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Chapter 21

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Evy stepped out of the school. For the last time. She had just finished the last of her exams and now had no need to return there, perhaps for the graduation? Unlikely, she might not be here for the graduation. Her mother would most likely collect her high school diploma. She would then have her mother ship it out to her.

Her step faltered as she saw the waiting convoy, it did every day and there was no getting used to it. While she did not have any particular friends in the school outside the wolves from her pack which attended it. She was no recluse either.

So when the school started seeing the convoy and the body guards accompanying her, fallout of the attack on her convoy, rumors spread. Typical high school ones, all possibilities were discussed except the truth of course. Some ranged from her being long lost daughter of a mafia don to her inheriting some obscene money after the fortunate death of an uncle and so forth. The stories amused her but the attention un-nerved her. Thank god it was only for two weeks and most of the school was nose deep in books for the upcoming finals.

The principal had been a tough nut to crack, he threw fits on having armed guards accompany her in to the school. The Roma wolves had to convince the principal of a real threat. The official story was that her family was in a nasty legal wrangling for some fat inheritance and there might be a few players looking to take competition out of the equation and the guards were a mere deterrence and the generous donation to refurbish the school library helped to a large extent.

The fallout from the attack on her also resulted in the sheriff visiting their "community" that is what the pack and their lands were referred to by the human population a community, a strange but peaceful one. The town did not have any problem with them, Nick was in decent terms with the town officials. But an abandoned garbage truck with blood splattered inside it and close to their "community" had been a matter of concern.

She had not been around to witness the furor but had heard it from her mother as the sheriff's patrol car rolled in to their community. The Roma wolves had to hide themselves in a hurry including the weaponry they brought it. Reinforcements had arrived in form of two hundred Roma wolves and new faces would mean immediate suspects.

The Sheriff had met with Nick who was considered the "community" leader. While the town folks considered something weird with them, they had not caused any trouble and were always respectful to the lawmen, helpful even. So they had been left alone and they planned to keep it that way.

After assurances from Nick that they did not know where the truck appeared from but they had promptly called the sheriff when his men spotted it. Yes, Nick anticipated that someone would spot the mysterious truck lying on the side of the road and report it and would make sense if he reported it first. So he did, he had called the Sheriff the next day and informed him of the truck. The sheriff had come in next day with his deputies after examining the site of the truck and had spent some time with Nick and his "witnesses" who spotted it. They had thanked them for the information and left. Violence was relatively less in this part of the country...except for some animal attacks.

As she came close to her convoy patiently waiting for her, she still saw her schoolmates looking at her and the convoy strangely but mostly the young girls were checking out the man standing out in the front of her car, waiting patiently for her.

And they had every right to do so, it was only natural. Sebastian had a dark aura, men ensured they stayed away from him keeping their distance and woman, woman could not help but gravitate to him, his dark aura.

But he stood as a sentry, unaffected by the stares he kept his eyes steady on her. She had yet to get used to him. Since he arrived, he had been her shadow. She still remembered the night he arrived. He had "presented" himself to her, on his knee offering his sword to her in his hands "I offer my sword as a protector to you, princess" he said. She had been so lost but stared at the beautifully engraved sword seethed in its equally beautiful but detailed scabbard, with superbly detailed pictures of wolves and its mouth was a silver wolf with its mouth open where the sword's hilt rested. The hilt itself made of gold had two howling wolves on either side of the protruding blade, it was a piece of work and was hard to not admire such piece of work. She was so lost in the admiration until Max had nudged her and mouthed "I accept" to her which she conveyed to the still kneeling man and since then he had been her constant shadow.

Max had later told her that ever regent had a protector loyal to the throne, Sebastian was his mothers, appointed after the previous protector died in a failed attempt to save their king. Roma had appointed him as her protector and he would serve her as one as long as she lived. Every regent had the right to choose their protector, someone on whom they can count on, with their life.

But now he had been dispatched to protect their future queen, Adrian had been sent back to take his place for time being, until Evelyn was safely tucked in Roma. She would get to choose her protector too, Max had said but the whole concept was alien to her and she had pushed it in to the back of her head.

As she neared the parked SUV, Sebastian opened the door and smiled at her.

"How was it?" he asked her about the exam. He did every day in the last few days as she took them.

"Aced it" She responded smiling, she was happy on how easy her exams had gone, she had unnecessarily fretted over last week even snapping at poor Max who was anything but supportive.

As she sat in the car, Sebastian had closed the door and walked over to the front side to ride shotgun. As he got it the convoy started its journey back to the hotel.

Evelyn leaned over the closed window and looked at the scenery with passing interest. As her thoughts returned back to the events of the last two weeks.

Max. A sigh escaped her in all the madness surrounding the last few weeks, it was Max who had been her rock. If anyone told her that someone would become so important to her in a span of few months and especially in the last few weeks she would have scoffed with disbelief. When people had told her about the matebond she had shaken her head at the fairy tales surround them, dismissed them as wishful thinking of maidens. Oh! How right they have been. So right!

