Stronger- #Wattys2019

Part 19

Knocking, Anna groaned at the closed door. "Nadine, I'm sorry my idiot mate distracted me."

"Hey." Yuri jumped in defense. "I'm not an idiot. If anyone's an idiot its...." He caught himself. Scratching the back of his neck he shrugged. "Nevermind."

Rolling her eyes, Nadine opened the door for the two. She really didn't want to face their lovey dovey shit. However, one thing she had learned about Anna throughout the semester was her persistence. She'd have less of a headache just opening the door.

Silently, the door swung open as Nadine let go and turned to walk further into the room.

The brunette waved sheepishly. "Sorry for all the trouble. I really just wanted to talk. I mean, I feel so out of the loop."

Watching her university roommate closely, Nadine pondered how much to share. It was obvious the king didn't want everyone to know their connections to one another. Hell, he ordered her not to tell anyone. However, he also told her his beta was aware of their bond. Could she expect him to constantly hide that from Anna? Could she even say she would honestly try to be a friend by hiding it all?

"Would anyone get in trouble if I told your mate the truth?" Grey eyes stared at the beta.

He shrugged. "You." He he deadpanned. "No one else. Once we complete a mating bond, she would be entitled to know the basics anyway. It's only the fact that we aren't officially mated yet that holds everything up. But if you..." He smirked. "Well, that lets me off the hook. And it's really your story, so..." Then he shakes his head. "But he'd be real pissed at you."

"Do you always ramble this much?"

"Believe it or not, I learned how to do it. It drives Alex bonkers sometimes."

Anna gasped. "You annoy the king on purpose?"

He shrugged. "What else are best friends for?"

She shook her long brown hair. "Great! I have a mate with a death wish."

"Says the girl who barreled up to the king to practically demand he not hurt your friend." He narrowed his eyes at her.

"I didn't know he was the king!"

"Would it have really changed anything?"

A sheepish no escaped her lips before she looked back at her friend and remembered why they were there. "Sorry. Again." Turning toward Nadine, she tried to refocus the conversation. "So, why are you back in the palace? I thought the king ordered you to leave?"

The omega shrugged. "He seems to be indecisive. One minute he wanted me out of here. The next, he found me coming from my last class with some idea of me training with the royal guards. To help me get a better handle of my wolf." It wasn't the whole story, but it was the truth.

"That was what he told you?" Yuri groaned.

"Why?" Nadine quickly narrowed her eyes on the beta male. The offer made sense, in a way, she appreciated the plan itself. Her only hesitation was with the king directly.

Taking a deep breath, he looked at the ceiling. "The redhead you knocked out..." He paused to see if she understood. "Well, her sister is the pack's luna."

"Great."

"Yeah, well, the pack is rather defensive of their luna."

"And the luna is upset I humiliated her sister." Nadine finished.

Yuri pointed to his nose, the universal sign for 'right on'.

Anna tilted her head in confusion. "Why would the king worry about few hurt feelings in the Wade pack?"

Well, they say there's no time like the present. "Because whether he wants to admit it or not, I'm his mate."

"No way!" Anna dropped to the floor in shock. Her eyes grew even wider as she pieced it all together. "The slap! That's why you slapped him? I never could understand why you would slap the fricken king."

"You slapped him?" Yuri roared in laughter. "Why did I miss that?"

"He was a dick and was about to reject me. I just reacted."

The brunette crawled her way to the bed beside her friend. "Why in the hell would he reject you? You're made to be perfect for each other."

Yuri knelt down to her level. "He has his baggage, just like Nadine does. It was a stupid move, one he hasn't fully accepted as wrong. But he is starting to." He blue eyes looked up to the omega. "Please, give him a chance. He's a good man. But just as you react because of your past, so does he. He'll figure it out eventually."

She huffed in response. "He's hiding me away, stringing the bond along, but not accepting me. This isn't just a reaction. He's making choices."

"Whether you see it or not, you are good for each other."

"Lying to her isn't a way to show that." Anna pointed out.

"Actually, the training plan may not have been a lie. It does sound like a good idea given your reactions to your adopted pack. He just left out the other stuff. Whatever happens between the two of you, he will defend you. Trust in that. He lost one mate and it damn near killed him. He won't let anyone hurt you Nadine."

Nadine didn't know Alexander had a mate before. She wasn't sure she liked the sound of that. She shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts. "Then why is he the one actually hurting me?" She stood and left the room and the two people in it behind. She needed to find someplace quiet for a while.