Her Queen

Chapter 17

Aaron had been helping the Gastioian siblings settle into the castle, moving their luggage and such. "You're such a help, Aaron!" Lillian complimented. "Yes, you are," Lamar grunted, struggling to lift a large box full of Lillian's clothes. It had been a week since they first came, Aaron had offered himself to assist them with anything they needed. "Let me help you with that." Aaron lifted the other side of the box, slightly brushing Lamar's hand in the process. He quicker shift his hand, hoping Lamar didn't notice. His features stayed the same as he moved the box into the closet.

"I'm going to freshen up, I'll be back in a bit," the Gastioian Princess called out as she ran into the bathroom. After the door slammed shut and locked, both princes stood in silence, Aaron making an awkward glance at Lamar once in a while. Aaron started to move around the room, making sure everything was in order. After a few steps, he noticed her cabinet was slightly opened. "Huh, I guess she forgot to close this," he mumbled, making his way to cabinet.

Before closing it completely, a small note caught his attention. He glanced to the side, seeing Lamar in his side vision with his hands behind his head and back turned to him. He took a breath, then slowly slid the note out.

"Put that back, that's not yours," a cold voice hissed from behind. Aaron jumped up, note in his hand. "Uh I apologize," he said as Lamar took the note out of his hands. "I don't feel safe here. King Edward seems crazy and I can't have the Prince of Gayle snoop around our personal items." As Lamar closed the cabinet drawer, Aaron stepped back, standing near the bed. "My father isn't crazy," he added as he crossed his arms. "He is too." Now he's annoyed. His father isn't crazy, is he? "Why do you think that?"

"He seems hyperactive. I don't know how to explain it, but he's super aware of his surroundings, so are you." Lamar strode across the room to Aaron until he was in front of him, putting his hand to his chin as if he was thinking. "There's just something about you that I can't put my finger on," he said, leaning down to his face until he was just a few inches away.

"And what is that?" Aaron asked. Lamar was unusually close, his breath brushing against his face caused his heart to leap. "I'm not sure," Lamar replied, stepping back and crossed his arms. "Your eyes just seem beastly, the way you act is similar to animals." The prince stared at him for a second, confused and slightly offended. Animals?

"What do you mean we act like animals? When have I acted like an animal?" Lamar glanced up at him, his eyes glistened in mischief. In a second, Lamar had Aaron in a tight hold, twisting his arm behind his back and locked his own arms together to cage him in. "W-what are you doing?!" Aaron said alarmed. "Try and get out of my hold," Lamar breathed into Aaron's ear. A slight chill runs down his back, struggling against the Gastioan's hold.

Damn, he thought, he's strong! A bit of struggling made him realized it was useless. "Use that animal instinct I've seen." Aaron grunted, trying to pull himself away from Lamar. His back was against Lamar's chest, and his arm was burning with pain. Without thinking, his wolf panicked and took over.

Eyes glowed gold and fangs grew into his mouth. No! I can't turn right now! Aaron thought, feeling his bones shifting. His entire body was in pain now, his struggling caused his wolf to push harder. With all his strength, he yanked himself out of Lamar's grasp, landing on the floor with all four. He growled, his wolf feeling threatened.

Lamar stared at him surprised, seeing a whole new thing in front of him. "What are you...?" He asked, stepping back. Aaron's chocolate brown eyes were now a glistening gold, his features more like a canine's than human. His hair had been longer than usual, and fangs replaced those perfect teeth of his. His breathing turned heavy and the gold in his eyes burned.

Aaron's eyes widened when he realized what had been going on, shaking his head to revert the shift. "L-Lamar, I can explain," he stammered, trying to get closer. "Just as I suspected." Wait, what?

"Suspected? What did you suspect?" Lamar made his way to Aaron, grabbing his chin and lifted it up to meet his own eyes. "That you are different." Too close.

"Y-you're not afraid?"

"I am. You are a monster after all."

There was a jab in his heart. Monster? "So what? You'll tell your parents? Have me killed?" Lamar laughed, making Aaron a bit confused. "Of course not. For some reason I can't bare to see you gone. And for some reason," his brown eyes gazed up to meet Aaron's, "I can't keep my mind off of you." Aaron chuckled nervously, feeling his cheeks warm up. He was well aware, Lamar had been the only thing on his mind ever since the day he went to Gastoia. Lamar let his eyes dance from top to bottom, biting with something. "Is this the wolf's doing? Do you also have some way to make people charmed by you?"

"No," Aaron replied, glancing away. "I don't have any control over that." Why isn't he running away? Could it be the mate thing? He's never thought about what would happen if he met his mate, but the time is now. "Are you a good wolf?" The prince of Gastioa asked, lifting Aaron's chin up gently to meet his eyes once again. "Or are you a bad wolf?" Whimpering, Aaron stepped back, shifting his legs. "I'm a wolf who won't hurt you, unless you tell anyone else about me."

"Lamar, are you still out there?" Lillian called out from her bathroom. "Yes," he called back, stepping away from Aaron with a sigh. The door bursted open, a towel wrapped around Lillian's hair, and she wore a long red silk gown. "Are you ready for dinner, m'lady?" Aaron asked, motioning his uninjured arm towards the door. He ignored Lamar, who raised an eyebrow at him. It would have been awkward if Lily stayed near her brother, he can't risk him telling his sister about the wolf.

"Can't you see that my hair is in the process of drying?" She said with a smile, unraveling it so it fell onto her shoulders. "You two go right on ahead," she said with a smile. Aaron glanced back at Lamar, who had gotten up from the bed and already made his way out. He sighed, waiting a moment so Lamar would have been ahead, then went out to dinner.

"Are you going to tell Lillian?" Aaron asked, slightly worried. What if Lillian told her parents? What if they tell the entire kingdom? Then they'd want to kill them for sure. "Yes." His stomach dropped. "Why?"

"I trust her. She trusts me. She may not seem like it, but she's smart. Behind the goofy personality of hers is an intelligent princess, one who will lead a kingdom into peace. She'll know not to tell anyone else, if you prefer that." Aaron stared at him as they walked down the halls, servants passed by them while lowering their heads in respect.

"Do you hate me? Because of who I am?" Lamar stayed silent, and it made Aaron slightly worried. "No. I can't ever hate someone because of who they are," he finally replied, reaching the dining hall. "Too many people are hated because of that." As if on cue, a maid rushed over and opened the door for the princes, neither of them speaking through the tension.

Today's dinner was quiet. Neither the king or queen showed up, and Lillian had felt ill and ate dinner in her room. Lamar and Aaron ate in silence, the only noise was the clatter in the kitchens and the butlers and maids asking "Is there anything else you'd like?" The prince had finished his plate, glancing up at Lamar who was still picking at his food. "I'm done. If you need me, I'll be in my room," Aaron spoke quietly and began to stand up when Lamar interrupted him. "Wait, I need an escort to my room." Aaron motioned his head to the door. "I'm sure there's a servant ready to take you there, now if you excuse m-"

"I don't need a servant to take me." Aaron stared at him, looking for words. "I- uh..." Lamar stood up, his eyes landed on Aaron for a split second then went to the door. "I'm done eating as well."

Aaron stared at the prince who had already made his way towards the exit. "Coming?" He asked, cocking his head back as he opened the door.