Chapter 10: About My Mate

Rhea’s P.O.V.

“I am going to visit your pack soon, Rhea, and then you will come back here as a royal warrior”, Prince Henry said to me in a serious tone. I jerked my head backward while processing what he just said. “I am not getting a good feeling, Rhea”, Moon said in a worried tone at the back of my mind. “I… well… it will be my honor, Prince Henry, but I … I can’t be a royal warrior. You know the rules”, I couldn’t refuse him directly so I took the excuse of rules. A smirk formed on his lips which really made me anxious now.

“Rules are not higher than a royal, Rhea”, he said while giving me a knowing look. I just nodded with a tight smile on my lips. I didn’t want to argue with him because this would be counted as disrespect towards him. “Coming to the royal pack will be good for us but I am not sure about his intentions”, Moon spoke again in the same tone. I couldn’t help but agree with her here. “I will take my leave, Prince Henry. It’s my time to go back to my pack”, I said in a formal tone and bowed in front of him in respect. I saw Alpha Hunter and Theo coming towards us.

“Bye, for now, Rhea. We will meet again soon”, Prince Henry said in a low but husky voice. I was still not looking at his face. “Will you look at me for once?” he suddenly asked me in the same tone and my heart skipped a beat in anticipation. I reluctantly looked up and our eyes met. I immediately averted my eyes when I saw some emotions in his eyes. “Goodbye, Prince Henry”, I said in a formal and stiff tone and then looked at Alpha Hunter and Theo once again. Theo was looking at us with a deep frown on his face while Alpha Hunter was anxious.

“My prince”, Alpha Hunter said to him in a respectful tone. “Alpha Hunter…. I came to say goodbye to Rhea”, Prince Henry replied to him in a light tone. I could see small movements in his upper body. “Goodbye, my prince. It was a pleasurable stay here”, Alpha Hunter also bid his goodbye to him, and then he looked at me. “You are coming with us, Rhea”, Alpha Hunter said to me and I nodded. I was going to the company in the human territory with alpha Hunter and Albert while Theo and others would go back to the pack.

I bowed in front of the prince one more time before heading towards our car. “What was he saying?” Theo asked me in a gloomy tone. “He is coming to visit our pack in the near future, alpha Theo”, I told him truthfully in the formal tone while looking in front of me. “Why?” he immediately asked me but I didn’t answer this question. “Let’s talk about this after leaving this place”, Alpha Hunter interrupted our conversation in a low tone. “He is still looking at us, Rhea. We have to stay alert from him”, Moon said in a warning and serious tone. “I know”, I answered her briefly.

I went towards the driver’s seat as I was driving. “Why are you driving?” Theo once again asked me in a confused tone. “Because I and Rhea are going to the company from here and you are going to the pack with Daniel”, Alpha Hunter answered him instead of me. “Did something happen, dad?” he asked Alpha Hunter. I stopped in my tracks when suddenly Theo stopped in front of me while asking the question to his father. “No, Theo…. I have a meeting to attend there and, being my PA, Rhea is bound to go with me”, alpha Hunter answered him in a frustrated tone this time.

“Alpha… we should leave now”, Albert said to Alpha Hunter in a gentle but firm tone. Without waiting for Theo to step aside, I walked around him and opened the car door. He was the future alpha still not my alpha. I was not bound to wait for his orders. “Why is she driving, dad? Albert can also drive”, I heard Theo asking his dad in an irritating tone this time. “She is driving because she loves to drive, Theo. This is her favorite sport and I always let her drive whenever we go out of the pack”. Alpha Hunter answered him in an irritating tone too. He was now frustrated by Theo’s continuous nagging.

