Chapter Six:

"Are you sure you want to do this, Kendall?" Kat questioned as I slipped on my second shoe.

"I'm positive. I need something to do and Tyler offered." I explained my reasoning.

She didn't exactly think it was a smart idea playing receptionist to the Royals. She figured that whatever was going on between King Finnian and I was better handled privately, just the two of us. She didn't think anyone else needed to know our business.

Apparently, she had had a vision about this after I told her my plans last night. She wasn't completely sure what she had seen. Visions were sometimes... blurry, for lack of a better word, and hard to decipher. From what she could make out, King Finnian had a reason for his coldness towards me. What that reason was, she couldn't say, but she felt it was safer to keep things a secret until we could find out more.

"Are you sure you're not just looking to get under a certain someone's skin?" She gave me a knowing look.

"No." I lied. Well, partially lied.

I was honest about needing something to do. I didn't want to just sit around all day and there was only so much exploring I could do around here. I couldn't tell myself that the thought of being near Finnian all day didn't cross my mind, but I would have accepted Tyler's offer even if his office wasn't near Finnian's. That was just a perk.

"How do I look?" I changed the subject before she could call me on my lies. She knew me so well; I could never get away with anything less than the truth with her.

I held my arms out and twirled around slowly in front of her. I was dressed in a burgundy loose crop top sweater, a high-waisted short black flared skirt, black tights, and heeled black ankle boots. I had pulled my hair up into two messy space buns. My eye make-up was dark and my lips were painted in a lipstick that matched my burgundy sweater.

"Beautiful; like always. You'll get the reaction you're looking for." Kat told me, crossing her arms over her chest in annoyance. "Just be careful, okay? I think there is a lot more to this story than either of us realize. I don't want you to get in over your head."

"I'll be careful; I promise." I assured her when her voice went from stern to worried.

"Okay, good. You want to walk over together? I'm meeting Niki in a few minutes."

I nodded and we left my room and made our way to the west wing of the castle.

"So how's training going?" I asked her as we walked.

I hadn't had much of a chance to talk to her about this. The only times I had seen her since we got here was in the morning and during and after dinner. We hadn't really been alone to discuss this.

I hadn't seen much of Matt or Dalton either. Even after my as close to a heart to heart as Dalton and I could get last night, he had been absent this morning. They had gone before we could even eat breakfast. Kat said they left before the sun even came up.

"It's going great. I've almost mastered water. We're going to start wind after that. Today I'm going to harness water to see a past memory from someone's mind. It's a very complicated spell. I'm a little nervous; I've never tried it before."

"You can do that? Go through someone's memories?" That seemed a little too intrusive for me.

"Yeah, but like I said. It's difficult to do. Most witches can't perform it. I know it seems intrusive, but think of its tactical benefits. You can see what the enemy has planned before he even can follow through."

"That makes sense. Is there any way to block a witch from digging through your mind?" I asked curiously. Most spells like this had a blocking spell that went with it, to protect someone.

"Yeah, of course. No one can do this to any of the Royals. Niki has placed a shielding spell around their minds. No one can enter unless she lifts it. She's going to teach me that tomorrow. I'm going to shield yours and Matt's mind first. Probably Dalton's too, just in case. When we go home, I'll do everyone else's."

"Good. The thought of someone rooting through my memories freaks me out. Whose mind are you going to look through today?"

"Matt's. Niki doesn't really want me performing spells on you or Matt, since I'm so familiar with you two, but she's making an exception for this. Mainly because it is very invasive and she wants to practice on someone who doesn't mind the intrusion and also because almost everyone else here is shielded, so that only leaves us four."

"Well, I'm sure anything you can find in Matt's head, you already know about." I laughed. They didn't keep secrets from each other. Except for when Kat was keeping a secret for me, but other than that, they were completely open with each other.

"He better hope so." She joked.

"How do you not get overwhelmed with memories?" I inquired.

"You have to search for a particular memory. You will get overwhelmed if you just start rooting through. You have to have something in particular to look for."

"Makes sense. What are you going to look for?" I wondered as we walked up another set of stairs, my heels clicking on the stone floor, echoing around the empty corridor.

