When I rose up from my curtsey I moved to stand beside Ajax. Ryan stood beside his queen, holding her hand. The tiny gesture of affection pulled up one of the corners of her mouth. It was amazing what the mate pull could do. Even just being near Ajax was enough to make me roll my shoulders back and stare at the crowd with confidence. i couldn't face this all alone, but I could follow his lead with ease.

While we stood together, facing our subjects, everyone bowed and curtseyed to us with such uniformity it was like it had been rehearsed.

In the moment they were distracted Ajax pressed his lips against my cheek. Then, he took the opportunity to whisper in my ear, "Is it wrong to get turned on just by the way you curtseyed to me. The idea of you being submissive to me is so hot. And that dress...fuck baby girl."

If we hadn't been in front of hundreds of people I would've punched him in the arm hard enough to make him apologize. Now was not the time or place for this and he knew that as well as I did. Instead, I just beamed, watching the crowd rise as one unit. Once everyone had risen the formality dropped.

"Thank you all for joining us on this occasion," Ryan boomed, his voice carrying through the room without any assistance. "We know that you are all curious to meet my son's mate, your future queen, but we have a few things we would like to say first. We are so glad that all of you made it here safely and we are so happy that our news has been received with such positivity. Most parents worry about their children dating bad influences. In our case we are the parents of the bad influence. We just hoped that when Ajax found his mate she would have the tenacity to slow him down and deal with his king complex. The moon goddess blessed all of us with Keiko!"

There was a roar of laughter and applause. Apparently Ajax had quite the reputation.

Queen Adeline stepped forward and the room fell silent again.

"Keiko has become a wonderful addition to the royal family. We are sure she will preform her duties with the diligence that is required of future queen. For now, please enjoy yourselves and hopefully you all get a chance to meet our lovely Keiko."

After that it was all about mingling and impressing people I had never met before. Ajax didn't seem to care. Once the king had his speech Ajax took my hand and pulled me through the crowd, making a blatant bee line for the people he found worthy.

"Come on," he encouraged, "I have some people I would like you to meet."

We intercepted Ivan, his father's best friend. Though I had met him already when we ventured onto his pack lands I hadn't met his mate. She was kind, with soft brown eyes and a slightly nervous smile. I couldn't remember much about Orion's rather rocky past but I do recall the fact that Ivan and his mate were never supposed to be alphas. At the very least they were nice and they allowed me to have a moderately normal conversation that wasn't about my new role.

Ajax and I floated through several couples and groups of people after that. He was more than enthusiastic when he introduced me to everyone and they all seemed kind enough from behind their masks. I would grin at all of them and whenever ajax offered me any kind of affection I received it as well as I could. this event was about making a good impression on the people I would eventually rule over, but it was also about clearing up rumors.

The royals had waited an uncharacteristically long time to wait to introduce me to the world. Of course there would be rumors about it. I had been seen around the royal ground with and without Ajax. I had been taken into cities and spent a fair amount of time with the king and queen but there had never been an announcement. And, according to everyone else I had a strange scent that labeled me as bad or unusual. It was natural for rumors to start. I was simply thankful I had never heard any of them because I doubted they were kind.

While Ajax carried the majority of the conversation I would smile politely and scan the room. Everything was just as I thought it would be. The flowers were even more beautiful in person and everybody had a small plate of food while champagne flutes were being distributed by waiters. All the decisions I had made flowed together seamlessly.

That meant that I was the only real liability left.

"Oh this is my good friend, Noah. He's Ivan's son," Ajax introduced, seeming more elated than ever. He was finally sharing his world with me and I was accepting it all as best as I could. But when I glanced up at Noah my grip on Ajax's arm tightened. "Noah is one of the best guards on the palace grounds. Every time we do hand to hand combat he kicks my ass. You never have to worry about being safe around this guy."

I said nothing, just extended my hand towards him. but I knew him. and I was well aware of the strength he possessed. In comparison to his skinny, sweet father he was daunting.

"We've met before," Noah pointed out, but shook my hand anyway. His hold was firm and I knew that if he squeezed he could crush my hand with little resistance.

"Oh?" Ajax glanced between both of us, one eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, when you shifted in front of her I was the one who had to drag her back to her room," Noah answered, a half smirk on his lips. "You're tiny but you can fight like hell."

"Christ, can't she?" Ajax laughed, pulling me towards him by my shoulders.

I just gave a queasy smile and leaned into him. I think that Noah had done the right thing at the time. The whole situation had been a massive shock to the system, one I couldn't handle rationally. I had fought him and he had kept his cool the entire time, not bothered by the tears of the way I had elbowed him in the gut.

But I remembered the way Ajax had shifted midair. I remember the noises that had filled the forest when he shifted. I remember the snarling and growling that had occurred just as I had been dragged away.

And now I could feel my nails elongating, digging into my palms. They were turning into claws. Right here, in front of all these people. Dear God, what I feared most was happening right now.

"What's wrong?" Ajax asked, like he could sense my distress. Or maybe it was just plain on my face.

"I'm a little dizzy," I lied. "I think I need some fresh air."

"I'll come with you," he offered, those green eyes searching my face.

"No, no, you stay here with the guests. We can't both leave at the same time. I'll just get a glass of water and sit down for a little bit. I'll be back before you know it," I soothed. He still looked nervous so I stretched up and kissed his cheek.

I had to say hello to a few people as I passed, but I got through the crowd in decent time. A guard opened a side door for me, allowing me to exit the ballroom as discretely as possible.

I headed straight for the front door, yanking it open as soon as it was within reach. The icy air hit my face and chilled my arms. I didn't care. I sucked it in, feeling it fill my lungs, embracing the moment of solitude. With each breath the feeling of the beast within me slipped further and further away. I could this. I just had to keep it together for today, in front of these people. Then, tomorrow when I was alone with Ajax again I would let my wolf out.

For now I just had to feel the lace on my skin, the bobby pins poking my head, and the mascara on my eyelashes. I was all human right now. And I had to be in control if I wanted these people to believe I was fit to be a queen.

The door clicked shut behind me. A plastered smile was on my face immediately. I didn't know how I was going to explain being out here to a guest or a guard, but I spun around anyway, facing it head on.

A woman wearing a gorgeous blue dress with a white mask curtseyed to me, keeping her head down. But when her gaze rose and I was able to see familiar eyes behind that mask. They were almond shaped and brown like my own.

I felt like I was hallucinating.

I almost wished I was.

"Hello, Keiko."

"Mom?"

                                                ~~~~~Distraction Section~~~~~

Oooh bomb dropped lol. At least you don't have to wait long for the next update. I've also decided to ask a question everyday to maybe take up another minute or two of your time and let you think about something other then the situation. Alright, today's question: What is your star sign? Do you feel like the description of your sign is accurate to you?

I'm a virgo and though I'm not big into star signs it's pretty accurate. I am a perfectionist, fairly unassuming, and don't care much for the spotlight. I hate it when things don't go my way and though I like to pretend I'm tough I'm actually a giant softy!

Tell me all about you in the comments if you need something to do!