Naomi stood in the garden, watching the birds flying around and singing and swans having a nice swim in the lake. Everywhere was so peaceful in the garden unlike inside the palace. It was the Queen’s birthday and everyone was busy making arrangements. She hasn’t seen Asher since two days ago and she refrained from missing or thinking about him just in case the mating mark would summon him as Irene had said. No one has paid attention to her or tried to make her stay uncomfortable for her. She has not seen Asher’s father too nor even his mother and Irene occasionally called her into her spell room but once she was done with her spells, she would have a servant escort her to her room.
A part of her had wished that Asher would find her or ask about her but since none of the servants had come calling her to tell her means he didn’t and she didn’t want to summon him against his will. Just because he accidentally marked her doesn’t mean she has to take advantage of the mark and make him do what he doesn’t want to do.
The servants bring her meals to her and she in turn tried to stay out of trouble and the only way to do that was to stay in her room. It was last night that she discovered the garden and she loved the peace and quiet it brought. It wasn’t that far from the palace but it was far enough for her not to hear anything happening. She sat on the waiting bench and kept staring at the swans. They were swimming together and she couldn’t tell the males from the females but she knows for a fact that they were having the time of their lives without trouble or whatsoever. How much she wished she can be like them.
She has never been without trouble, from the moment she had been born, her troubles had started with her mother dying and her father changing from the loving man she heard about. Not for one day did he make life easy for her and then her visions had started and to top it all, her aunt, the person she took as a mother left, leaving her alone with her father. And she can successfully say that that was when her life turned out for the worse. And now, here she was, learning about a whole new world and how strong and powerful they were. As if that was not enough, she got accidentally marked by a boy she loves, or in this case, a man she loves but who obviously hates her and there is a slight possibility she might be a witch. A pure blood one as they say. Wow, her life really deserve to be written as a story.
‘I don’t hate you,’ she heard in her mind and jumped up, turning to see the boy resting on a tree that was far from her and the only way she could hear him would be if he shouted. However, the voice she heard right now was calm and collected, there was no strain to it, so how did it happen?
‘Because I am speaking in your mind.’
Her eyes widened in shock as she never took her eyes away from the boy. “What?” she screamed at him.
‘You don’t have to scream, I can hear even your faintest whisper.’
Naomi couldn’t believe what was going on, she could hear him loud and clear in her head, how can that be possible?
In a blink of an eye, Asher appeared in front of her. “Because I am a werewolf, we can communicate with each other with our thoughts. We call it mind-linking.”
“But I am not a werewolf. Isn’t it said to be done between a werewolf and a werewolf?”
“That’s the catch,” he smiled, “you see, I am not an ordinary werewolf, or just a pack alpha wolf. I am the future High Alpha. It’s like the alpha of alphas. The alpha to every werewolf. I’m like the future alpha king. And the catch with that, I can mind-link anybody, even a human.”
Naomi stared at him in shock, “but you have never done that with me before.”
Asher smiled softly, “true, because I never felt the need. You only know that I am a werewolf, you know nothing else about me.”
“Come to think of it, that it true.”
“Don’t worry, it’s going to change now. I want you to meet my mother.”
“What?”
Asher chuckled and without another word, grabbed her hand and they teleported, appearing in the kitchen. Naomi was shocked and she watched as everyone in the kitchen only bowed in greetings to him, no one appeared surprise that he just showed up from nowhere. Just then, she heard a lovely laughter before a woman with deep brown hair and beautiful blue eyes walked into the kitchen. She didn’t need an introduction to know who she was because in as much as Asher resembled his father, he resembled his mother as well.
Aliyah saw the girl standing beside her son the instant she stepped into the kitchen. She smiled and walked up to them. Edward had told her about her presence in the palace since two days ago but she had been so weak and tired and Edward didn’t allow her to leave the room. She knew that if it wasn’t for the fact that it was her birthday, he still wouldn’t have let her out of the room. “You must be Naomi dear,” she said all smile.
“Greetings your majesty,” Naomi bowed immediately and she was shocked by the lovely laughter that followed her greetings.
“Please, don’t be too overdramatic,” Aliyah laughed, she wanted to tell the girl that she can call her Aliyah but she knows her husband. Edward would never let anyone address her without her title and so she said, “call me Queen Aliyah, that would be better.”
Naomi smiled, liking the woman already, “yes, Queen Aliyah.”
“I see you are the one that tamed him after all,” she chuckled, “I can’t wait for the blood moon night. He has gone nine mating ceremonies without a mate. You don’t know how happy I am that he has finally found one.”
“But…” Naomi glanced from her to Asher and back at her, “it’s not yet decided that I am his mate.”
“Oh,” Aliyah rolled her eyes, “we all know you are, the blood moon night is just a formality between you two. His father had accidentally marked me while trying to kill me. Oh, how we hated each other,” she chuckled and one can see from her eyes that she was reminiscing, “I can remember how I used to think of how to kill him and all that and him? He never goes a complete sentence without telling me how much he wanted to kill me and feed my body to the crocodiles.”
Naomi didn’t know when she said, “Jesus.”
“Oh he never would have done it,” Aliyah laughed, “it’s just how bragging he can be. He can never really hurt me. He tells me how much he hates me every time and how he would derive joy in killing me but if I happen to be in a problem, he will always come running and brutally killing whatever that was harming me,” she smiled. “The mating mark already got to him without him knowing and when the blood moon night came, it only proved what we already know but was denying. I don’t see any difference from yours, apart from the fact that Asher doesn’t hate you and neither does he threaten to feed you to the crocodiles.”
Naomi said nothing but she shuddered at the very thought.
“Did you have to tell everyone that?” they heard his voice before they saw him. “You know I was just being stupid,” Edward said, pulling Aliyah in his arms. “Who would ever dare hurt you?”
“But you wanted to but ended up marking me,” Aliyah teased.
“I was very stupid then. And in my defense, I actually just finished saving you from your punishment, wasn’t it?”
“You actually saved me,” she smiled and he kissed her.
“Urgh, let’s go,” Asher said, grabbing Naomi’s hand to leave the kitchen and she chuckled seeing that. She never knew that a man as formidable and scary like the king can be so loving to his queen.
“I hope to see you in my party, Naomi? And Asher, I have a surprise for you,” Aliyah called behind them.
“Yes, Queen Aliyah,” Naomi smiled, turning back to look at her.
“What surprise?” Asher paused with a frown.
“You will see,” Aliyah grinned.
“But I want to know now.”
Aliyah only chuckled and Edward teleported out of the room with her.
Asher stared at where they once were and couldn’t get his mind out of the surprise, at the end, he could only shrug and leave the kitchen, waiting for the party and whatever the surprise would be.

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