The Kir Files Part 2

Chapter 5:

***Moose***

I was enjoying a game of capture the flag when suddenly I feel the urge to find Kir. I may be used to strange things happening around the Bastet siblings, but never in my wildest dreams would I ever expect to be connected to the alpha in such a way that I immediately grew anxious upon being incapable of finding her right away. My instincts led me towards the forest that I had discovered Kir in earlier today. As I approached my destination, I immediately notice the copper smell of blood and a bright light. As the light fades I'm horrified to find Kir's throat with dried blood across it as she stands staring at the man that called himself Asher before.

My first reaction is to run over to Kir, who is no longer sporting her blonde wig, but rather her natural midnight blue wavy locks. I quickly examine her throat and look up at Kir, relieved that she seems to be alright. That is until I look into her eyes and see that they are no longer her icy blue, but a much darker shade of blue, comparable only to that of a sapphire. Suddenly, the boy, Asher, speaks "I'm so sorry Kir, please forgive me." The boys says almost inaudibly. I look between Kir and Asher, trying to figure out what might've happened before I arrived and what may have happened if I hadn't felt the need to show up.

Kir looks at me silently before saying "Asher, we will never speak of what happened here and it will never happen again." She pauses, "Moose, I need you to take me home immediately please, if the others ask I was called away on royal business. Do we all understand?" Kir pauses for a moment before heading towards the parking lot for my car. I look at Asher and quickly tell him "I don't know what happened and I don't care to know what happened, but you had better thank your goddess that it was me that showed up and not one of the others or else you would've been dead before you could blink." I state to the boy before running to catch up to Kir.

***Kir***

"Kir, I really think we need to talk about what happened back there. I mean Asher is ou-" I put a wall up, interrupting Kirala's words. "I know that I should talk to Asher about what happened back there, but I don't think I've even fully processed the meaning of it all yet. I can't talk to Kirala about it right now either because she already made up her mind about what she wants to do. I certainly can't tell Roo, he would kill Asher on the spot without a second thought. I could tell Kaoru, but then he would tell Kilo and Kilo would tell Roo anyways since he doesn't like Asher either..." I think to myself.

I look over at Moose who's been silent since we left the academy grounds. "Moose, if I tell you what happened back there, will you promise not to tell another living soul?" The reptilian man stays silent until we reach the gates of my house, Bastet Manor. "Honestly Kir, I'm not even sure if I want to know, however if you wish to tell me then I will keep quiet until you tell me otherwise. You are my alpha and to my alpha I swear to stay true and loyal until the end of times." The man quotes part of the oath he took on the day that he chose to become a member of Majestic Moon, my pack. "I do think that you should wait to tell me until we are away from prying eyes though." Moose suggests as we pull up to the entrance of the main house.

We enter the house and decide to go to the stables since it is the only private area on the compound, other than my bedroom which is off-limits for obvious reasons. "Can't have the maids spreading rumors that the princess brought a dragon to her private quarters in the middle of the day." "Alright, what happened? Why were you alone in the forest with that guy and why did you have blood on your throat?! What was that strange light and what happened to your wig?!" Moose barrades me with questions as soon as we're sure that there are no prying eyes or ears in the area. "Calm down Moose, I promise I'll explain as much as possible." I assure him.

*Flashback to the events in the forest*

Asher came back looking distraught after his phone call ended, I open my mouth to ask if he's alright but before a sound can come out of my mouth he quickly buries his fangs into my throat. Everything goes white for a moment before I regain my barrings and shove the man off of me. The next word out of his mouth causes me to begin shaking. "Mate." Asher says as he looks at me, completely dumbfounded about this new discovery.

I snarl "I don't care what your goddess tells you, I am not your mate, I will never be your mate, mates do not attack each other the way you just attacked me." He stumbles on his words for a moment before countering "I didn't know until after I bit you. Goddess, what are we going to do now?" He looks panicked as he asks his goddess for advice. I can no longer hold back my emotions as I'm overwhelmed by anger and confusion.

***Asher***

"Why did this have to happen now?! Why couldn't it be someone else?! Now everything is so complicated!" I drown in my thoughts until suddenly I see a bright light coming from where Kir was standing moments ago. I look up and my jaw drops to the floor, suddenly the blonde-haired princess that the world knows now has midnight blue hair., eyes that are usually a calming icy blue, now a deep sapphire shade., beautiful tan skin, now pale as snow. I stare at the woman with utter dismay, is this truly the heiress to the Kayanadian throne? I hear footsteps approaching and the light surrounding Kir suddenly begins to fade.

The man that was introduced as Moose earlier runs over to Kir and I stifle a growl as I watch the man inspecting my newfound mate. I look at Kir and the only words that I'm able to form are "I'm so sorry Kir, please forgive me" though the words come out much quieter than I meant them to. I pause, wondering if maybe she couldn't hear me. Just as I'm about to repeat myself Kir speaks. "Asher, we will never speak of what happened here and it will never happen again. Moose, I need you to take me home immediately please, if the others ask I was called away on royal business. Do we all understand?" Kir asks, though her tone tells me that there's no room for arguement, she's made up her mind.

*Back to the present*

***Moose***

"Whoa..." Is all I'm able to come up with for a response to this new information. As I slowly process everything that Kir has just told me, I feel complete and utter rage at the man who dared to bite the princess. "I'll kill him!" I yell as I turn to walk away. Kir grabs my arm, stopping me from leaving. "Please Moose, swear to me that you will let me handle this and that you will never tell another person." Kir pleads. I sigh "Alpha, I swear to you that I will allow you to decide what action to take and that I will never speak of this."

I respond before adding, "but in return, I wish for you to appoint me as your bodyguard, I will stand by your side and protect you whenever you need me, I will be here." Kir looks at me with a smile on her face before saying "Moose Dragolifia, from this day forward you will be by my side always, you will protect me when there is danger and you will assist me in future battles, starting today you will not only be my bodyguard, but also my most trusted advisor." She says before speaking the ancient language of her ancestors for making a spiritual contract. I look over at Kir and ask her "Sooooo.....are you going to reject him? Wait...." I pause "do you maybe like him? Do you think he's hot? Do you want him?" I laugh and wiggle my eyebrows, however my laughter quickly dies down upon seeing the blush on her face. "Oh dear, someone please save this poor girl's soul...."

Chapter 6:

***Inuharu***

With Kir away on business for the rest of the school day, I figured "why not play hooky myself? I deserve a break for being such a great brother! Hell, I deserve a whole friggin paid vacation for the amount of energy I use trying to keep all these boys away from Kir!!" I continue to amuse myself with thoughts of taking a vacation and maybe even convincing my precious angel to come with me, as I walk to my Harley. I mount my beautiful black and red motorcycle and head out to my favorite underground club. I groan with irritation upon entering the doors and seeing that the twins also decided to come here. As I begin to pass their table I can't help hearing some of their conversation.

"Do you think that it's a coincidence that both Kir and Moose had to go this random meeting together?" Kaoru asks his brother. "What are you trying to get at exactly Kaoru? You think that our innocent princess is sneaking around with the youngest Dragolifia? I mean, yeah Moose is definitely popular, but him and Kir? No way! Besides if Kir were to be sneaking around with anyone, it would probably be me. After all, I am the hot twin." Kilo says before realizing that I was right behind him. I tap his shoulder with a smile, the moment he turns around his face instantly shows regret and horror. "What was that you were just saying about my sister?" I ask while continuing to smile. "U-uh um.....n-nothing Roo....K-Kir is amazing and would n-never do anything like that with anyone." The boy stutters out.

***Kaoru***

Without thinking I decide to step in. "Come on Roo, you can pretend all you want around Kir, but we already know that you're no different than us. The only reason you don't want anyone else to have Kir is so that you can have her for yourself. But I mean come on, what do you honestly think is going to happen once Kir realizes that you've been lying to her all this time? You think that she will fall in love with you when she finds out that you're not actually related to her?" I point out, though I immediately regret my words upon looking at Roo's dark expression.

I decide that it might be best to leave the club before Roo rips my head off of my shoulders. I get up and quickly walk away from the table, keeping an eye on Roo as to guarantee that he doesn't decide to follow me and finish the job. I successfully make it to my car and quickly get in and take a breath before looking up to see Roo in front of my car.... I quickly start the engine and back out of the parking lot as fast as possible. The moment I get out of the parking lot I take off speeding down the road. I don't slow down until I arrive at the door of the Regaldi Mansion.

