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    Chapter 6 Terry


    The two of us get back down to the first floor where there is a team of Lycans ready for us with packages and paperwork.


    "Where would you like to set up?" Ss asks.


    "I have options? I can''t just stay in my room?"


    "No, the King would like you at a more public location,


    "You got anything outside?


    "Plenty of ces, mydy, one of the other Lycans nods


    "Show me the outside. Let me think about it,


    "All right." Ss bows and leads the way out


    The courtyard is beautiful from down here. The pirs have pretty vines growing around them. There are pretty flowers growing around the stone surroundings and the scent is out of this world. Past the courtyard is a massive stairway that leads into what I''m thinking is a vige dedicated to those who work for the King.


    "She doesn''t have shoes on, someone whispers.


    "What?" Ss looks down at my feet.


    "It''s cool. I don''t like wearing them anyway, I wave him off and start the journey down the stairs counting as I go. "Eighty- "Sorry?" Ss asks.


    "Eighty-six steps. That''s going to be rough going back up,"


    "We have a lift, he points to the wall behind us.


    "That would have been great information before I ran down here, Sigh, Iugh. He grins.:


    "You scare me," he admits. "You have a very callous way of carrying yourself,This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Don''t be afraid to tell me to shut up or that I''m going the wrong way. I''m here to s remind him. "I only bite if I''m threatened," serve your King Just his little pet wolf," I


    "Good to know," he smiles and then looks down at my feet.


    "Do you have a preference?"


    "Vans. Hightops, slips-ons, anything with a pretty pattern on it,"


    We''ll have some for you as soon as possible. I can carry you if you-


    "Don''t do that," I wave him off. Tm fine. I promise,"


    "Okay," he nods.


    "So, tell me about this ce. How public a workspace are we talking?"


    |||


    Thu,


    "Very. When the King told me you were interested in our finance division. I kind of had a ce in mind. It''s an old greenhouse on top of what we call the Vista. It used to be former Queen Alegra''s greenhouse but she doesn''te here anymore. The nts died out, but with a little renovation, I think we can make it work,"


    Is Queen Alegra the King''s mother?"


    "Yes," he nods. "When the prince murdered the former King after he was banished. She went home to her former pack with what is left of her family there and to let her sons fight over the drone,"


    "Understandable," I nod


    The walk up to what he referred to as the vista moves away from the vige itself. When we get to the top of the hill, I get why it''s called the Vista. The ss house is built on a hill right in front of the castle itself. Somewhere just outside the vige. The view is spectacr.


    This ce is something out of a fairytale. It''s ridiculous, but it''s a hell of a ce to die in. Maybe a little roo


    d for me..


    The greenhouse is a huge dome. It''s been raining so, it''s not too dirty on the outside. Ss leads me to the entrance and opens up a keypad. He types in four numbers and the entire thing quakes as the doors all around begin to slide open. My jaw basically hits the floor as he walks us in and the lights all start toe on.


    There isn''t a single nt in sight. In fact, the ce looks like an empty observatory. Right in the center is a spiral walkway that leads to a tform at the top. The tform is held up by six huge iron pirs. There are ss shelves all the way around that connect some of the pirs.


    What really intrigues me is the sprinkler system. The pipes are inade of silver. I can feel the threatening sensationing off of them as I get closer. She was really into nts because silver is really good for them. Helps prevent nt blight


    I follow Ss up the walkway to see that the system follows along the sides where there is a single shelf that follows up to the tform. The tform is just an open space at the top with a small round room where the bathroom is. What''s captivating are the open panels that let the sun in.


    This ce is built to be an amazing eco-friendly ce. It recycles the rainwater. Most of the ss is darkly tinted. The temperature is controlled and all together it''s a beautiful ce to spend time. I say spend because there''s no way any time. spent here will ever go wasted


    "What do you think, mydy?" Ss asks.


    "Sold,” I turn around to face him. "This is where I want to take myst breath,” I admit I bet it used to be gorgeous."


