12. The Princess & the Commoner

Chapter twelve

The Princess joy for finding my mate, and fear for the possibility of her rejecting me. She is an alpha's child and an alpha's heir and she emits so much power and strength. She is everything I am not, yet I hope she will give me a chance.

Please Goddess, don't let my worst nightmares come to life; don't let Coralie be right!

Aurelia raises her head now, recognition on her face as she looks at me, her blue eyes boring into mine.

"Oh, Arden. You and your team are still here and working?" Eric asks. He turns to Aurelia. "This is—"

"Arden," she says, pushing past Eric and approaching me. Before I can even react, she has reached out her hands, brushing one of them over my neck and the other over my back. Her eyes flash as her wolf comes forward. "Mine," she growls.

Wow, she is one possessive she-wolf, and she certainly is not one to beat around the bush! I like that. I wrap my arms around her, pressing her against my body. Any fear of rejection is gone, suddenly, when she grabs my face and pulls me into a kiss. The others around me cheer, and out of instinct, I swiftly switch off my hearing aid to only feel and sense her while moving my arms around her body. The noise around is dull now; instead, I can fully focus on the goddess in my arms.

When I feel her drawback slightly, I make sure to switch my hearing aid back on, instantly being met with loud cheering around me. Aurelia is holding my hand and looking at me with a smile. Soon, though, her friends rip her out of my grip and hug her.

"I can't believe it!" one of her friends, a dark-blonde girl, squeals.

A red-haired girl joins their hug while two of the guys congratulate her as well. The third guy, a dark-haired young man with a scar on his cheek, squeezes Aurelia's shoulder and smiles at her. Meanwhile, Eric pulls me into a hug. "I am so happy for you, Arden. You and my cousin; it's a magical fit! This is good. Really good."

"It really is," Valerie says, beaming at me and Aurelia. "Two of my favorite people are together now."

Eric lets go of me before turning to Aurelia. "If he tells you he isn't a genius, don't believe him," he says with his usual broad grin.

I just groan while Aurelia eyes me curiously. "So, are you going to show me around?"

"I'd love to," I agree.

"So," Gustave starts, "there is no team meeting anymore tonight?"

Leila laughs. "You really need to learn to read the room."

They tease Gustave a bit more, but I don't hear it. I'm too focused on Aurelia, her warm hand in mine, and the tingles shooting through my body. Nothing I felt before compares to the intensity of the mate bond.

"You are not one for talking much, are you?" Aurelia asks me while we aimlessly walk through the huge building of the Council. It's like a majestic castle inhabiting a whole pack with several floors and wings.

"I don't," I admit.

"It doesn't matter," she says. "I like the silence, too, sometimes," she pauses. "So, you are a genius?"

I groan. Thank you, Eric! "It's really not like that," I say. "I just have a photographic memory."

"Really." She smiles at me. "Because Val and Eric talked about you a lot whenever we've met or talked. That's how I know you a little bit." She tilts her head in my direction, flashing me a smile. "What about you? Were you curious about me?"

"I—I honestly thought you would be a typical princess," I mutter, feeling like the dumbest idiot ever. Maybe I should have lied and told her I asked Eric about her?

To my surprise, she grins. "You mean like with a gown and a crown?"

When I nod, she laughs. "I hope you are not disappointed?"

"Not at all," I say with emphasis.

Usually, I have problems with new voices. They strain my ears and my nerves. Today has been difficult for me for that reason alone, but her voice is soft and velvety to my ears.

"Arden." Aurelia stops to look at me. "My lycan wants to talk to you."

I look at her curiously, wondering what this is about. "Sure."

Aurelia's eyes flash black, and her demeanor changes slightly. She looks confident all of a sudden and a bit more majestic… not that she wasn't before. "Hello, Arden," she states with a smooth timbre.

"Hello…" I pause. "I apologize, I—"

"Maxima," she says before stepping closer and burying her nose in my hair. Aurelia is as tall as I am, maybe even a bit taller. "You want us, Arden, don‘t you? Your lycan wants us?"

I can feel Cato's shock at her implication that we wouldn't want them.

"Of course," I say with emphasis.

"Then, why does your lycan not respond to me?" she asks, brushing through my hair.

"Oh," I say. Did you not interact with her at all, Cato?

I didn't want to scare her off, he admits.

"Maxima," I take her hand, squeezing it slightly. "I need to tell you something. Will you listen?"

She eyes me curiously. "Of course."

"When I was a child, I was in an accident and lost major parts of my hearing. I'm wearing a hearing aid."

Maxima nods. "Aurelia noticed but didn't want to sound imposing."

I'm relieved she already saw it and didn't feel turned off. I was so engrossed in our meeting that I completely forgot about my handicap. "Unfortunately, once I received my lycan, he wasn't able to heal the old injury."

She tilts her head. "So, he can't hear well?"

"No, but all his other senses work very well," I reassure her.

"I'm not worried about his abilities," she says in a matter-of-fact tone. She might be even more direct than Aurelia. It's kind of intriguing. Both of them seem to be so strong and secure. "He looks very strong."

At her words, Cato seems to grow slightly.

"He usually doesn't talk," I explain.

"Hm," she hums. "How does he communicate with you?"

Why don't you show her? I tell Cato.

He agrees and links her, projecting an image of the both of them running through the forest together.

"Oh." Maxima's eyes widen and she smirks. "How unexpected, and how very exciting." She takes my face between her hands and kisses me. "You are Arden. And what's his name?"

"Cato."

"Thank you," she says before she retreats.

"Well." Aurelia chuckles. "Congratulations, you met Maxima."

"She is one interesting lycan," I exclaim.

"You are one to talk," she says.

