After King Rian was no longer in sight, Alpha Jackson Knox turns his full attention towards me and my knees buckle.

A shorter sandy blonde haired, tanned, bulkier young man steps out from behind his Alpha. I didn't even see him there, but I guess that's part of the point: chaperones are there but not there.

"Princess Evelyn, allow me to introduce to you my Beta and best friend, Zach." Zach put his hand out but looked to his Alpha who was shaking his head no. I tried not to laugh when Zach bowed to me.

I felt somewhat comfortable with these Americans! Heck, they didn't have the same accent as me or share the same zip code back home but they were from my side of the Atlantic. It was like having a little slice of home with me. The good parts about home like hot guys, werewolves, baseball, America's greatest pastime, and high fructose corn syrup.

"Nice to meet you Zach. Thank you for taking the time out for this." I awkwardly stood there as he responded, "Duty calls."

"Ok then." Looking to Alexander, "Let's go for a midnight stroll." But it wasn't even 9pm and Zach was kind enough to correct me on that. Does Zach have to tag along?

As if Alexander heard my thoughts he gave me a knowing grin and laughed, offering me his hand. "Zach will keep his distance." His beta nodded. "But anytime you want to ditch the old-fashioned tag along so you don't lose your maidenhood, let me know and we'll make a run for it." He winked lacing his fingers in mine.

"I'm new to this whole supernatural beings and how everything works but I need you to know that I'm not a virgin, so if you need one of those we should just stop here." I sincerely meant it. I didn't know how mates worked or if there had to be a virgin sacrifice before taking a young woman's virginity.

He barked in laughter. He stopped slapping his huge hands against his wrangler jeans, trying hard to take a breath. "Oh come on Sugar, I don't give a flying fuck if you are a virgin. I know the whole destined mate story sounds magical but in reality..." He looked away and started walking again. "Princess, this world is cruel. You're from NYC? Which parts?"

"Depends on the year. Born and grew up near Fordham University, before Brooklyn was gentrified. My step-dad had a nice place in SoHo, so lived there for a bit. Got into Columbia, so as much as I'd like to say I'm an American, I'm a New Yorker." I emphasized with my unflattering accent that I try to hide as much as possible.

Even his laugh had a Southern twang to it. I sighed thinking about how I should have traveled more. Disney World, Disney Land, the Grand Canyon, Yellow Stone, Seattle, LA. I wouldn't get that now. Even if I live a long time I'm kind of stuck.

"What's on your mind darling? I see those wheels turning." He stopped looked at me as I tried not to cry.

"It's stupid really. I learn my mom's alive, get to meet my biological father, find out I'm a Princess with magical powers, and live in this unbelievable castle. And all I can think about is how I'll never get to see the sunset in Seattle over the mountains at that famous fish market or live in the suburbs like a normal American family." The tears were flowing and he put his arms around me, "People want the fairytale, the magic, the immortality, I just want to go home."

"Well darling, you are home. And you can't change who your parents are, so by birthright you are a Princess, you just were in the dark about it before. And no, you might not have experienced the sunset on the West Coast but you grew up in one of the most famous cities in the world. You aren't normal. You get the fairytale. Why can't that be enough?" He rubbed my back and kissed the top of my head. "But you do have some options open to you. I can't wait to get you smiling again, so I can kiss you. I got some smooth moves Princess." A chuckle from deep in his chest vibrated my entire being. "You want to live in a white picket fence community out in the 'burbs? I'm your man."

I tried to pull away from him to look at him - he kept me locked in our embrace. He could bring me joy that none of these other men could. He offered me freedom from living in the dark like a vampire or stuck in this Middle Land like my fellow faeries. I could use my degree and actually move up in the world like I had planned on before Oisin. I'd still have certain responsibilities and I'd have to learn how to live in a wolf-pack, but I could explore the United States.

"As tempting as the offer is, why don't we table this for another time? I'd like to know more about how werewolves find their second mate and more about you. How were you turned?"

He took a deep breath, untangled us and gave me his hand to continue our walk.

"Hmm. Which question should I answer first." Taking a moment, he said he should start from the beginning.

"Not of time, I hope." It was a silly joke but it eased the tension a bit.