    "It was magical, he nods. "The entire ce was subpar before Lady Evangeline came here,"


    "You didn''t like her?" I ask. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly


    "Eve


    e was a very careless person. She was eighteen when she married the prince and I''m sure she did it because of his status. She was here a year before the King returned from his studies in Ennd. She destroyed our home and our leaders. Jonas and James were very close before she came along. She was charismatic and maybe she deserved more than what she the price we all paid was too much.


    bit


    "Once she was mated to Jonas things started to get better. Especially when she was with child. She was a lovely girl. Very prefly, but it''s hard to love something that destroyed our kingdom. Jonas is my brother and what she did to them may not have been her fault, but you''ll never see anyone speak of her here. The name Evangeline Porter will always be a blight to us. The sickness that brought down the most feared race of all,"


    I don''t press for anything else. I''ve heard enough from him and it gives me a better incentive to never bring it up with the King. It soundsplicated. I know very little about Lycans. One thing that is taught in our schools is that if we evere across one, submit. Don''t try to fight them. They''re beasts with the kind of power that makes a wolf seem like a harmless domestic dog. This is definitely the right ce to be for someone like me.


    ||| Chapter 6


    "So, we set up here? 1 ask. 11g looks back at me and smiles. “Nice big desks. Some couches a little kitchte for snacks. T think we can make this work,"


    “Are you sure! You wouldn''t like to see more avable ces? We have office space in the vige.


    "If you want to give me a tour of the vige, I would love to see But this ce is perfect. It''s secluded and an easy target. Red Wood has towers simr to this all around the city for vantage points.


    came


    "Darren had them built to be the first points of attack. Hit one and the entire city is alerted. He was seventeen when he ca up with that n. If I may, I would like a floor n of the entire property. I want to see what I''m working with.


    "I want to make sure the King gets his money''s worth. Never been one to do things half-a***d. And I''d love nothing more than to make an a***ole who killed a pregnantdy squeal before pushing daisies,"


    "Beta Ss. The shoes you asked for, a woman approaches us. He immediately goes over to her and takes


    Thank you, Sarah. That will be all, he dismisses her. The girl looks me over before Ss gives her a little shove to get her moving. She takes a few steps back without taking her eyes off me and he growls at her. She sneers at him but then leaves. "Sorry about that. She''s still very young." "Why didn''t the King use a Lycan female for this? Your race seems a little more equipped to handle something this gory. Don''t you guys have alpha females?"


    Yes, we do and it has been suggested a few times. However, females are rare. I''m sure you''ve noticed there are more males around," thought it was a preference," I admit.


    "No, it''s because there are very few Lycan women. Even those who mate with wolves bear males. It''s verymon for Lycan females to take more than one mate,"


    "Why didn''t the King and his brother do that?" I ask.


    Sses over to me with a red box with the skateboard logo printed on top. He opens it to reveal a pair of blue, ck. and white hightop ssics. I smile taking them out of the box. I sit on the floor and take the pair of socks he hands me.


    "It is not custom for the royal family to share their mates. Lycan royalty is not like wolf royalty. There are rules. The King mate must only bear his mark,"


    "Breaking his rules already. Sweet," I saycing up my shoes.


    "Not really. Your mate is gone. Just like his. I love him. He''s my best friend, but Jonas can be a fucking idiot,"


    "You know," I say standing up. "I''m all for calling out the authority figures, but you shouldn''t talk like that about your king.


    “Given how we met, you shouldn''t be the one lecturing me about bad-talking authority figures,"


    "Mm," I agree. "But my opinion doesn''t mean shit to anyone. You''re the beta prince. Keep that shit to yourself. I''m making a list of people I think are traitors and you are on it. Not just for calling the Lycan King an idiot, but for talking about your former Queen the way you did. I''m an a***le, Ss People hate me because I say the things no one else has the balls to. I''d like to be up and running by the morning. Make sure to inform your squad of that,"


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