Rejecting Royalty

1: A diamond in the rough

"Sapphire! Where have you been all this time!?" I turn my gaze to the petite woman before me and give her a sheepish smile.

"I was doing the laundry, mom." I explain showing her the basket filled with freshly washed clothes. Her eyes widen slightly as she limps over towards me with a disapproving look.

"Sapphire Blu! I told you to concentrate on your studies! I didn't tell you to do chores!" I sigh and give my mother an exasperated sigh. She could barely walk properly and she expects me to just sit by and watch her do all the pack housework.

"Mom, it's a Saturday; there are over 500 people in this pack and there are only six omegas including you and me both do you honestly think I would leave all the chores to you?" I give her a flat stare and she looks away to take a deep breath.

"Saph, this isn't the kind of life You should be living." She says gently, taking the blue laundry basket from me.

"It doesn't matter. In this lifetime I am born an omega. I am meant to live this life ma. We can't deny that." She looks at me like she wants to say something but holds her tongue as she turns her heel and heads to our tiny wooden cottage.

"You are so lucky your mom does not make you work." I startle and turn to the redhead climbing down one of the many trees surrounding the cottage.

"How long have you been there, Red?" Yes, my best-friend's name is quite obvious.

"About an hour now?" I c**k my eyebrows towards her and she sighs as she finally reaches me.

"I'm hiding from my mom. She wants me to clean the common bathrooms and that is never happening. Do you know how many men miss the urinary when they pee?

"It's just nasty!" I scrunch my face and give her a disgusted look, my wolf giving out the same feeling.

"Too much information!" She laughs out loud and decides to sit on the leaf covered ground.

"What are you doing?" I ask eyeing her position as she starts to lie flat on her back.

"Laying down." She answers abruptly, placing both her arms behind her head like it is perfectly normal for us to relax on a day like today.

"I know that. But why?" Instead of answering me, she pulls me beside her making the leaves crunch under my weight.

"Because this is a rare moment. For the past fifteen years we've always been running errands. We had no chance to take a breather. With the festivities and all it's nice to have nothing to do, you know?" I understand her completely.

Ever since we were five we have been tasked some sort of chore. I was lucky though because mom would always do the chore for me instead but Red's mother thought otherwise.

"It's kind of sad though." I state staring at the swirls of white that danced across the sky.

"Huh?" I could feel Red's eyes at the side of my face. She really doesn't realize.

"Why do you think we were given a day off?" I ask rhetorically, still staring at the sky.

"Sorry Saph but I still don't — oh no they didn't!!!" She suddenly sits up from her position and stares straight ahead as reality dawns on her. I smile and shake my head.

"We were kept out on purpose. Two packs are visiting and for some reason our pack is known as the nicest pack— whatever that entails. All the packs around us think this pack has no omegas, that we are all equals. Honestly it's stupid but whatever." I shrug and pull her back down to stare at the sky.

"How do you even know this?" s**t. I try to look unfazed at her question.

"People talk, Red." She sighs seeming satisfied by my answer. Truth is, mother has me studying all the packs in the world. Yes, the world. I don't know where she gets all the updated information from and I don't know why she has asked me to keep it secret and I especially don't know how it will help me in life but they say mothers know best. Here’s to hoping that one day a pop quiz about general information will make me win a million dollars.

"Hey, do you wanna crash the party?" I give her a scolding look and shake my head.

"Let's not be those girls, Red."

"What are 'those girls' exactly?" She asks making quotation marks with her fingers.

"You know, those girls who act on impulse and get in trouble because they have no qualms for the consequences."

"So what we throw away our pride? What if we have mates there?" She asks throwing her hands up.

"If we did, they'd have found us by now." We're barely two hundred miles away. I'm pretty sure their wolf would have brought them here if there was anyone.

"I hate that you're right."

"I hate it too." We stay in comfortable silence for a while until she opens her mouth again.

"Saph?"

"Yes?"

"Why are there festivities?" I laugh out loud. Of course she wouldn't know.

"The Alpha's son has returned from warrior training." I explain feeling my wolf suddenly perk up.

'You've missed him haven't you?' My wolf barks and wags her tail excitedly.

'I've missed him too.' I reply silently to my wolf who all but paces in circles. I've always been close friends with Henry, the Alpha's son.

For some reason we always clicked and had a good relationship but at 16 he had to be sent to the royal palace to train as a warrior— a warrior for the kingdom, Alphas are technically warrior reserves. They'd have to fight for the kingdom if the true kingdom warriors can no longer fight; that or they have to send back up when needed.

"Exactly. He's returned and here you are hiding away instead of welcoming me." My eyes widen  as tingles erupt down my spine at the familiar voice. My wolf howls in content and happiness and that's when it all finally clicked.

"Mate."