"It's a bit awkward for you, isn't it?" I ask quietly, gesturing towards my ear. "I mean… this."

"Nah, it's just something we are not used to," she says. "Maxima and I will learn to connect and communicate with Cato."

"And it doesn't turn you off?" I ask. "That I can't hear well?"

"Not at all," she says.

"But I can't protect you that way, not as much as I'd want to."

Aurelia laughs. "How very cute," she says, "and very unnecessary."

I remember what Leila said about her becoming the alpha of one of the biggest packs and get a bit flustered. I try to dispel it with a lame joke. "See? I'm just book smart."

She grins. "That's what you have me for now. I can fill the gaps."

Cato projects an image to my mind about Aurelia having her legs wrapped around us while very naked. I'm sure she meant a different type of gap, I mutter. Though, I can't deny it's very intriguing.

"Are you staying here?" she asks me.

"I wish I could," I admit. "My main work is here at the Council. But I need to return to my pack at least a few nights a week."

"I can pick you up tomorrow," she offers. "Then, we could grab some breakfast and come here. We have work to do, don't we?"

"Eric told me to make sure you get something out of your vacation."

"My dad wants me to take a break, too, but the disappearances are more important than my vacation," she says before she winks at me. "However, I think I'll be able to have some fun now, too."

*AURELIA*

I've not imagined my mate, not dreamed of any man, but now that I met Arden, he feels like everything I've ever wanted. He is a bit stiff and awkward but also direct and straightforward. Another guy might have lied to me or sugarcoated some things, but he just told me everything I wanted to know and answered directly. The reluctant way of how he talked about his pack struck me instantly, but I didn't want to push too much. He will tell me when he is ready.

I instantly feel drawn to his presence and to the way he talks and articulates himself. I love spending time with my friends and going out, but in private, I enjoy the silence occasionally. The only issue between us is the fact that we are both heirs to an alpha position.

Well, we'll find a solution!

Arden accompanies me to my guest suite like a real gentleman, gazing at me for a moment. He seems to be a bit anxious about what to do, then he just pulls me into a kiss. This has never happened before. I did date other guys in high school, but I always made sure to do it off pack grounds. Never did one of them accompany me home and kiss me in front of my door.

Oh yes, Maxima and I like him!

I'm inclined to invite him in, but I don't think he is the type of person who wants to go that fast. One step after another.

When we draw apart, he takes my face between his hands. "So, this means I can see you tomorrow?"

"Yes, I know we have a lot of work, but the offer is still up: I could pick you up from your pack, and then we can grab breakfast on the way."

"I don't want you to go through too much hassle."

"I'm used to getting up early," I reassure him. "And, I'm actually happy to see more of Paris. Or the suburban area around the Council."

"Then, it's a date," he says, pecking my lips once more.

I watch him leave before finally entering my room. My first move is to my luggage and my phone. Everyone always says I'm a daddy's girl, and maybe I am. My father and I are really similar, and he used to call me his mini-me, but Mom and I share a special bond. I'm her only daughter, so it's only natural we bonded.

And some things you just don't want to talk with your dad about!

We are a few hours ahead here in Paris, so at least I won't wake anyone up. As usual, Mom doesn't pick up her phone. I don't think she even knows she owns one, so I call her gamma instead, who instantly goes to look for her. It takes a while for my mother to be found, which isn't too surprising, either.

I hear a rustling sound and Gamma Aurel telling her that it's me.

"Mom?" I ask.

"Aurelia." She giggles. "Sweetheart, I didn't expect you to call so soon, again. I was busy with your cat."

"Titan?" I blink.

"Yes, something about him feels weird," she mutters.

My alarm bells start ringing. "What do you mean?"

But Mom wouldn't be Mom if she explained her weird sixth sense further. "Oh, nothing. So, you called! Is everything alright? Something happened, didn't it?"

"Mom, are you sitting? I need to tell you something!"

"Now I know something happened," she says, sounding curious.

"I found my mate," I blurt out. "It's one of Eric's assistants, the one he always talks about."

Mom lets out a squeal, making me pull my phone away.

"Goddess, I can't believe it! How exciting! The boy's name is Arden, right?"

"Yes," I say. "I met him when we arrived at the Council."

"How is he?"

"So far, he is nice, rather quiet but not shy, a bit awkward but honest!"

"Oh, I like an honest guy," Mom reassures me. "Before your dad turned into this smooth sexbomb he was rather quiet, too. And now, he is such a sexy heartthrob!"

Well, thank you for that unnecessary detail about my father I never wanted to know.

"There is still so much I don't know, but I think I already like him."

"You have time to get to know him," Mom reassures me. "No need to stress over it. The mate bond is just the first push. Everything else is on you. He is the young man Eric refers to as a genius, isn't he?"

"Yes, he is said to be very intelligent," I say. "But he doesn't show off at all."

"That's definitely on the plus side of the list," Mom says.

"Another plus is that he doesn't mind me being an alpha," I say. "He didn't seem intimidated at all. Oh, and his honesty, he told Maxima and me about his hearing impairment."

"I remember Eric mentioning something," Mom says. "How did it happen?"

"I didn't ask yet," I say. "I didn't want to sound curious."

Mom giggles. "You certainly don't have that from me. So, what's on the negative side of the list?"

"He is an alpha's son and heir, too," I admit. "This will probably be a bit difficult for us to solve."

"Hmm," Mom hums. "Sure, a warrior or beta would have made this easier for you."

"But I know from Eric that he prefers the work in the Council, anyway," I muse. "And I haven't talked to him about anything, yet."

"I am sure you will find a way," she says. "Just get to know him and enjoy your time. You'll find a solution for everything."