The Alpha and The Lost Princess

Like Two Ships in the Night

  Calliope's POV

"Harley?" I said to the man I hate the most in the world. He just took a step towards me with a smile and attempted to touch me. I stepped back into Peter's chest. For a moment, I ignored Peter. "What are you doing here?"

Harley's eyes narrowed at Peter, who was standing behind me. The two males stiffened, and I could sense some anger between them. Harley looked down at me. "I am here for alpha training." He stated. "Isn't that exciting?"

My heart dropped. I had come here to get away from him, and here he was. I looked at the ground as I felt tears welling up. My sanctuary was becoming hell. I started walking away when Harley grabbed my arm and pulled me towards him. "Let me go!" I shouted as loud as I could.

"Not until you talk to me." He tried sounding sincere, but I heard a hint of malice in his tone. The same tone I had grown accustomed to.

I pulled my arm and felt a presence behind me. "The lady asked you to let her go. I suggest you let her go," It was Peter.

Harley growled at him. "This is none of your business. I need to talk to my mate."

"MATE?" I screamed. "I AM NOT YOUR f*****g MATE!" I screamed so loud others around us starred. I struggled to get my arm free from Harley.

"She doesn't appear to want you touching her. Now let her go!" Peter demanded, stepping towards Harley.

Harley laughed. "Oh, some little warrior is going to challenge me. I am an alpha. Try your best."

"Just let me go, Harley," I pleaded as I felt my anger rising. Tears ran down my cheeks as my life flashed before my eyes.

Peter pushed Harley hard enough to cause him to let go of my arm. I slipped my way behind Peter as Harley growled loudly at him. The two males were locked in a challenge, and I took the opportunity to run out of the activity center as guards ran in. I would have to thank Peter for defending me later, but I just needed to get away for now.

Being petite, I was able to slip past all the huge werewolves and run towards the palace. I was huffing and puffing by the time I reached the staff door. I stood against the wall and slid down to the ground and buried my head in my hands, and screamed. The ground around me shook, which made me quiet out of shock. I looked up and saw cracks in the ground. The door opened, and the older guard, whose name is George. "What is going on out here?" He asked with concern. He looked at the crack in the ground.

I shook my head, unable to say anything. I got to my feet and walked the opposite way from the door. I wasn't ready to go to my room. I found myself going towards the garden again. I wandered the flower beds running my hands through the flowers that seemed to respond to my presence. I stopped at the roses, and they were still lively from the last time I touched them. It seemed a few of them were still droopy and sad looking. So, I touched them, and without words, they opened their blooms larger and perked up as much as plants could.

The breeze shifted, and I heard someone coming towards me. Through the shadows of the darkness, I saw a large male figure coming towards me. Thinking it was Harley, I ran off as fast as I could. I didn't look back. I ran straight to the staff door and went inside.

George looked up from his magazine. "Having a rough night, are you Miss Anderson?" He asked with a sympathetic tone.

"Something like that," I mumbled as I pressed my room key to the pad. "Good night George," I said as I walked through the door and headed to my room. I walked in, and Darlene was lying on her bed watching a movie on her tablet.

"Hi, Calliope." She tilted her head regarding me. "Are you alright?"

I looked down and noticed my clothes were disheveled. I felt my face must be blotchy from the crying I did earlier. "I am not. I guess." I replied while walking past her and into the bathroom. I looked at my face, and it was indeed red and blotchy. My hair was a little messed up and sticking to my cheeks from all of the running I did. Sighing, I stripped out of my clothes and hopped into the shower. The hot spray helped relieve my tension. I stood under the spray for a long time before washing myself and getting out. I wrapped the towel around me after drying and walked out of the bathroom to grab my PJs from the drawers.

Darlene shot me a sympathetic look but said nothing. I slipped back into the bathroom, did the rest of my routine, and put on my PJs. I laid on my bed and stared at the ceiling for a moment. I grabbed my phone and saw messages from Myra. She had been trying to get a hold of me since yesterday.

I called her. "Is he there? Did you see him?" Her voice came on, and I knew she was talking about her brother.

"Yes," I mumbled.

"What happened? Why didn't you answer my messages?" Myra spoke fast.

"I'm sorry, Myra. This week has been hectic. I barely even saw Bailey all week. I am sorry." I felt tears welling up in my eyes again.

"Sorry, Cal. I didn't mean to upset you. I was just concerned. I called Bailey, and she's all depressed too."

"We tried to have fun at the huge activity center, and stupid men had to ruin it," I said a Myra chuckled.

"They ruin everything," She replied. "So what happened when you saw my brother?"

