The Alpha and The Lost Princess

Calliope's First Week

 The next morning I woke up late. I vaguely remember my alarm going off and hitting the snooze. I looked at the clock, and I sprang out of bed. I had twenty minutes to get dressed and find the conference room for orientation. "f**k," I nearly shouted and saw that I was alone in the room. Sighing, I couldn't be mad at Darlene for not waiting. I quickly put on a pair of black slacks and a white button-up shirt. I tried taming my curls enough to put them in the bun, but it kept falling out. Frustrated, I just put my hair in a loose ponytail. My stomach rumbled, but I did not have time to grab breakfast. I grabbed my paperwork and notebook and a few other things I needed and then ran out of my room. With the map I was given, I did my best to find the orientation room. It was apparently on the other side of the palace.

"Damn," I mumbled as I ran down a grand hallway covered in marble and roman style columns. There were guards stationed throughout, watching me run. I stopped to look at the map to make sure I was running in the right direction before I started running again. In my clumsy haste, I ran into someone and fell to the ground. Someone offered a hand to me to pull me to my feet. "I am so sorry," I said to the person who had helped me. I slowly looked up at a female dressed in a black pantsuit. She was absolutely beautiful. She was much taller than me and well-muscled with long blond hair in a braid. Then I saw her eyes. I have never seen violet eyes before, and then I remembered. The Queen has violet eyes. I was looking at the Queen of the werewolves. "Oh no. You are Queen Jemma." I mumbled as tears welled up in my eyes.

"So, I have been told." She chuckled at me.

I looked into her eyes again, and she was smiling at me. "I am sorry for running into you. I was trying to find the room I am supposed to be in for orientation, and it's my first day. And now I am late." I blurted out while tears fell out of my eyes.

She held up her hand. "Calm down. Take a deep breath. You aren't in trouble. It was an accident." She explained. "What is your name?"

"Uh-uh," My brain suddenly went blank. "C-Calliope."

The Queen smiled at me. "That's a pretty name. Where are you heading, Calliope?"

"Uh, I-I'm here for work-study. I am looking for orientation." I was trembling as the Queen reached her hand out to my papers.

"May I see your paperwork?" She asked, and I handed her the paperwork. "Oh, we appear to be headed in the same direction. I'll take you there."

"Oh, no. I don't want to waste your time, your majesty." I said as she handed back my papers.

She laughed and started walking while gently pulling me along. "It's not a waste of time, Calliope. I don't mind helping people find where they are going. This place can get confusing at times. I have lived here sixteen years, and I still get lost sometimes." She explained as we walked. "So, I can tell you are not a werewolf. Do you hail from any of the packs?"

"Um, I grew up in the Forest Moon Pack," I told her.

"Ah, Alpha Thomas Devins. He and my brother are good friends, or they used to be. My brother Iain is the alpha of Zephyr Moon."

"I met his son, Andrew," I told her, suddenly remembering my day at the lake. The Queen was proving to be easy to talk to. "Anyways, my uncle is Beta Richard Anderson. My aunt is his mate."

Queen Jemma nodded. "So you are here for work-study. What will you be studying?"

"Music. I want to be a music teacher even though most werewolf schools don't have music education."

"That is a travesty, I agree." The Queen spoke out. "I am working on fixing that and trying to get more music in the schools. The king is in slight disagreement with me. But I'll wear him down eventually. I always do." She chuckled as we neared a hall with several different rooms. I noticed a group of people standing in front of one and saw my roommate Darlene standing with the others, who all stopped talking and bowed to the Queen as we approached. "Good morning, everyone," She greeted them. "Welcome to the work-study program."

"Thank you, your majesty," I said to her.

She patted my shoulder. "You are welcome, Calliope." She turned to the others. "I hope you all do well in your studies. Work hard, and you will achieve everything you dreamed of." She finished her speech. She looked at me. "Have a good day, Calliope." She then walked away from us.

I stood wide-eyed, watching her walk away, not believing I just had a conversation with the actual Queen of the Werewolves.

"I told you, she was nice," Darlene said from behind me, making me jump.

Turning around, she was standing with two others, a male and a female. I shook my head. "I-I got lost, and she walked me here."

Darlene laughed. "Hey, sorry I left without you. I tried waking you up, but you swatted me away, and I needed to get to breakfast."

