She drove for a really long time, perhaps it was more than four to five hours ago since she left her home. And, even though she absolutely hated to drive herself for such a long time, she had no choice but too. Especially, considering that no one should know of the person she was meeting. A person she hated to see, but was the only one who could help her now.

She was already steadily losing all her patience on the way to this dark gloomy place, then she lost even more as she went through all the checkups. But now, waiting in front of the massive mahogany doors, her mood had shifted entirely.

Her palms started to sweat nervously and kept getting colder no matter how much she held them together, trying to warm them up. This chilling icy place seemed to freeze her down to her very core, but she could not tell you if her slight tremble was because of the cold numbing atmosphere or of the coldness of the voice that summoned her inside held.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?" The cold hoarse voice impassibly spoke.

Kneeled before him, she had still not dared to raise her head up to look at him. Regardless of how beautiful and ethereal his appearance was, beneath that beautiful sculpted face adorned with grey eyes and platinum blond hair, a monster hid.

"I-I need your help!" She stutteringly said, half regretting the choice she made in coming here.

"Hmmm... help? Ohh... but have I not helped you already?" The cold man stated. He was calm, but it did not soothe her at all. All who knew him, could tell his calmness was only a façade, the calm before the storm.

"Now was the time you were supposed to help me, wasn't it so? So then why have you come to me for help? Have you accomplished your end of the bargain, so that you could dare have another wish? Or because it has been decades already... have you forgotten about the initial arrangement?!" He continued without waiting for her to answer the first question.

His questions made her kneel even more in submission, even though this person was not her king and could not demand from her to do so, even though they were not even of the same race. Scared of his pressing aura, she had no choice but to bend even more.

"I-I have tried to help as much as I could, I have informed you when his highness was not in the palace last time, and even when they were getting closer to finding something about you in the past. Even now, I also come with the information that Salas has successfully interrogated the men he captured when they entered the forest to kidnap the students.

Please believe me, it is not my intention to fool you.

It took time for me to prepare myself to the level that the Council would consider me as a potential queen, because without their backing he would not spare another glance to me, just like he had done in the past to many others. Not to mention, with me coming closer to him on my own will, I would have instantly been dismissed.

And now, just as everything was falling in its rightful place there is another disturbance that keeps interfering, one who must be eliminated at any costs. Without it out of the way, things would surely go in my favor!" She expressed desperately.

"You want to use me again? Did we not agree last time that you will handle the rest on your own?" The man asked her while he began to tap his fingers.

She realized that he was getting impatient with her, each time this man tapped his fingers, in the next few moment someone's head would fly off. And, now she was the only one in the room.

"Y-yes, but I have no other way. My grandfather had barely included me in the list of potential candidates, and the head council member had also supported me from all the others, but just as I thought my actions would bear fruit, the king... he has changed. And not only him, even the head council member changed too." The woman trembling said.

It had all run smoothly, all her preparations were complete, all for the day when she would stand above all. If it weren't for that little...

"Excuses, nothing but excuses! When you asked me to get rid of your mate, you were very confident in your abilities, Yvonne... You assured me you would be the queen. Now you blame your failure on others? Where has your confidence disappeared to? I wonder." The man asked her smiling a bit, a smile that did not reach his eyes.

"I was confident, I still am, but if it wasn't for th..." Yvonne quickly countered, with an aggrieved voice, littered with arrogance. Arrogance she regretted immediate.

She knew from the past just how much this man cared about etiquette, just how important it was to him for everyone who came, whether it was his subject or not, to kneel and deeply bow. Just that... her injustice got the better of her.

Now as a consequence, she could barely breathe through the constricted neck that kept on getting more and more suffocated, as he tightened his hold on it. Luckily, she still had her feet just barely touching the ground supporting her body, or the current situation would resemble with a noose tightened above her neck, killing her almost immediately,

It terrified her, as the man seemed determined to kill her, without waiting any longer. He kept increasing the choke further.

"L-lover..." was the only word she managed to utter with great difficulty, hoping that the curiosity to know more would prologue her life.

"Lover?" Asked the man, loosening only a bit the choke, to barely allow her to explain more. An explanation that could cost her the life she was seconds away from losing, would it not be satisfactory.

"Y-yes. I think... Salas's... change is due... to a lover, someone... even the Council acknowledges." She managed to say slowly through ragged breathes of air.

"Ohh, is it his mate?" The man asked her seemingly indifferent, loosening even more his hold. But she was still not assured the danger had past, as his eyes seemed to burn in anger. Was it still because of her or was it because of the information she shared?

