**At the Rose Garden**

Aashish saw a girl sitting at a table near the fountain, her back facing him. Taking a deep breath and asking the moon goddess for help, he moved towards her. He stopped four meters from her and called out, "Princess!"

Princess Kavya got up and curtsied, "Prince Aashish! You're finally here!" She simpered at him.

Aashish replied in the most uninterested voice, "Hello princess, nice to meet you." He forced a fake smile.

Kavya, acting shy, played with her impeccably made hair and pouted. "Nice to meet you too! Why were you so late? I was waiting alone for the past 20 minutes!", she lied.

Weirded out by her childish act and voice, Aashish thought, 'Isn't she 18? Why is she acting like an 8-year-old?' "My apologies for being late, princess. I was talking with your father on some business-related matters." He apologised - his acting skills developed over the years to endure royal parties and balls coming handy.

"It's fine!" Kavya leaned in closer, putting her elbow on the table and her face on her palm to show off her cleavage. "What kind of girls do you like? Intellectual? Beautiful? Kind? Sexy? Adorable?"

Aashish sat down on the chair opposite her with the table as a partition in the middle. "I am not interested in girls and especially not in you at all," he muttered under his breath.

"Did you say anything? Can I be of some help?" Kavya batted her fake eyelashes.

"Nothing, princess! Actually, I need your help. Can you help me?" Aashish asked, giving her a smile to make the work easier.

"Just ask, Prince. All our resources are at your disposal!" Kavya gave a small, shy, fake laugh.

"Actually, I met a boy when I arrived here. Do you know who he is? Like, what is his name?" The Prince enquired.

Kavya, disgusted that he was asking about a boy when a treat like her was in front of him, managed a fake smile. "We actually have many workers here. Could you describe him for me?"

"Hmm, a boy with a short height, maybe around 4'9" or 4'10", very thin. Actually, I want to meet him because he collided with me and ran away without any apology." Aashish added that detail, thinking it would help him get the information sooner because there was no way this girl would tell him about him if he told her that the boy was his mate.

"That bastard!" Kavya fumed. "How dare he! Prince Aashish, I am extremely sorry for the atrocities the bitch committed. I'll arrange for him to be punished at the earliest! Or.. would you like to punish him yourself?" She thought offering him the chance to teach the boy a lesson would show how eager they were to integrate him into their pack.

"That's alright, princess. There's no need to engage anyone else in this matter! I will deal with him in my own way. Kindly tell me where I can find him!" Aashish could feel Vicky getting excited to meet his mate.

"He must be in the quarters of the strays, but that's a very filthy place for you, Prince. I'd rather arrange for him to be brought into one of the punishment cells for you to deal with."

"No need for that, princess. I will go there only!" Aashish got up from his seat.

"But our date..." Kavya started but was cut off by him.

"My sincere apology, princess, but I have to inform my father about today's meeting as it is very important! I hope you understand my situation!" Aashish faked a sad voice as if he was also sad that their date got cancelled.

Kavya pouted and said her goodbye before leaving.

Aashish didn't waste a second after she left and ran straight to the quarter for strays, asking for directions from the guards, in the hope of meeting the boy. He still didn't know his name. Reaching the quarters, he knocked on the iron door, which was locked from the inside.

The door opened, and Aashish was disappointed when he saw it was someone else, not the boy from earlier.

The person, recognizing him as the prince of Silver Shadows, bowed down. "Yes, your highness, how can I help you?" he asked while still bowing at 90 degrees.

"I am looking for a boy, short in height, thin built. Can you tell me where he is?" Aashish asked in his authoritative voice.

"Are you asking about Adiraj, your highness?" the person asked, scared of what the boy did now to bring the prince of Silver Shadows pack to the quarters for strays.

In his mind, Aashish thought, 'Oh, so his name is Adiraj!' "Yes, he's the one I'm looking for. Can you tell me where I can find him?"

"Yes, your highness. I can take you to him! Please come with me!" The person started walking.

Aashish followed behind him inside the building, to the end of the dark corridor. The person stopped in front of the last door and bowed deeply, "This is his room, your highness!"

"Okay, you can leave now!"

"Yes, your highness!" The person left.

Aashish knocked on the door.

Adiraj had run to his room in the quarters, locking himself up before allowing himself to freak out. He sat on his little bed, head in his hands, as Sachi yelled at him for running away like a coward.

"You bitch! Why did you run away?" Sachi whimpered in pain, needing his mate's touch.

"What else was I supposed to do? Didn't you see he was an alpha? You must have been mistaken! He can't be our mate!" Adiraj was distressed.

"I am the instinct part, you dumbo! You did not do well by keeping me away from my mate!" Sachi snapped.

