Chapter 8

Prince Kaine stands with his back to the door, blocking me from view as Jake, his beta enters the room. “You entered without permission. That’s against protocol,” he snaps. I hear Jake pause as if confused. Jake clears his throat, and I hear the sound of footsteps retreating as he backs out of the room.

After a moment I hear the door swing shut, and I become all too aware that I am still standing in Prince Kaine’s arms. My Mate Bond flares again, making me reluctant to step away, and I can’t help but breathe in his scent of leather, pine, and musk as he holds me. My head swims and I can’t bring myself to sever our connection.

I fight the urge to lean in, barely stopping to wonder why he hasn’t released me until I feel his fingers brush against the bare skin of my shoulder. My clothes, barely on to begin with, must have shifted as he maneuvered me out of Jake’s line of sight. My shoulder has been bared for him to see.

I snap out of it, heart beating fast as I quickly step out of his arms and begin pulling my clothes back into place. Fighting my panic, I turn to leave, but Prince Kaine reaches out and grabs my arm, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. “What's that on your shoulder? It looks familiar.”

At his question, all attempts to suppress my panic falter and that icy sinking sensation begins to flood my system once again. He’s seen my Mark. I scramble to think of a lie.

“It’s none of your business,” I retort, trying to buy time to think of something, anything.

Prince Kaine’s eyes narrow further, clearly unconvinced. “What are you so afraid of?”

My chest tightens as the anxiety threatens to spill over, but I manage to keep a straight face as the lie comes to me. “It’s a birthmark. I don’t show it to anyone. Whoever sees it is responsible for marrying me. Is that what you want?”

Prince Kaine freezes before looking away scoffing. “You think too highly of yourself. I’m not interested in women like you,” he says, dropping my arm.

Nara whines at his words, and I make my exit quickly needing to put distance between us. I am right. If Prince Kaine ever finds out that I am his mate, he will reject me without hesitation.

I was wrong to think that it wouldn’t be that bad to work so closely with Prince Kaine. He may not oppose my position in the guard, but he will never respect it. His words echo in my head as Nara continues to whine.

I should have protested when the prince assigned me to this post. The more I think about being Prince Kaine’s personal guard, the more I realize how exposed I will be. If my burning Mate Mark, or his stupid Mate Aura doesn’t mess me up, there will surely be another moment like today.

All it takes is another accident, another slip and I have lost everything. Everything I have ever wanted is at stake. If Prince Kaine rejects me then I will lose my chance to prove myself in the royal guard, and Nara, a piece of my very soul.

Being near Prince Kaine every day is just too risky. The only way that I can make sure that I’m safe is to give up my position. After that I can keep suppressing my Mate Bond and live my life the way I see fit.

My mind made up, I set off to find Captain Reynolds, the guard in charge of the palace perimeter. I just need to ask him to be reassigned and then I have three months to figure out the rest. I practically sprint across the palace ground, determined to get my position changed as soon as possible.

I find Captain Reynolds in his office by one of the buildings next to the training grounds. I pan’t out of breath, “Captain Reynolds, I would like to submit a post change request.”

He barely glances at me as he answers, “No.”

“No?”

“No. You are the Crown Prince’s personal pick. No one’s changing that without his permission.”

“Yes, Captain,” I reply, trying not to let my irritation show. If I’m stuck as Prince Kaine’s personal guard, it is only a matter of time until I am discovered. I lean against the wall outside of the office trying to catch my breath, when I notice that I’m being watched by a young man in the hallway.

“So you’re the Crown Prince’s new little pet”, he sneers, taking a step toward me. “Interesting taste. Hiding a woman under the title of ‘personal guard’— how clever.”

Heat rushes to my face in anger and my blood begins to boil as I process his comments, “Maybe you’re just just filthy-minded and see dirt in everything.”

Anger flashes in the man’s eyes and he raises his brow, before reaching out to grab me. I notice before his hand can find purchase and grab his arm moving to twist it behind his back. I have dealt with enough disrespect to fill a lifetime today, and I will not tolerate it from this man too.

I feel Nara close to the surface, responding to my anger as I address the man I have pinned. “Next time you see me,” I growl, “show some respect.”

As I drop his arm the man stares at me, stunned, a hint of intrigue showing in his eyes. “What’s your name?”

I ignore his question and push past him. The last twenty-four hours have been hard enough without men making unsavory insinuations about me and Prince Kaine. I decide to figure out who to ask about my room as I rush away from the training grounds, tears beginning to sting my eyes.

The next day, I find myself summoned to Bianca’s new room at the palace. She was to live here while she underwent Luna training. “Ember, be a dear and unpack my things,” she sneers, relishing in finally having the authority to boss me around.”

I sigh but say nothing as I assess the multitude of items Bianca brought from home, and begin to unpack. As I look around her new room, I can’t help but compare it to Prince Kaine’s and wonder how they will reconcile his simple taste with her extravagant one when they begin staying together.

I take a moment to stretch before picking up a particularly large box and moving it out of the way of the closet. Bianca, still fresh from a bath, lounges nearby in a robe. “With all that brute strength, no wonder no Mate wants you,” she laughs. “Even if you’re a royal guard now, I’ll always be above you.”

My face burns at my sister’s harsh words and I turn to retort, but her bare shoulder catches my eye. The spot where her robe slipped reveals that the Mate Mark she had flaunted earlier was gone. As she catches my gaze, the smug look on her face drops, and she yanks her robe tighter.

I keep my voice calm but narrow my eyes as I regard Bianca, “Your Mark is… fake.”