"Well, it has to be something that I wasn't aware of at the time. If it's something that I experienced with him, my memories will get mixed in with his. So I'm going to look for the memory of when he found out I was his mate. I was there physically, but I wasn't aware of what was happening with him. Besides, he never really told me the whole story and I'm curious."

Come to think of it, I didn't really know the story either. I knew that he knew for a few years before they got together, but he never really spoke about the particular moment that he realized. It would have to have been when she was at least thirteen or so. Mates couldn't be recognized before puberty.

"Let me know when you find out." I was half joking, half serious.

"I might. We'll see. I'll have to actually complete the spell first, which is easier said than done."

We slowed down, stopping in front of Niki's work room.

"You'll do great, don't worry. I'll see you at dinner. Good luck."

"Thanks. You too."

She walked inside, where Niki and Lili were already waiting. I waved at them, which they returned, then I walked in the direction of King Finnian's public office. I didn't really remember where exactly it was, so I sniffed around until I caught a faint trace of his and Tyler's scent. I followed it up a floor and stopped in front of the door where it was the strongest. Sure enough, there was a sign on the door stating that this was the Royal Office. I twisted the brass knob and walked inside.

It opened into a big room that was filled with plush leather chairs and tables. There was a TV mounted on the wall, which was on but muted. There was even one table that held a fresh pot of coffee, coffee cups, and an assortment of snacks, such as muffins and pastries.

This was by far the fanciest reception area I've ever seen. Also the biggest.

There was a long hallway on either side of the reception area. To the back of the room, there looked to be a conference area.

Before I could decide which hallway to go down, Tyler came from down the hall to my right.

"Morning. I'm glad you're here. You look cute today." He motioned to the space buns on top of my head.

"Morning. Thanks." I said, unconsciously bringing my hand up to fiddle with one of the buns, but I dropped it soon after.

Before he could say anything else, the overwhelming presence of my mate entered the room. I felt his eyes look me up and down, before leaving me. I could feel anger rolling off of him, but he remained outwardly calm. At least I think he did. I was refusing to look at him.

"If you could refrain from flirting with my guests, Royal Gamma? You're dalliances aren't wanted nor appreciated." He said tightly.

I was surprised that he spoke to Tyler with such coldness and unfamiliarity. Weren't they best friends? Why didn't he call him Tyler?

"My apologies, King Finnian." Tyler bowed his head, but I caught a glimpse of confusion on his face. "Flirting wasn't my intention."

"See that it doesn't become your intention." A warning was clear in his voice. I felt his eyes move back to me. "Take Miss Keating to begin the interview."

That got my attention. "What interview?" I finally looked over at King Finnian, taking him in with my eyes. He was wearing charcoal grey slacks and a crisp white button up shirt rolled up to his elbows, showing off his muscular forearms, with a matching grey tie around his neck. His hair was messy, but hot. His eyes smoldered blue as my green orbs meet his. I couldn't get over how sexy he always seemed to look. He did things to my poor ovaries.

I quickly looked away from him and back to Tyler. As someone below the King, I wasn't supposed to maintain eye contact unless we were familiar with each other. As far as Tyler knew, we weren't, so I needed to keep up appearances.

"I was just about to tell you." Tyler told me. "We need to interview you today for the Council position."

"Umm, why?" I drawled out in confusion.

"Just a formality. It won't take long."

"Okay, but I don't really understand. I thought this was Matt and Dalton's job."

"Why, Miss Keating? Have something to hide?" King Finnian sounded mocking, but a dark undertone was in his voice that was impossible to miss.

I gritted my teeth to stop from glaring at him. "Not at all, King Finnian. I'm an open book. Ask me anything; I have nothing to hide."

"Is that correct?" I nodded. "Then you wouldn't mind if I conducted this interview instead of my Royal Gamma?"

Tyler's mouth pulled down into a puzzled frown, his eyebrows knitting together. "Not at all, your highness." I countered, not backing down.

"Tyler, I'll take this from here." He said, still looking at me, dismissing Tyler with his words. Tyler left, despite his perplexity over the situation. "Follow me, Miss Keating." His tone held slight amusement now, losing the darkness from before.

He led us completely out of the office area and back into the hall. I had to walk fast to keep up with his long strides. He slowed down slightly when he realized this. As we walked, I couldn't help but admire his back side. His back muscles tensed and flexed against the tight fabric of his shirt as he moved. My eyes trailed lower. Whoever said girls couldn't enjoy a nice ass had obviously never seen his. It was definitely a nice view.