"Oh, that's alright. I am not a morning person," I chuckled. The two she was with were looking me over. The female was short like me with long brown hair and blue eyes.

"Hi, I'm Lisa." She held out a hand and nudged the male next to her. "And this is my mate, Ryan."

I shook her hand and nodded at her mate. "I am Calliope."

An older male in a suit with a stack of papers walked past us and held open the conference room door. "Okay, I assume you are all here for the work-study program. Come on it. Sorry, we are late getting started." He said as everyone filed into the room. I sat with Darlene and her two friends. The man passed out the papers he was holding as an older woman walked in.

They both stood at the front of the room. "I am Carol, and this is Fox." The woman introduced herself, and we got started on orientation. It was hours of going over rules and other things about the program. It was mostly boring, especially with the videos we had to watch.

I was relieved when Carol and Fox released us for lunch. There was a large dining room off the kitchens for staff and omegas. I ate a salad while chatting with Darlene and Lisa. It felt nice to be making new friends. I texted Bailey and Myra also. Bailey seemed to be doing well on her first day. She ended up sparring with that Shane guy we met at the diner. Myra was having fun beating up the new warriors back at Forest Moon.

After lunch, we went back to the conference room for more orientation. Then we were given our work schedules. My first shifts were early mornings. I sighed. "Shit."

Darlene leaned over. "Hey, we are working the same shift."

"Well, that's good at least."

"I'll douse you with cold water to get you up on time." She giggled.

"Thanks." I laughed with her as we walked into our room. Darlene and I spent the rest of the day watching TV, and then she cooked us dinner. Which was just some canned chili, but she made it delicious. We liked the same TV shows, luckily. Then we went to bed, and Darlene promised not to ditch me in the morning. The following day Darlene helped me get up on time. We dressed in our uniforms, and we walked together to the kitchen. Lisa joined us. She was sad that Ryan was working a different shift.

We walked in, and a man in a chef's uniform starred us down. "You must be the newbies," He spoke with an accent. "Quickly, I am Chef Romano. I do have a first name, but that is irrelevant to you. I am not here to be your friend. I am here to teach. I hope you all learn quickly as I hate repeating myself. And next week we have a large event to prepare for so I need you all to be dedicated and quick. If you don't piss me off, then this will be easy for you all." The chef explained. He then assigned each of us an area to learn.

I was stuck chopping vegetables with an older male named Ed. Luckily, Ed was rather friendly and helpful. He said I had good knife skills, and we quickly fell into a rhythm of chopping. Hours later, I was helping Ed prep other foods. It was hard work, and there was only one break. But I loved it. Hard work was not something I minded. After a long day, I trudged back to my room and flopped on my bed. Darlene was talking to Lisa on her bed.

"Hey, Calliope. How was it?"

"Fun," I mumbled. "What did you two do all day?"

"I helped on the fryer," Lisa replied.

"I got stuck washing dishes," Darlene made a face.

The rest of the week went by quickly. The days were long and hard and sometimes stressful as Chef Romano was strict and occasionally nasty. I didn't let it get to me. I was feeling good in my new home. I didn't get to see Bailey at all as she was just as busy with warrior training. We agreed to meet up on Saturday at the palace activity center. It was a massive building with all sorts of games and activities. There was bowling, pool, laser tag, and all kinds of things. She said Peter wanted to see me again. That made me shudder. I tried telling her I didn't wasn't interested in male werewolves, but she insisted that he was a nice guy. I finally gave in.

Saturday rolled around, and I wasn't due to hang out with Bailey and the guys till later, so I decided to just walk around the palace grounds. There was a lot to see. I eventually found myself in the vast garden on the perimeter. It was at least five times the size of the one at Forest Moon. The rows and rows of flowers and various plants seemed to renew something in me. I spied some roses that were looking sad and droopy. I walked over to them and lightly touched them, and they sprang back to life.

"Holy s**t," A male voice said behind me, making me jump.

I turned and saw a man in a gardener's uniform approach me. He started at the roses. "I have been trying to get those to grow for months. What did you do?" He did not sound angry.

"I uh touched them," I mumbled.

His eyes widened, and he looked at my hands. "You have a magic touch, miss. Are you a fairy?"

