Axle

She was my best friend but boy what a handful. Princess Alina was a free spirit, and I always had to keep my wits about me when it came to her wild ways. I have lost count of the many times she has given me the slip over the years and her father had chewed my ass out every single time. But I wouldn't change her for anything.

Today we were out on the front lawn of Alina's home. She was dressed ready to punish me, her beautiful long hair tied up in a very unsexy plait down her back, and she wore no-nonsense black training pants and a black singlet. I think that's what I love the most about her, despite Alina's unrivalled beauty she didn't have any sense of grandeur, preferring to watch from the sidelines rather than be in the spotlight. A more humble Queen in waiting you wouldn't find that's not to say she didn't have a temper though, and right now I was bearing the brunt of it. Her green eyes flashed with emerald fire as she dug a finger into my chest, ramming her displeasure home, and it was my turn to apologise.

"I am really sorry 'Lina, the king told me not to let you into the woodlands today because Rogues were sighted just outside our borders, I don't think he was insinuating that you couldn't handle yourself." Uh oh, I think the last part really ticked her off because her eyes were fair glowing now, and that meant her wolf was dangerously close to the surface.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She hissed, backing away from me slowly. Her voice had dropped a couple of octaves, and the air had taken on a strangled quality-I wasn't scared of her. Honest?

Although I am a bear, not a wolf, the Alpha command bleeding into her voice still had me on my toes. Sometimes Alina could be a bit unpredictable, especially since yesterday. She kept asking me where the roasted chestnuts were this morning even though none of the cooks had made any. Weird she sniffed the air outside too, growing frustrated every time I told her I couldn't smell even a whiff of chestnuts.

Lord knows I wouldn't hold out on her when it came to those things, roasted chestnuts were Alina's favourite thing to eat.

Right now I was a bit concerned that she was considering eating me...

Luckily for me, a voice interrupted the beginning of her colossal meltdown and I was glad to see Eve, Alina's maid trying to get our attention.

"Princess! The King will have visitors in an hour and he requests your attendance, I was sent here to help you prepare, and..er..to inform you that Master Axle's presence would not be required at the dinner."

Eve looked over at me apologetically and I gave her a grin. It was no secret that after yesterday's debacle I was up shit creek without a paddle as far as Alina's father was concerned. It would be safer to stay out of his way while he cooled down after all Alina got her temper from somewhere...

"That's quite alright Eve, the bear boy wasn't going to be my guest anyway, I like my partners at these events to have a mind of their own."

Without waiting to see if she got a reaction or not, the princess stormed off, leaving me momentarily alone with Eve. Checking to make sure we weren't being watched, I snuck a quick kiss as we walked back together, cherishing whatever time I could share with my mate.

No one knew about Eve and me. It was safer that way, she was a human who didn't want to be turned and I was the bodyguard for the Royal princess. If anyone ever found out, they could use Eve to put me in a difficult position when it came to my duties, and I really didn't want to choose between Alina's protection or Eve's life, even if Alina was being kind of a dick today.

"Who has an audience with the King?" I asked curiously, and Eve's brow furrowed as she tried to figure out if she would be allowed to tell me, then finally she came out with it.

"Princess Alina turns eighteen in two days. The other packs know she hasn't found her mate yet, so a couple of Beta's have been sent on behalf of their Alpha's to enquire whether she intends to have a mating ball on her birthday. It would give the unmated males a chance to enter Royal grounds peacefully and see if a mate emerges amongst them."

I let out the breath I have been unconsciously holding and Eve laughed.

"She's going to pitch a fit isn't she?"

By now we were in the common area, where a few nobles wandered around and I had to be careful to maintain the correct distance from my mate, but even I couldn't stop the grin from forming on my face as I looked sideways at her.

"Hell yes she'll pitch a fit, I'm glad I won't be at this dinner."

"My presence isn't required either," Eve confessed with a giggle and I gave her a knowing smirk as she hurried inside to get the Princess ready, it looked like I would be spending the night in my mate's arms uninterrupted for once, and damn sure I was happy about that.

Eve pov

Sometimes I couldn't believe that fine specimen of a man was all mine. He was panty-dropping gorgeous and I was nothing special to look at. Shifters were annoyingly good looking, every last one of them. Because of their fast metabolisms, no excess fat was stored anywhere, and they were all beautifully muscled and perfect. I had a plump, curvaceous figure, carrying a few extra pounds than I should, but I just loved the cook's desserts and I couldn't seem to stop at just one portion. My hair was an unremarkable blonde, shoulder length and I had pale skin from spending most of my time indoors. As far as human's go, I was a little on the short side, barely clearing five feet and I knew standing next to my giant mate made me look like a child. But I loved Axle so much, he was always supportive of me and called me the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Considering he spends every day and most of the night in Alina's company, that was really saying something. Princess Alina Deveraux was the most gorgeous creature in a room full of gorgeous creatures, she stood out, and sometimes it was hard to hear the whispers circulating about just how close she and Axle were. I trust him though, after all, what is love without trust right?