Rowan could do nothing but watch Willow run away. He wanted to run after her to pull her tiny body back into his embrace and protect her from everything. But he couldn't, not yet. Especially with her friend looking at him with her eyes narrowed, ready to murder.

Rowan was sure now, sure that Willow was his mate. Even though Vampires find their mates at adulthood, which is at the age of eighteen, Rowan still believed that Willow was his mate though he was seventeen. If not his mate, he did not know what she could be to him.

Everytime Willow was hurting, Rowan felt it. It didn't hurt him much since they haven't mated yet. He only felt a light ache in his lower abdomen and everytime he did, he wanted to be near Willow, to hold her close to him and never let go.

That is what being mates meant, being each other's equal and sharing the burden, the pain and to ease each other. Not to forget the intense attraction to each other. If one of them dies, the other soon follows or falls into lunacy, but some are strong enough to avoid both of them but they despise it, take it as a curse, to live without their other half.

As he was lost staring at the place where Willow had been a moment ago, Willow's friend, Melody cleared her throat trying to gain his attention.

"You're a Vampire." Said Melody with her eyes narrowed at him.

Rowan shrugged. The fact that he was a Vampire wasn't masked by his Glamour. But he only seemed like a normal Vampire, not one of a Royal Blood.

"And you're a Werewolf," said Rowan. "What's the point?"

Melody's eyes narrowed deeper, Rowan doubted she could see anything. "Willow said that you are golden eyed. I don't see any."

The only thing Rowan could do was sigh. Why was this bought back all over again. Even though Felix' explanation about his eyes was senseless, Willow didn't question anything. He doubted she believed in the explanation made up of non-sense, he concluded that she was much more accepting towards his eyes, because she was his mate.

"I've heard of powerful Vampires, who have golden eyes." Continued Melody, not letting him reply. "The king, to be precise and his children. Or was it only the heir?"

Rowan didn't beat around the bush. He knew it would be in vain. If he was the king, he could have had controlled her mind and erased some of her memories related to his true identity, but he wasn't, not yet.

"You guessed it right." Said Rowan. "I am the Crown Prince."

If someone were to barge in the hallway, they would see a girl with her eyes narrowed to the point where they'd believe she had them shut and a man with only a towel wrapped around his hips. A wonder the towel is, one from a haunted movie, which once wrapped won't come off, no matter what. Even if the other person might want for the towel to come off, it wouldn't and would stay in place.

"What are you doing here?"

"You don't have the right to question me." Said Rowan.

"This is my territory. I'm the beta's mate. I have every right to." Said Melody.

"You seem to forget only the forest is yours." Said Rowan. "This isn't and Royalties don't have any restrictions, I thought that the rules of the treaty was well known."

That shut her up. Rowan had to agree he would have had clapped for her bravery, but he didn't like it when someone questioned him.

"You'll hurt her." Said Melody after a long moment of being glared at.

It didn't take time for him to guess who 'her' was.

"Why would I?" Rowan felt anger rise up in him. Why would he hurt his own mate? He must be a fool if he were to do that.

"Why wouldn't you?" Melody replied. "If I'm right you aren't eighteen yet, the moment you find your mate you'll discard Willow. It will break her all over again. So I won't let you."

Rowan didn't feel angry anymore. Instead he was glad that Willow had a friend who cared for her. When meeting her for the first time, Rowan had witnessed her being bullied, so he had feared that she had a lonely life seeing how she never had anyone over or stepped out but mostly stayed indoors.

Melody's reasoning weren't false after all.

Felix who had been standing silently beside Melody, raised his brow. "All over again?"

"Why should I tell you?"

Rowan knew it was wrong to pry, but he wanted to know. He wanted to know Willow's past in order to understand her better. But no matter how it was, he would accept her wholly, flaws and all. Because he didn't want her to be perfect , perfect is dull.

"Because I'm her mate." There. It was laid bare. "She doesn't seem to be aware of us, so I didn't want to tell her, not yet." He would have had continued further were it not for Melody's eyes which widened up, her mouth opening up in exasperation.

"Stop lying."

"I'm not. Willow is my mate."

"Willow already has a mate!"

"Impossible!"

"She does, she did." Melody said the last part quietly, as if she didn't want him to hear it.

But Rowan was one of the most powerful being at present in this world, with excellent ears. "Who are you trying to fool?"

"You." Said Melody on impulse.

"Exactly."

"No," Said Melody. "I mean-" She was robbed of what to say, Rowan could see that. "Why do I care if you believe me or not? It's a fact, that Willow is Hunter's mate. If you believe it or not, it doesn't matter."

"Say," Rowan wasn't willing to accept whatever lies she spat. He got the idea that she must be doing this in order to keep him away from Willow. "This Hunter is her mate, why does she not mention about him? I've never seen him here either. They could have dated if they're actually mates. It's not like Venice is a strict parent who'd not let her daughter have a boyfriend."

"That's because," Began Melody. "He rejected her and she isn't aware of it."

Rowan's blood boiled. Who was this Hunter to reject Willow? Rowan was sure Hunter was mud compared to Willow. Though he knew that whatever Melody was spewing was worse than Felix' theories, it still made him angry.

"I know you don't believe me. But I'm sure you are aware of the cramps Willow gets, its because of Hunter."

"What?"

"I saw you holding her, how you eased her pain. That is the reason why I came here. I heard that Hunter was bedding someone." Now there was fire in Melody's eyes.

Sky fell and the ground raised, smashing him in between. He had once read that if one from the pair of mates have sex with someone else the other of the pair, feels immense pain.

Maybe he had been wrong. Willow might not be his mate. But it sounded like lies. If she is not his mate then why is he madly attracted to her? Why does he feel the need to protect her? To taste her blood?

For Vampires to find their mate, they have to taste their blood. But Rowan had been sure that Willow was his mate and he didn't want to give her a scare by showing his fangs and biting into her. Then again, he had been sure that she was his mate. So he didn't bother tasting her blood yet, since he didn't want her to run away from him.

A mate's blood is something which is as close as an elixir for Vampires. It heals each and everything within it's capacity. But if your mate is a human, their blood works like a drug. It gives immense pleasure but also makes the Vampire addicted to it.

So Rowan had been stalling to taste her blood. But who would've thought that the person he had been sure was his mate, turns out to already have a mate.

"I hope you'll keep your distance." Said Melody before walking down the stairs. Rowan didn't give any attention to her, he was already drowning in sea of thoughts to care for what was happening around him.

He concluded that it must have been just a crush on Willow. After moving away from the palace, he was confused for the first time. It wasn't that he hadn't had any experience with girls, he did, but this was the first time for him to feel this way for any girl.

He knew he had to keep his distance in order to avoid hurting her, it wasn't just because Melody said so. It was just a small part of his that said that. The larger part wanted to taste Willow's blood to see for himself, but he suppressed it.

There was only one thing he could do. He could only keep his distance, from the girl he was attracted to, who already seemed to have a mate. The thought broke him.