***Inuharu***

After scaring Kaoru away, I walk back to the table and see that Kilo has also left. I'm glad that I can finally have some peace. I call over a waitress and order some buffalo wings and a large Mountain Dew. As I wait for the waitress to come back with my order, I notice a familiar looking flame-haired man on the dancefloor with a few women. I scowl as I watch the man obviously enjoying the company, remembering how just a few hours ago I was trying to keep him away from my sister and now here he is flirting with someone new. "Goddess, please don't ever allow Kir's mate to end up anything like this playboy." I pray silently.

Just as my order arrives, I spot Kir entering the club with none other than Moose himself. If it weren't for the fact that I know the dragon isn't interested in my sister, I would probably kill him for being alone with her. Suddenly Kaoru's words from earlier come back to me "The only reason you don't want anyone else to have Kir is so that you can have her for yourself." I sigh because deep down, Kaoru and I both know that it's true, I'm hopelessly in love with Kir just like the twins. However, I know that nothing can ever happen between the two of us, as we are siblings, even if not by blood. Kir truly believes I'm her big brother so that's what I will be for her, even if it kills me, I will always put Kir and her feelings first.

***Kir***

Moose and I decided to go to the club to relax after our long day, however the moment I entered I instantly regretted the decision. I walk through the doors and spot Roo looking at us with a strange expression, but that's not what made me regret coming here. No, what made me regret coming here was looking over at the dancefloor and spotting the man that called me his mate just a few hours ago, now dancing with three different women. It was like a slap to the face to see him enjoying the attention of those trollops so soon after discovering that we are destined mates. I may not have accepted the mate bond, however I didn't reject it either, so to see him giving up so easily was pretty painful.

"Hey, if you wanted, we could just tell Roo that Asher's your mate and then you wouldn't have to deal with that player." Moose says, trying unsuccessfully to comfort me. I shake my head," you know, no, screw this! I came here to relax and have fun and I'm not about to let that pierced monkey ruin it for me!" I spot Kilo on the other side of the room, sitting by himself while watching the dancers. "Come on Moose! I've got a plan." I say as I pull Moose with me towards Kilo. "Kilo, come dance with us!" I say as we stop in front of Kilo for only a moment before I pull him along with Moose and I to the dancefloor.

The entire time the three of us are dancing and laughing, I completely forget about all of the craziness of my first day at school. I'm having so much fun that I completely forgot that both Asher and Roo are in the club as well. That is until I suddenly feel myself pulled away from my friends, and into the arms of my big brother. "Little sister, how rude of you to come in here and not even invite your big brother to have the first dance." Roo says in a hurt tone. I look over my shoulder at my brother and laugh."Oh please! What sixteen year old wants to dance with her big brother at a club?" I joke.

I watch as all hell suddenly breaks loose, one second I'm joking with my brother and the next, Asher is holding me in his arms while growling at Roo. "Get your hands off of her you filthy mongrel!" I hear Roo shout. "Filthy mongrel? You're the one that needs to stay away from her!" Asher growls out at Roo. "She's my sister, why the hell should I have to stay away from her?!" Roo snarls back. "Inuharu, you can't fool me! I heard everything!! You're not even related to her! So stay the hell away from my mate, you lying flea bag!" I see Roo freeze upon hearing Asher's words. "What the hell is he talking about Roo?!" I stare at my brother who remains frozen in place. "Ask the twins if you don't believe me." Asher defends. I look over at Kilo who has his head down, covering his face, telling me all I need to know. So what did I do? I ran. I ran as fast and as far as I could, to the only place that I knew I could be alone.

***Asher right before going to the dancefloor***

"How am I supposed to deal with all of this? First I'm stuck at the school on a mission to find out all of the princess's secrets, then I find out that she's my mate, and then my boss calls and tells me that I'm supposed to bring her to HQ, and now? Now I'm walking through a strange club, just minding my own business when I happen to overhear Kaoru talking to Inuharu, " "Come on Roo, you can pretend all you want around Kir, but we already know that you're no different than us. The only reason you don't want anyone else to have Kir is so that you can have her for yourself. But I mean come on, what do you honestly think is going to happen once Kir realizes that you've been lying to her all this time? You think that she will fall in love with you when she finds out that you're not actually related to her?"

"Wait.....what? No, now it all makes sense. Inuharu should've been the rightful heir since he's the eldest, but he can't take the throne if he isn't actually a royal. That's why Kir was named the heir to the throne, because she's the only child with royal blood. And Inuharu being so against Kir having males anywhere near her. Because he wants her for himself." Everything is adding up now and it's making me dizzy so when a young woman and her friends suddenly come up, asking me to dance with them, I decide to go ahead.

After about an hour of dancing, I stop in my tracks because the moment I looked up I see Kir in Inuharu's arms, laughing with him and I lose all common sense as I rush over to my mate. I quickly grab Kir and pull her over to me, away from the man who pretends to be related to my mate just so he can be close to her. "Get your hands off of her you filthy mongrel!" The man yells at me. "Filthy mongrel? You're the one that needs to stay away from her! "I growl as he tries to step closer to us. "She's my sister, why the hell should I have to stay away from her?!" Inuharu snarls at me. "Inuharu, you can't fool me! I heard everything!! You're not even related to her! So stay the hell away from my mate, you lying flea bag!" I know that I've won the moment I see Inuharu freeze from the shock of my knowledge.

"What the hell is he talking about Roo?!" Kir asks seemingly bewildered. "Ask the twins if you don't believe me." I state. I watch as my mate looks over at her friend for some kind of response, however the boy has his head bowed, covering his face. This seems to clarify things for my mate as she breaks out of my grasp and runs off so fast that if I hadn't seen it myself, I probably wouldn't have believed it were possible. "Great job, all of you. You've all messed up pretty badly this time." The man named Moose says with an angry huff. "All of you need to stay away from Alpha. And a good idea might be to talk amongst each other to figure out how the hell you're going to be able to fix this." The man grumbles before stalking off to go find the princess.

Chapter 7:

***Third Person***

For every royal, no matter what species you are, there will always come a time where your parents' decisions effect your future. For our young princess Kir, there is no exception. As we enter the Royal Bastet Manor, we see a mysterious black car pulling up to the gates. The driver, an older looking man with black sunglasses on and a large muscular arm, pokes his head out for a moment to speak inaudibly to the gatekeeper before pulling the car to the front steps of the large house.

Meanwhile Kir is still sound asleep in her bedroom, no doubt exhausted from the previous day's events. *Knock Knock* comes from the other side of Kir's door and the princess begins to stir. *KNOCK KNOCK* comes even louder this time and Kir jumps out of bed. "Who is it??" She shouts from her bed as she stretches. "Your majesty, you have a young man downstairs waiting to speak with you." One of the maids of the house replies back. "What does he want?" Kir shouts again as she begins getting out of bed to get herself ready for the day. "He says that he needs to speak with you about an agreement that was made with your mother, Miss." The maid responds back. Upon the mention of her mother Kir rushes to get dressed, pulls her hair up, and slips on her shoes and then dashes out the door and down the stairs.

***Kir***

I arrive at the bottom of the stairs to see a man, with dark crimson eyes and short ivory hair, who looks to be about my age. For a moment I don't recognize the man, that is, until the older man, probably a bodyguard of some kind, announces his name. " Miss Bastet, it's an honor to see you again, my nephew, Luca, and I were just talking the other day about how the two of you used to love playing in the stables when you were children." The man says with a smile. It only takes me a moment before I remember and quickly jump onto the man, who was once my closest friend before he had to return to his home in Livondia, in an embrace.

"Oh my gods, Luca!!! Is it really you?! I thought that I'd never see you again!!" I yell excitedly before remembering that I am no longer a child and am soon to be announced as queen. I back up and straighten my clothes before looking up at Luca. "Yes Ki-" He starts but pauses and starts again "Yes Miss Bastet, It's me. I've come here on business, I apologize." He says before looking over at his uncle, who I now recognize as Mr. Pilopa Livondia or as we used to call him, Uncle Pilo. "Yes Miss Bastet, we are here because your mother once made an agreement with my elder brother for you to marry Luca, once you've come of age that is, of course." Uncle Pilo states.