Sighing deeply, I sat up on the bed. "Well, after Bailey left, I was hanging out with this guy named Peter. We were having a lot of fun until he tried to kiss me. Then told me he didn't want to hurt me and we should be friends."

Myra scoffed. "Do I need to beat him up?"

"No, I owe Peter," I told her. "Anyways, as I was walking away, I bumped into Harley. He grabbed me and called me his mate. Peter sort of saved me by standing up for me. So I can't be mad at Peter anymore. But anyway, he punched Harley, and I was able to run away as they started fighting. I just ran. I didn't stick around to see what happened."

Myra let out a long sharp breath. "Holy s**t, Cal. I am so sorry. I tried sending you messages warning you that Harley was going to be there. There is something else. He sort of told our parents that you are his mate."

"WHAT!" I shouted, startling Darlene. I looked at her and mouthed sorry. "What?"I repeated to Myra.

"Yeah, they were a little confused but happy." She said with concern.

"What am I going to do, Myra? I am not that sadistic asshole's mate."

Myra was silent for a moment. "I told my parents that you don't want to be my brother's mate. But my mother accused me of being jealous and trying to sabotage my brother."

"f**k. And here I thought this place was a sanctuary. But of course, I can't have anything good in my life without your brother f*****g it up."

Myra sniffled. "Man, Cal. I wish I could be there to help keep my brother off of you."

"I have Bailey. And the alpha dorm is quite far from the palace. I hardly see Bailey during the week, so maybe I'll get lucky and hardly see Harley. I just won't have fun on the weekends and stay in my room." I said as tears fell down my cheeks.

"Harley will only be there for three weeks, Calliope." Myra's words were only vaguely relieving.

"Well, that helps," I said with a sniffle. "I have to go, Myra. I am exhausted, and I think my roommate wants to go to sleep."

"Okay, Cal. I wish we could have talked about happy stuff. You are my girl. I love you."

"I love you too, Myra. We'll talk tomorrow. Bye." I responded to her, and we hung up. I let out a sigh while tossing my phone onto the side table. I glanced at Darlene, who was just staring at me. "Sorry," I mumbled to her.

"Who is Harley?" She asked me. "I mean, sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

"Well, I didn't exactly have a private conversation, did I?" I chuckled dryly. "Anyways, Harley is the future alpha of my old pack. And he is an absolute jackass that thinks I am his mate."

Darlene raised her eyebrows. "Wow. Like, are you his mate? I know humans or witches don't feel the mate bond."

"Not fated ones anyways. He wants me to be his chosen mate. Even though he spent the last ten or so years abusing me and making my life miserable. I hate him," I nearly spat, and Darlene jumped.

"He sounds awful. Like a typical alpha male. How could he think you'd like him after abusing you?" She crept towards me and sat on my bed beside me.

I scoffed as I looked at Darlene. "Get this. He abused me because he couldn't handle the fact that he had feelings towards a weak little witch. So that is his justification for torturing me. I mean, he used to slam me into lockers. He kicked me in the stomach so hard I vomited. One time he picked me up and threw me into a barrel full of bacon grease behind the cafeteria. Just awful stuff like that."

Darlene's face fell. "How horrible. I am so sorry that happened to you. Did you never tell his parents?"

"I told them a few times, and every time Harley would retaliate worse. So I gave up and just endured it. Especially when I discovered I could heal myself using trees or the ground."

Darlene tilted her head. "Oh right. You are a witch. Wait, witches can heal themselves like that?"

I shrugged. "I don't honestly know. It's not like my aunt ever taught me anything. I figured it out on my own."

"I don't know any other witches, so I don't know. I was just curious."

I smiled at her. "Sorry to unload on you like that."

"Well, that's what friends do, right?" She smiled at me.

"Yeah, you are right." We hugged each other. "I am glad you are my roommate."

"I agree. I am glad I got stuck with a witch."

I laughed at that as we pulled away. "How was your night with Lisa?"

"It was alright. We only watched one movie before she missed Ryan too much and had to leave." She chuckled. "It's cool, though. They are cute together."

"They are. I hope to find someone someday like that. Just not any werewolves," I shuddered. "No offense."

"None was taken. I don't have a wolf and have been treated like s**t by most werewolves, so I understand. I hope my mate is a human. I would like to find a human to marry after I graduate. I don't want to be around werewolves anymore if I can help it."

I sympathized with her. "Yeah, me too, except for the few I like."

We sat in a moment of silence before she stood up. "I am going to bed now. You don't have to be silent. I can sleep through anything." She walked to her side of the room.

