The slight shake of his head is enough for me to push him away from me. It’s too much for me. When I jump from the table I’m surprised by how steady my legs are and how easily I manage to pull my arm from his grip when he reaches out to pull me back to him. “Lottie,” He’s following after me as I move closer to the closed door that’s blocking me from the rest of the world. I’m locked in this room with him and the sick twisted reality that my life has become by his sweetly soft hands. “I need a minute.” I say to him when his arm comes around my waist to keep me in the room with him. Ryder's arm is reluctant to release me but eventually the no longer calming warmth disappears from my skin. When my eyes meet his for the smallest of seconds I can see him begging me to stay here with him but he still opens the door to allow me to leave. Stepping out into the nearly secluded hall a shaky breath escapes my throat. Running a hand through my hair I push it to a side to stop it from falling back down into my eyes as I try to stop the shaking that is trying to inhabit my limbs. Kids where something that I never thought of and as of right now it is definitely something that I don’t want but it’s just another thing that if I want to be with Ryder I will have to tolerate. When my eyes give a genuine look through the hall I can’t see any of my guards around. The doors to the room that I was just in are still open and I see that Ryder lent against the table in what looks to be a deep conversation with my guards who somehow get into the room with him. None of them are concentrated on me. Taking it is my chance it as my chance I run. “Charlotte,” Ryder’s voice follows deep and loudly down the hall as I move as quickly away from as I can. It took no time at all for them to notice what I was doing but my feet have carried me faster than normal so I’m already to the end of the hallway before I can feel them getting closer to me. Pushing myself to run faster I hook a hand around the banister of the stairs ignoring the splintering pain still moving through my ribs as I take two steps at time to keep the distance between me and my mate. Running through the first door I see on the nearly deserted third floor of the south wing, I collapse against the floor allowing everything to come out in chest shattering sobs. Somehow I had managed to out run my guards and Ryder. They were holding back and giving me space but when they realised that I was running their footsteps were quick and heavy to follow me trying to stop me from getting away from them. The room is an office and also one of the most traditional rooms in the palace that I’ve seen yet. The walls are all mahogany bookcases that stretch the lengths of the room on both the left and right side of me even the larger than needed desk that is placed in front of the large double doors that lead out to a vast balcony is a rich and visibly heavy mahogany. Pushing up off the ground on weak arms I make my way through the maze of the seated area of the room to sink into one of the high red leather wing backed chairs hoping that if I manage to in some way sink my small frame into the softness of it enough that anyone who might walk into the expansive room they won’t be able to see me. Since Ryder marked me it’s shocked me how I have all these new ‘abilities’. Right now I can hear them running throughout the lower floors trying to find me. I can sense that Ryder’s confused and stressed that he can’t find me. From the strong emotions that I feel I had unintentionally blocked him out but I wasn’t willing to drop the solid brick like wall that I had constructed to prevent him of my guards sensing or from feeling my location. I thought I knew what I wanted with him. I thought that I wanted to complete the bond with him but it took only a few words from him and a bloody glass ball to deter me from the fantasy that I had dreamt up. Completing this bond with him will bring up a lot about my past that I thought I had already dealt with but I’m nowhere even ready to have those deep memories bought back into my life and put centre stage. I was caught up in the moment with him earlier today but I won’t get caught like that again with him. I realise now how strong the mate bond can be, especially with having someone as strong his to have the bond created with. His touch is addictive. Form the second I first felt those sparks course through my body I have been craving more of them and more of him by the second. I need it more than I wish I did. When I hear the click of the door opening my breath catches in my throat hoping that the unfamiliar feeling I get from the person at the door leaves me alone but the door closes and there are footsteps still present in the room with me. Deep hazel eyes meet mine as the tall figure rounds the room to sit down in the seat behind the desk. The familiar eyes flick to me for a second before they move back down to the pen that swirls a dark black ink around the bottom of a number of pages, signing off on many things that I don’t know about. My eyes watch carefully as I’m barley acknowledged. “Allie always knew how to cause a stir as well.” Having him in front of me even through my tear stained eyes there are more similarities between Ryder and Alexander then what the picture let onto but I can’t get over how Ryder has the exact same eyes as his father right down to the way they easily portray an emotional glint. “You’re not going to tell him where I am?” Alexander gives me another quick look and the same flash of concern that I got from Ryder earlier crosses his eyes. “I know about the prophecy Charlotte, it’s something that was presented to me when I was young and the same goes for Ryder. I don’t believe either of us expected to be mated to the prophecy, to you, but you need to realise that Ryder has known about that prophecy since he shifted and from the moment he meet you he’s been growing closer to you knowing that with the rebels attempts at getting to throne better that this battle that it talked about is right behind us and it will be difficult to win. They have the prophecy too and they know that Ryder is mated to a human, he knows that they will do everything they can to kill you, to stop this foretold pregnancy, to take there last opportunity that they have to take the throne because once you and Ryder have conceived an heir they are well aware they won’t have another chance. He knows what this war can do to you and there’s no way he can get you out of it. You need the space between you right now.” “I don’t want to lose him.” Tears drop down onto my arms that have tangled around my waist. “As much as I dislike that Ryder has mated to a weak human, I would never want to lose Allie no matter what and I never wish for Ryder to lose you.” This is the first time I’ve ever been able to evaluate Alexander. Ryder has barley said anything about him but I can see why. The difference in personalities is astounding. Ryder is soft and sweet around me but Alexander is cold and hard and is keeping barley any eye contact with me, not that I’m trying to hard but it makes me realise how often that I do it to others. “Ryder never speaks about you.” The noticeable movement of his Adam’s apple tells me that maybe he cares about his son.