"Wait....what???? No, I'm sorry Mr. Livondia, you must be confused as I've never heard mention of this agreement before. I mean, I haven't even seen or heard from my mother since she disappeared, six years ago." I say as my mind begins to spin. "How is that possible Miss Bastet? I just spoke to your mother last week." Mr. Livondia says with confusion. "I apologize for my bluntness, but you are mistaken Mr. Livondia, my mother is gone. You must've read an old letter or something." I say, hoping to be correct. My hopes are crushed by his next words. "Well that might've been a possibility if it weren't for the fact that I spoke to your mother in person. In fact, she told me that she would be here today to discuss matters with me further while you and Luca catch up." "I can't take it anymore, too much has happened," I start to see black spots before collapsing into something warm and soft.

***Luca***

"I told you that she would be upset Uncle. Now look what's happened, we've caused the princess to faint." I scold my uncle despite him being older than me. "Oh, no Lord Luca, I don't believe that you caused this. The Miss hasn't been feeling well since yesterday. She had a tough first day at school yesterday. I don't know all the details but what I do know is that the young Miss left school early and came home, but she decided to go back out after some time with her friend Lord Moose in the field with the horses. The young Master came home late last night seeming very worried and distraught, but Miss Kir didn't show back up until sunrise." The maid informs us.

"Mmmrrrrpppphhhh" I look down to see that Kir is beginning to awake. Suddenly she shoots up but seems to immediately regret the action as she falls back onto my lap. "Hey now, go slow." I soothe. "Thank the heavens that you were able to catch her before she could hit her head on the ground, Lord Luca." The maid praises me. I don't pay much more attention to the maid and my uncle as they continue talking about all of the horrible things that could've happened to Kir if I hadn't caught her. "How are you feeling now?" I ask Kir with concern before noticing something odd about my childhood friend's appearance.

"Wait a second.....Kir? Are you wearing a wig?" I can't help but laugh a bit as she blushes and quickly removes the blonde wig to show her beautiful wavy blue hair. "That's much better! Now, what about those contacts?" I tease her. "Oh you!!" She yells before rushing to stand up and nearly falls. I catch her, again. "Thanks..." She mumbles. I laugh "well what kind of fiancé would I be if I allowed my future wife to fall and injure herself?" I see her looking confused at my words. "Let's go outside and get some air while I explain." I suggest. Kir nods in response and we head out to what we used call our "secret base."

I'm hit with a wave of nostalgia as we approach the old treehouse that Kir's father built for us to play in when we were children. "So, you met with my mother?" Kir asks. "Yes, I did. And when she told me about the agreement, I swear I thought you knew already. I came here today because I wanted to see you again Kir. I didn't mean to cause you so much stress." I tell her, hoping that she truly believes my words as they are genuine. However, before either of us is able to say anything, a man that resembles an older version of Kir's brother steps between us.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" He yells at me. "Yep, It's Inuharu alright." I laugh. "Nice to see you again too Inu! What's it been? ten years now?" I joke. Roo's face suddenly shows recognition, but before he can say anything Kir steps in. "Inuharu, could you please leave so that my, apparent future husband and I can talk to one another in peace." She asks him, though to me it sounds more like a demand than a request. Roo's face goes from shock at the news to saddened, I'm assuming because his sister doesn't want him by her side like she would in the old days. After Roo leaves I look back at Kir, "so what was that about?" I ask.

"What was what about?" She replies. I sigh, "since when do you call Inuharu by his real name and since when are you so uncomfortable with his presence?" I ask with more detail. "It's a really long story, first let's start with this whole agreement with my mother?" She counters. "It's nothing complicated. Your mother and my father talked when we were kids and agreed that if neither of us is in any kind of commitment by our sixteenth birthdays then they want us to get married. Apparently they believed that we suit one another and that if we were to marry then our lands can become allied." I explain. "Are you saying that you don't want to marry me? Do you not like me? If that's the case then I feel like an idiot since I've been holding onto these feelings for you for so long." I look into Kir's eyes and begin to move closer to her until our faces are only inches apart. "Allow me to kiss you and if you don't like it then push me away or hit me or whatever you want to do. Just be honest with me." I say before connecting my lips with hers.

Chapter 8:

***Renay***

I walk into the mansion that I once called home and look around for my children. I spot my beloved son, Inuharu walking in from the backyard, looking very upset. "What's wrong my dear Roo?" I ask just before the boy passes me. He looks up at me and freezes, mouth agape. "What? Why? How?" The boy stumbles out before running to me for an embrace. "Haha, all in due time my dear, now tell me, what's got you looking so down?" I inquire again. My handsome son sighs before explaining to me the events of the last twenty-four hours. I pause to think for a moment, letting the information process before responding.

"Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag now. Might as well tell the two of you everything from the beginning." I look around. "And where might your sister be anyway? I have yet to see her." I question Roo. "She's by the old hangout talking to Luca." He responds while pointing outside. I walk out the doors and head where Roo told me I could find my daughter. The old tree that my children used to play in comes into sight and I stop and smile. "Well, looks like I don't need to worry about you disagreeing with your engagement." I say, causing my daughter and the young Lord Luca to jump apart quickly. "u....uuu....ummm....." The boy clears his throat

"I-I should be going now, so that you two can catch up." Luca says with a blush, quickly walking away while looking embarrassed. I clear my throat and raise my eyebrows at my blushing daughter. "Where have you been? Why did you leave us like that? Why didn't you ever tell me about Inuharu?!" She barrades me with questions once she regains her composure. "First, let's get inside the house and have lunch, then we can talk and you can tell me everything that I've missed, I'm assuming that the scene I just interrupted isn't going to be the biggest surprise for me." I tease my daughter who blushes again before crossing her arms and stomping away. "Oh how I've missed these children and their antics." I laugh to myself before following suit.

Upon entering the house my children and I sit down for lunch in silence. The first one to speak is my son. "So mom, where have you been and what have you been doing this whole time?" He asks me. Before I am able to say a single word Kir steps in. "She's not your mother so try to refrain from calling her such." She says with a scowl. "Now what on earth happened to my sweet children who loved each other to pieces?" I ask sadly. "Inuharu is my son, blood relations or not. And you are my daughter Kir, but don't think for even a moment that I will allow you to be so rude to your brother. It's my fault that Roo never told you, I made him swear to keep it a secret." I explain, rewarding me with a small smile from Roo and a snort from Kir.

"That didn't stop him from telling the Regaldi twins." Kir retorts. I look over to my son. "You told those twins before telling your sister?" I ask my son who looks extremely guilty. " W....w...well.....n-not on p-purpose." The boy stutters out nervously. I wait for him to explain. "They overheard dad and I arguing one time about how he thought I was too close to Kir...the twins swore never to tell anyone.....and last night it just happened to slip out to Kir's mate." Upon hearing the word "mate" come out of his mouth my head snaps towards my daughter.

"It's a long story mom and I'd rather not talk about it in front of your SON." Kir emphasizes the last word, causing Roo to look down again. "I understand Kir, you don't trust Roo right now after keeping such a secret from you. We can talk about it later tonight." I say calmly. "Actually, I don't trust either of you. You not only kept the same secret from me, but you also disappeared without notice and abandoned us with father. Do you even know what Inuharu had to go through after you left? Father blamed him for you leaving like that...." Kir says, filling me with guilt and shame for abandoning my children.

Before I have a chance to say another word Kir stands up, "I don't have time to play family with traitors like the two of you, I have a kingdom to run, so if you'll excuse me." Kir walks away leaving Roo and I in silence. "What on earth has happened to that girl? She used to be so sweet and understanding.....tsk." I say before my son suddenly jumps up. "You want to know what happened to her? Really?! She was lied to and abandoned by her mother, after you left, father may have been harsh towards me but he was worse with Kir! He would have her beat every time that she disobeyed or messed up her lessons.

When Kir shifted for the first time, she didn't have anyone there for support, I had just been shipped off to undergo training in a neighboring country, Kir was completely alone and scared. Do you know how dad responded when he saw Kir's wolf for the first time? He said she was weak and pathetic! Kir has been training nonstop to please father up until the day he passed. And yet his last words to her were that she needs to quickly find a husband so that her weak self doesn't have a chance to ruin the Bastet name." He then throws his chair down and storms off, obviously angry with me. "Oh my dear Valentine, what have you done to our children while I was away?" I sigh, looking up at the sky, asking my late husband.