My eyes narrowed at him. The fairies hadn't been seen in decades. They were assumed to be extinct. I laughed. "No, I am just a witch."

The man regarded me for a moment. "I don't know of any witches that can make dying flowers grow like that. Only fairies have that effect." He pointed to the roses that were looking fuller and healthier by the second. "Anyways, whatever you are, thank you. Feel free to touch any other dying plant." He smiled. "Excuse me." He said and walked away.

I looked at the roses and then my hands. I am just a witch. Shaking my head, I walked away from the garden and back to my room. I sat on my bed thinking about the roses. It wasn't the first time I made almost dead plants grow. Of course, there was the incident with Harley where vines grew out of nowhere and held him tight. I hadn't used a spell. Witches needed spells or potions to do their magic. I just did it. Sighing, I decided to shower and dress in something nice to hang out with Bailey tonight. As I was getting dressed, Darlene walked in with Lisa. "Hi," I greeted them. I had gotten to like both of them since I met them.

"Where are you going?" Darlene asked me.

"Oh, I am going to hang out with my friend Bailey at the activity center. Want to come?"

"No, thank you. We are going to chill here and watch movies," Darlene said to me.

"Oh, maybe another time," I replied as I slipped on my sneakers. I was dressed in black jeans and a lovely black and silver blouse. I picked up my purse. "I'll see you two later," I said as I walked out of the room. It was a ten-minute walk to the activity center. I saw Bailey on the arm of Shane as I approached them. It seemed the two had gotten closer over the week. Peter was standing a few feet from them. Bailey waved at me and made Shane let go of her.

"Cal!" She picked me up in a tight hug. "I have missed you."

I laughed as she set me down. "I missed you too, Bails." I looked past her at Shane, who was looking betrayed. "Your boyfriend looks lonely," I said quietly to her.

"Oh, he isn't my boyfriend. Just a male and a friend." She pulled me towards the guys.

Peter stepped towards me. "It's nice to see you again Calliope," He smiled down at me. I felt like a dwarf with these three tall werewolves. Peter looked handsome in a pair of jeans and a black button-up shirt. His black hair was slicked back too. He held out his arm. "Care to accompany me tonight."

I shrugged and took his arm. "Sure, why not."

We followed Shane and Bailey into the center. "So, what should we do first?" Bailey asked.

"Let's play pool," Shane replied. "Have you ever played pool, Calliope?" He asked me in a condescending tone like he was talking to a little child.

"Yes," I told him.

"Calliope kicks ass at pool," Bailey told him while narrowing her eyes at him. "We should team up, Cal, and show these guys a thing or two."

I smiled at her. "I say we shall, Bails." We linked arms and skipped to an empty pool table while the guys trailed behind. I grabbed a cue and chalked it up while Shane set up the balls. I smirked at him. "Want to go first?" I asked him.

He nodded and looked to Peter. "I will, and we will win." He snickered and leaned over the table to take his first shot. The balls made the clacking sound as they hit each other. He didn't sink any. So then it was my turn.

I aimed. "Three in the left pocket," I said and took my shot. The ball went in, and I proceeded to clean the table of balls while Shane and Peter watched with shock. Three won games later, and Shane tossed his stick on the table.

"Damn, where did you learn to play so well?" Peter asked me with a smile.

"Lots of practice," I said as I high-fived Bailey. "Another game?"

Shane snarled. "No. Let's go bowling. The lanes are open." He started towards the bowling alley.

"Hey, can I be on Calliope's team?" Peter asked as he walked with Shane

Bailey and I giggled as we walked behind the guys. "Peter is totally into you," She whispered in my ear.

"You think?"

She nodded as we caught up to the guys. We got to a lane with bowling shoes and picked out our balls. Bailey was teamed with Shane while I teamed up with Peter. I sat beside him as Bailey took her turn. She only got a few pins, and I saw Shane make a face. He was the competitive type. I got up to take my turn and was using a fourteen-pound ball.

"I'm surprised she is using an adult-sized ball," I heard Shane say.

Taking my turn, I got a strike and smirked as I walked past Shane and sat beside Peter.

"That was awesome," Peter high-fived me. "So, you are good at bowling too?"

"My aunt and uncle used to take my cousins and I all the time when we were kids," I explained, remembering my childhood. My aunt and uncle always included me with everything having to do with the family. They never left me out or left me behind. I felt thankful to them. As the game progressed, I got strikes or spares almost every turn.