He stopped and turned around after a few minutes, an eyebrow raised and his eyes holding a slight twinkle. Now that no one was around, I met his eyes and smirked, unapologetic. I wouldn't feel embarrassed about looking at something that was mine. The twinkle in his eyes grew and he looked forward once again and continued walking.

After a few more turns, he stopped in front of a door. He held in open for me and allowed me to walk in before him. I smiled inwardly at this. As the King, he usually didn't hold the door open for anyone. It filled me with warmth that he did it for me. It was a sign of respect.

We were now in a small conference room. There was a round table surrounded by black leather rolling chairs. I took a seat in one and he sat directly across from me.

"Why did we come all this way when you have a conference room by your office?" I queried.

"This is my private meeting room. It's spelled so no one can hear. That one wasn't."

"And why exactly would we need to be in a room where no one could hear?" I probed.

"You sure are an inquisitive little thing." He commented. Since he ignored my question, I gave him a look that said I was waiting for an answer. "Any interview I conduct, I do so in this room. You never know when you will need the extra privacy." He finally explained.

"Why, King Finnian... Planning on asking me questions that require privacy?" I lowered my voice and looked at him through my lashes.

His eyes swirled golden now.

"Don't tempt me, mate." He warned.

I gasped, faking horror. "King Finnian, that is highly inappropriate. I'm starting to question your motives for bringing me to this empty, private room." I faked innocent, like I hadn't been goading him before.

"As you should, Miss Keating. My motives are very questionable." He played along, but I knew he was somewhat serious.

"Perhaps my motives are questionable as well. Maybe Tyler should have conducted this interview after all." I teased.

A loud snarl left his mouth, all teasing gone from his face. I smirked inwardly. It was so easy to get under his skin. A little too easy actually.

"I'll kill him." His voice was more animalistic now, less man.

"Don't be so dramatic, your highness." I snickered. Even though he looked on the verge of shifting, he didn't scare me. I knew it was his wolf pushing him towards me; he would never hurt me.

"Don't be so promiscuous." He countered. My jaw dropped.

A laugh escaped my throat, followed by a few more. "I assure you, I'm not the least bit promiscuous. You can calm down." My lips curled up in a large grin.

His growls immediately died down. His eyes still burned gold, but his face had taken on a tender expression as he took in my features. His eyes glazed over, but I could tell it wasn't from mind-link. My smile dropped as I wondered why he was looking at me like that.

After a few seconds, he closed his eyes tightly and shook his head. When he looked at me again, his eyes were blue and his face was serious, his light and playful mood evaporated, as had his rage. I sighed inwardly.

"What is your role in the Keating Pack?" He asked, his voice business like now.

"I'm the Alpha's daughter and I assist with Pack finances." My tone matched his.

"What is your Pack's financial status?"

"We're a wealthy pack. My father is a successful business man, as was my grandfather."

"How are those finances distributed throughout the pack?"

"We make sure every pack member is cared for. We provide housing and job opportunities for wolves in need. My father raised us to know that greed was not an option. Wealth meant nothing if you weren't respected and the only way to gain respect, is to care for every member of the pack."

"So the Alpha family isn't frivolous with their wealth?" He questioned.

"No, we're not. My siblings and I have always had to earn the money we were given. My parents instilled work ethic into us."

He nodded, seemingly pleased at what he was hearing.

"What jobs do the other Alpha offspring have?"

"Brody is the future Alpha. He has been training since he reached adulthood. He is the most tactical of my siblings. He works closely with the Head Enforcer. He helps train wolves and keep the pack safe. Matt is more business minded. He helps Dad run his chain of restaurants across the state. He's more hands on now than our father is. He's the main one who's helped me become familiar with pack finances."

"And your sister?" He inquired when I paused. I wanted to roll my eyes. He already knew all of this. I didn't know why he needed to question me. I refrained and answered none the less.

"Selena helps our mother with her Luna duties. She's hoping to get more involved with pack issues though."

We hadn't discussed it again since I left, but I still remember our heart to heart my last night home. I truly believed that she was trying to turn over a new leaf, show Dad that she could be trusted.

