Chapter 32 — How Did This Start?

Lexus’ POV:

Six years ago.

“You’re going to love the pack house,” Ruben said to me. “You can bring Cade around next time.”

I followed him. “Okay but you’re not going to mention that in the prince, right?” I didn’t want to be treated the same way I was treated in the castle. If I were then there would be no point in me being here. 

Ruben scoffed. “I can keep a secret Lexus.” He opened the door to the pack house. “This is where all of the pack members eleven to nineteen live. Since I’m the future alpha I’ll be in charge of this house when I’m older. Even after I’m nineteen, plus there are a few who are over nineteen who are supervisors who report to my father. When my father is ready for me to lead the pack, I’ll take over the main pack house. Right now, this house is run by the beta’s son since he’s a lot older than me.” 

I looked around at the wolves. They seemed stronger than I thought, especially the older ones. I respected them right away for that. “There aren’t any dragon shifters in your pack?”

Ruben chuckled. “There’s one but she’s a screw up. She thinks she’s better than us because she’s stronger than most of us. She’s selfish, she doesn’t understand how to treat us like family. We’re pack that’s how it’s supposed to be. She thinks we’re so against her.” He didn’t make her sound all too great. “She acts like a boy too. I wish you were in our pack.” He started to introduce me to other pack members, and I didn’t meet the girl he was talking about.

I came over whenever I could for the next few weeks. Cade came along with me half the time. It was hard sneaking away from the guards, but Cade was a lot of help with the warning texts he’d send me when he wasn’t with me.

I finally saw the girl Ruben was talking about. “Hey stop!” She pushed one of the boys messing with her. “I’m not afraid to breath fire in your damn face Phil.” She threatened. “I swear to Diana, I hate you guys.”

One of the girls walked to her. “Stop saying that Sadia! You act like you’re not a part of the pack, they’re just teasing. They know they’re not really going to hurt you.”

Sadia spit towards the girl then got tackled by her. “See?” Ruben said. “She takes everything too personally.”

“Hey!” I said but they keep fighting.

The girl shifted into her wolf form and Sadia shifted into her dragon form which was barely small enough to be in the halls.

The other wolves jumped in to pull them apart. “Bitch.” The girl said when she shifted into her human form. She spit blood out and walked away.

Sadia shifted into her human form, and she had some scratches on her arms and legs. “Hold on Ruben.” I ran to catch up with Sadia. “That was impressive, but don’t you think you were a little harsh?” Sadia ignored me. “I can treat your cuts. I’ve gotten hurt enough to have learned how to treat them.” Konn always treated my small injuries just right so they would barely scar.

“You’re a dragon shifter?” She could tell by my energy. “I know you’re trying to be nice, but I’m not interested.” She looked like she was about to cry. 

“Yeah I am.” I sighed. “Fine.” I let her walk away. For a couple months it was the same thing just different situations. She always had beef with someone. Cade thought she was crazy. After those two months everyone found out who I was. Everyone treated me differently including Ruben. Surprisingly, the rest of the pack wasn’t as bad as I thought. I ended up making some real friends. 

I was hanging out with a group of guys I thought were cool when Sadia walked up to us. “So, are you really Prince Lexus?”

I looked up at her since we were sitting in a circle. “Why do you care? You’re not interested.” I used her words against her. She frowned and walked away. 

The next day I saw her alone sitting under a tree with her phone. I decided to walk to her. “Did you get into another fight?”

Sadia sighed. “Yeah, I did. Why do you care?”

I shrugged. “Maybe I don’t.” I left and came back with a first aid kit. “Fine I do.” She seemed cool to me in a sad way. I started cleaning her new cuts and bandaging them. “Why do you get into fights with your own pack?”

“They don’t see me as part of their pack that’s why, it’s because they treat me the way they do.” I sighed. “I’m not as aggressive as they think, I just don’t know how else to react. I don’t know how to turn things around, they hate me.”

“Ironic since you’re the one yelling that you hate them,” I joked. 

After that we were friends. We’d talk sometimes when I came over and I even had her over the castle a few times. My parents loved her right away. As we got older, we got closer as friends.

“Lexus it’s hell here. I’ve been trying to be more friendly like you said for a year. I just don’t have a connection with them. They’ll only ever see me as the aggressive defensive girl who doesn’t belong.” She pouted. “Can you talk to them?”

“No Sadia, me talking to them won’t do anything.” I refused. “Just leave, you’re eighteen now, it’s not the same as when we were fourteen.”

“That’s easy to say but if I leave the pack, I can’t be in the territory anymore. I’ll be considered rouge. You don’t just peacefully leave a pack.” She groaned. “I don’t want to talk about that. Do you have a date to the full moon ball?” 

I shrugged. “No, I'm probably just going to go with Cade. I’m not really interested in anyone. If you wanted to come with me and Cade, you could be my plus one.”

Sadia frowned. “Like in a group? No thanks. We should do something else then, just the two of us.”

“Isn’t that what we’re doing now?” I hit my blunt.

“You know that’s a nasty habit, right?”

I chuckled. “You’re thinking of cigarettes, I don’t smoke those.” 

“Okay well what do you think about my relationship with the pack? Do you think it’s all my fault?”

I shook my head. “It's no one's fault Sadia. Honestly if your parents were alive and apart of the pack, I don’t think there would be a problem. I think then you wouldn’t question your place in the pack, and neither would they.”

Sadia didn’t seem to agree. “It’s because I’m different.”