"Do you really want to die? Didn't you see how that warrior was looking at us?" Adiraj shuddered.

"You want to die! You want to stay away from our mate!" Sachi scratched at his human consciousness.

"Hurting me is hurting yourself! Do you really think he's going to accept a lowlife like us?" Adiraj hissed.

"How do you know without trying?" Sachi challenged.

"I know it! No one's going to like us! Have you forgotten we have to pretend to be a beta? If anyone finds out we are an omega, you know what will happen!" Adiraj reminded.

"What will happen? Our mate will claim us, and we will be happy!" Sachi argued.

"Idiot! He can get multiple omegas!" Adiraj retorted.

"Think about him! Don't you trust him? I trust him with my life!" Sachi affirmed.

The wolf part and human part of Adiraj were at war when there was a knock on his door. Forcing Sachi to the back of his mind, Adiraj shakily opened the door, gaze fixed on the floor.

"Adiraj!" Aashish finally found the boy he was looking for. He could feel Vicky telling him to touch him, but he controlled himself.

Adiraj closed his eyes for a moment. Hearing his name sent shivers down his spine. His heart beat loudly, and he could feel Sachi trying to escape from his space, but he put his foolish wolf on a tight leash. He kept looking down, moving back to allow Aashish to enter. "J-ji.." he stammered.

(Y-yes..)

Aashish entered the room. "Adiraj! May I know why you ran away after you collided into me?" he asked in a deep authoritative voice.

Adiraj fell to his knees, bowing low enough to touch his forehead to the floor. He spoke in a terrified voice, "M-mujhse bohot badi galti ho gayi, Alpha.. Please mujhe maaf kar dijiye.. M-main dar gaya tha.. aur warrior bhi gusse main the, toh main bhaag gaya! Mujhse bhul ho gayi! Mujhe tabhi apna gunah qubul kar lena chahiye tha, aur apna prayaschit karna chahiye tha... aap iss gustakhi ki jo saza denge, mujhe swikar hai..." He sniffled at some parts, maintaining his position, waiting for permission to move.

(I-I've made a huge mistake, Alpha... Please forgive me. I was scared, and the warrior was angry, so I ran away! I made a mistake! I should have confessed my sin right then and atoned for it... Whatever punishment you give me for this insolence, I will accept...)

Aashish was shocked when the boy suddenly kneeled in front of him, begging for forgiveness. He quickly knelt on one knee in front of him and held his shoulder. "What are you doing? Get up!"

Adiraj looked up at him with tears shining in his doe eyes. "M-maafi maang raha hun.." he said innocently. "Ga-galti karne pe m-maafi maangte hai na?" he sniffled cutely, getting lost in the alpha's eyes. He was mesmerising.

(I-I'm asking for forgiveness...) (We ask for forgiveness when we make a mistake, right?)

Aashish couldn't believe the innocence of the boy. "Utho aur upar baitho!"

(Get up and sit here on top!)

Adiraj looked down. "Aap baithiye na..." He cleared up his bed as quickly as he could, ashamed he forgot to offer him a seat. "Aap paani lenge?" he asked shyly as Sachi was on cloud nine in the alpha's presence.

(Please have a seat...) (Would you like some water?)

Aashish made him sit down on the bed and knelt in front of him as the bed was very low-rise. Holding his hands, he asked, "You know who I am?"

Adiraj's eyes widened as he saw Alpha Aashish kneeling before him. "Aap yeh kya kar rahe hai, Alpha! Aap Alpha hai! Aapka rank mujhse zyaada hai, mere saamne aise zameen pe maat baithiye!!" His voice trembled, distress evident as he released omega pheromones involuntarily.

(What are you doing, Alpha? You are an Alpha! Your rank is higher than mine, please don't sit on the ground in front of me like this!!)

"Shhh! Calm down, it's fine. Everything is fine," Aashish soothed, gently rubbing Adiraj's scent gland by his wrist to help with the pheromones. The gentle touch sent shivers through Adiraj, his omega instincts reacting strongly.

"Aisi saza maat dijiye mujhe!" Adiraj pleaded, severely distressed. His body trembled at the alpha's touch, mewls escaping his lips as he slumped into Aashish's hold, but his tension remained palpable.

(Please don't condemn me like this!)

Aashish held him gently, resting Adiraj's head on his shoulder. "I hope you know that we are mates," he said softly, kissing Adiraj's scent gland. A deep longing stirred within Aashish, but he controlled himself, pushing back his inner wolf's desire to mark his mate immediately.