"I am turning in too. Today was exhausting." I laughed and picked up my phone to shoot a text to Bailey before lying down. I watched a couple of videos on my phone before finally falling asleep.

The following day I got up and dressed in a light summer dress for breakfast with Bailey. I invited Darlene, but she declined. I left my hair in a mess of curls as I didn't feel like messing with it. I was happy to see my friend as I approached her car.

"Hey, Bails," I greeted her as I got into the car.

"Cal." She replied. "So, is the diner we went to the other day alright?"

I nodded. "That is fine with me," I told her as she put the car in drive. We rode to the diner in silence. Both of us were lost in our own thoughts.

"So, I saw Harley last night," She stated.

"Me too," I mumbled as we got out of the car and walked into the diner. We were seated and looked at the menus. I decided on an egg white omelet with cheese while Bailey got some massive scramble thing with a chicken fried steak on it.

"I am starving," She laughed as the waitress poured her a cup of coffee. I had a glass of juice. We sat in silence for a few minutes. "So, are we going to talk about last night?"

"Which part?" I replied. "How are you doing over the whole Shane thing?"

She shrugged while putting a massive amount of sugar into her coffee. "Oh, I am fine about it. There are tons of guys around here for me to get to know." She smirked and took a sip of her coffee-flavored sugar. "And Harley? You saw him last night, where?"

"At the activities center," I replied.

"Oh, that reminds me. What happened with Peter?"

"We had fun playing arcade games, and then he tried to kiss me. But stopped himself and said we should just be friends because he doesn't want to hurt me if he finds his mate."

Bailey rolled her eyes. "Oh, he is one of those." She set her coffee down and added more sugar.

"Yeah, I was sort of mad at Peter and started to walk away from him only to bump into Harley," I told her as the waitress set our plates in front of us. "Anyways, Harley being Harley, wanted to talk," I used air quotes, "And then he grabbed me as I tried getting away, but a tiny witch is no match for an alpha werewolf," I mumbled while taking a bite of my omelet. "But luckily, Peter was there, and he pushed Harley off of me. They started fighting, and I just ran off."

"You ran off?"

I nodded. "I had to get away from there. I'll have to thank Peter for helping me, though."

"Well, I haven't heard anything about a fight, so I don't know. But then the warrior's dorm is separate from the alpha dorm," She explained while devouring her food. We chatted about other things as we finished our breakfast. After breakfast, we found a mall to wander around in.

"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you," I started as we were devouring ice cream. "I talked to Myra last night. Harley told their parents that I am his mate."

Bailey's jaw dropped. "Are you f*****g kidding me? That deluded asshole won't quit." She shook her head. "I am so not going back to that pack." She mumbled.

"Your parents will miss you," I told her. "I don't know what I am going to do with the Harley situation. Myra tried telling her mother that I don't want to be his mate, but of course, Luna Julie is on Harley's side."

"What did your aunt and uncle say?"

I shrugged. "I haven't said anything to them."

"You should. This is serious, Cal. Harley won't stop until he gets you."

Tears welled up in my eyes. "Why does this s**t keep happening to me?"

She wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "I don't know. You don't deserve any of it. You are the sweetest, kindest person I know."

"Thank you, Bails," I sighed. "I think I'll just stick to work and hope I don't see Harley the whole three weeks he is here."

"I'll try to keep an eye on him if I can." She said as we threw away our trash. "Anyways, I sort of want to take my wolf for a run. She is itching to get out."

"Oh well, I'll be okay chilling in my room. I like my roommate."

"That's good. She seemed nice when I met her." Bailey flipped her hair back. "Of course, she is probably not as awesome as me."

I laughed. "Never."

Bailey drove me back to the palace. I waved as she drove away. Sighing, I headed towards the staff door and smiled at George, the guard who was outside having a smoke. Darlene was sitting in our room when I walked in. The poor girl sure seemed to like being in the room most of the time.

"Hi Calliope," She greeted me with a smile.

"Hello, Darlene. Have you been here all day?" I asked as she nodded.

"Lisa and Ryan went on a little drive. So I have just been chilling all day here."

I sat on my bed for a moment. "What do you like to do on Sunday nights?"

"They have games in the common room. I think it's Bingo night."

"That sounds like something old people would like," I laughed.

She shrugged. "It's fun. Want to go?"

"Sure, what the hell."

She stood up with a giggle. "You can win prizes. It's mostly silly stuff like stuffed animals or toys." She pointed to some stuffed wolves on her bed.

We went and played Bingo, and I met a few more of the omegas. A lot of them were really friendly and fun to be with. They all liked how well the King and Queen treated them. After Bingo, I went back to my room and watched TV on my tablet before turning in for the night.