***Kir***

I walk away from my hiding spot after hearing Inuharu's words of defense for me against my mother. I walk to the stables and look at my phone, pausing for a moment before deciding to call Moose. *RING RING* "Hello?" he answers, sounding groggy. "Hey Moose, wanna go for a ride with me? I could really use a friend right now." I tell him. I hear some shuffling before he responds, "I'll be right there." *CLICK* He hangs up in a hurry. It takes no more than ten minutes before a giant shadow hovers overhead and Moose shifts out of his dragon form behind a tree, he's not able to shift with clothes intact like I am. He comes out and approaches me at the stables. "You ready?" He asks before entering the paddock and grabbing Phira, his horse. I grab Luna, my all black mare with a single white crescent moon on her left shoulder, and we head out into the woods to get some distance from the house before we talk.

We approach a clearing a few miles out from the house and decide to stop to talk and give the horses a chance to relax. "So what's going?" Moose asks me almost immediately. "You might want to sit down for a moment." I say before beginning to explain, "Mom came back but not before making an agreement with Lord Livondia for me to marry his son, Luca. And that's not even the worst part, Luca and I kinda.... kissed..." I pause to let that sink in before continuing, "and mom caught us. And then she tried to have us all sit at the table for lunch and pretend that nothing happened!" I continue to explain everything that happened at lunch, including the part about overhearing Inuharu's words. I sigh after I finish speaking.

"Soooooooo.....let me get this straight, within a twenty-four hour time period, you started school, got into three fights with your brother, found your mate, found out that the man that you thought was your brother isn't actually related to you, then you woke up this morning to find out that your mother basically decided that you'll never find your mate so she made a deal behind your back to have you married off to your childhood friend, who you later on shared a kiss with, then your mother shows back up after six years of missing and walks in on you two, then she tries to play pretend family with you and Roo, and you guys exchanged some heated words before you hid in a corner and eavesdropped on your brother defending your actions. Did I miss anything?" He asks.

"Oh yeah, I don't know if I want to reject my mate or keep the bond, plus I have to decide what I'm going to be doing about this sudden engagement." I remind him. "Well, which one do you want to be with? Your mate? Or your betrothed? Or neither? Or both?" Moose asks that last part with an eyebrow wiggle which I return with a playful slap to his arm. "It's not funny!!" I yell. "Alright well, do you like this Luca guy? Do you like Asher?" Moose asks causing me to blush and pause for a moment. I can't possibly admit the truth, even if it is Moose that I'm talking to.

Chapter 9:

***Third Person***

As we approach Magdalia Academy for another day of school for the supernatural teenagers, we see Princess Kir walking onto campus with a new man sticking closely to her side. The princess appears to be very upset by her companion's presence as she suddenly turns and begins yelling at him for some unknown reason. From across the courtyard the Regaldi twins can been seen watching the young couple from afar, accompanied by a bristling Inuharu and an amused Moose. The couple seem to have settled their argument as they continue walking towards the doors to the school, however their walk is once again interrupted, this time by a nervous looking Kir staring into the distance.

***Luca***

"Come on Kir, stop being so mad at me already. How was I supposed to tell you that I was going to be enrolled into your school when I didn't even know it myself until I was already on my way here?" I ask an extremely upset Kir for the umpteenth time. "I don't care how, you should've just warned me ahead of time!" She yells at me. "Why are you so angry about this anyways Kir?! It just means that we get to spend more time together before we get married." I sigh back to her. "We aren't getting married Luca, I already told you that I don't want to marry you or anyone else." She responds.

"Kir, come on, you didn't have a problem with it yesterday when we kis-" my sentence is cut short when Kir slaps her hand across my mouth to silence me. I look over at her to yell, but then I pause upon seeing a nervous expression on her face. I attempt to look in the same direction to see what could possibly be making Kir so nervous, but before I get a chance, Kir steps in front of me as a flame-haired boy appears in our path snarling at us....."wait did I say us? I meant me, the boy is snarling at ME," with a look that says he would rip me to shreds, if it weren't for Kir being in the way.

"Asher... calm down please." Kir says gently to the boy while taking a cautious step towards him. Upon seeing my future wife act so sweetly to another man I begin to feel a twinge of jealousy and grab onto Kir, pulling her into my arms. "Kir, who's this?" I ask sweetly while embracing Kir. "Get your hands off of my mate and then maybe we can do introductions." The boy says whilst continuing to snarl at me. "Your mate?" I look over to Kir. "What's he talking about? Is he delusional Kir? Is this why you want to break off our engagement? So that you can be with this," I pause, "half-wit." I finish with a smirk before Kir slaps me, HARD.

"What?! I'm just being honest Kir, I thought that's what you liked most about me?" I laugh at the end of my sentence when I see the boy snarl at my words. "Kir who is this man-child?" The boy asks through gritted teeth. " Well uh....he's um...he's..." Kir stumbles on her words so I intercept, "As I said, I'm engaged to Miss Kir, making me her fiancé and you...well, to put it simply, you're unneeded and unwanted." I state, earning me another slap from Kir. "Asher, we can talk later, I need to show Lu-....Lord Luca around the academy before classes begin." Kir tells the boy before grabbing my arm and pulling me past the boy as he snarls quietly.

We walk quietly through the halls without a single word exchanged between us, with the exception of Kir explaining what each room is for and where my classes are, apparently Kir and I have all of our classes together. Makes sense though since we're both royals with extraordinary knowledge and skills. Finally the bell rings for our first class so Kir leads the way.

I look around and see many students staring at us, I use my vampiric hearing to listen to some of their comments and smile to myself as I hear many of them whisper the same thing, "wow, are they a couple? They look really good together. They suit each other very well, I even heard the headmaster say that we had a new royal joining the academy today, no wonder they're together. All the royals are gorgeous, but those two are by far the most beautiful people I've ever seen." My focus is lost when I accidentally bump into someone, I look up and see the boy from outside glaring at me. I debate saying something to him, however I change my mind and decide to ignore him and enter the classroom.

***Asher***

"Just my luck that my mate already has a fiancé and a royal one too... " I sigh, "honestly can this mission get any worse for me?" I spend the entirety of my first class lost in my thoughts, wondering what I'm going to do about Kir. "Wait....why am I even worried about her? It's not like I have any feelings for her and being mates doesn't mean that I have to be with her." I think to myself. "Don't lie to yourself Asher, we've been secretly waiting for our mate to appear for a long time now." Argon, my wolf responds through our mind link. "You know as well as I do that a mate will just complicate things for us Argon. I mean come on, I know that wolves have mates for a reason but the goddess made a mistake this time, there's no way that Kir is our mate, she doesn't even seem to feel the bond." I respond back. "She's our mate whether or not you like it Asher. Besides she probably doesn't feel the bond yet since she's not seventeen until tomorrow. Or did you forget her birthday, despite it being in your precious file on her?" Argon huffs.

"Well crap, you're right...." I vaguely remember seeing that her seventeenth birthday, the year that the mate bond presents itself, is actually tomorrow. "Wait, if tomorrow is her seventeenth birthday then she's also officially at the age that royals typically get married as of tomorrow...." I sigh to myself causing the teacher to notice me. "Mr. Romanov, care to read the next paragraph for us since you're so bored?" Professor Alec asks with a glare. "Uh....um....I uh...." **RING RING** Just as I'm about to completely embarrass myself I'm saved by the bell. "Tomorrow Professor Alec! Bye!" I say as I rush out the door and through the halls to Combat Training in hopes of seeing Kir.

Which I do, but my excitement diminishes as I see her walking into the gymnasium with that Lord Loser's arm slung around her shoulders and their faces way too close for comfort. I smile as I watch my mate remove his arm and scold him. Mostly I smile because I know she did it without even realizing that I'm watching her. Coach blows her whistle before announcing, "Alright class, we've got a new student today so we will continue where we left off yesterday, same pairs."

She pauses for a moment, "I'll need one pair to help me demonstrate to Mr. Livondia what we are working on." She points to me suddenly, "Asher, you and Kir will be the ones helping me demonstrate, yesterday you both did a fine job of understanding each other's movements and even giving each other advice, so come over here." She beckons Kir and I to her spot with Luca.

After everyone else is in their spots with their partners they all begin sparring, meanwhile Kir and I are awaiting the coach's instructions. "Alright Kir, you're on offense, Asher you know what that means for you." Coach informs us. "Yes Coach!" Kir and I say in unison causing Lord Lame to scowl at us. "BEGIN!" Coach yells before blowing her whistle. I look to Kir who has already taken up her offensive stance and begun looking for an opening. I begin to feel slightly impatient and she seems to notice as she takes the chance to land a blow to my left side causing me to grunt slightly. "Whoo! Nice one Kir!" Lord Liar shouts with a smile, obviously pleased with my pain.

