Chapter 51
I didn’t see Ryker again after that. It has been two days and I had started to wonder when next I would come across him. I tried my best to hide my curiosity about him but my family knew me way too much and Christine ended up telling me that he was staying in the palace guest house.
It felt weird knowing that he was close by and all it would take would just be a few minutes journey and I would see him. I finally understand what people mean when they say out of sight is out of mind because I never worried about Ryker this much until I was faced with the prospect that he was merely a few feet away from me.
There has also been the issue of the dress and I have been exceptionally worried and disturbed about it. For the life of me, I cannot think of anything to wear and although the designers have been showing me different sketches, nothing seems to stand out so much. The entire prospect is frustrating and I know I have to give them an answer by tomorrow.
The only good thing in my life so far is Audrey. She somehow manages to help me forget about whatever is plaguing me and keeps me in the moment. Currently, she is lying against my lap while I read her a story. I looked down only to see that she had drifted off to sleep and I smiled softly.
There was a knock on my room door and Christine poked her head in. she gestured for me to step out and I had to quietly life Audrey from me. She is a heavy sleeper but sometimes, especially if she falls asleep on you; one wrong move can wake her and she is going to be cranky as hell.
Once I managed to lay her gently against the pillows, I slowly exited the room and closed the door behind me quietly while I faced Christine. She was wearing a simple blue dress that matched the bright sky and she pulled me down the hallway before she started to speak.
“The Queen sent me to ask if you are done with the preparations,”
I raised a brow, “Why can’t she ask herself?”
“Something along the lines of not wanting to feel like she was pressuring you and not wanting it to turn into an argument. with you,” she shrugged and I rolled my eyes, “So, have you?”
I shook my head, “I’m still stuck on the dress, I don’t know what to do, I don’t what color to use. I don’t know what design to use and I am just confused.”
A look crossed her face as if she wanted to say something but she quickly hid it and her expression went back to neutral.
“You have to get back to the designers soon,” she said simply, “They need to start working on your dress and it seems the Alphas are arriving early because another one crossed our borders today.”
“I didn’t know about that.”,
“It just happened a few minutes ago,” she shrugged, “I think people are just excited to see the long lost princess.”
“The lost princess who doesn’t even have a dress.” That same look crossed her face but she still didn’t say anything so I turned to look at her, “Say whatever is on your mind.”
“It’s nothing,” she said but I could tell that she was lying.
I crossed
my
arms over my chest and stared at her. We are around the same height so there was no looking up or down, she just avoided my eyes. Her entire b*dy language read defensive and I wondered what she was so desperately trying to hide. She tried to side step me to avoid my gaze but I refused to let her and I forced her to look at me.
“What is it?” I asked and she hesitated before speaking.
“Let me choose your dress.” I was so shocked by her words that I stood immobile for a few seconds. She must have taken it as ano because she rolled her eyes, “This is why I didn’t ask.”
“didn’t say anything.”
“You didn’t have to, I could tell that it was already a no.
She started to walk away but I stopped her, “Actually, it was going to be a yes.”
She paused mid step and turned to me with a face full of disbelief. I could tell that she was playing my words over and over in her head to make sure that she hadn’t misheard by accident.
“You said yes,” she repeated and I hummed, “Are you sure?”
“I don’t know what to wear and unless I plan to go in a sack then you are my best option. I trust that you something amazing.”
will come up
with
“I have millions of ideas,” her excitement was palpable and I felt a small smile grow on my l*ps as her eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store, “I can show you my designs and you can choose whichever one you think is-,”
“Surprise me,” I said instead and her eyes widened.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I want to see it on that day.”
She nodded and squealed so loudly I feared someone would rush in and think we were under attack. She pulled me into a hug that was so tight I feared my ribs would cr ack and when she pulled away, she all but sk ipped down the stairs to do goddess knows what..
I smiled to myself as I watched her and made my way down the stairs to the garden. I have finished with everything I have to do today and I might as well enjoy some time surrounded by the flowers and fresh air.