“The only issue is that you and the pack both don’t feel like you belong,” I said.

“Because I’m an orphan. The point is I’m different from them, they tried to make me the omega for shits sake Lexus.”

I sighed. “I’m not really trying to defend them. The point is you’re both focusing too much on the differences, including you. They could have tried to make you feel more a part of the pack and you could have tried to be a part of it. I can agree that you’ve been trying recently, and they should meet you halfway, but I guess it’s too late for them. They already have their opinions on you. I’d say make at least one friend, show kindness to one member and your time there won’t be hell.” That was my advice to her, but I wasn't sure if she'd take it.

Surprisingly, Sadia took my advice. I told her she should slowly befriend members of the pack and that’s what she did. The problem was she befriended Rubens’s future Beta, Calvin. I didn’t love that since Ruben wasn’t the fondest of me anymore. It was mostly fine because it's not like I had to hang out with him. Sadia preferred to hangout one on one anyways. I wasn't really sure why, but she didn't even really want Cade around. As time went on, she made friends with another wolf named Tam. “You were right Lexus, I just had to focus on one at a time instead of trying to befriend everyone at once. You’re the best.” I loved seeing her happy. “Oh, and that girl who likes Cade and works in the garden, Vella I think we’re becoming friends. She wants to hang out with me soon. I think things are looking up for me.”

It turned out those were the only two interested in being her friend. Two years later and she still wanted to leave the pack. “Are you sure your mom likes me? I would like me.” She followed me down the castle hall. “Can I sleep over again tonight? I’ll meet up with Vella in the morning. I hate being at the pack house. Calvin and Tam are cool friends but they’re just not enough to make me want to stay.”

I walked into my room. “Sure Sadia, I’ll sleep on the couch again.”

“You don’t have to, you can sleep in the bed, with me.” She suggested.

“That’s nice but I’m fine with the couch.” I sat down at my desk. “When are you leaving the pack house?”

I sighed. “I can’t I told you, you can’t just leave a pack with no good reason.”

“Would marriage be a good reason?” I wanted to see Sadia happy after all these years.

Sadia blushed. “Well yeah but it depends on who.”

“Let’s get married or is that too weird?” We were best friends but it’s not like I was interested in marrying anyone else. My mom wanted me to find a Queen so why not Sadia? 

Sadia gasped. “What? Are you serious?” I didn’t expect her to sound so excited. “No, it’s not weird, we can do that. I’m going to be a great Queen. Watch when everyone sees me as Queen. The pack members are going to be so jealous. I’m going to be loved the way your mother is.” She walked to the door. “I’m going to live here and help you rule this whole kingdom.” I liked seeing her happy. Sadia always had a big personality, and I wasn’t able to see the positive side of it too often, I had missed it. 

We were engaged and over the next few months we talked more about it, and we told my parents who were surprised but approved. “Are we going to be a real couple?” Sadia asked.

I sat down in my bed. “Yeah, cause we’ll have to mate. Are you comfortable with that?” I asked.

Sadia sat down next to me. “We should probably get used to being intimate… you know.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, I get it Sadia.” I leaned closer and kissed her. As more time went on, we became more and more intimate. When she asked if we were going to be a real couple, I assumed she only meant after marriage not before. The only reason we were going to be a real couple of because of the mate mark anyways. That’s why I didn’t think twice before hitting on other girls.

“Where’s Sadia?” Vella asked me while I walked through the garden.

I didn’t get along with Vella very much. “Figure it out.”

Vella glared at me. “You’re the prince so you can just talk to me however, right?” I ignored her. “I don’t trust you Prince Lexus. I overheard what you said to one of the full moon ball organizers.” We always went back and forth like this.

She heard me hitting on the other girl. I never asked Sadia if she was okay with me getting other women out of my system before we got married. To me it wasn’t like we were actually together yet. “That’s nice Vella, let me know what the reporters say.” I said sarcastically.

Vella continued to follow me. “I can’t believe Cade is friends with someone like you.” 

I stopped at my room. “Are you done?”

But she just stood there. “You really don’t know where Sadia is?”

“She’s not coming over today, she’s announcing our engagement to the pack. She said she didn’t need me there.” I explained. “Do you want to smoke?” I asked because she still didn’t leave.

“Sure, at least you’re good for something.” She walked in and we smoked two blunts. “Wow.” She laid on the ground. “I’m so tired, I can’t move.”

“Already? Vella you’re going to need to get off my floor and get out. Cade isn’t exactly going to be thrilled with my smoking out his girlfriend to this point.”

Vella stood up. “I’m fine. I’m just tired.” She got into my bed. I sighed and stayed at my desk working until she woke up an hour later. “That was a fun nap.” She yawned. “It’s night already?”

“Vella why are you really here?” I wasn’t going to act like I wasn’t attracted to Vella. She had a nice body and face. 

Vella sighed. “It’s obvious…” She stood up and walked to me. “What do you have to say now?” She whispered seductively.

I didn’t say anything, but I didn’t stop her from leaning in and kissing me. we started to make out and soon after we had sex. I thought a lot about Cade afterwards. I didn’t realize what I was risking until after I risked it. “Get out Vella. Now.”

She got out of my bed and started putting her clothes on. “Fine, don’t act like I’m the problem.”

“If Cade or Sadia find out I’m going to do more than just have you fired. Your family will have to plan your funeral. This isn’t happening again.” 

She didn’t say anything before she left.