Kir moves in for another hit to my side but this time I caught her fist and twisted it behind her back. Kir uses a swift kick to my shin to escape my grasp before distancing herself from me. I smile upon looking at Kir's grin, telling me that she's actually enjoying this despite all the previous tension between us. Kir's grin fades as she jumps into the air and lands behind me, throwing me off guard and giving her a perfect opening to land a sweeping leg kick before pinning me to the floor. I try to escape, however my effort is feeble as she has me locked into position, unable to move without her consent."You should really stop underestimating my skills Asher. Or am I too boring for you to keep your eyes focused on me?" Kir asks in a teasing manner.

I look up at Kir and suddenly the entire room freezes and time slows as I become captivated with my mate's beautiful sapphire eyes. I completely forget where we are and that we have a spectator as I move my face closer to Kir's until we can feel each other's breath. Sadly my moment with my mate ends as quickly as it began when I'm thrown by a mysterious force and faced with an all too familiar position, though this time it's Luca who's got my throat in a death grip, not Inuharu. "Well, at least this time someone has a real reason to hate me enough to choke me," I laugh to myself. "LUCA PUT HIM DOWN RIGHT NOW!" I hear someone yell from across the room, when I look over to the person that yelled. My jaw falls to the floor upon realizing who came to my rescue this time.....

Chapter 10:

***Asher***

"LUCA PUT HIM DOWN RIGHT NOW!" I hear someone yell from across the room. When I look over at the direction the voice came from I'm completely shocked to see that it's actually Kaoru, one of the Regaldi twins, who has come to my rescue against Kir's angry fiancé. "I'll kill him!" Luca says as he tightens his grip on my throat. I look over to Kir and see her frozen to the spot and honestly I can't blame her, "what are you supposed to do when your fiancé is attempting to strangle your mate for trying to kiss you?.....I really need to get some control over myself soon...."

"Luca, let him go already, you're causing more problems for Kir right now." Moose calmly intervenes while walking towards Kir. I don't fight back, not only because I know that it's pointless, but also because I know that it would only make matters worse if the two of us were to get into an all-out brawl, especially in the middle of class. "You need to stay the hell away from my woman, you hear me, you rotten low-life." Luca snarls into my face.

Something about his sentence seems to cause Kir to snap back into reality as she runs across the gymnasium and lifts Luca up before throwing him against the ceiling. "Three things that you'll need to remember Luca." She snarls in the man's face. "One, I'm not YOUR woman, two, if you ever harm any of my friends again then I will not hesitate to kill you, and three, don't think for even a moment that I won't be taking this incident straight to your father." Kir growls before walking back to me and checking the damage done to my throat. "Kir, take Asher to the infirmary to get his wounds looked at please. And Luca, royalty or not, I will not accept such behavior in my gym, you are to go with Kaoru to the penalty room for the rest of the day." Coach says to us before Kir leads me out of the gym.

After walking with Kir through the halls for awhile I start to realize that we're not going the right way. "Hey Kir, the infirmary is the other way, this is the way to the back of the academy." I point out, but Kir seems to have not heard me. "Kir we're going the wrong way." I repeat. "We're not going to the infirmary so just be quiet and follow my lead." Kir says to me before going quiet once again. We arrive at the backdoor of the academy after walking for another five minutes and Kir leads me out the door and into a secluded garden. I look around and accidentally bump into Kir's back when she unexpectedly stops. "Alright, sit right there." Kir says as she points to a small bench. I follow her orders due to knowing that this woman is not one that takes disobedience lightly once she gets serious about something.

"If you ever tell anyone about what I'm about to do then I will have you hunted down and fed to Lord Dragolifia's horde, do you understand?" Kir asks causing me to tremble slightly. "Y-yes ma'am!" I respond back. Kir smiles before gently tilting my head up, exposing my neck to her. "Wait....what are yo-" I get cut short as I freeze from seeing Kir's fangs protrude from her gums. I'm startled by the sight of Kir's fangs because they are not the kind of fangs that one would expect to see on a werewolf, no...the fangs that Kir was revealing to me in this moment are those of a vampire....I continue to stare at Kir as she seems to become entranced by the veins popping out on my jugular. I feel the urge to close my eyes for some reason and I follow my instincts.

Suddenly I can feel Kir's hot breath against my neck and I shudder at the tingling sensation that it causes to course through my body. "Don't worry, I have enough control of myself not to let temptation take over me right now." Kir says as though to reassure me, apparently not realizing that fear isn't the reason that my body is trembling right now. Kir takes a deep breath and just as I open my eyes, she uses her fangs on her own wrist, causing blood to trickle down her arm. "Trust me." She says before lifting her bleeding wrist to my face and urging me to drink the blood.

I do as she wishes, not completely sure why I feel so compelled to follow her orders when I don't feel any fear towards her right now. The moment the blood touches my tongue it is as though I were drinking from the purest stream on earth, rather than my mate's wrist. I feel completely rejuvenated, however despite never having an appetite for blood before, when it comes to Kir's, I can't seem to stop myself. I continue drinking from Kir's wrist until I'm yanked away from her by a mysterious force. "Alpha! What the hell were you thinking?!" The man named Moose yells from where Kir was just standing.

As I start to regain my composure and focus, I begin to see why I was yanked away from my mate. "Kir come on, you know better than this! Mate or not, why the hell would you do this to yourself?!" Inuharu yells at Kir. When I look at Kir I realize that she now has a bruise and claw marks on her throat in the exact same spot as where mine was just moments ago. The two men look over at me before Inuharu speaks, "I don't care what she says, don't ever allow Kir to do that for you again." He tells me before Moose speaks up, "we're not blaming you for this one because there's no way you could've known that Kir was even capable of having this ability, but you cannot let this happen again now that you know." He tells me. I'm still slightly confused about what exactly happened so I just stare at the men.

"They're mad at me for using my blood to heal you." Kir says hoarsely while holding her head. I rush over to Kir as I notice her start to lose her balance. "We're mad at you, Alpha because you knew that using your blood to heal him would result in you taking over his injury." Moose scolds her. I look at Moose and then at Kir's neck and all of the dots start to connect to reveal the big picture here. "Kir used her blood to heal me but in order to heal me she had to take my injury away and inflict it on herself...." I look over at Kir and realize

"No matter what happens from here on out, I can never give up this unique woman who would go out of her way to help me, someone who has caused her nothing but grief, despite having to hurt herself in the process. The goddess has gifted me with an amazing and selfless mate and I will cherish her every day until the day I die." "Asher, you can't tell anyone about Kir being part vampire or you'll regret it." Inuharu threatens me. "Oh right....there's that too..."

I smile before making the biggest mistake possible. "Hey if you ask me, it just makes Kir even hotter. And as her mate, I don't exactly want any other men finding reasons to be attracted to her, so I won't be telling anyone." I reassure the men while thinking to myself, "*Not even boss can know about this one.*" "Uh oh....." Moose suddenly says. Inuharu laughs like a villain from a superhero movie. "What?" I ask curiously. "Rule number one." The men say in unison before I'm thrown onto the ground and pinned by the same woman that just healed me mere seconds before. I cough, "I'll let you off easy this time, but don't let me catch you doing it again." Kir says before walking away.

"What did I do?! What's rule number one?! Who's rules are these? Why did Kir just attack me?!?!" I ask completely dumb-founded. "He's all yours Moose, I still don't like the guy enough to help him get out of trouble with Kir." Inuharu laughs before walking away as well. "Well, now that you're part of the group, you've got a whole lot of learning and catching up to do if you don't want Kir to whoop you every day." The dragon laughs while patting my back. "Wait, what do you mean part of the group? What group? And will you please just tell me what the hell rule number one is supposed to mean?!" I shout at Moose as he begins to lead the way back into the academy.

Chapter 11:

***Kir***

The bell rings for lunch as I head back inside the academy so I head over to the cafeteria to grab myself some food. Using my abilities always takes a lot out of me, but nothing takes more energy than using my blood to do an injury transfer. The only problem? I'm finding myself only craving one thing at the moment, Asher's blood. I shake my head and decide to go to the only person that can help me right now, Kaoru Regaldi.

I spot the black-haired man sporting his signature royal blue tie that many think is the only difference between him and his purple tie wearing twin.

