard...â a voice shouted from outside before Sandra shut the door...
âI just had to see her. Since when were you appointed her bodyguard,â she shouted at the man outside, his voice coming very close to Jasonâs.
âI wasnât appointed her bodyguard, but she hasnât called for anyone else yet and...â
âYou guys can come in now,â Katie cut the maleâs speech in half and watched the door burst open. Sandra leapt back just in time, barely missing being hit by the door.
âThatâs great, Katie. How are you feeling? Is it true you saw him? What happened? Does it still hurt? How did Cole wake you...?â
âCan you slow down or at least shut up, Jason? She has only woken up,â Sandra shook the red-eyed male, âWhere is that passive composure you had just a moment ago? You wouldnât even let me get close to this room.â
âWhat makes you think I wasnât curious? Cole has been so worried I thought heâd throw all our wolves into mourning,â he mumbled. Katie turned her head up to look Cole in the eye again.
âYou were that worried. Aww, thatâs cute,â she teased the now reddening tomato she was using as a cushion.
âI see someone got a new pillow,â Sandra smirked at the girl.
âYes, and itâs all mine. No borrowing it... comes with heating capabilities as well. I donât even need a blanket in the winter,â Katie replied, cosying into the Royal once more. It wasnât like he was complaining.
âYou are getting way too comfortable, Katie,â Cole chuckled, wrapping his arms lovingly around her.
âOh, come on... You two should get a room,â a new voice poured into the room. They all turned to see Caden by the entrance holding a couple of large takeout bags. Katie couldnât help but lick her lips at the smell of the food.
âHe looks familiar,â Ashey spoke up abruptly, catching Katie off-guard.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âHuh, what do you mean?â the wolf pushed forward in her mind to take a closer look at the male.
âI donât know, but I feel like I know him. Itâs probably a figment of a past life. Itâs nothing to worry about. Let me out...â the wolf protested, turning her attention back to the Royal weâd captured for a headrest.
âHuh, no way... I do not have any idea what you have in mind. Besides, I have to talk to my friends first... Speaking of which, you are distracting me,â she countered before bringing her mind back to the present. Unfortunately for her, the room had gone deadly silent and everyone was giving her a weird look, mainly Sandra. The werewolves were either smirking or trying to contain their laughter(Jason).
âSo your wolf talks, I see,â Cole pointed out.
âHuh,â Katie turned to the Royal, my mind going completely blunt... âThatâs a thing...â