His phone wouldn't stop vibrating after our conversation and he had turned it off completely shoving it into his back pocket. I'm guessing that Maxon really wants to talk to him but Ryder is ignoring him. I had gone back to reading my book and Ryder seemed to notice when I stopped on a line that I couldn't get. He helped me with the words unlike Ellie who just told me what it was. He spelt it out for me, explaining the sounds of the words and how I could spell one out myself without asking. The sun is filtering through the top of the chair and when I look over at Ryder now, he's asleep. It's restless even now and his eyes open minutes later with a deep sigh. He gives me a quick look before he rubs his hand up over his face. "Would you like me to order lunch for down here or go back up to the suite for it?" his voice is dead as he sits back up in the seat. "I like it here. It's peaceful." I give him a smile and he gives me one back. Ten minutes later the same tall blonde women that I saw on my first day and in one of the gold framed pictures in the hall of kings and queens walks into the room with a tray of food balancing perfectly on her hand. My eyes look Ryder up and down as he takes in his mother's presence with a scowl. When she reaches the chair she places the tray down near my feet. "Sweetheart, Maxon is about to have a fit. I'll keep her company." She says in a soft voice with a smile towards me. She takes a seat on the edge of the chair, smoothing out her lilac dress that flows off her body but the silver embroidered corset vest hugs to the every little curve of her waist. Her eyes are on Ryder and the smile she has is taunting him to do as she says. "I won't be too long Lottie." He sighs pushing himself up. "My mother is relatively harmless." Ryder walks out of the garden and his mum has a satisfied look on her face as she watches him leave. Her blonde wavy hair is pulled up and sits on top of her head in some magnificent arrangement that contrasts with her eyes and dress. Her movements are elegant as she sit's where Ryder just was with her legs bent back behind her as she leans herself down on the pillows sliding the food tray up between us. "Hello Lottie, it's nice to finally get to talk to you. Ryder seems to disappear off enough to be with you that I finally get a chance to meet the girl that holds so much of his attention. My name's Allie." She's sweet. I can see it in her smile. It's similar to Ryder's but not quite. Her voice is soft, with the hardness to it that could deliver orders. My eyes wonder down to her neck and there sitting on the left side a little higher up then the crevice of her collar bone is a mark. Darker than what Ellie's is but still could be passed off as a slight skin imperfection on an already perfect canvas. I nod at her not really knowing what to say to her. She seems confident with herself and starts to question me but not to overwhelming. She's asking me about how I'm liking it in the castle and how different it is from what I had before but she isn't push me for answers when I freeze up. "How are you and Ryder going?" She asks taking a sip of her drink. There's a small tightness in my chest and I find myself looking towards the door waiting to see if he'll come back through and back to me. "Me and Ryder?" "Yes." She laughs, "You two spend a lot of time together and I just want to know how you feel towards him." Her fingers are warm as they take mine. "I won't tell him anything that you say. I'm just curious." "He has a mate out there somewhere. I don't want to start feeling something for him then have him just drop me." "Royal wolves usually find their mates while there young. Alexander was nearly nineteen when he found me and that was on the verge of being late. It's rare for royal them to meet their mates out of their teens. I understand what you mean though, I felt like that with Alex. I recognised him before he recognised me and for a split second I was worried that he was going to reject me. He was a prince and I was a pack wolf." A small smile creeps its way onto her face. "That didn't stop him from moving so quick across the room and grabbing me around the waist, lifting me up and claiming me right then and there." "Is that what happens all the time?" Her face loses the sentimental look as she gives me a curious one. "No. Royal wolves are very strong and their wolves are very dominate, there very forceful on getting there claim on as soon as possible. She-wolves these days are more independent and are making their mates work for it more. Maxon is two years older than Ellie. They've grown up with each other so when Maxon shifted at thirteen and recognised her she was only eleven. Both of their parents decided that it would be better to keep them separated till she had shifted. So he had to wait two years to claim her. It's all different depending on the wolves."