Adiraj sobbed silently in joy, overwhelmed by the revelation. Sachi was dancing around in his mind, he wanted to be marked as soon as possible, but he put him back in his place. "J-ji.. A-aap..." He shivered as goosebumps broke over his body. "Aap mujhe reject karne aaye hai?" he asked, closing his eyes in fear.

(Y-yes... y-you..) (Have you come to reject me?)

Aashish gently stroked Adiraj's hair. "Nahi, main yaha tumhe apnane aaya hoon," he said, taking a deep breath as the distress pheromones began to fade away slowly.

(No, I have come here to make you mine.)

Adiraj looked up at him, his head resting on Aashish's chest. "Sachchi? K-kaun hai aap?" he asked, visibly excited at the thought of someone wanting him at last.

(Really? W-who are you?)

Sachi, the voice in Adiraj's mind, chimed in excitedly, "Yeh zaroor hume yahan se le jayenge, hai na?"

(They will surely take us away from here, won't they?)

"Tu chup reh! Mujhe baat karne de!" Adiraj scolded Sachi, suppressing him.

(You stay quiet! Let me talk!)

Aashish smiled down at the boy. "I am the prince of the Silver Shadow pack. Prince Aashish," he introduced himself, his eyes filled with warmth and promise.

In the quiet of the room, Vicky's voice echoed in Aashish's mind, a mixture of determination and worry, "We are taking them home with us, right?"

"Yes, if he allows", Aashish responded, though there was an underlying tension in his thoughts.

"So, you won't take them if they don't allow?' Vicky's voice was laced with anger and sadness.

'I will still take them", Aashish affirmed, his resolve firm.

Adiraj, who had been listening to the silent conversation between Aashish and Vicky, felt his heart shatter. He knew that Aashish was supposed to marry Princess Kavya, and the reality of losing his mate was too much for him to bear. He tried to pull back, his voice breaking, "Ch-chhodiye mujhe! Yeh kya kar rahe hai aap!"

(L-let me go! What are you doing!)

Aashish, confused and concerned, tightened his hold on the younger, "Kya hua? Tum aese kyun bol rahe ho?" Vicky, feeling the stress and hurt, grew increasingly agitated.

(What happened? Why are you speaking like this?)

In a broken voice, tears streaming down his cheeks, Adiraj said, "Aap kisi aur ke mangetaar hai! M-mujhse kya chahte hai aap?"

(You are engaged to someone else! W-what do you want from me?)

Aashish gently held Adiraj's face, wiping away his tears. "I am not anyone's fiancé. I am going to marry my mate. I already told that to my father, and you are my mate!"

Adiraj gave a heartbroken smile. "Princes always get married to Princesses... Mujh jaise low wolf ke naseeb main khilwaad ke alawa aur kuchh nahi likha." He rubbed Aashish's hand at the minor scent gland on his wrist, sensing the distress and truth in his own words.

(There is nothing in the fate of a lowly wolf like me except for mockery and heartbreak.)

The Prince's voice was firm but filled with sorrow. "That's not true. A prince should marry his mate, it doesn't matter from which class they belong to." Vicky was deeply hurt because his mate refused to accept him.

Adiraj shook his head, trying to be rational despite the pain. "Aap chhote hai, isliye aapko nahi pata... You and Princess Kavya are really a good match... I wish you happiness." He bowed, tears still glistening in his eyes.

(You are young, so you wouldn't understand...)

"I don't accept her as my mate!" Aashish declared, his voice resolute.

Adiraj, struggling to explain, said, "As a Prince, you should think of your pack first!"

At that moment, Aashish let his wolf form take over. A giant, pitch-black wolf with a soft, shiny fur coat and majestic red eyes stood in the room, embodying the royal alpha's power.

Adiraj, fascinated but aware of the limited space, asked, "Alpha, aap mere saath bahar chalenge?" He couldn't help but pet Vicky's snout, marvelling at his mate's form.

(Alpha, will you come outside with me?)

Vicky let out a low growl of affirmation, moving closer to Adiraj as he started petting his snout.

Adiraj scratched behind Vicky's ears, feeling a deep connection already starting to blossom between them. "Chaliye..." He got up from the bed, quickly removed the glass panes of the window, and in a flash, shed his clothes before leaping out, shifting mid-air.

(Come...)

Adiraj's wolf form was a sight to behold – a smaller but equally beautiful wolf with a silky white fur coat and blue eyes as deep as the ocean. The two wolves stood together under the moonlight, their bond undeniable despite the challenges ahead. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Priya: Guys, India won the T20 World Cup!!! This is to celebrate that!

Adiraj: My father acknowledged Shivam Dube is hot... Papa ke saath ladke taadne ka maza hi alag hai!   Rahat Fateh Ali Khan always slays... *chef's kiss to his voice from my hearing*

Enjoy!