The next day work kicked my ass. Chef Romero seemed to be in a nasty mood as we prepared food for the upcoming birthday party. He was quick-tempered and made a few people cry. I just ducked my head down and did what I needed to do.

"Curls!" The sous chef Max barked at me. He is slightly less temperamental than the boss but still somewhat of a jerk. He calls me Curls instead of my actual name. I tried correcting him a few times, but he ignored me.

"Yes, Sous Chef?" I replied to him while I was prepping vegetables.

"I need you to take that cart of food to the King's office, please." He instructed me.

I looked at the cart, "Excuse me, but I don't know where the office is."

He growled at me. "It's the big office marked King Cassius and Queen Jemma," He yelled and walked away.

Darlene walked over to me. "Remember where orientation was?"I nodded. "Well, it's down that hall. And it's marked you can't miss it." She told me.

"Thanks," I said to her as I began pushing the cart out of the kitchen. The wheels squeaked as I pushed it. It took me about five minutes to orient myself and find the King's office. I knocked on the door and waited for a reply.

"Come in," Came a deep male voice, and I opened the door and saw a very handsome man sitting behind a large elaborate desk. He was wearing a really fancy suit and had brown hair and the bluest eyes I ever saw. He stood up and indicated some leather couches on the other side of the large office. I realized I was staring at the King of the Werewolves, and I bowed my head. I looked at the couches and saw the queen sitting on one with a small girl next to her.

I wheeled the cart over, and the queen smiled at me. "Calliope, right?" She asked me in a kind voice.

I nodded. "Yes, your majesty."

Queen Jemma smiled warmly at me. "How is work going for you?"

"Well, your majesty." I trembled as the King walked up behind me. I couldn't believe how massive he is. He had to be almost seven feet tall. I could see how muscular he through his clothes. I had heard my uncle and Alpha Thomas talk about the King's prowess in battle. I could certainly see it. He sat down on the couch next to the queen, and the little girl climbed onto his lap.

"Are you ready for lunch, Raina?" He said softly to the girl.

"Yes, Daddy."

Queen Jemma stepped towards me. "Have you met my mate?" She says mate like her mate isn't the freaking King.

I shook my head.

"Cass, this is Calliope. She works in the kitchens on the work-study program." She said to the King, and he turned his gaze to me, and I had to keep myself from fainting. He then smiled warmly, and he looked much less scary.

"H-hello, your majesty," I mustered out.

"Calliope? That is a unique name. Are they treating you well in the kitchens?"

I nodded. "Chef Romero is a bit strict, but I like it there." I blurted out.

"That is good to hear. Do you like it here at the palace?" The King asked me kindly.

I nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Did you come from a wolf pack? I can sense that you are not a wolf."

"I am a witch, sir. My Uncle Rick is the beta of Forest Moon." I replied to him.

"Oh yes, I have met Beta Rick before. He is a good strong beta." The King nodded.

"Yes, he and my aunt raised me. My aunt is a witch also."

"Cool," The King smiled.

"Daddy! I am hungry," Raina protested loudly.

"Raina!" The queen barked at the girl. "You need to be patient. Your father is having a conversation. We need to listen to our citizens."

Raina shrank away from her mother. "Sorry, Mommy."

"It's alright, sweetie," The King patted the girl's arm.

"Where would you like me to place your food?" I asked.

The queen stood up and stepped towards me. "We'll take care of it, thank you. Our other children should be in soon. Would you like to meet them?"

"I would love to your majesty, but I better get back to the kitchen," I responded to her.

"Some other time then. Thank you, Calliope. Have a good day."

I bowed to her and then walked out of the office and back to the kitchens. The rest of the day went by without problems. After I clocked out, I found myself wandering the palace and came across a dark storage room besides what I assumed to be the ballroom. Workers were scurrying about getting decorations up on the ballroom. The storeroom was open, but no one was coming in and out, and I noticed several instruments inside. I snuck in and towards the instruments. There was a harp sitting beside a piano, and there were cases with cellos and violins stacked up. I ran my hand over the harp.

"Hey!" Someone shouted at me from the doorway. "What are you doing?" The male shouted at me.

"O-oh, sorry. I just wanted to touch the harp." I mumbled.

"Well, quit touching it and get out," He snarled.

"Sorry," I said as I ran out of the room. I heard him slam the door shut, and I just went back to my room. The rest of the night, I just chilled, watching movies with Darlene before showering and going to bed. Tomorrow was going to be hectic as the big birthday party got nearer.