"What's funny though is that there are many things that make their identities easy to notice, but only Moose and I have ever been capable of realizing that while Kaoru sports an emerald wolf insignia ring, his counterpart, Kilo, actually wears a sapphire demon insignia ring." "Kaoru, I need your help, come with me." I say with obvious urgency as the craving begins to grow stronger. It only takes the man a single second before realizing what was going on as my eyes begin shifting to scarlet, the tell-tale sign that my vampiric bloodlust is taking control of me.

The moment that we're in a secluded area I waste no time before biting Kaoru's neck and drinking the sweet nectar that flows through his veins. "Kir, slow down..." Kaoru says hazily as the effects of a vampire bite begin to take over his senses.

A vampire bite can have many effects on the victim, depending on the type of vampire that bites you. As a vampire from the first vampire's line my bite causes the victim to go into a euphoric state of mind until the wound heals. I never meant to drink from one of my friends in the first place, but a long time ago I had gotten severely injured while Kaoru and I were out playing in the woods together and I had no choice but to feed on him as my injuries had caused my bloodlust to completely take over my self-control. That was the first time I had ever bit one of my friends, however it obviously wasn't the last as each and every time that I craved blood I would wind up turning to Kaoru. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!" Someone suddenly yells from behind me. Kaoru snaps out of his haze and instinctively hides me from the intruder. I look up and am horrified to see my mother standing in front of us staring at us with an indeterminable expression on her face.

"Mrs. Bastet, I can explain! It's not what it looks like, I swear!" Kaoru says, trying to calm my mother. "Oh really? Because to me it looks like my daughter is outside the academy drinking from Kaoru Regaldi, despite her knowing the risks of such an act." My mother says. "Wait what?!" Asher asks as he pops out of nowhere. I groan at the horrible timing of my mother and my mate being in the same place at the same time. "Asher look, it's not what you think." I calmly tell my mate. "Oh Asher? So Kir, not only were you fooling around with a Regaldi, but you also had your mate coming out to meet you for a rendezvous as well?!" My mother looks as though she's about to faint from the scenarios coursing through her head.

***Renay***

"Kir, get inside my car right this minute, we're going home!" I yell at my daughter. "And you two," I look at the two young men, "how dare you risk Kir's reputation like this. Mr. Romanov, after everything I've heard about you, I'm not too surprised that the first time we meet is under such awful circumstances." I look to Kaoru, "however you, Kaoru, I honestly never would've dreamed that you would allow yourself to fall so low, maybe your brother, but certainly not you. This just goes to show that you never really know someone as well as you think you do." I sigh before leaving the two boys as I catch up to Kir and get into the car.

"Honestly Kir....." I sigh to my daughter. "Have all of your lessons taught you nothing?" I ask her. "Mom, nobody can hear us now, you don't have to act so formal." My daughter tells me, causing me to laugh slightly. "Well, I'm glad that you have so many options and that you're taking the time to weigh them out before deciding who you will marry Kir. But you must try to remember to be more careful about performing such an erotic act in public." I remind her. "EWWWW MOM!!! NO! Okay yeah I bit Kaoru, but it wasn't for THAT." My daughter yells at me and I laugh again. "Mom, I only bit Kaoru because I was about to lose control." She tells me. "Oh I know darling, that's why I came to the academy today, I sensed that something was wrong so I came as quickly as I could." I inform Kir.

***Kaoru***

I knew as soon as I saw Kir's eyes shifting to scarlet, she needs my help, which is why I quickly followed her out into the secluded forest, just far enough away that nobody would be able to hear or smell us. Kir wastes no time getting down to business, biting my neck the moment we are certain that we won't be found. "Kir slow down...." I say as I begin to feel the haze of Kir's bite taking over my mind and putting me into a euphoria-filled trance. I use all of my mental strength to try to stay in control, however it proves feeble against Kir's vampiric powers. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!" Someone suddenly yells from behind Kir. The yell snaps me out of my delirium as I instinctively move myself in front of Kir in order to hide her from the unknown person. It only takes me a moment to realize that the person who interrupted us was actually Renay Bastet, Kir's mom and the former queen.

"Mrs. Bastet, I can explain! It's not what it looks like, I swear!" I quickly say, hoping to calm Kir's mother. "Oh really? Because to me it looks like my daughter is outside the academy drinking from Kaoru Regaldi, despite her knowing the risks of such an act." Renay says. "Wait what?!" Asher asks as he pops out of nowhere. You've got to be kidding me...."Asher look, it's not what you think." Kir calmly tells her agitated mate. "Oh Asher? So Kir, not only were you fooling around with a Regaldi but you also had your mate coming out to meet you for a rendezvous as well?!" Renay says while holding her head as though she might pass out. "Kir, get inside my car right this minute, we're going home!" Renay yells at her daughter. "And you two," she looks over at Asher and I, "how dare you risk Kir's reputation like this."

"Mr. Romanov, after everything I've heard about you, I'm not too surprised that the first time we meet is under such awful circumstances." She says to Asher before looking to me, "however you, Kaoru, I honestly never would've dreamed that you would allow yourself to fall so low, maybe your brother, but certainly not you. This just goes to show that you never really know someone as well as you think you do." Renay sighs out before leaving me alone with Asher. As soon as she's out of earshot I begin laughing. "What's so funny about you getting my mate in trouble?!" Asher questions me. "Oh man, Kir's not actually in trouble. And neither are we. Don't you know who that was?" I ask the man.

Asher shakes his head. "Oh that's awesome! Hahahahaha, so you probably assumed that all of that scolding was legit?! Ha! Nah man, that was Kir's mother, Renay Bastet, she's really cool." I tell Asher. "...If you say so...but can you please tell me what all that business about Kir drinking your blood was about?" Asher asks me. "Oh, yeah, Kir drank my blood because she was losing control of her vampiric cravings, that's all." I inform him. "Is there some reason that all of the crazy things that have happened since yesterday seem to be perfectly normal for you guys?" He asks, causing me to laugh again.

"Yeah man because this is basically normal for anyone that's involved in the Bastet family's lives. You think this is crazy? You still haven't seen the half of it dude. You only know about three of Kir's breeds and you still haven't actually met Kir's uncle yet. You might want to be prepared for that one. Especially since you'll be at the Bastet Mansion tomorrow." I inform Asher. "Wait why would I be at the Bastet Mansion tomorrow???" He asks me. "Oh right I forgot to tell you. Here, Renay told me to give this to you." I tell him as I hand him the invitation that Renay had sent to my house this morning for me to give to Kir's mate. "Surprise! You're invited to meet the royal Bastet family for Kir's birthday celebration at the Bastet Mansion, where Kir will be officially introducing you as her mate!" I laugh at the end of my statement knowing the poor boy doesn't stand a chance tomorrow.

Chapter 12:

***Third Person***

Saturday, December 25th, Bastet Mansion, Kir Bastet's 17th birthday. All of the other royal families have been waiting for this event since the birth of the princess was announced. All royals and upperclass members are invited to this once in a lifetime event where the princess will be finally making her official debut as the next queen of Kayanadia. Suitors are lined up at the front gates, members of the Bastet family sitting in the courtyard waiting for the party to begin, and where is the star of this event?

Hiding in her room panicking over all the possible things that could go wrong during tonight's soiree. "Moose, what am I going to do?! What if Lord Luca tries to kill Asher?! What if I lose control over my powers?! What if....oh gods!! What if Roo causes a scene???" The princess cries to Lord Moose. "Don't worry Alpha, we already prepared plenty of security and made certain that Luca's table is on the opposite side of the yard. Try to relax please, you need to start getting ready for YOUR party." Moose replies back, reminding the princess that she doesn't need to worry about these things. "Alright, you're right Moose, I just have a really odd feeling about how tonight is going to turn out." The princess confides in her friend before standing up to prepare herself for her party.

***Kir***

So much to do and so little time, though I don't really have a right to complain since my anxiety is the only reason that I'm running late. I step out of my closet and look to Moose. "Should I wear this one?" I ask as I spin around to show Moose the long silver gown that I tried on. Moose takes one look and shakes his head. "Sorry Alpha but if I'm being honest that dress doesn't go well with your blue hair. Wait, you are going to have your natural hair shown tonight, right?" Moose asks me.

I sigh before walking back into my closet without responding to his question. I look around and spot the purrrrfect gown for tonight. "Moose look at this one!" I yell excitedly as I walk out in the amethyst colored gown that ends slightly above my knees. "Alpha, despite knowing the risks, I must say that you look absolutely gorgeous in that dress." Moose says while flinching in preparation for a beating. A minute passes before he opens his eyes. "It's fine Moose, this time I'm making an exception." I laugh before going over to my mirror to start curling my blue hair.

