Page 5

I wake to the shaking of the car. We are still on the road in...what looks like the middle of nowhere. Damn, how far is the castle? Almost as if reading my thoughts, Ryder speaks up. "We'll be there in about an hour."

It's dark outside and we fly past the forest. The quiet hum of the car calms me, but the palpable and awkward tension in the car makes me extremely uncomfortable. That being said, I pull out my phone and headphones and quickly plug them into my ears.

I scroll through my music until I see Golden by Ruth B. I press play and the melody immediately fills my ears. I lean back in the seat and stare out the window at my dark surroundings. I get lost in a trance and absentmindedly start softly singing along to the song.

I hum along to the other songs that come on until they eventually lull me to sleep.

---

There's a light shaking on my shoulder and I feel my earbuds being taken out of my ears. "Jade, we're here." I groan and shut my eyes tighter. I hear a deep chuckle and feel myself being lifted from the seat.

Sparks explode all through my body and I snuggle into the chest, feeling safe in the arms. My wolf sighs in contentment and purrs softly in my head. My eyes get heavier and I fall asleep to the rhythm of the person walking.

---

The next time I wake, I am engulfed in warm fabric. I sigh and roll over, snuggling deeper into the softest bed ever. My serenity completely fades as something around my waist pulls me into something hard.

My head snaps up immediately and I see Ryder lying beside me. His arm is wrapped around my waist and I'm pulled close to his side.

Everything hits me...I'm not home. I'm at the Castle. Ryder Mathews is my mate. My mate is the Alpha King. I stare at Ryder as he sleeps, thinking of how just yesterday I was home and not on a whole other path.

He looks younger when he sleeps. I know he's only 24, but he acts and looks so much older when he's awake.

His lips are parted into a pout and his silky black hair sweeps into his eyes.

His jaw isn't clenched together and his eyes aren't hardened.

He looks his age, not like the cruel Alpha King he is said to be.

For a reason not completely known to me, I lift my hand and gently sweep the hair from his eyes.

Sparks shoot through my fingers and down my arm, making me gasp softly and pull my fingers away.

Ryder stirs, pulling me closer to him, and burying his face into my neck.

He relaxes when he realizes I'm in his arms and his breathing evens out again.

I sigh softly and let him hold me. I breathe in his scent and it calms my nerves. How can he make me feel like this? I know I should hate him - I have hated the Royals all this time - but now that I've met him...I don't feel as I expected to.

I hear Jasmine chuckle in my mind. 'He's our mate, Jade. It's basically impossible to hate your fated mate,' she says.

Frowning, I slowly sit up and pull myself from his iron grip on my waist. Ryder grumbles lowly in his sleep, so I quickly put the pillow I had used in my place.

A breath I didn't know I was holding rushes out of me when he relaxes back into the mattress.

I scoot out of the extremely large bed. Seriously, this thing is like a mile long.

It's going to take me 20 minutes to find the exit.

Once free from the tangle of sheets and pillows, I place my feet on the cool, hardwood floors.

I walk quietly through the, also large, room.

The walls are off-white and the floor is a beautiful dark wood.

There are three doors, so I take a chance and open one.

It is a huge bathroom. It's literally the size of my room at home, if not bigger.

Sadness pangs in my chest when I think of home.

I wonder if Jason has thrown my going away party yet.

I smile at my little joke as I close the door back.

I turn and open the other door and it's an enormous walk-in closet. I see half of the clothes are male, I'm hopefully assuming Ryder's. Surprisingly, the other half is filled with women's clothing. I grab a beautiful silver dress and look at the tag. It's my size and...$469?!

I see the clothes I packed mixed in with these new and expensive clothes. How in the hell...? I shake my head and run my fingers through my hair. I grab a loose gray crop top and some black skinny jeans that I brought from home - simple enough.

I go back to the bathroom and lock the door behind me. I turn on the water and strip myself of my clothes from yesterday. I see that there are two sinks in here and that one has some of my belongings around it. Looks like someone unpacked all my belongings...thoughtful, but creepy.

I shake my head and step inside the shower. The water runs down my body and through my hair, I sigh in contentment. A shower is a temporary place where I am alone. Just for a moment, there's nothing and no one to worry about except me.

I stay in there for a good 20 minutes, washing and conditioning my hair, and scrubbing my body.

I get out and dry myself off. Once dry, I quickly pull my clothes on and let my hair air dry while I do my makeup.

I put on black eyeliner, mascara, and some gray eyeshadow.

I run a brush through my hair and pull it up into a high ponytail.

I slip on some jewelry, already including the ring my parents gave me - it's the only jewelry I don't take off unless I have to.

When I'm finished, I nod at myself and walk back out to the bedroom.

