Mikki Auclair was standing in front of her brother's office, the Royal King, trying to hear what was going on inside. She had just come back from her piano lesson, and her best friend Aleta told her that a very handsome man had walked into the palace and headed straight to the Alpha's office, and since no one seemed to know who the man was, Mikki was curious.
Who could it be and why was he paying a visit to the King of Purnama City? Mikki was never really interested in the affairs of the Royal House, but every once in a while, an unexpected guest would tease her curiosity and she would bring Aleta into her plans with her, trying to solve or be involved in an inexistent situation.
Since her father, the Alpha of the Royal House, died, her older brother Ace inherited the position. Mikki and her brothers knew it would happen one day, of course, but they were not ready for it to be so soon. Not even Ace, who had been trained his whole life for it.
It caused a great impact on their pack, and even allied wolves from other packs were shocked with the King's premature death.
But Ace had been a great substitute ever since, and even though Mikki respected his position as the new Alpha and King, she also couldn't help but continue to treat him as her brother. And sometimes she was a bit reckless in terms of keeping boundaries.
So the first thing she thought was to find an excuse to enter his office and find out who the mysterious man could be.
“I'll take them some tea," she said, thinking out loud.
“What do you mean 'you' will do it? Don't you have servants to do it for you?" Aleta asked, surprised. She was one of the Princess' maids, but also Mikki's best friend.
“Come on, Aleta. We do, but I need to know who this man is. Everyone in the palace is whispering about him, right? So I can't keep the suspense and I'm pretty sure my brother won't tell me if I ask." Mikki grabbed the doorknob and left her room, ignoring Aleta's constant warnings.
Without thinking too much, she grabbed the tray from one of the servants on her way up and barged in, unannounced. She had asked the guard in front of the door not to say anything, so she walked past him as he opened the door for her.
Once inside, the first thing that crossed her mind was that she should turn around and walk away. It had been a mistake. She shouldn't be there and she could tell it from the look on her brother's face. He wasn't mad, which was why she was so surprised. He looked at her as if he was shocked but also sorry.
And then she turned to face the man in front of him and her heart skipped a beat. To say that he was handsome was an understatement. She had never seen someone as beautiful as him in her entire life, and her brothers were the gemstones of their pack.
He looked pretty clean and ready for the occasion, of course, everyone still kept the traditions and etiquettes when it came to royalty. He was wearing a very beautiful and fancy suit, his hair combed perfectly, but Mikki could tell he didn't dress like that on a daily basis.
His brown hair was slightly long, enough to cover his eyebrows if he let it loose. His tanned skin made Mikki wonder where in the world he lived. She had such a fair skin, results from not being able to be outside as much as she would like to. However, it was his deep blue eyes that made Mikki forget what she was doing there in the first place.
Who was this man? He couldn't be from the Royal House pack, she thought. She would remember seeing him around. No, he had a different aura, something that made her stare without even wanting to. It was like an invisible rope was pulling her towards him. And the way his eyes were questioning her without words made her legs tremble.
“Mikki, what are you doing here?" Ace asked, dropping the pen he was holding on top of the table in front of him. The King's posture was back, leaving behind the trace of surprise he had on his face by her sudden presence.
“I-I thought I should bring you and your guest some tea," she pulled herself together, taking a few steps forward, trying to ignore the force coming from the man on the other side.
“I asked one of the servants to do it, you didn't need to—" Ace argued, but stopped himself almost immediately. “Anyway, I guess it is a good thing you're here after all," he confessed. “We can go through this sooner and just rip the bandage off."
“Are you sure, Ace?" The man spoke for the first time, and Mikki was stunned by his voice. He sounded so masculine and authoritarian, but also worried and thoughtful at the same time. It confused her somehow.
“Yeah, I mean, she needs to know eventually, right?" Ace tried to sound playful, but he was looking at Mikki with that sorrowful expression again.
“I can wait outside if you want," the man continued. “Maybe she'd like to be alone with you to hear it," he suggested.
“What's going on?" Mikki questioned, looking from one to another, starting to feel uneasy. They were talking like she wasn't there, and it pissed her off.
“Take a seat, Mikki. This might take a while," Ace said, pointing at the chair in front of him.
Mikki pondered if she should do as she was told, but now it was too late to back down. She left the tray on another table and walked towards the chair. Ace sat back on his own and the mysterious man also took a seat by her side, which made Mikki a bit nervous. More than she already was.
His scent was inebriating, she couldn't ignore it. Her wolf senses were all over the place, but she had to calm herself to hear whatever her brother had to say. She couldn't let her primitive side take the best of her in a moment like this, because whatever it was he had to share with her, it sounded very important.
“I'll explain everything to you, but you need to promise me you'll listen first," Ace started, examining her face.
Mikki looked up, her mind coming up with all sorts of possible scenarios. But in the end, she had no idea of what it could be. She was never involved in the Royal House affairs, so there was only so much she could even speculate.