"What do I do if they show up?" I asked.

"Just stay with me. I need to find out if Alastair is coming," Ashley said.

"Yeah. I'll stay with you guys." I chewed my bottom lip for a second. "Maybe we can get dinner in our room? I'm wiped."

"Me too."

The sky darkened by time we returned to the castle.

"Welcome back," the butler said opening the doors.

"Hi. Thanks."

"Did you go to Sheila's?" he questioned.

"Yes. Thank you for the recommendation! They are amazing there."

"The ladies packages," the driver said, entering behind us.

"Thanks, Bruce. You can leave them there. We'll have them taken upstairs."

"Great, thanks, Phil."

"Hey, Phil?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"You can call me Ashley. Is there any way we could get a snack or something?"

"We have dinner warmed up and waiting for you both. Where would you like to eat, Ashley?"

"Our room would be great if that's possible," I answered.

"Right away, ma'am."

"Oh, it's Elanor. Well, Ellie. You can call me Ellie."

He smiled and nodded before snapping his finger, summoning even more butlers. "These parcels are to go to the guest room."

He turned to a woman standing next to him. "And dinner will be taken there as well. Please, be sure it gets to them in a timely manner."

The woman nodded and hurried into the depths of the castle.

"Ladies, please relax and enjoy yourself until dinner is brought up to you."

"You are awesome, Phil." Ashely smiled at him before running up the stairs.

"Hey, Phil?"

"Yes, Ellie?"

"That smell, what is it?"

He inhaled deeply and looked at me inquisitively. "What smell?"

"How does nobody smell that?"

"Can you describe it?" he asked.

"It's kind of hard to. It's like this musky, spicey, sweet, intoxicating smell."

"Hmm. That is curious. I don't smell anything like that."

I sighed and shrugged my shoulders. "Maybe I still just need to get used to this wolf nose of mine. Thanks anyway."

I trailed behind Ashley up the stairs to our room. Our dresses were hung up near the closet and our shoes were placed nicely on the floor. I sat next to Ashley as she flipped through a streaming service looking for a movie to watch.

Our food arrived just as she found the perfect movie. Some romcom about princes and princesses. We ate until we felt like we would burst and quickly fell asleep.

It was a surprisingly restful sleep.

I awoke the next morning to the sound of pounding from somewhere within the castle. I climbed out of bed, rubbing my eyes, and noticed that our dirty dishes were gone and the dresses were fluffed.

"Uh, was someone in the room this morning?" I asked Ashely.

She sat up, her hair wild and messy, and looked about. "Um, yeah. I think so. The plates are gone."

"Huh. They were really quiet."

"Yeah, they were." She looked around again. "What is that pounding?"

"No idea. That's what woke me up."

I climbed out of bed and walked to the windows, throwing open the drapes. The morning sun set light streaming into the room. The sky was a beautiful pinkish purple. It looked like a painting.

"I think it's going to be a beautiful day," I said, pushing the window open.

The air was warm and smelled of honeysuckle mixed with lilac.

"Yeah, I could get used to living here," Ashley said, a smile plastered on her face.

"Did you get ahold of Alastair?" I asked.

"Yeah. I sent him a text. He's coming. Apparently, everyone of importance will be here tonight."

"Including the two shitheads. Awesome."

"Well, let's just hope that the prince finds his mate. I guess they're really pulling out the big guns for this one."

"Is nobody likes this Savannah why are they forcing the mate then?"

"I guess she's the next high-ranking daughter available in Winter Peak."

I shook my head. "They should just let him be until he finds his mate. What if he ends up running into her later? He can't break the mate bond. That will kill them both."

Ashley shrugged her shoulders. "It's seriously messed up."

"What do we do?"

"About the force mate?" she asked.

"What? No. Our hair and makeup! Do we do it ourselves or see if there are stylists who can do it for us."

"Oh! Yeah, that makes more sense. I don't know about you, but if this gala is as big as they say it's going to be I'm going with someone doing my hair and makeup for me."

"Agreed."

"So, let's go find someone!"

I nodded and pulled on a pair of shorts and a long-sleeved t-shirt.

We roamed the castle, the smell not as strong as it had been the night before, looking for someone who could help us.

"Good morning, Ellie. Ashley."

"Queen Amelia! Your majesty, good morning," I said, startled.

She laughed lightly. "How is your stay with us? Please, have a seat." She motioned to a settee across from her chair.

"Thank you."

Ashley and I both sat down, staring at the elegant woman who watched us. She was definitely not in 'queen' mode this early in the morning. She didn't have on any makeup and her long, curly red hair was piled atop her head, messily, in a clip. She wore a tank top and running pants with a pair of running shoes.

"Do forgive my appearance. I usually go for a run in the morning. Normally, I'm the first up."

"You look lovely," Ashley said.

"Oh, dear girl, I look dreadful. I would have been finished and changed by now if Edmond wasn't throwing a fit this morning and storming out of the castle."

"Oh?"

She shook her head. "I shouldn't discuss such things, it's not your burden to bear, but he's not too happy with the fact that the council is forcing him to mate next week if he doesn't find his mate."

"I've heard of the predicament he's in. That is quite unfortunate."

"It is. I feel for my son. That's why we're still having the gala tonight despite everything going on in the realm. We want to give him at least one more chance to find his birth mate before the forced mate."

"Why is he being forced?" I questioned.

The queen closed her eyes and sighed heavily. "With the kings of the Lycan's they need their mates. Once we turn 18, there are all sorts of changes that we start to go through. We learn to live with our wolves, who tend to be rather anxious and unruly until they find their mate. Kings and Alphas tend to be even more unruly the longer they go without their mate. Unfortunately, Edmond is being rather awful recently so he's being forced."

