How to Survive a Werewolf Romance

Ch 10: Trouble Believing

The queen was exquisitely beautiful. She had light blond hair pulled up into some intricate style and a crown on her head. She had blue eyes that were very similar to Arthur's, but while his made me feel warm and loved, I felt coldly observed as her gaze met mine.

"Hello, Mother," Arthur said.

I did a shaky little curtsy as we approached. It was not great, but I did try.

"Hello, Arthur and Anne. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"And it's a pleasure to meet you as well, Your Majesty," I said, desperately hoping I was handling this right. Instead of spending time with my loved ones and packing I should probably have spent my two days studying some book of royal manners, if such a thing even existed.

If it did not, the how to industry certainly had some big blind spots. Who cares about all the little details if you don't even know how to talk to your new future mother-in-law properly?  My hands felt clammy.

<Let me take control and I'll talk to her for you,> my wolf offered silkily.

That sounded like her worst idea ever. <No thanks,> I responded quickly before turning my attention back to the queen.

"Please, sit down," she offered smoothly.

Arthur sat opposite his mother and brought me down with him.

"I truly am delighted to meet you at last, Anne. We were starting to worry that Arthur would not find his mate without an extensive undertaking."

"Oh. I'm definitely glad that I just happened to walk by at the right time," I said.

"We all are. I'm glad that his motorbiking hobby proved beneficial. Mates are the bedrock of our society, don't you think?" she asked, her blue eyes gazing into mine.

I considered, "Well, I agree that good relationships do help everything work out for the best."

Arthur added quickly, "Her parents are as devoted to each other as you and father are."

"Well, that is indeed good to hear, Arthur."

Her attention swung back to me. "So, tell me about your background."

"Um, well, Your Majesty, I went to public school and graduated with pretty good marks. I was taking a year off to earn some money for post secondary. I was thinking of maybe going into accounting. When I was younger I babysat on weekends, had a couple of summer jobs. I played soccer, but mostly for fun because I'm not that good, but I really like running. I have two best friends who are each other's mates. I lived with my parents and my older sister Ellen before I found Arthur. There's not too much else to tell you."

It all sounded so terribly mundane and common. I was absolutely out of place.

The queen was watching me with a strange expression that seemed to confirm my inner doubts. I felt so awkward I rather wished the fabric of space would split open so I could simply fall out of the situation, perhaps into some other nonexistent universe where mate bonds could not put me in such an awkward situation.

Of course, I would not have Arthur there, either, so maybe this was the best of all possible universes for me. I looked over at his glorious frowning face and felt my heart beat its agreement with my conclusion.

"What's wrong, mother?" Arthur asked. He sounded defensive on my behalf and I felt my heart swell with affection.

"I don't know. She just seems so... Normal."

"There is nothing normal about Anne."

That was not precisely true. I was extremely normal in my opinion, but the way he looked at me made me feel special like I had never felt before. I could also feel my wolf's satisfaction at his assessment.