My eyes instantly go to the bed where Ryder is still sleeping. I scan the room for my phone and see it sitting on a wooden desk in the corner. I grab it and look at the time, 4:58 AM. Shit, it's earlier than I thought.

Since the Castle seems pretty quiet and I don't want to have to deal with the Ryder situation anytime soon, I decide to go exploring.

I'm sure he won't mind since this is my new home and all.

I silently pull on my Vans and sneak out the bedroom door, shutting it gently behind me.

I mentally praise myself for being so quiet.

I pause in the hall, now very aware of the real quiet outside the door.

I hear absolutely nothing but my own heart and breathing.

With only very dimmed chandeliers to light my path, the atmosphere is entirely eerie.

I cautiously make my way down the long hallway until I see two large, open wooden doors with a staircase leading down just beyond them.

I step through the doors and see an elevator to my left.

I think about using it, but a second thought warns me against it in fear of how loud it might be.

I turn back toward the stairs.Well, I guess we're going down.

I quietly tiptoe down the stairs, recoiling slightly when some stairs squeak under my weight.

I cringe hard at a particularly loud squeak.

Hopefully, I won't wake anyone up.

After what feels like twenty floors, I get to the bottom and look around.

The first things of note I see are these closed grand doors that stretch almost the height of the wall, which are being heavily guarded by the Royal Patrol.

I'm almost relieved to see another living thing.

However, the guards say nothing as I walk past them.

Besides them, I notice the walls are a cream color and the floors are a beautiful light-colored wood that sparkles under the many chandeliers that hang from the extremely decorative ceiling.

With a golden border lining the walls, the palace looks elegant yet homey at the same time.

This is the most amazing foyer I have ever been in.

I continue walking down the hall away from the main doors past many, many smaller doors.

I wonder what's behind each door. They should really label these.

"Luna?" a soft voice calls out from seemingly nowhere. I jump and whip my head behind me, seeing a young girl standing there in a white skirt and a royal blue button-up, her brown hair up in a neat bun.

"I apologize if I scared you, Luna," she quickly offers with a hint of fear in her voice.

I frown. "Luna?" I ask her.

She looks down, skillfully avoiding my eyes. "My apologies. Are you not Alpha Mathews' mate?" she asks nervously.

I guess that does make me the Luna. "Yes, but please call me Jade," I tell her kindly, trying to not frighten her more than she already seems to be.

She nods. "Yes, Lu-Jade," she corrects herself.

"What's your name?" I ask her. She has to be no older than 14.

"Brooke. Brooke James," she says and finally looks up at me.

"Well, Brooke, what does one do around here?" I ask with a smile.

Brooke shrugs. "I'm not really sure. I'm a maid and uh- an orphan. I asked for this job as something to do with my time - other than school of course. I'm usually running around taking orders, doing laundry, or cooking," she explains to me.

I frown again. "Do you have any fun?" I ask while crossing my arms over my chest.

Brooke shrugs again with a small smile. "This kind of stuff is fun for me."

I return her smile and try to think of a new topic. "Do you live in the Castle?" I ask. She nods her head. "Do you mind if I see?" I ask her. I sound like a complete weirdo.

"No, not at all. Follow me," she readily agrees and leads the way.

We go to the elevator and I see there are ten floors above ground and three more underground. She presses the first-floor sub-level. "So what's in the sub-levels?" I ask.

She looks at me and then at the buttons.

"Um, the first floor has the rooms for the help.

I actually used to live in the orphanage, but when I got this job, I moved down here.

They usually don't allow people my age to live in the dorms, but I was an exception given my situation.

The second sub-floor is storage. The third is a safe room which has tons of ways to get to it.

There are secret passages all over the castle, so no matter where you are, you can get there," she informs me and I nod.

We reach the first sub-level and I follow her down a hall with rooms on both sides - it looks like a hotel down here - no, a motel considering how close the rooms were. Brooke stops in front of one door and pulls out a key. She unlocks the door and steps inside.

To say I'm shocked is an understatement.

Ryder's bathroom is almost three times bigger than this room.

A twin bed is pushed up in a corner with a small nightstand beside it, only a lamp and a picture frame sitting on it.

A small closet is across from the bed and there's a little dresser on the other side of the room.

I walk into the cramped bathroom. It has the necessities, but everything is so close together you can barely move around.

I walk back to Brooke. "Are all of the rooms like this?" I ask.

"Pretty much. These are the single-person rooms. There are a few bigger rooms for couples. Mostly, everyone has their own room down here," she says.

I run my fingers along the framed photo on her nightstand. It looks like a younger Brooke with a young couple - most likely her parents. "Why do you guys live down here and not upstairs?"

"Mainly, there's a lot of overcrowding. A lot of wolves in the pack move to the Castle when they get older and later on they usually move to somewhere else on the territory.