Moose waits at the bottom of the stairs for me as I finish getting ready and head down myself. I get to the end of the stairs just in time to hear the party music playing, signaling that it's time for me to make my grand entrance. "Let's go Alpha, everyone is waiting to see how majestic you look tonight." Moose says, causing me to laugh. We walk out the backdoors towards the guests. "Miss Kir, it's very nice to finally meet you again after so many years." A tall man that looks like an older version of Luca says to me. "It's nice to meet you again as well Lord Livondia." I say as I bow to the man. "Haha, so you do remember me then! And you've become quite the beautiful young woman that we all knew you would grow up to be." Lord Livondia says, making me feel slightly uncomfortable as he leans into my face as if to inspect me.

"Father, shall we sit down and allow some of the other guests to greet the birthday girl?" Luca says as he leads his father away from me, I'll have to remember to tell him thank you later. "Miss Bastet, it's a pleasure to be meeting you in-person, my name is Lord Lycan, alpha of the Thorned Dessert Pack, we've done business with your father in the past and would be overjoyed if you were to desire our allegiance as well." A man with raven-colored hair with grey streaks peaking through says to me. I bow to him before speaking.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well Lord Lycan, I would love to further discuss business exchanges with you after the party." I say back, hinting that this isn't the time to be talking about this. He seems to take the hint as he bows and walks away, allowing the next guest to step up. After what feels like an eternity the last guest bows and takes their seat and I'm finally allowed to relax for a moment. However, I suddenly get a very odd feeling that causes me to look around. "Alpha are you alright?" Moose suddenly asks me, snapping me out of my trance. "Yes, I'm fine." I say, despite not being able to shake the odd feeling.

***Kaoru***

I watch from the stables as all of Kir's guests line up to greet her and then take their seats. Kir is amazingly beautiful tonight, more than usual, which I didn't realize was even possible. I wish I could go talk to her but I know that it's not a good idea tonight. "Hey, what are you doing all the way over here?" A voice asks from behind me. "Ha, I could ask you the same thing Roo, aren't you supposed to be sitting with your mom right now or maybe scaring all of Kir's suitors away from her?" I ask my friend. "Yeah well you know, Kir had Moose kick me out of the party because my presence will only upset her, what's your excu-"

I slap my hand across his mouth, cutting his sentence short, as I see Kir suddenly look in our direction. I hold my breath until I see her look away and focus back on her guests. "What the hell man???" Roo asks me. "Heh, sorry about that, I thought I heard something but I turned out to be wrong." I lie, not wishing to explain the real situation to him. He would probably kill me on the spot if he found out and we're currently out of view from anyone that would be able to save me from the overpowered wolf next to me, so I think I'll keep quiet for now and keep my head attached to my body.

"Alright everyone, thank you so much for taking the time to come out and help us celebrate Kir's seventeenth birthday. Kir would like to make a few announcements before we proceed with tonight's festivities." Renay Bastet announces to everyone, drawing mine and Roo's attention towards the stage. If I only knew what was going to happen next, then maybe I wouldn't have come at all or at least I would've given up on ever having Kir be mine...Instead I'm frozen to the spot, unable to move or speak until I do the only thing I can think of, I run before Kir can notice me.

***Kir***

I take the stage and the mic from my mother after she gets the audience's attention for me. "Hello everyone, I am very pleased to have all of you here tonight, I understand that many of you wish to converse about continuing with business deals that you had with my late father, however as your future queen it is my honor and my duty to announce to all of you the identity of my ma-" I'm cut short at the last word of my sentence as three men suddenly rush up to me, all uttering the same word at the exact same time, causing chaos beyond belief.

"MATE." All three men say. I wish I could say it was a joke or some kind of misunderstanding, however upon seeing the three men in front of me I begin to feel the mate towards all three men, attempting to pull me into a trance but I resist. "Princess!! The mate bond is not something to take so lightly, it is shameful of you to have your friends pretend to be your mate!" Lord Lycan yells angrily. I clear my throat, "I....I...Th-this isn't a joke...." I stutter out as I continue to stare at the men. The first of the three to speak is Asher, "What kind of sick joke is this?! I'm Kir's mate, why are you guys trying to mess with her head?!" He yells at the other two men.

"Obviously you're the one trying to mess with her head because I'm Kir's mate!" Luca yells back at Asher. "Both of you are wrong and need to stop messing with my Kir!" Roo yells to other two. I begin to feel dizzy and start to fall over.....Oh gods, why must my life be so complicated? One mate was enough trouble, so why add Roo and Luca to the mix?! And what about that fourth presence that I felt?.....I black out as my head hits the concrete steps.

Chapter 13:

****THIS CHAPTER INCLUDES ADULT CONTENT AND ILLEGAL UNDERAGE DRINKING****

*Author: I do not condone underage drinking, the drinking involved in this chapter is solely for the purpose of the story and is not meant to encourage anyone to repeat behavior seen in this story*

***Kaoru***

I'm such a coward for running away from the woman that I've been in love with my entire life. I know this, but I couldn't think of anything else to do when I saw Asher, Roo, and Luca go up to that stage and call her their mate. How is it even possible for Kir to have multiple mates?.... I hope that nobody saw me. "You're not just a coward Kaoru, you're also a disappointment. How many more signs do you need before you finally accept the truth?" Leon, my wolf says to me.

"You know what Leon, I already know that I'm being an idiot, no need to rub it in." I say back to him. *I wish I could just accept this, but Kir's not just a wolf, she's also a royal. Having multiple mates is just going to complicate her life even more since she will only be able to choose ONE husband, not four.* I think to myself, separating this thought from my mindlink with Leon because I know that he will end up telling me to just accept these events as facts without asking questions. I sigh with defeat. "Alright, I know what I have to do." I tell myself and my wolf before closing my link for good.

***A few hours later***

****UNKNOWN****

"Hahahaha! This is perfect! Absolutely PERFECT!! With Luca being one of the girl's mates my plan will work without a hitch! A beautiful royal alpha female with multiple powers AND multiple mates? This must be a sign from the Moon Goddess that she approves of my plans for the future of the supernaturals! Now all I have to do is get Asher to get rid of the competition and everything will be splendid." I say to my wolf before picking up my phone and dialing Asher's number. **RING RING** "Hello Boss." Asher answers. "Asher I have another task for you, I need you to go to Linaria's place and grab a few things, she'll explain the job." I say before hanging up.

***Kaoru***

I walk into the club and look around before sitting down at my usual table and wave a waiter over to me. "How may I help you Master Regaldi?" The waiter asks formally. "I wish to speak to my father." I say flatly. "Uhhh....uhhhh....uu-uummm...." He clears his throat, "Yes Master of course." He says before rushing off to get my father. While waiting for my father to show I decide to go behind the bar and grab the largest bottle I can find. Normally I wouldn't be caught dead drinking alcohol but right now circumstances are different...

"Well well well....What do we have here?" My father asks in an amused tone upon seeing me finishing off the bottle of Rum. "Well, y...y...youuuuuu toooooooook soooooo long to *HIC* get down here old man!" I yell at my father. "HA! Alright, what's going on Kaoru? You never drink this much. Well actually, you never drink at all......Oh goddess who died?!" My father begins to freak out. "N....nnnn.....nobody diiiiied you olddddd ffffffart! Shut up and listen to me!" I yell. "It's Kiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrr! Shhhhhh-" *BLUUUURRRGGGGHHHHH* I throw up all over my father's shoes. "Alright, you need to sleep it off and then we can talk about Kir." My father says before helping me up and walking me to his room upstairs.

***Asher***

"Hey Linaria the boss told me to come by for a briefing and a pickup for my new task? What do you got for me?" I ask the purple-haired woman as I enter the house. "Boss wants you on an assassination mission this time Ash. You're going to need weapons and no distractions." Linaria responds as she searches around the room for my weapons and gadgets. *" I got a bad feeling about this Asher, we should go."* My wolf warns me through our link. I brush it off, *"Oh be quiet, it's not like we're going to be told to kill Kir or anything, not even the boss would go that far."*

I snap out of the mindlink when Linaria tosses me a wolf dagger. "Damn, so it's a wolf, huh? Any clues as to who is such a threat that we are resorting to assassination and not just capturing and torturing them?" I ask, starting to feel like something really bad is actually about to happen. "Here's the file on the guy, not sure exactly what he did but unlike you, I don't get to question the boss's decisions without punishment." She says as she tosses me the manilla folder. I get a sinking feeling in my stomach as I look down at the folder that will tell me just how screwed I am this time.