I looked back in the rear mirror when I heard the opening of the door. Alpha Hunter entered the car with a gloomy face. Albert hopped in the passenger’s seat and I ignited the engine. “Alpha”, I asked permission from alpha Hunter. “Let’s go, Rhea”, alpha Hunter said in a frustrated tone. I nodded and then started driving the car. “I don’t know what’s his problem with you. He has been constantly questioning me about you ever since he saw you here”, alpha Hunter spoke in an irritating tone while telling me what Theo was doing in the past two days. “For him, my existence is the biggest problem, alpha”, I wanted to say this to Alpha Hunter but I didn’t say a word. “To hell with his problem, girl. Don’t ever question your existence. We are special and he is the one who is at loss here, not us”, she scolded me in a prideful tone. I smiled internally at her.

“Rhea”, I looked in the rear mirror when alpha Hunter called my name in a calm tone this time. “Yes, alpha”, I replied to him curtly. “Are you sure that no one saw you when Moon ran there?” he asked me in a worried tone. I nodded while looking at the road in front of me. “Yes, alpha… I didn’t notice anyone’s presence around me”, I answered him in the same tone. “You know very well, Rhea, that a royal can hide his scent well and even he can be stealth if he wants”, he said in a warning tone this time. “I know, alpha, and I already told you that prince Henry hid his scent when I first met with him. Still, I detected his presence around me when I was in the palace with Daniel”, I told him everything truthfully.

He didn’t say anything again but I knew that he was worried for me. There was silence in the car for some time and I was really glad that alpha Hunter didn’t pursue this matter. “Rhea”, suddenly alpha Hunter called me again. “Yes, alpha”, I replied to him immediately. “How old were you when that rogue attack happened in our pack?” he asked me in a calm tone but I felt a chill pass through my spine. “I… I was sixteen, alpha”, I answered him in a low tone and glanced at Albert who was also looking at me.

“You had your sixteenth birthday after one month after that attack, Rhea”, Albert spoke this time and I gulped hard. “And you got your wolf almost after a year, on your seventeenth birthday”, he said further and I glanced at the alpha Hunter through the rear mirror. He had a stern expression on his face this time. I didn’t know what was going on inside his mind, but I knew that it could be bad for me. “Did you find your mate, Rhea?” suddenly he asked me in a stern tone. My body trembled due to the intensity of his voice.

“Everyone thought that you were a late boomer when your wolf didn’t surface at your sixteenth birthday. If you have your mate in our pack then he would have sensed you at that time. Isn’t that he rejected you?” Albert was the one who was saying everything right now. I glared at him for the question he raised me. “Rhea…. Answer his question”, alpha Hunter asked me in his alpha command this time. I felt pressure on myself due to his voice. I couldn’t deny his alpha command and staying silent confirmed what Albert said.

I stopped the car at the side of the road when I felt difficulty in breathing. “Rhea”, I heard Albert yelling and he gripped my shoulder tightly. “Here…. Drink some water”, I heard alpha Hunter’s gentle and concerned tone this time. My vision was blurred and I felt dizzy. I refused my alpha’s command and it was costing me everything inside me. “Breath, Rhea… you are safe and with us”, I heard alpha Hunter’s gentle voice again, and at the same time, I felt something cold on my lips. Without thinking, I gulped a mouthful of water. I gulped down the water with difficulty and then coughed hard.

My tensed body immediately relaxed when alpha Hunter started stroking my back gently. I put down my head on the wheel while closing my eyes. “You know the consequences of defying your alpha’s order you still decided not to answer my question. I won’t deny that I am angry to know that your mate rejected you. He made the worst mistake of his life by rejecting you just because you were a late bloomer. I am not going to force you to tell his name to me, Rhea. But I want you to tell his name on your own will in the near future”, alpha Hunter spoke in a very gentle and concerned tone.

I smiled and just nodded weakly, still having my head on the wheel. “Albert… you drive and let her rest for a while”, alpha Hunter then instructed Albert. “Come to this seat, Rhea”, Albert said to me and I just nodded weakly again. Moon was silent inside me because she didn’t want to hear about our mate at any time. Once again, mentioning his name brought pain and suffering to me. This time, I chose this pain for me, but he was the reason again. I didn’t know for how long I was going to keep this secret, but there was no way that I was going to mention him in front of anyone, not even to Alpha Hunter.