"That's so sad."

The queen nodded before stopping and honing in on my head.

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

"Come here," she said quietly.

I stood and approached the woman. She motioned for me to kneel down. I did as commanded. The queen pushed my hair to the side and pulled my head closer to her face.

"Fascinating."

"What is?" Ashley asked.

"This marking. It's a moon with a bow. Symbols of the Goddess Artemis."

"Yeah, it, um, appeared on the night of my birthday after my first shift."

"And nobody was curious about this?"

"They were, but then the attacks started so I think it was just forgotten."

"I think, if you don't mind my observation, you were touched by the Goddess."

You have no idea.

"That is interesting," I said.

"Hmm. You will excuse me? I actually think I have a book that mentioned something about this marking. I would like to see if I can find it."

"Of course. Oh, do you know anywhere we can go to get our hair and makeup done for tonight?" I asked.

"Absolutely. If you walk down that hallway," She pointed to a long bridge-like hallway that connected another portion of the castle, "my personal stylist has a salon. He is wonderful. He'll be able to help you both out."

"You're personal sylist? You're allowing us to use your personal stylist?" Ashley asked in amazement.

"Yes, my dear. Enjoy yourself." She winked at us and walked quickly towards the main entrance of the castle.

"That was strange."

"Yeah, she has her own stylist! That we can use!" Ashley gushed, walking toward the bridge.

"No. That she has a book that mentions the mark. I haven't found anything that specifically mentions the mark being on anyone. Just what it is."

Ashley shrugged. "I'm sure she'll tell you if it turns out to be anything. Let's go!"

I stood and followed to the new section of the castle. The bridge stretched over an oval-shaped pond. I peered down to see the largest, most colorful fish I had ever seen.

They swam about, leaping from the water and twirling in the air before landing back down.

Yeah, this place is incredible.

The salon was just on the other side of the bridge and was the most elegant I had ever seen.

"Wow," I said, walking through the door.

"Hello? Can I help you?" a man asked, walking out from a back area.

"Hi. We're Ashley and Ellie. The queen sent us."

"For?"

"Help. For tonight? We're visiting from Moon Mist."

"Oh! The girls helping with that dreadful investigation of all the nasty's that are attacking everybody?"

"Yeah. That's us."

"Well, anyone sent from the queen and who are trying to save us all from utter destruction are welcome in my salon. Let's make you two beautiful! It should be fun tonight."

"We've been hearing that," I muttered, sitting in one of the chairs.

He led Ashley to a sink and had her sit down before putting a cape on her. He leaned her back, chatting away about the excitement of having so many people showing up for the big blowout gala while washing her hair. I watched out the windows as horses and cows ran through the pasture next to the castle. Birds were singing and everything seemed perfectly normal. Just the way it was supposed to be.

Just as the stylist was leading Ashley to the chair next to me the door flew open and the queen stood there.

"Your majesty!" he exclaimed.

Ashley and I both stood and curtsied. "Majesty."

"Ellie! I found it!"

"Found what?" I asked.

"The passage. In the book! I knew had seen that mark before!" She crossed the room in just a few strides, dropping down next to me. "See!"

I looked down at the ancient book in her hands. It wasn't very big, but the pages were worn and the leather cracked. In the middle of the page was an image of a girl with the same marking on her forehead that I had. And the girl, she looked eerily like me.

"What is this?"

"A book that has been passed down in my family for many generations. My great-great-great-great grandmother was a high priestess in the temple of Artemis as was her daughter and her daughter until my grandmother. This book, this is one of our most sacred texts."

"Okay."

"Now, this image is the foretelling of one who will save our realm alongside her mate. They are the two most powerful wolves who, when together, enhance even their wolf senses. They are an unstoppable pair that will defeat an incredible evil and rule over all in peace and harmony."

"That is incredible. Who were they?" I asked.

"That's just it. This is a prophecy that hasn't come to be. Yet."

"Yet?" Ashley asked?

She and the stylist were hovering over our shoulders, staring mouths agape.

"Not yet." Queen Amelia turned back to me. "Ellie, dear, are you mated?"

I shook my head. "No."

She just stared at me.

"What?"

She just stared.

"No. No. Your majesty, you couldn't possibly think that I..."

She nodded her head.

"I'm not mated though. And it's just some weird mark that I got."

"On your 18th birthday? When you shifted for the first time?"

"Yeah? I guess. I mean, no it's just not possible. I'm just a Beta's daughter."

"Just a Beta's daughter?" Ashley asked.

"Yes." I shot her a look to just shut up.

"Ellie?" the queen asked.

"Huh?"

"Have you ever met Prince Edmund?"

I shook my head. "No. I mean I saw him at my party."

"Did you feel anything?" she asked.

"I saw him before I turned."

"Interesting. Tonight, at the gala, you will meet him."

"You don't think..."

She nodded her head. "I do very much." She turned to her stylist. "Make sure they both look perfect."

"Of course, your majesty."

She slammed the book shut and left the room, laughing to herself. Proud of her discovery.

I sat in shocked silence while Ashley and the stylist stared at me.

"What?" Ashley asked.

"This is insane!" the stylist exclaimed in excited glee.

"What the hell just happened?" I asked.

"I think the queen wants you to be mated to the prince."

"That's...that's just not possible. No."

"Oh my God. What is you're the princess? The future queen!" Ashley squealed.

"No..."

"Yes!"

I pondered in silence as the stylist finished Ashley and took his time ensuring every part of my hair and makeup were absolutely perfect. My mind raced the whole time. I let Ashley make the decisions as I tried to comprehend that the queen thought that I was her son, the prince's, mate.

And that we were supposed to fight this evil together.

It's just a book. Just...a book. That happened to have your picture in it.