"I don't think so, because if it was this... then the head Council member would have not brought me to the ball still trying to introduce me to Salas. No one would ever try to interfere between the bond of a member of the royal family and his mate, one could be exiled or even killed if one tried to do so.

The mate of the king more so, is the most respected werewolf after him, as she was chosen by the Goddess. And Salas has also not marked her yet, even though he was supposed to mark her immediately after finding his mate." She tried to explain with a hoarse voice, as she was massaging her now freed neck.

"But you said earlier that even the Council is not backing you anymore. Which one is it? Why would he help before and then immediately dismiss you?" The man reasoned, as he was returning to his throne. He had appeared to not listen to her reasons before, but he had indeed paid attention to her words.

"I do not know, that is why I wanted your help. I want to get rid of that little thief. She appeared out of nowhere and in just a little time has the king wrapped around her little finger. She treats the royal palace as her home, she is even permitted access to his mother's garden, a garden no one was allowed to step in before." Yvonne explained aggrieved, but now toned down her arrogance.

"The royal indoor garden?" Asked the man, as he returned to tapping his fingers, action that unsettled Yvonne a lot, making her give even more details than necessary to convince the man it was not her fault.

"Yes, the royal garden was the favorite spot in the entire Royal palace, of Salas's mother. Even after her death, he has maintained it and did not allow anyone to enter before, but she was sitting comfortably on the grass reading a book in that very place, instead of staying on the designated pathway to not harm the plants.

She even had the audacity to stop me from touching a rose from the garden, like she was the owner of it. It was at that moment that the head council member came and took me away. Since then, the council member said that he will no longer try to interfere with his highness's personal life and that I should..."

"Stop! Which roses are you taking about?" The king asked intrigued. He had even stopped tapping his finger, paying more attention to Yvonne.

"It was a transparent bush of roses. Ahh... but one turned black when I touched it, it must have been enchanted." Yvonne explained confused.

"Did the other woman touch it also?" He asked hurriedly.

"Yes, when she stopped me from touching them, she also briefly touched it."

"What color did it turn into??" He asked even more quickly than before.

"I think it was a light blue. Why..." Yvonne tried to ask, but stopped herself.

Looking up to see the king's face, his ethereal beauty had transformed into a demonic dangerous one.

She could hardly breathe in his presence, just like when he choked her neck before, but he had not moved a muscle to step down from his throne, he had not attacked her in the slightest.

Her breathing was suppressed because of the terrifying aura he released, an aura that made her plummet to the ground in terror.

It was already Friday, the time had sped up since their Alpha returned to the Academy.

The pack members were thrilled to have her in their midst again, but their mood was slightly dampened when she informed them that she would still be living at the Royal Palace in the weekends. It was a courtesy his highness had shown to her, a courtesy they wished he would have kept to himself.

The weekends were a time they spent together deepening their bonds, going out to the city for a ride and some fun. Now it meant they could only see her from Monday to Friday. But, considering how much time they spent training and learning in that time, they would not have any time to socialize and just hang out with her. So their mood was sour, especially Jake's, he had taken it the hardest.

She had explained to them a bit that there were unavoidable circumstances that kept her in the palace before, and that was also why she should still go live there. But she had not explained too much, and they also did not pry because of her introvert personality.

Seeing her off to the door, the pack members were returning to their rooms a bit upset, and no one had the mood to go play outside. Jake even more so, as he had felt a man's distinct smell on her the time she returned, a familiar smell that he knew the king possessed.

The smell was so mixed with her own strawberry one that it did not seem like it was just from meeting him briefly in the palace. At that moment, it sent an alarm to his mind, but he had refrained from showing such emotions on his face.

Still, it did not mean he did not feel hurt in his heart. He had been the one to see her first, he had been the one to discover her loveliness first. But he knew for a fact that she respected a lot the mating bond, and she would never accept his feelings, not that he tried to show them openly to her, he was scared to break the friendship they currently had.

He was scared of her rejection, because of a possible mate that existed out there for him. He was certain that Celia no longer had a mate, he had sensed it had to do something to why she had returned quickly to the Academy before. And confirmed it, when he had inadvertently listened to a small part of a conversation she once had on the telephone with her brother. A secret he had never told anyone.

But even though she no longer had a mate, she would never accept him, the one who had not met his mate yet. And even if he did and he rejected his mate for her, it would make no difference. It would most likely incur her despising him, rather than accept him.

He was unfortunately in a deadlock. He could not win against the king, who at least had no mate for a hundred years, and was unlikely to have one at all, as perhaps something happened to his mate before he managed to find her, and Celia would not have a problem being with him.

