Chapter 16: The Future doesn't Wait

**Raegan**

After lunch, we all went our seperate ways once more. The kitchen was filling with Annalise's cooking team, and I decided to stick around and hang out with her while she worked to set up lunch for the rest of the guests and palace.

"You look swell, little witch," she smiled at me.

"So do you, old bat," I grinned.

She chuckled, and looked over her shoulder before looking back at me, "you and the King?" She whispered lowly so that only I would hear.

I pursed my lips, "what gave us away?"

She shrugged, "he told me."

"Fucking dickhead," I huffed.

She laughed loudly, getting a few glances our way. "Little witch, you can't speak of him that way."

"*Watch me.*" I narrowed my eyes at her.

She shook her head, then patted my hand, "he isn't like the old King. He's lenient on some things, yes, but he hardly tolerates even the slightest disrespect from anyone. Including his inner circle."

I scrunched my nose up, and frowned, "really?"

She nodded, "Carl took a broken wrist for not using his title when addressing him."

My eyes widened. "Wow," I shook my head, "are you sure?"

She nodded, I frowned.

"So, he's like, a totaly hardass?"

"Yes, little witch. He hasn't specified what your relationship is to him, just that he had dinner with you last night. Regardless, I want you to be careful how you speak of and to him. He's a good wolf, he just fought hard to gain respect and doesn't like when it's disregarded. And between you and me," she looked around at her team with a raised eyebrow, "some of the wolves in here are snitches."

I laughed now, tilting my head back as Annalise smiled and started to work on prepping to demonstrate what was needed for this dish to one of the prep members of her team.

I watched her intently, and when she was done, I got to my feet and offered to help as well.

She gladly accepted and I washed my hands before getting to work.

It was a good chunk of time before we had lunch ready and the servants were starting to take the food out to the dining hall on their fancy dishes.

I helped in clean-up, and all five of my guards grunted, exchanged a few words, and started to help wash the dishes we'd used to cook.

Annalise watched them wide-eyed, as did I.

They were bickering between each other as they worked, but quickly had the dishwasher loaded with scrubbed dishes and had it running a cycle.

When they turned around they all had large wet spots on their fatigues.

I pursed my lips, "you guys are filthy."

They all looked down and then at each other.

"You got my shirt wet!" Jordan hissed at Marie, she gaped at him, and Kate grimaced.

"We have to change," Liam frowned.

"And leave Miss Martin without all five of us?" Forty raised his brows.

Marie groaned, "his Majesty wouldn't like that. He'd bite our heads off." She folded her arms over her abdomen and looked at me questioningly, "would you snitch if we changed, or run away for that matter?"

I raised my eyebrows, "snitches get stitches, and running is for cowards."

Forty smirked, "you're trouble. I like you."

I grinned at him, "thanks Forty, you're not so bad yourself."

"We should hurry, The King could be back for her or ask for an update anytime, and I don't want to be caught with her in the Guards housing when he does," Jordan supplied, and with one last glance to Annalise, the six of us departed the kitchen through the back door and headed around the palace to a large building just beyond the treeline that housed all of the royal guard and their families should they chose to live there.

We made our way there quickly, and they left me in the main entrance as they went to get changed. Well, most of them left me. Liam stood beside me and waited for the other four to return before changing himself.

I tapped my foot against the floor anxiously. This place looked homey for the most part, but it had the underlaying scent of cleaning chemicals and blood. Just like I remembered it to.

Liam shifted his weight, "I'm going to mind link him before dinner to tell him."

I huffed, and folded my arms over my chest, "ass."

He growled lowly, "Raegan, he called you an *incubator.* I know you have strong feelings about protecting your friend, but even *I* wanted to rip his head off for that one, and you're not my mate."

I bared my teeth at him, "he doesn't need to know."

"But your friend does need to face consequences," he countered, not addressing my aggressive behavior.

"If I swear I'll kick his ass will you refrain from telling The King?"

He seemed to consider it, then sighed, and shook his head, "no."

"Then this conversation is over."

"Please understand why I'm going to tell him." He pleaded softly.

I shook my head, "you're putting your respect for him over my personal comfortability."

"No," he stepped in front of me, making eye contact, "I'm prioritizing my *job*."

"Cool," I shrugged, "then conversation over."

My four other babysitters returned then, and let Liam go change while they started chatting quietly with one another.

They were smiling, and bumping each other's shoulders. A contrast to their very reserved friendly demeanor outside of the Guard Housing.

Another guard stopped to join their conversation, and their attention was thoroughly taken from me. I could have used this oppurtunity to evade them and go for a walk alone or explore the palace in its new rennovated state. Instead, though, I decided to stick around. It wasn't worth the headache, and I really didn't mind them or having them around. How The King knew that though, I had no idea. I thought I'd make enough of a stink about it to make him think I detested it. Clearly I hadn't.

"*Who* are *you*?" A low growl came from behind me.

I jumped a little, and turned to see a hulking man looking down at me with a raised brow and a smirk.

I grimaced, and looked at him from head to toe, "absolutely not."

He growled again, this time aggressively, and he took my hand into his, raising it to his lips and kissing the back of it. "I'm Dante, it's a pleasure to see such a lovely face in such a bleak living space."

I pulled back my hand, and pursed my lips. I took a step back, chosing not to acknowledge him at all.

As I took a step back though, he took a step forward, and I felt my heart start to race as I realized that he posed a threat to me. He smiled wolfishly as if he heard my heart thundering in my chest and it enticed him more.

"Back off, Dante," Marie growled, moving from behind me to stand in front of me.

I sighed in relief, and Kate wrapped her arm around my shoulders, standing beside me as she glared daggers at the man in front of us.

"I'm just asking the pretty she-wolf for her name," Dante said innocently.

Marie growled again, "hands off. She's spoken for."

"I don't see a mark on her neck," he folded his arms over his chest glaring down at Marie.

She shook her head, "I thought that the presence of four King's Guards would have given it away, but clearly you're just as thick as the day you were hired."

He growled and advanced towards her, to which she advanced as well, not giving off the slightest tendril of fear. Something told me she had more power here than he did, despite his hulking size, he was at a disadvantage to her natural power.

"*Back off, pup,*" she snarled in his face, and his eyes narrowed while he let out a soft whine that I almost didn't hear at all before he bowed his head to Marie and backed off like she requested.

When he was out of sight, Kate turned me towrads her, "I'm sorry about him."

"He's such a sour bastard," Marie added, facing me.

"You're lucky you've got Marie on your team," Jordan chuckled leaning his elbow on my shoulder and tilting some of his weight onto me, "she's one scary wolf."

She playfully growled at him, to which we all chuckled. Liam quickly rejoined us, in his new fatigues, after that and we were headed back to the palace.

When we got there we all quickly went inside through the same kitchen entrance we left through and headed to the guest floor.

I swung open the door to the guest room I'd been assigned and gasped at what I saw. Marie quickly pulled me back and I landed in Forty's arms as she and Jordan rushed into the room, hands on weapons I didn't know they had on them.