I passed by a lot of guards and ser vants who were trying to make everything presentable for the Alphas who were set to arrive. I brushed past all of them and as soon as I stepped out of the palace doors, I could feel one of the guards following
I didn’t have to look back to know it was Kevin. He is the guard my mother personally assigned to follow me once I am out of the safety of the palace. He might look calm and approachable but he is deadly and as swift as a viper. He can have a grown man begging for his life within minutes.
I tried being friendly with him when he was first assigned to me but I quickly learned that Kevin enjoys working in solitude and silence, I knew that I was most likely being a bother to him so I stopped trying. It doesn’t mean that we aren’t civil though, I still occasionally ask about his little sister but it mostly ends there.
I got to the garden, it isn’t heavily protected because most people know not to come here. The garden was built by my father before he was mated to my mother. He was the prince and he used to come here to get away from the stress of royal life. After his mating, he gave it to my mother as a gift and it has been unofficially known as the royals garden since then.
It is a small expanse of land with beautiful flowers growing all around. There is a massive fountain that can fit at least five people in it and three different benches. I knelt in front of the fountain and stretched out my hand to call the water to me.
This is my favorite place to practice my powers mainly because of the fountain but also because there is usually no one to bother me. I bent the flow of the water so it formed an arch and I smiled to myself as I remembered how hard it was to do it when I first started. I had to learn that water isn’t meant to be controlled and I had to see it as an extension of myself and not a completely different entity.
I stayed there for a while, just playing around with the water and making shapes with it when I heard Christine’s voice in my head.
“Where are you?” she asked, “Audrey woke up and is searching for you.”
“Bring her to the garden,” I instructed and I rose to my feet.
I was turning around when I felt a presence in the woods. I barely had time to tell Kevin about it when I saw a figure emerge. At first I had to blink twice to make sure that I was seeing the right person but the longer I stared, the clearer he became.
His dirty blond hair was slicked back giving him an almost regal look. He was also older but he was completely clean sha ven. His blue eyes sparkled with mischief and he was wearing a tightly pressed suit.
Kevin was quick to arrive in front of me with his sword out and under the intruder’s chin. He just smiled and raised his hand to show that he had no weapons and he was no harm.
“State your name and your business,” Kevin snarled, “You shouldn’t be here.”
“She knows me, don’t you Camilla?” I ignored him, “My name is Tyson Woods and I am the Alpha of the Two Moons pack.”
Tyson still had that air of faux superiority and the way he was staring at me was like he knew that I didn’t belong. I hadn’t expected him to be here, I thought his father would be here but I didn’t even think too much about it.
“When did your father die?” I asked and he shrugged.
“A few years,”
I could see that Kevin was looking between me and Tyson almost as if he was unsure of what to do. If I am being honest, I don’t know what to do either.
“I came to see you Camilla,”
Tyson took a step forward but Kevin pressed the tip of his blade into Tyson’s neck. “Take one more step and I will not hesitate to take your head off. You will also address the princess by her appropriate title.”
If Tyson was upset, he didn’t let it show. Instead, he nodded as well as he could with a sword to his throat. Both men were not staring at me and I turned to Kevin.
“Let him go,”
Kevin was shocked but he did as I asked. Tyson was relieved and he started to make his way over to me but I held out one hand to stop him. I think it was more shock than my actual order that made him freeze in his tracks as he stared at me.
“You need to leave,” I said simply and his eyes widened.
“Camilla, I came for you.”
“I don’t care why you came,” I said simply.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Christine approach but she quickly hid behind a pillar before anyone could see her and Audrey. I will forever be grateful to her for her ability to think quickly on her feet because the last thing I need is for Tyson to see my daughter.
“Go to your hotel Tyson,” I turned on my heels, “You can see me when the others do. I am not interested in whatever you have to say.”
I started to leave but I heard his voice, “I left Lisa. Right after you left, I knew you were the one for me and I left her.”
I stopped in my tracks and I looked at him over my shoulder, “I don’t care. Leave and don’t come back to this garden. because I will not hesitate to allow Kevin hurt you.”