Even now the matebond coiled inside her, holding in her a firm grip and would never let go as long as she was alive, but something she previously viewed as a noose around her neck was a feeling now she basked in. It comforted her like nothing else, gave her a sense of belonging, she might be unsure of everything else happening around her but one thing she was absolutely sure of was Max and the bond she shared with him, that was the power of the bond that brought two mates together. A bond they cemented again and again in the last two weeks.

Sher cheeks reddened on the very thoughts. The things she had done with him in the last two weeks were so scandalous she herself could not believe it.

Max had played her like an instrument and she sang in his response, he was a master and she a willing and eager pupil. The amount of time they spent between the sheets would give competition to a whore house. But she couldn't resist him, just a look in her direction or a touch would make her nerve ending's dance with lust and she would eagerly lead him to quench that never-ending lust, it would simmer down but never disappear only to rear its head a few hours later. How she even managed to function never the less study still confounded her.

Her thoughts went back to the night, the night it all started. He has shown her pleasure that she did not know existed, slowly and steadily he stroked her fires until they consumed her body in lust and only then he claimed her. Sex had never been in her mind before and now he had turned her in to a sex fiend, like he unleashed a demon trapped in her. Max said it was normal for newly mated couple to go at it like rabbits in a druid's ceremony.

It was the bond's way of ensuring the couple came together in every sense and physical intimacy played a vital role. It would be like this for some time before the bond settled. She highly doubted it but till then she would continue to drag him to bed at the slightest provocations, not that he was complaining...not one bit and she did suspect he was taking undue advantage of her state, by the stares and the looks and the teasing touches that she encountered she knew he was.

Coming to think of it she needed to visit a doctor soon to get herself on the pill, she was safe for now but soon her body would resume her monthly cycle which stopped since her transition. For every female werewolf who turned her periods stopped after the turning for roughly for six months as her body underwent changes of the turning. Once done she would resume her cycle. Luckily human contraception worked just fine, so she would get a prescription filled just in case, she was still a few months away from getting back on the fertility train, being prepared never harmed.

Her convoy finally arrived at the hotel as she got down to go to the top floor, Sebastian fell behind her like a shadow. A shadow sometimes she even forgot that he was there.

As she exited the elevator on the top floor and open the door of the room, Max was hunched over talking over the phone with someone. Whatever it was...was not good. He face was in absolute displeasure as she halted near the entrance softly closing the door behind her.

He looked up his eyes dark, taking her in....this was usually their time to acquaintance themselves in bed. Every day after she came back from school, they would head to bed, they kind of developed a ritual, the separation during school ensured that she jumped him the moment she saw him. She stood there waiting as the phone was still stuck to his ear.

"Can't this wait for some more time?" He barked in to the phone.

Dread slowly crept from her belly and spread all over. Why? She did not know.

Listening to the response he sighed in frustration, his eyes still on her "When?"

"Look, set it up, and set it up fast, I want to be in and out before anyone knows, is that understood?" He said frustrated in to the phone.

He listened to the other end and finally hanged up and flung the phone on to the couch in frustration.

"Come here Evy" he stretched his hand.

She took a step but stopped, something in his look...something was not right.

"What is it Max?" she whispered concerned. That dread earlier has intensified.

"What was the call about?" she asked again taking one step closer but halting. Her bond was withering with nervous energy. Driving her to go to her mate to sooth it down.

"Come here" he said getting up and extending both his hands.

She went this time, because she saw it in his eyes, he needed it too.

He enveloped her in a hug his hands brushing her hair, shoulder and back.

The sense of belonging almost catapulted her. There were no words to explain how she felt in his arms....she felt as if she was....home.

They stayed like that for some time and she finally broke the silence. Something was wrong, she was sure "What is it Max?" she asked. Unable to wait anymore.

He sighed, a deep sigh, as if preparing to do something unpleasant.

He broke away from the embrace and took a step back but still held her in his hands.

She looked up in to his eyes, seeing the discord there.

"I don't want to do this Evy, trust me but I don't have a choice" He said frustrated.

"What do you need to do?" She asked confused.

"When my mother came over to America that was unexpected. I was in Africa at that time forming new alliances and when I heard the news that my mother flew to America, I was livid and worried for her so I disappeared from Africa overnight, dropping out of the negotiations with the Elder's without a word." He tried to explain to her.

"They were offended, me disappearing without a word, they took it as an insult and now they are threatening to break the alliance. They have been demanding a meeting with me for a while but since....i was detained and nobody knew why, they assumed we were just avoiding them and not taking them seriously. So they have given an ultimatum, we need in the next seventy two hours or they break alliance"

"What are you saying?" she whispered the dread was now in full force, she know what he was saying but she could not take it...The bond twisted and turned in her agony.

"I need to leave Evy" He gently told her

And for the first time she faced the volatile side of a freshly formed bond.

XOXOX