Queen, Alpha, Mate

Diana POV So here I find myself, dangling upside down from a tree. I walked straight into that trap, didn't I? I try to mindlink my best friend Katie, but all I get back from her is giggles. Guess I know who set the trap.  "I could command you, you know?" I taunt her. "You would never, you mutt!" Katie teases back. Freeing my knife from my belt, I cut the rope that entangles my ankle and, of course, fall flat on my face. If only I had my wolf. Unfortunately, my inner beast hasn't shown herself yet. It's okay though, I know she's there, I can feel her and I hope she comes soon. Katie jumps out of the bushes, laughing her face off, her brown curls jumping around her freckled face and clear blue eyes.  "You should have seen yourself!" She howls, "Arms flailing and that surprised expression on your face". She nearly tips over, laughing. Meanwhile, I'm still spitting out leaves and dirt.  "I'll get you for this." I say, laughing. Katie jumps into her wolf form and sprints off, logging animals they hunted over her back, yelling across the mindlink "You'll have to catch me first!"  So, there I'm sitting, on my ass in a pile of leaves, the dirt I ate still covering my lips, watching her grey wolf dart off into the distance. I chuckle to myself and take a moment to look around. How did I miss that trap? Looking at it now, it's so obvious. Still, Katie did well with this trap. Having her hunt with me has really been paying off. The food on our tables has been so much better lately, without all the supermarket meats.  The forest near our pack's village is so lovely, especially right now, in October. I raise my royal behind off the dirty ground and make my way back to the palace. What will my father say when he sees me in this state? Ah well, maybe he won't see me at all. Him being both king of the Treefull territory and Alpha of the Ruby red pack, he's got his hands full. I just might be able to sneak past him. If he did see me though, I'd probably get a lecture about royal behaviour and how mine is not that. As I enter the village, I smell the hot buns that our baker, Thomas, has already put out in his displays. It smells delicious. I decide to take a little detour to grab one and a little bit of fruit (and perhaps also a smidge of chocolate) from the shop next door. Leisurely, I stroll on home, greeting people left and right, taking my time to check on the pack's children at the local school, visiting granny for a cup of tea and a chat in her cottage. She always loves that, my granny. Such a kind lady. She did make a little jump and then chuckled when she saw me, covered in dirt and told me to take a shower and put on some dry clothes before sitting down.  "You wouldn't want to piss off your dad first thing in the morning, would you?" She said before sending me off to her bathroom. I grab a dry shirt and some jeans from her wardrobe and go to take a shower. The hot water washing away the dirt feels nice, as does granny's shampoo. I need to remember to buy this sometime soon. It smells amazing, like lemons and lavender, with a hint of honey. I sigh as a content feeling washes over me. Today will be a good day, I feel it. After I finish showering, I put on the fresh, clean clothes and head back to the living room, where granny is already waiting for me with a cup of tea. She moved out of the castle a couple of years back. I get it. She's getting old and climbing stairs is not her forte anymore. I go to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek and sit down on the sofa. "How did you get so dirty?" Granny asks. "Katie has been getting exceptionally good at setting traps, gran. I happened to wander right into one." Granny puts her hand in front of her mouth. "That girl, what a rascal", she laughs. We sit in a comfortable silence for a while when she turns to me and asks "How's your wolf getting on? I can feel her presence getting stronger by the day. In fact, I think her presence is already stronger than that of some of the other full-grown wolfs here, yet she's still hiding. I'm sure we can expect great things of her and I can hardly wait to meet her."  At granny's words, I feel the tiniest tug at the back of my mind, barely noticeable, but there. My heart jumps with excitement. That's her first physical sign towards me.  "I think she liked hearing that, granny. I think she'd love to meet you too." I haven't gotten my wolf yet, although most wolves here get theirs around the age of 16. I'm not too worried though, I know my wolf exists and I've heard great things about wolfs arriving later. It's often because they are too powerful to co-exist in a 16-year old's body. When my wolf comes, I will take over my father's duties as alpha of the pack. My father will remain king until he's (hopefully) old and gray, but this should lighten the load.  Granny and I chat until our tea is gone after which I continue my walk back to the castle.