"How many of you continued your education after high school?"

"Just Matt and me."

"How does your Alpha handle punishments? And what warrants punishment?"

"The type of punishment depends on the infraction committed. Our Pack has rules, like any other. If those rules are broken, he handles it accordingly."

"What kind of rules? And what punishments?" He wanted further explanation. His blue eyes drilled holes into my face, making me slightly uncomfortable with the power emanating from him.

"Well, like, no fighting between members. Violence, other than that that occurs during training, is punishable. For serious violence, he will lock someone up in our pack cells. No one has ever killed another member, but that would be punishable by death. For less violent acts, he assigns them to some kind of community work."

"How would he handle a traitor within your pack?"

"I can't answer that."

"And why is that?" He looked suspicious now.

"We've never had a known traitor. I have no idea what he would do. I'm not completely sure how someone would betray us anyways. We're neutral to outer pack disagreements. We have no enemies."

"That's a naïve thought process, Miss Keating."

Being called promiscuous didn't offend me, but being called naïve did. I felt my wolfs hackles rise.

"I'm not naïve." I ground out. My eyes narrowed on his face, causing his to do the same. He was the Alpha King right now, not my mate. He didn't seem to appreciate my disrespect, but I didn't care, because I didn't appreciate his either.

"If you think you or your pack have no enemies, than yes, you are."

"We don't. We've on good terms with all surrounding packs."

"That doesn't matter. The worst kind of enemy is the kind you'd never suspect. You'd do well to remember that." He rumbled out.

My anger deflated. "Did that happen to you?" I asked softly.

"That is none of your business, Miss Keating. My personal life does not concern you. Remember your place."

Hurt bubbled in my chest, but I pushed the hurt down and focused on the anger and resentment.

"I'm sorry, your highness." I spat out bitterly. "I'll try and remember my place from now on." I stood up furiously, my chair falling to the stone floor behind me. He did the same, wanting to use his height advantage to intimidate me. "As long as you remember yours as well. You're my King and that's it. That is all you'll ever be. I'm done here."

I turned and stormed off before he could speak. He let me go. Perhaps if I hadn't been so irate, I would have noticed the look of pain in his eyes at my words. But then again, I'm sure my eyes mirrored his.

***************************

"This is the Royal Office, how can I help you?" I asked into the phone.

"I need to speak to the King." A gruff voice answered confidently.

I rolled my eyes. "About?"

"It's between the King and me. It doesn't concern some little receptionist. Transfer me through, little girl." He growled.

My temper flared at the audacity of this stranger. Tyler made a move to get up and take the call, but I handled it before he could.

"The King is a very busy man. He doesn't concern himself with little commoners. Can I take a message?" I feigned polite. This seemed like a man who thought very highly of himself. I knew calling him a commoner would get to him.

Another growl rumbled through the phone. "I'm no commoner, you little bitch. Do you know who I am?"

"I'm afraid not. I can recognize the voice of most important people in the werewolf community. I don't recognize yours. Are you sure you didn't mean to call the Help Center?"

The Help Center was a place that low ranked wolves could call with their concerns or questions. Higher wolves, such as Alphas and Betas, had direct access to the Royal Office, but everyone else had to call the Help Center and talk to a regular castle worker. Actually, they didn't even work out of the castle. They worked in one of the mansions on the Royal property.

"I'm the Alpha of one of the biggest pack's in the country, you pathetic little servant. Get me the King. Now." He demanded. The arrogant jackass sounded like he was on the verge of shifting. I held back my snickers.

"And which Pack would that be?"

"The Michaels Pack, you ignorant bitch. I'm Alpha Greg Michaels."

"I'm afraid I'm not familiar with a Greg Michaels." I purposely left off the Alpha. It was a sign of either familiarity or disrespect to drop the title. I definitely didn't do it because I was familiar with him.

I actually had heard of him before. He was correct when he said he had a large pack, but that didn't mean it was a good pack. He was known to be a fascist prick. He ruled with an iron fist, dolling out harsh punishments for small infractions. Word was, he had been trying to join the Royal Council for years and King Finnian hadn't even spared him a second thought. I was actually surprised that he hadn't been investigated yet. I'm sure if he were, he would lose his title faster than he could call me a bitch.