Some leave earlier, like those who are more independent or want to start their own families away from the hustle and bustle of the Castle.

Others stay for their whole lives. Since we're here all the time anyway and usually not in our rooms, they built smaller rooms for the help on this floor. "

I shake my head but don't voice the thoughts going through my head. "Thank you for showing me this, Brooke. Sorry if it was an invasion of privacy," I say sheepishly.

A small smile graces her face. "It's fine, Jade," she assures me. I nod and we walk out of her room and back to the elevator.

On the way to the first floor and to the kitchen, I learn more about Brooke.

She's 13, an only child, her parents died when she was 9, and she hasn't shifted or found her mate.

Not that she should because those are supposed to happen when you're 16 and 18.

We make small talk all morning and, to much of her disagreement, I help her with her duties.

After a few hours, I begin to notice an influx of people walking about. Around 7:30 AM, a booming voice echoes through the Castle. "Jade!" I roll my eyes. Really dude? Do you have to yell? It's not like I'm hiding or something. People are still sleeping - how rude.

I ignore his call and continue talking to Brooke and some of her friends as we set the tables for the breakfast buffet.

I find it comforting since I used to help do the same thing in my pack.

The smell of coffee floats from the kitchen down the hall and makes me feel homey - funny considering how far from home I really am.

"Shouldn't you go to him?" Heather, one of Brooke's friends, asks in a hushed tone.

I smirk and shake my head. "What's the fun in that?" I say in a teasing tone and the girls giggle.

Suddenly, the girls stop laughing and look over my shoulder.

They instantly bow their heads and keep them there.

Heather and Grace quickly flee while Brooke stays with her head bowed.

I turn to see my mate looking rather irked.

I scowl at him. "Ryder, you're scaring them," I scold and turn to Brooke.

"You can look up, honey." When she doesn't, I put my hand under her chin, gently tilt it up, and give her a warm smile.

"Why don't you head to the kitchen and see if the ladies need help with breakfast?" I suggest to her. I don't know why but I feel very protective of this little girl, as does my wolf. She nods, glances behind me once more, then scurries off toward the kitchen.

My eyes follow her until she's out of sight then I turn my glare to Ryder.

He's leaning against the wall in a navy blue button-up, dark brown slacks, and dark brown shoes.

He looks like he just walked out of an Armani catalog.

"Why must you scare them? They've done nothing wrong," I tell him with crossed arms.

Ryder narrows his eyes. "Where have you been? Your scent is faint in the room," he questions. Obsessive much?

I shake my head. He's acting like my exploring the Castle is a total conspiracy.

"I woke up early, not that it really matters.

I didn't want to wait for you to wake up and spend hours being bored out of my mind, so I started exploring," I explain honestly.

Ryder growls quietly and goes to say something but I continue before he can.

"Also, is there any way I can see the blueprints of the Castle, mainly the sub-levels? Oh, and the Castle lands as well?" I ask. Ryder is quick to narrow his eyes.

"Why?"

I smile cheekily. "That's for me and for you to find out...eventually. It's nothing bad, promise."

Ryder raises his eyebrows. "What makes you think I'll give a complete stranger access to blueprints that show the entire layout of the werewolf kingdom's castle?" he asks, crossing his arms.

Alright, fair point. Time to switch tactics.

A small smirk raises my lips. "Well...I wouldn't say we're complete strangers.

" I walk around a table and make my way closer to Ryder who stands poised in the doorway.

"Ya know, with us being mates and all," I admit as I look up at him through my eyelashes, the distance between us being much shorter.

Ryder just stares into my eyes, his own moving between mine rapidly, as though he's searching for an answer to a question in his mind. "Tell me why you want them," he says.

I laugh and shake my head. "I already told you, Mathews. That's only for me to know until I'm ready to share. Plus, I'd like to see if my idea works first. Think of it as me getting started with my Luna duties."

Now Ryder courts his own smirk and shrugs, uncrossing his arms. "Then you won't get what you want."

I smile and lick my lips, taking slow steps toward him until there's no longer any distance between us.

I lean up to his ear and whisper, "Then neither will you.

" I slowly lean back down, making sure my chest rubs against his.

Ryder clenches his jaw but doesn't let his eyes waver from mine.

I wink at him before walking away while purposefully swaying my hips.

My heart is racing, but I have no idea for which reason.

Ryder speaks, making me pause in my steps. "You would do well to remember that you may be my mate, but you are not my Luna, not yet." Was that supposed to be intimidating? Though my thoughts are ready to throw down, a sharp pain runs through my chest at his words.

I laugh and scoff, turning to face him. I look my supposed mate up and down.