As such, the king was already in a more of an advantageous position then him.

He sighed opening his bedroom door, his heart hurting because of the helplessness of his situation.

Closing the door as he entered, the image that appeared in his eyes stunned him out of his unhappy thoughts. He was so surprised that he could not even react to the unexpected thief. Could he call her a thief? He thought.

What kind of a thief would wear lolita gothic styled clothes and sit comfortably in the middle of the bed chewing bubblegum. She even had a pair of headphones on her ears and was entranced by the music, singing along with it with her eyes closed.

Had someone actually lost a kid, and she found her way to his room accidently? But his room was obviously locked before.

Still looking at her, a ball of fur tapped his little paw on her leg, trying to get her attention. Only then did she finally open her eyes and look towards the door, after seeing the small cat pointing towards it.

The small beauty frowned at Jake's appearance. She was as confused as him, to see him in this room.

"Who are you?" She asked.

A question Jake believed was one that he should have been the one entitled saying, not her.

"I am a student at the Academy. But who are you? And why are you in my room?" He returned the words to her.

"Ohhh... Did I enter the wrong window? My mistake!" She giggled, getting up from the bed.

The cat sighed and swayed its head from side to side, following her towards the window.

"Didn't Waning say Celia's room was on the third floor, second room on the right?" The petite woman asked herself, as she took the letter out of her pocket.

She was as ditzy as ever, the small cat thought, but did not voice her thoughts.

"Ohh it was the left!" She replied to her own question and was about to exit the opened window, when a hand pulled her back.

"Who are you? And why are you looking for our Alpha?" Jake asked upset and wary of the person.

"What has it got to do with you?" Asked the woman, a little annoyed at the fact that she could not budge the tall man's hand, and remove her hand from his grasp.

"What do you mean what has it got to do with me? You entered my dorm room, and now you are the one asking questions?" Jake asked angered, getting closer to the small witch.

"Hey!!! Let go of my hand!" Shouted Clarissa, getting angrier.

"What if I don't, kid? Answer the question first!"

"... kid? How dare you say I am a kid?" Asked Clarissa, upset that the taboo matter was touched. No one called her a kid. How dare he call the leader of all the covens, the highest ranking witch alive, a kid?

"If you are not a kid, than who is?" Jake asked a little amused, even though he was still angry. He could not help it, her pouting cheeks made him act to annoy her further.

"Listen here little pup. No one, absolutely no one calls me a kid!" Clarissa said also getting closer to him. Feeling it was such a pity as his cocky attitude did not suit his beautiful appearance and the delicious bubblegum smell that she could sense from him.

"Audite ut mea mandatum!" Clarrisa spouted her spell. A spell that made Jake freeze, like he was waiting for her commands.

"Transform into your wolf, little pup!" Clarrisa continued, glad that he was now obedient, as he should be.

Unwillingness was all you could tell from Jake's face, but forced to listen to the witch's command, he had no choice but to do so. He had not been weary of her being a witch. What kind of a witch dressed and acted like her?

He never met one, but in his head he assumed a witch would be an old lady with a crooked nose, dressed in black clothes with a pointy hat. Her appearance and the feeling of powerlessness she previously emitted, fooled him.

Seeing the big wolf that was as tall as her, even though she was standing, overjoyed Clarissa. Honestly the grey wolf with golden eyes was so much more beautiful and lovely than his human form.

"Sit!" She said just like one would tell a dog they trained.

An action he again followed, although growling but otherwise obedient.

"Good, good little wolf!" Clarrisa said while standing on her toes, struggling to pet the head of the still giant wolf, although he was now sitting.

"Do we have to hold hands?" Celia said, while looking at the hand Salas gingerly held, and not only held even interlocked their fingers together.

They were now walking around the mall, going to the promised date. Salas had insisted that they should have one today, and another date tomorrow, as he wanted to apologize for granting her wish only now even though some time passed since the ball was held. An apology she did not ask for, of course.

"Why, are you being shy? We have already slept together, this is only a small touch." Salas asked cajoling her.

"You! Don't say that out loud, what if someone heard it?" Celia asked upset, and was already checking her surroundings, blushing hard.

"Ehhh... why? What are you thinking in that pretty little head of yours? I only meant we slept on the same bed." Salas chuckling stated, and with his other hand was pinching her small nose, teasing her.

"You... you! Why do you always have to twist my words?" Celia asked upset and pouting.

An action that delighted him. He was pleased that she getting more and more comfortable with him, that she was even beginning to voice her real inner thoughts.