"That's Alpha to you, servant. Don't think I won't inform the King about this treatment I've received from you." He said haughtily.

Before I could say another word, Tyler had grabbed the phone from my hand. I hadn't even noticed him walking towards me. I was sitting at a small table, with just an office phone, my cell phone, a mug of hot chocolate, and a muffin sitting on top. His office was rather large and his giant work desk was at the back, giving me plenty of room at the front.

I had been here for about seven hours now. After my abrupt departure from my interview, I had been holed up in here. I hadn't seen King Finnian since the incident, which I was grateful for. I'd probably try to claw his eyes out if I saw him right now.

Tyler had helped take my mind off of it though. He hadn't asked questions, but I think he knew that Finnian upset me. He talked to me and laughed with me. He still worked, but he made time for me too, which I appreciated. He also supplied me with food all day, making me like him even more. Food was the way to my heart.

I hadn't seen Matt or Dalton all day. I had figured I would since they were usually with Tyler, but today they were being tested with Royal Beta Kieran. Apparently it was their physical training that was being tested. They wanted physically strong packs on the Council.

"This is Royal Gamma Hatchett speaking. I don't appreciate you calling and speaking to my receptionist and friend that way."

"Why in the world would you be friends with some little servant bitch?" He sounded disgusted. I could still hear him clearly with werewolf hearing.

"She's no servant, Greg." He also dropped the title. Ouch. "She is the King's guest, an Alpha's daughter, and a good friend of mine. Your condescending insults are not welcomed."

"If she's an Alpha's daughter, she should know how to properly respect her superiors. Apparently, her father isn't a very good father or Alpha. If I heard my daughter speak to anyone like that, I'd-"

Tyler cut off his caustic, hateful words. My body shook with fury now at his words about my father.

"Alpha Keating is a damn good Alpha, Greg, and he's the next to join the Royal Council. Both he and his children will be superior to you once he has his seat. I suggest you show respect to your superiors, not the other way around."

My rage simmered down at hearing Tyler put him in his place. Michaels was stunned into silence.

"Since you have refused to leave a message with Miss Keating, I wouldn't expect a call back. It was a pleasure, as always, Greg." His voice oozed sarcasm, then he hung up without another word.

"That was amazing." Laughter erupted from my mouth now that I didn't have to hold it back.

"Sorry about that. He's an ass. He calls here every couple of months, trying to bother Finnian, who never even gives him the time of day. He won't give up though."

"Don't worry about it. He didn't get to me until he brought up my dad." I took a bite out of the chocolate chip muffin in front of me and washed it down with the now lukewarm hot chocolate.

"You don't get offended easily, do you?" It sounded more like a statement rather than a question.

"When you grow up with three older siblings, one of them being Selena Keating, you learn not to wear your feelings on your shoulder."

"I admire that. Most wolves would have let their pride get in the way, just like Greg did." He leaned against the front of his desk and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm a lot of things, but sensitive isn't one of them. Choleric on the other hand... Definitely." I swallowed the last of my muffin and hot chocolate.

"I can tell."

"I am curious if you've ever investigated Michaels."

"We haven't. I suppose we should."

"I definitely think you should. I've heard some pretty bad rumors about his leadership."

"I'll speak to King Finnian about it. We'll get it taken care of." He assured me. "In the meantime, dinner is in an hour and a half. Care for a run before?"

"For sure. Let's see if you can keep up." I grinned at him as I stood up.

"Let's see." He returned the grin.

**************************

"Okay, I would have won if you hadn't cheated." I whined as I walked out of the locker room after securing the last bobby pin.

We had run for the entire hour and a half and were now late to dinner. We hadn't had time to go back to our rooms to clean up and for me to fix my hair again, so we stopped by the lockers room in the gym. I didn't have time to shower like I wanted, but I was able to secure my hair in two messy buns again and straighten my clothes out.

We had been racing again and unfortunately, Tyler won this time. It had been close; that was for sure, but he had pulled ahead at the end. I was convinced he cheated somehow.

"How did I cheat exactly?" He snickered and straightened his tie. We quickly made our way to the dining hall.

"I haven't figured it out yet. We're having a rematch tomorrow though."

"Sure. I actually wanted to ask you something about tomorrow."