I open the folder and immediately understand that the feeling of dread and doom that had been building was rightfully present. I stare at the name on the first page, completely frozen in place until Linaria begins talking again. "So? Are you going to just stand there and stare at the papers or are you going to tell me how you know the guy?" Linaria asks, catching me off guard. "What makes you think I know him?" I try not to sound too defensive. "Dude, Ash, did you forget that I know you like the back of my hand?" She asks before grabbing the folder back. "Kaoru Regaldi, huh? Doesn't ring a bell, should it?" Linaria asks as she looks up at my pale face.

"Remember how I told you that I found my mate?" I remind her. "Yeah? So?" She taps her chin for a moment. "OH MY GODDESS!! No way! Is this guy your mate?! Are you secretly gay?!?! Why didn't you tell me? You know I wouldn't judge you Ash!" She speaks so quickly that it's hard to keep up with her. "Linaria!!! No alright! He's not my mate and I'm NOT gay!!" I say as I grab her shoulders to calm her down. "Then what's the big deal?" She asks while tilting her head. "He's not MY mate. But Kaoru Regaldi is my mate's childhood friend. Do you understand now?" I ask her and begin pacing.

"Crap! What are you going to do then? Tell the boss to give it to someone else? Quit the organization? Go on the run and elope with your mate so that you two can live a peaceful life and have hundreds of pups?" She asks. "One, none of those things are options. Two, my mate doesn't even like me, how the hell would I convince her to elope with me? Three, we're NOT having hundreds of pups!! Maybe three or four, but that's not the point!" I sigh and take a deep breath. "Well Linaria, looks like it's time for me to say goodbye to you."

"What? Why goodbye? And why so sad about it? It's not like I'll never see you again!" Linaria questions me. "Linaria, you don't get it. If I don't kill Kaoru and try to quit then the boss will have someone else kill both me and Kaoru. And if I do go along with this mission and kill Kaoru Regaldi then not only will my mate be trying to kill me but she will also have the entire kingdom looking to slit my throat. No matter what I do at this point, I'm dead. So goodbye my good friend." I say before walking out the door and straight to my doom.

Chapter 14:

***Luca***

"Luca hurry! We have to get out of here!" Someone yells ahead of me. I look around but can't see who the voice belongs to. I feel the urge to run away, but from what? I don't have to wonder for long when suddenly I see a giant wolf shrouded by shadows snarling and rampaging towards us.....Wait us? Who else is running with me?

I begin to run in the direction of the voice that spoke to me earlier, not sure where we are going or if I'm making the right decision. I continue to run as fast as I can until..."NOOOOOOOO!!!!" I hear Kir scream suddenly. I know that something is wrong but I can't seem to convince my feet to move any closer. "No no no no no, please gods, don't let him die..." Kir sobs in the distance.

Finally I am able to move again, but it's too late. I approach Kir's trembling body but the giant wolf snatches her up before I can react. I look up at the wolf, holding Kir in his jaws and I notice that he looks very familiar... but how do I know him? From where?... "You bastard!!" Kir yells as she transforms into a giant demon cat.

"YOU KILLED MY BROTHER!" She screams as she swipes at the wolf. The wolf dodges the attack as I look down for the first time to see Inuharu's limp body lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood. "Asher, how could you do this?!" Kir questions as she goes in for another failed swipe at Asher's wolf. Wait.... Asher killed Inu?! But why? And how?

"Poor sweet little Kir....TSK TSK TSK..why are you so mad at him? He did you a favor. No more big brother getting in the way of your future. Now you can marry Luca and surrender your powers to him without anyone standing in the way." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! "Wait what? Luca, you did this?" Kir looks at me with scarlet eyes that resemble the pool of blood by my feet. "No! I didn't know anything about this, I swear!"

"I don't want this! I refuse to be a part of this!" I yell out. "Luca, don't you dare do what I think you're about to do!!" The mysterious man yells. I ignore the man and shift into my wolf before walking towards the direction of the voice. I can almost make out the man's face but I'm stopped in my tracks by the sound of Kir's scream.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Kir screams. I look up to see Asher's wolf coming towards me full speed, claws and teeth at the ready...I close my eyes prepared for the impact as I know that there's no way I could dodge the attack in time. When I feel blood splatter across my face and hear a huge thud I open my eyes to see Asher's limp body hanging from Kir's jaws. "Ki-" I cut myself off as I notice Kir's body begin to writhe in pain. "What's happening?!" I yell out.

"NO! You idiot!! Why would you do that?!" The man yells out at Kir. Kir suddenly transforms back into a human and I run to catch her as she falls. " I'm glad you're safe Luca." Kir says softly. "I don't understand, what's going on? YOU killed HIM so why do you look like you're the one that's dying?" I ask as I begin to cry. "Oh sweet sweet Luca, you still don't understand anything about me..." She whispers before closing her eyes for good.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" I scream out as I quickly sit up. One of the maids rushes into my room. "What's wrong Master Luca? Are you alright?" She asks worriedly. "Where am I?" I ask her, confused as to what just happened. "You're in one of the guest rooms in Bastet Manor sir." She replies calmly. "You must have forgotten due to all of the drinking you did after finding out that Miss Kir is not only your mate, but also the mate of two others." she adds with a slight hint of distaste.

I clear my throat, realizing that it was all a dream. However, I can't seem to shake the feeling that there might be some meaning behind it... "I have somewhere I need to go for a bit, could you please let Kir know that I'll see her at school?" I ask as nicely as possible. "Yes Master Luca." The maid replies before leaving the room. I quickly shower and get dressed before heading out to go see the only person that will be able to make sense of this odd dream and the foreshadowing feeling I got from it, Moose's father, Lord Dragolifia.

As I pull up to the Dragolifia Mansion, the pit in my stomach only seems to grow. "Who the hell said that you could come here, WOLF." A thundering voice comes from above me as I step out of my car. "Lord Dragolifia, great to see you as well, how is the missus?" I ask casually. "Lord Luca! It's so nice to see you again sweetheart!" Lady Dragolifia says cheerfully as she rushes up to hug me. I laugh, " it's great to see you as well my lady." I respond with a smile as I return her hug.

"Oh honey, get down here and stop being so rude to our guest!!" Lady Dragolifia scolds her husband. The red and black dragon swoops down as he begins to transform back into his human form. "Good, now apologize to him." The lady demands. "What?! But Loleira..." The great dragon lord starts to whine to his wife before she smacks the back of his head. "It's quite alright Lady Dragolifia, it was rude of me to come over unannounced and uninvited." I explain.

"Oh no dear! Don't you worry at all, you're always welcome to come by whenever you please. And I'm sure you have your reasons." She soothes, causing her husband to grumble slightly. "So why exactly have you decided to grace us with your presence?" Lord Dragolifia asks with a gruff. "Well actually, I've come to speak with you, great dragon lord, about a peculiar dream I had last night." I reply honestly without letting my fears show.

"Come with me Lord Luca, we will go to my study so you can give me the details of this peculiar dream." The lord says before leading me into the mansion. I follow him into the mansion, which is still just as magnificent as I remembered it. We proceed up the first flight of stairs and into the door of the fourth room on the left. "Please, sit." The man says with a much more relaxed demeanor than when we were outside.

"Tell me, what about this dream made you feel that you need my help?" The man asks with curiosity. " Lord Dragolifia, the easiest way to explain why I felt the need to come here would be to describe the specific details of this dream." I respond honestly. " Alright, let me hear what it is that has you so concerned Lord Luca." Lord Dragolifia says before allowing me to tell him what happened.

After telling Lord Dragolifia the details of my dream and the feeling that followed after waking up from it, we sit in silence for a moment. "I see, you were right to come here as quickly as you did Luca... this was no ordinary dream that you had. It was a look into the future of what is to come if things do not change." He tells me. "What do you mean my Lord?" I ask, genuinely confused.

"This dream was your goddess warning you that someone close to you will cause not only the death of our queen, but also the death of all those around her. She wants you to know what is to come because you are the one that must change the course of events that lead up to Kir's death." He says before pausing. " If I were you, I would do everything possible to find out who is close enough to you to want Kir to give you her powers. Who would want you to rule over the kingdom so much that they would be willing to kill to make it happen?" He asks me.