The King

Late Night Talk

I walked quickly back from my office to my living quarters. I had hoped to have dinner with Acelynn, but there had been an issue between two alphas that kept me working until late. I looked down at my watch. It was already 9 pm. My heart sank, her first day with me, and I had left her alone almost all of it. During our last conversation, she had opened up to me a little. I felt like that was a plus, even though I did not enjoy the story. Conditioned behaviors could be retrained, and I noted that I would have to attempt it. I opened the door and looked around. The lights were still on, but I did not see her anywhere downstairs. I noticed a plate of food on the table and walked over to it. Half of it appeared to be gone, and though I would have preferred all of it to be gone, something was better than nothing. I sat down to finish it and noticed a letter on the table. Scrolled across the front of it was the word, King. I laughed to myself. I was going to have to tell her she didn't have to call me that anymore.

I opened it and read over it. I was surprised that she had not only taken the time to do it but that she was taking responsibility for her actions. I sat it down on the table as I finished eating. I didn't want to get my hopes up too soon. One adult act didn't mean everything would be better now. In the end, she could just be telling me what I wanted to hear so that I let my guard down enough that she could get away again. I tried to push those thoughts out of my head. It wasn't easy, but I also knew that I had to give her a chance. I had to admit it was tempting to keep her locked up here for myself. I knew she would never be happy, and eventually, I was going to have to share her. I heard a ping sound behind me and turned to see her cellphone lying on the arm of a chair. The screen was still lit up as I walked over to it. While the message didn't pop up, the name Sam did appear, and I was instantly jealous. She had been talking to another guy this whole time. I knew she was playing me with the letter.

I stomped up the stairs with her phone in hand. I opened the bedroom door to find her sleeping a book on her chest. My anger got the best of me, and I slammed the door, causing her to jolt awake. She looked at me. Noticing my anger, she sat up, shrinking back into the headboard as she pulled the comforter up around her. I threw the phone down in the bed, "Who is Sam?" I snarled at her.

She looked confused at first, and then realization crossed her face. "Sam is my brother," she stated calmly.

"Don't lie to me!" I yelled. "Your brothers' names are Jacob and Elijah."

She looked hurt and quickly looked down at her lap. "I have another brother named Samual," she said in almost a whisper.

My face and my heart fell. I had let my emotions get the best of me, and now I had hurt her. She looked up at me, her eyes filled with tears, "Did you read my letter?" she asked. "I said I was going to try with you. Do you think I am a liar too?"

I walked towards her, kneeling beside her. I took her small hand in mine, and instantly it felt like sparks were running through me as I made contact with her. "I apologize, Acelynn. I let my emotions get the better of me. I should have asked you about it before jumping to conclusions."

She looked up at me finally. Her tears were gone, but she still looked sad. "It's ok." she stated, "You don't know me. I guess it is easy to jump to conclusions."

I got up and sat on the bed beside her. "I'm sorry for waking you up. Do you want to talk after I change, or do you want to go back to sleep?" I asked.

"Well, I think I'm going to be awake for a little bit now, so I guess we can talk," she said as she laid back against a pillow.

I went into the closet and quickly changed into a pair of silk pajama pants. When I came back out, I felt her eyes on me instantly. Her usual green eyes were black, and I knew she was trying to talk her wolf down. "Do you like what you see?" I asked.

She laughed, rolling her eyes. "Oh, come on, you know you are good-looking. You don't need me stroking your ego more."

I laughed as I walked over to the bed, climbing in laying on my side to face her. Her nightie wasn't leaving much to the imagination, and it was hard for even me to keep my wolf down. "So you have three brothers and a sister?" I asked, trying to distract myself.

"Yes, I do. All older, I am the youngest. Sam was away at some kind of training when you showed up," she stated, biting her lip nervously.

I reached up, brushing my thumb over her lips. "Why are you nervous, Dot?" I asked.

She looked down at the bed, suddenly interested in her hands. "You are intimidating, and I feel somewhat stupid when I talk to you," she said, blushing.

"Hey, you are not stupid, don't think that. You are intimidated because you only know me as the King. Eventually, you will see me as your mate, and it will get easier. By the way, you don't have to call me King. To you, I am just Alexander or whatever you decide to call me," I answered, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.

"Do you always work this late?" she asked.

"I try not to. Unfortunately, like tonight sometimes a dispute happens late, and I have to take care of it. I was trying to make it back to have dinner with you," I answered.

"You did miss a pretty good dinner," she said, smiling at me.

"I had your leftovers. It was pretty good," I smirked at her.

"I would have left you more if I knew you were going to eat them," she said.

I shook my head, "I would have rather you ate all of it. I know where the kitchen is. I can always get food if I need it."

Her eyes were growing heavy already. I knew if I could keep talking long enough, she'd fall back to sleep. "I'm an only child," I started. "My parents had a hard time conceiving me, and then after I was born, they wanted more pups, but it never happened for them. My moms' name is Michelle, and my dads' name is Conrad, but you probably already know that. They live here in the palace still and are looking forward to meeting you. I think my mother was afraid I would never find my mate. She'll be happy to have another female around to do things with."

Her eyes had closed, and her breathing had evened out partway through what I was saying. I watched her sleep for a few minutes before pulling the covers up around her more. Tomorrow was a new day—hopefully, a better one. I got comfortable in bed and fell asleep listening to her breathing.