"And what would that be?"

"Well, tomorrow is Friday, so the castle usually shuts down early as long as nothing is going on. I was thinking of going into town tomorrow night. Maybe grab a drink and a bite to eat. Would you and your pack be interested in joining me?"

"Sure, sounds fun. I could use a beer. Who else is going?"

"Probably just Lili."

"You and Lili are friends?" This surprised me. I'd never even seen them talk.

"Yeah. She doesn't talk much, but I still try to include her when I go out. I think she gets lonely here. She always goes with me, mainly just to get out of the castle for a while. She's a sweet girl, so I like the company."

"Are you two..." I trailed off, hoping he got my implication.

"No, definitely not." He laughed. "I'm waiting for my mate and Lili isn't her. It's purely platonic between us. Things get lonely around here sometimes; we just provide each other with some company." He explained.

"No one else will ever go with you two?"

"Not really. Nikolina claims she's too old for such things. Kieran and Emiliya are so far stuck up each other's asses that no one else concerns them. Finnian always locks himself away on the sixth floor whenever he's not working. Occasionally some of the top Royal Enforcers will come, but they're usually so tired by the end of the week, that they just go home and rest and spend time with their families. Everyone else is too intimidated with my status to go. That just leaves me and Lili."

"That's actually really sad. I hope you find your mate soon."

He smiled sadly at me, but his eyes looked far away. "Me too."

"The mating ball is coming up; maybe she'll be there." I tried to encourage.

"Hmm. Maybe."

"Don't worry. I'm always up for a night on the town. I'll go with you whenever you want while I'm here."

"Thanks, Kendall. You're a good friend."

I smiled at him as we walked in the dining room. Our seats were the same as always; Kat and Tyler on either side of me and Emiliya directly across from me. King Finnian was absent as usual. I figured that the appearance he made at dinner that first night was a rare occurrence and wasn't going to happen again anytime while I was here.

"Sorry we're late." Tyler said as we slid in our seats. As soon as we were sitting, the salads were brought out and the wine poured.

"You are most certainly forgiven, Tyler. Two powerful wolves such as yourselves need to run often." Niki excused us.

"Well I certainly try, Nikolina." He smiled at her.

"So how was training today?" I asked, looking between Kat, Niki, and Lili as we all started eating.

"It was great. The spell went perfectly." Kat said, sounding proud of herself, which she should be.

"Indeed. Katerina is progressing even faster than I anticipated. She's going to be very powerful once her training is complete." Niki bragged on her newest pupil.

"Would you mind coming tomorrow afternoon so I can place a shield around your mind?" Kat asked me.

"Of course. We'll do it before we go into town with Tyler."

Niki perked up. "You're going out with Tyler tomorrow?"

"Yeah, he asked if we wanted to join him."

"Lili, will you be joining as well?" She looked at the youngest Petrova witch to her left.

"Yes, Nikolina."

"I see. So, it will be just the six of you?" She inquired.

"As long as Kat, Matt, and Dalton decide to come, then yeah." I answered her, but I looked at my pack mates. They all nodded at me, even Dalton, who grinned at me.

"Perhaps King Finnian will join you all? He could certainly use a night on the town. He has seemed rather tense lately, no?"

"I'll extend an invitation, but I highly doubt he'll join. He never does." Tyler told her.

"Maybe this time will be different. Maybe he'll want to accompany his guests." Her gaze lingered on me discretely.

"Like I said, I'll ask him about it. You never know I guess."

"That is certainly correct. He may surprise us all."

Dinner went by quickly after that. All talks of King Finnian ceased. Conversation was easy; even the terrible twosome known as the Royal Beta's joined in occasionally. Dinner was actually rather good tonight. It was some Italian dish, which was my favorite type of food.

When dinner was over, I bid everyone goodnight and retired to my own room. I showered and prepared for bed in the bathroom.

Once I was finished, I stopped at the door and took a deep breath. I released it as I twisted open the door.

Disappointment flooded my body before I could stop it. I guess I expected King Finnian to be waiting on my bed again. He wasn't. My room was completely empty.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and curled up in my bed. My last thoughts before going to sleep were that maybe he took my angry words to heart. Maybe he was done being my mate, and was strictly my King now. The thought hurt more than it should.