"Nah, no. I mean the start of my time as a werewolf. As you mentioned, some people desire to be changed and seek out the powers that be to make it happen. Not all werewolves do, but I did. I grew up in beautiful Georgia. Growing up in Savannah I heard lots of ghost stories and of course other phantoms of the night like vampires and werewolves. I was brought up by my mom's mom because my mom died giving me birth and my dad was apparently a deadbeat. My grandfather had died of a heart attack before I was born, so really it was me and my grandma against the world. She came from old money and had lots of spooky stories about the plantation that was in our family. Out in the middle of nowhere is a great place to for those creatures that hide from humans to live. When I was 17, she passed. Breast cancer. I was supposed to go onto college but took a year off to drown my sorrows and sow my wild oats. A lawyer called me regarding her will. I hadn't gone through her stuff yet, but I knew the house was paid off and didn't know she was the sole owner of the family plantation. Long story short, sugar, I followed some old journals to find a werewolf pack nearby. They were supposed to be a secret so request to become one of them fell on deaf ears until I met this young she-wolf. I didn't understand love at first sight until I laid eyes on Sarah but I swear to the Moon Goddess, it truly was. She was a few years younger than me, a senior in high school. She had sniffed me out."

"So the whole birthday thing is true? I heard it was a myth, that there was no werewolf gene."

"Oh shit, sorry darling, no." He laughed and I blushed trying to shove him to the side. His body was like a sheet of rock. "She had been turned young because her friends had dared her to stay outside in the middle of a graveyard at midnight during a full moon. So the following full moon she found me and because she said I was her mate and we could spend a long life together as wolves in a big family like community, which is everything I had wanted and more, I asked her to turn me that night. She did and we mated. I challenged the Alpha after he started making some stupid mistakes. I can't blame him, he lost his Luna. Now that I've lost mine I can see why he was so out of it. So, we fought on, you guessed it, a full moon in our wolf form and he bowed to me by the end of it. My whole life changed overnight. And it happened again last year when Sarah took her own life. I still don't understand it. Us wolves tend to feel these things before they boil over and become an issue. Many of us die of old age and the most physical pain we know is that first shift. But she had many demons. My Sarah wanted and deserved so much more than what life had dealt her." He sniffled. I could see the tears running down his face, not in a sob but more like one drop at a time; like if he let it go the he would never stop crying so he held it together.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. You couldn't have saved her."

He shook his head. "Well it doesn't matter now what actually happened. She's no longer with me."

I was taken a back by his answer. Maybe foul play? Maybe he's involved? He doesn't seem like that type of guy but you never know. My face went from perplexed back to comforting him and staying neutral.

"So. Yeah. I'm, uh, shit. I'm so sorry about that. You asked about second mates and I can tell you that they are typically chosen, not fated or gifted to our wolves by the Moon Goddess. Only after mating does she give her opinion. If the bond is blessed by Her, they will know. So once the marks are made the couple will know if she approves or not. As a wolf with a previous fated mated the energy would be similar so I'd know as soon as the ritual was over if she gives her stamp of approval."

I cringed. He went from talking about his mate dying to how to find the next mate. I got a bad feeling in my the pit of my stomach. Call it intuition or witchy woo-woo, but he went too quickly from one to the other.

"And if she doesn't approve?"

He put his finger to his throat and dragged it across. My face went white and he barked out laughing. "Oh man! Seriously? That would be awful! A true mate isn't always found so many people stay together with their chosen mate. It's not uncommon. Wow. You are easy tease as well as easy on the eyes Princess. I'd have so much fun with you." Alexander went from wiping tears away for his dead mate to tears from joking with me. It felt like emotional whiplash, which is saying a lot since I'm a faery and we can be quick to change our temperament.

"Do you mind if we walk back now? I'm tired." I lied. I needed to get away from this psycho.

"It hasn't even been a full hour yet. You kissed that bloodsucker but you seem more scared of me. That makes no sense."

I felt my fight or flight mode kick-in. This man was no longer my suitor but a possible threat and I was out here, all alone with him and his Beta friend.

My heart pounded against my chest. I could hear it. Wait, is that my heart? It sounds like it's outside my chest cavity.

"It doesn't have to make sense Alpha Knox, she's not only a Princess but a lady and you would do well to show her some respect. If a female felt scared in your presence, wouldn't you want to do everything in your power to make her feel safe, even if that means leaving?" Nyx floated to the ground and pulled me to his side.

The Alpha huffed and called for his Beta. Apparently he needed to go run off some pent up energy. Without another glance at me he walked away.

Two down, two to go.