To see the difference in the way that Ryder reacts around his childhood friends is cute especially with the protective way he pulls me in closer to him so my hips are against him and there is basically not even an inch of space between us. While he's arguing with Reynolds about barging in on us I lean into press a kiss to his cheek but at the last second he turns his head completely ignoring Reynolds calling him an obscene word to turn his head towards mine and crash his lips against mine in a heart-warming kiss. I feel the growl emanating through his chest as he swings me away from the other males in the room. I quickly pull back away from him not enjoying how intense it got and how quickly we got to the stage. *** "Together they will fight to a winner prevails." Ryder's eyes snap up to me with the words absentmindedly leaving my mouth. Ryder had organised for the food that he had prepared for me to be presented in the Kings garden. He had scoffed everything done within seconds of Abigail placing the plate down in front of him but I took my time to savour the crisp sandwiches' that I was given. It's been over half an hour since we've been down here and now that Ryder's had me alter the last part of the prophecy so I temporarily forget about it all I can do is concentrate on the first part of the prophecy. "Lottie?" Ryder groans, he pushes his plate away and tries to pull me in close to him but I pull my legs away. "Your father told me the rebels are closer than they've ever been before. They want the throne they want you dead." I say watching as his hand sits on the arm rest of my chair his long tanned fingers lifting from the surprisingly comfortable iron seat every now and then to get just that little bit closer to me. "You really shouldn't listen to my father." "Ryder," I corner him before he can worm his way out of the conversation. "What are rebels exactly?" Ryder sighs shaking his head. When I see him roll his eyes at me, my mouth sets in a straight line annoyed that this protective side of him is turning him into an asshole. "I heard that." He smiles, "I'm sorry, it's a wolf thing and it's not going to change. A rebel however is a wolf who has broken the sire bond to the throne." "Sire bond?" I don't know if I'm pushing it or not but he seems to be opening up to me like this. "You and I have a mate bond, you know what that feels like, and you can sense it and once we complete the mating process you'll be able to sense the sire bond as well. The sire bond links everyone from the throne to the rest of the ranks even the rouges, it's what really forces other wolves to do as we order. Rouges have rejected the bond to their Alpha they roam free usually alone or in groups of two or three but they still have to report to me, they still have to obey my orders but rebels have broken that bond, you can see it in their wolves, they're disfigured, it's the way that they break the bond." "What has that got to do with them attacking you?" Ryder pulls my chair closer into him and I don't push him away as his hand hooks around the back of my knees to drop my legs over his. "They want the throne. They believe that I don't rule well and they want to do it themselves but a royal wolf is stronger for a reason, we are meant to rule not them it's why we're born the way that we are." "You said we a lot there." "You're the future queen remember, you were born to rule as well." "Together they will fight to a winner prevails, death or life will come." I repeat. Beneath my legs I can feel Ryder tense. "I don't want you in a fight." Ryder's hand tightens around my knee as he tries to get out the words that we both already know to be true. "You are either going to die in this fight or you will end up pregnant, you know create life. There is no way I can keep you out of this, I know that now but I want you prepared. Later my mum is going to start teaching you about all the things that you'll have to do as a queen when you're in public but what she doesn't know is that I have Cole lined up to tech you something's as well." My chest tightens at his words and I go to say something else to him but he slides me into his lap so my legs are straddling his hips. "You know every time that you think you're going to upset me, you can't just grab me." Contradicting my words I wrap my arms around his neck and press my body against his my lips slanted above his, the scent of his breathe wafting up my nose. "I'm going to get him to train you." He whispers the feeling of his lips moving against mine as he softly speaks. Out of unease I slip my tongue out of my mouth slightly. I didn't take into account though how close Ryder's lips were to me in the first place and as my tongue moves tenderly over his he's eyes close and I can feel the strain that he has inside to hold back from doing more with his. "Behind me, Cole and Maxon are the strongest trained wolves. He won't hurt you but he has my orders to makes sure you will be as safe as you possibly can and that means teaching you to defend yourself."