I'd be a liar to say he wasn't the most attractive man I'd ever seen, but I'll be damned if I let anyone walk over me.

Especially someone who forced me to be here in the first place.

I smirk as the familiar feeling of unrest and annoyance slithers over my skin.

I stare into Ryder's now hardened eyes. "You would do well to remember that as well, Your Highness," I warn as I do an exaggerated bow, mocking my actions from when I ran into him outside my bedroom door a couple of days ago.

Without waiting for a reply, I spin back around on my heel and walk away before my anger levels boil past sarcastic comments.

I make my way back to the kitchen and find Brooke whisking a ginormous bowl of eggs. I smile and walk up to her. "Hey, Brooke. Wanna help me with something?" I ask her. She looks at me and nods with a smile. "Okay, so do you happen to know where the King's office is?" I ask and she smiles bigger.

"It's on the seventh floor. Take a right when you get off the elevator and his office door is at the end of the hall, straight ahead," she explains with a sneaky smile.

I smirk and start walking away, tossing a thank you over my shoulder.

I leave the kitchen and follow her directions, but not before I mask my scent.

When I get near his office, I sniff. He doesn't seem to be on the floor. Although, he could be hiding his scent like I am. I wonder if he can even do that, or maybe he has other powers? I should really get around to asking about that.

I bite my lip as I place my hand on the doorknob and apply pressure.

Yes! I almost cheer when the door opens with no resistance.

Wow, this dude really needs to update his security.

Like anyone could walk into his office with all this highly sensitive information that is ripe to be stolen.

..Oh yeah, I am someone who walked in to steal highly sensitive information.

Well, steal is a strong word. I'm just going to call it borrowing temporarily.

I go to his desk and sit down on the chair. I look through some of the papers piled on his desk, but it's just normal pack work. I start going through the drawers and come up empty-handed. I close the drawers and lean back in the chair, looking around the room. Where would they be?

I spot three file cabinets on the opposite side of the room and immediately go over there. I pull at the cabinet but it won't budge. I remember seeing keys inside his desk, so I run over and snatch the keys before I try unlocking the file cabinets.

The third key I try works and I start shuffling through the papers.

Quite a few pieces of sensitive information about the Kingdom are in this first cabinet, as well are the blueprints I need.

I spot them and quickly pick them out. I go over to his printer and get a copy of every blueprint I'll possibly need.

Once I'm finished, I put back the originals and lock the cabinets. I put the keys back where they had been. I also straighten everything so that it looks how it was before I walked in. I push his chair back into place and pick up my copies.

I walk to the door and I look over the office - it was like I was never here. I smirk and leave the office, heading back to Ryder's room. I check that the room is empty and then hide the prints on my side of the closet.

I unmask my scent and immediately sniff for Ryder's.

I follow his scent until I reach a door down the hall.

I open it without knocking and see Ryder laying down and lifting weights.

I find myself pausing in the doorway, admiring the view of my mate's muscles rippling under the strain of the weights, although he seems to move effortlessly.

What was I doing before this? Oh, yeah.I hide my scent before he catches it and take careful steps closer.

Ryder still doesn't notice me standing near him, so I make the executive decision to straddle him just above his waist. Ryder's body instantly tenses under me, making his chest muscles flex wonderfully, and he places the weight back on the rack.

He props himself up on his elbows and eyes his way up my body until he reaches my face.

In all truthfulness, his stare makes my heart race and my body heat up.

However, I'll never let him know that. I smirk at him. "Hello," I greet.

He raises an eyebrow. "Hello," he drawls out, breathing a little heavier than normal.

"I would like an office," I tell him simply and straight-forward. If he's going to keep me hear, I'd at least like a place of my own.

He studies me for a moment and nods. "Alright. There's an office on the seventh floor. It is next to mine. You can have that one and decorate it as you'd like." I sit there like an idiot for a minute because I'm kind of shocked he actually listened to me.

I muster up a genuine, small smile."Thanks," I say and get off of him. I start walking away and as I'm closing the door, I hear him sigh. I shake my head, bigger things to think about right now.

I go to the room, grab the blueprint copies, then grab a few things I had brought with me from home.

Then, I head down to the office Ryder said I could have.

Once inside, I close the door and lock it.

I look around to see it's quite large and the back wall behind the desk is only a window.

The room is painted a very light grey and has a wooden floor with a white border lining the walls.

There's a wooden desk with a large white spinning chair behind it.

Two white, leather chairs sit in front of the desk, and on the far wall to the right is a white leather couch, the same for the left.

There are bookcase shelves built into the right and left walls which are filled with books on various subjects.

I place my speaker on one of the shelves and place the picture of my family on my desk. I sit in the chair, lay the copies on the desk, and pull out some paper and a pencil.

Time to get to work.