Shane seemed to be getting more and more agitated as he and Bailey were behind in points. "Can't you play at all?" He snarled at my friend.

"We are just having fun, Shane," Bailey whined at him. "Chill out."

I glared at him as I took my final turn. Of course, I got two strikes in a row. Peter cheered for me, and we high-fived.

"You are just showing off now," Shane snarled at me.

"Not really. We are bowling. It's no big deal, Shane. I could try sucking for your benefit if you like."

That only made him madder as he took his turn. He barely made a spare and slumped into his seat as Peter finished the game. He folded his arms and sulked. Bailey was trying to appease him, but he just pushed her away. I didn't like how he was treating my best friend.

"Why are you getting so worked up over a game? It's not like we are playing for money or anything."

Shane glared at me and got up, and stormed away while Bailey ran after him. I sighed and looked at Peter. "I am sorry I pissed off your friend."

"Don't worry about it. Shane is delta blood. They aren't as bad as alpha bloods but still super competitive. He used to throw fits when we played Candyland as pups." Peter laughed. "He'll be alright." He stood up. "Want to go play in the arcade until they get back?"

I stood up, and he clasped my hand. The warmth from his hand made me shiver with delight. I looked up at him, and he smiled warmly. It made my heart race. Maybe I shouldn't shun all of the male werewolves. Peter was certainly a gentleman and funny. We laughed and joked as we played various arcade games. After a half-hour, Bailey showed up with tears in her eyes.

"Bails," I ran over to her. "What happened?"

"Oh, Shane is an ass. He ran off with another female," She sniffled. "He doesn't like you for some reason and asked me not to hang out with you. I told him that wasn't happening. So he ran off with some other bimbo."

I hugged her. "I am so sorry. Sorry, he doesn't like me."

She scoffed. "Any guy who doesn't like you isn't worth my time." She sighed. "Anyways, I am just going to call it a night, if you don't mind."

Peter stepped towards us. "Sorry about Shane." He looked down at me. "You can go with your friend, or we can play some more, and I'll walk you back to your room later."

"Stay and have fun with Peter," Bailey smiled at me. She leaned down. "At least one of us should have a good night."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, let's have breakfast tomorrow. Kay?"

"Okay, Bails. I'll see you tomorrow." We hugged, and then she left. I looked up at Peter. "Okay, let's go back to the basketball hoops."

"But you already kicked my ass twice at that game." He chuckled.

"Let's make it three then," I laughed as we ran back to the game. We play three games, and I won each time. We decided to sit on a bench and eat ice cream. We just chatted while eating ice cream. I told him about growing up at Forest Moon. I left out the bad parts with Harley. He told me that he and Shane are from Silver Crescent. I asked him if he knew my roommate.

As we talked, he got closer to me until his hand was on my arm. I looked up into his eyes, and he leaned down and swept my curly hair from my face. "I like your curly hair," He said softly. "It's unique."

I snorted. "It's annoying."

"Kind of like you."

"You think I am annoying?"

He shrugged. "In a cute way."

I laughed. "There is a cute way to be annoying?"

He nodded and leaned in closer to me like he was going to kiss me. "Calliope, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," I replied.

"Do you like me?" Peter said with a bit of hope.

"Yes."

He smiled and kissed my cheek. "I like you too, but I think we should be friends."

I was a little disappointed.

"I am waiting for my fated mate and don't want to get too involved with someone who isn't my mate."

"Then why did you almost kiss me just now?" I asked him with an edge of anger.

"I am having conflicted feelings about you. Like I really like you, but I don't want to hurt you."

I sighed and folded my arms. "I get it. You damn wolves and your mate bonds. Sorry, I made you have conflicted feelings. Bye." I got up from the bench and started walking away from Peter.

"Wait, Calliope," Peter called after me.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I ignored him. I looked at the ground and almost ran into someone.

"Hello, Calliope," Said a familiar voice that made chills run down my spine as I looked into a face I was hoping I didn't have to see again for a long time. He smiled wickedly at me. "Surprised to see me?"

My face felt as I looked into his face. Everything he had even done to me came back to my mind. The face of the person I hated most in the world. I felt sick as I had to repress the urge to kick him in the nuts. "Harley?"