Bounded

09

Chapter Nine

There are things I needed to process.

-

Fate Pierce’s Point of View

I am usually fearless.

Raised as the daughter of an Alpha, my mother often mentioned that I have inherited my father’s level of thinking. I am someone who always dives head in through anything, not minding any consequences that ever come my way. Even my own Dad had to physically stop me from doing everything that he feared would cause my self-destruction. Since I can handle my strength well, everyone does their best to stop me from doing anything foolish.

There are verses of my life where I was never hesitant of getting into a physical brawl when I knew that I would win.

That being said, tonight is the only time I had felt such fear. It felt peculiar to feel such intense emotion, enough that my fox was fighting in control just to calm our mind.

“Why do I need to think about this,” the words were careful in my mouth as I looked at my phone. I have read the message a number of times, and there was no fault in doing what she had done. To her eyes, she was inviting a friend—which she was, but the situation isn’t as easy as that.

Somi is openly inviting a fox to the palace.

That phrase alone seemed like a threat to my ears.

In all the books that my grandfather had let me read, there are always stories about how the foxes suffered at the hands of the palace. Since foxes are a being who was granted capabilities, the werewolves have always seen it as a threat to their dominance. There was a reason why werewolves managed to overpower any shifters in the realm.

It was simply because they are dangerous animals.

I would know since my family falls in that category. My eyes had seen what goes through every training, and just how powerful their strength is. There was a reason why even the Vampires wanted to create peace with them despite having an advantage. Werewolves are generally an army. They are all animals who were bred to protect their King and serve their Alphas.

We—the foxes—see the place as a menace, a castle filled with powerful werewolves. It was the late King Andrew, who had ruled a couple of hundred years ago. That motherfucker had begun the process of trapping the foxes and killing them by the absolute torture they go through.

He is an absolute menace.

“Oh, pumpkin.” Granny ushered, holding me close as I hugged her tightly. It did soothe me to know that I have people to understand why I am hesitating about this. “I am sure that Somi will understand if you choose not to give their home a visit.”

I am sure that Somi would.

She is a kind soul who would see reasons why I am slightly bothered by this. Having me accept or deny this offer wouldn’t change anything between us. While I know that was true, a part of me also is aware of how she would feel when I did decline the offer.

I have seen how excited she was with the idea. Somi never failed to mention that I was the first friend she made—how I am someone who has never seen her anything but her. I understand why werewolves would have a hard time seeing her as equals when she is always someone who is above them.

The only reason that I am not having a hard time dealing with that—is simply because I am a fox. While I have my father’s blood running through my veins, it isn’t enough to let me bow or see these royalties as any different.

Just like how Somi treasured her connection with me, I carry the same weight as her. It was the reason why I am hesitating. Even if she wouldn’t mind, she still would have felt off. It would not break our friendship if I declined the invitation… but even her brothers seemed excited to meet me.

While it seemed dangerous to have me in a place where I was being hunted, it was true that this town would be the last place that they would search for. Nobody in the right mind would dare question someone who has a connection in this place.

Even my grandparents could be labeled into a werewolf, and I could be believed into being a hybrid of both a werewolf and a human.

“You don’t understand. Somi personally invited me, and she seemed so excited about the idea of me meeting her family,” I whispered.

Granny patted my back. “She is very excited to have you.”

My grandparents were simply wanting to appease me. They wanted me to be aware that they were here in every situation, and we're giving me a way out. Having to be aware of my struggles, they were just being kind by giving me excuses. Everyone had always shown me kindness when I was born.

While they were all happy that the family managed to have a daughter, it didn’t take long for them to realize how hard the world would be for me. I was heavily educated about my kind, and hardly even touched below the surface of werewolves. My dad, despite being a werewolf himself, wanted me to be aware of how cruel their kind had been for mine.

“I know this is hard for you,” Granny whispered, pulling me to her arms. “You have always been an empathetic kid. Despite how the werewolves have made your kind suffer, you always see kindness in those who touched your heart.”

That is one thing that I hated for me, and frankly, one that I inherited from my mother. Despite what people have done to us, we often found ourselves falling for whatever they had trapped for us.

I have heard stories from Somi to know that she struggled to have friends. Her siblings are lovely to support her through all of these. They all have different activities for me to try and seem to prepare for welcoming a human into the world of the palace. It really did seem like they were glad to have found someone who would be there for their sister.

“What should we do, pumpkin?” Granpapi asked, frowning at me. Both of them were giving me the initiative to choose, which just made things harder. Seeing the conflict in my eyes, he added. “Do you want me to talk to Somi and tell her that you got a cold? I could make excuses for you.”

Granny seemed to think that it was a great excuse, as she was quick to add. “We can make something up for you if you can’t decline yourself.”

That could work through the invitation—but Somi was probably expecting me to come. She’ll get sad upon hearing that, and soon enough, she would ask me the same question. It was something that I knew that I can’t escape from. If she figured out that I was creating excuses not to attend, she would misunderstand the situation.

By then, things would be much harder to handle.

“I could see that your answer is no,” Granny sighed.

Even if I am a renowned b***h, I could never let my friends suffer. Giving them a type of misunderstanding that could get worse through time isn’t ideal for me. Maybe a part of me would be composed enough to walk through the werewolf world. Somi would probably be there to protect me.

“She would ask me back after some time. I would hate for her family to figure out that I was making excuses to decline. We don’t want to create an unnecessary argument with the palace.” My grandparents realized the words and seemed to backtrack with their words. “Maybe, she could protect me if they had ever wanted to do something to me? I doubt I will be experimented on.”

Frankly, this was a touchy subject to be out in the open.

My parents had never even told me outside the family range about my identity as a fox. Nobody was aware of this, and all of the pack members had only thought that my mother and I were humans. Me, being someone who is a hybrid that cannot shift.

To have another person—let alone the royal family—to know that I am a fox is something that we can’t hand into fate. Mother would have forced me to chose to end all possible connections rather than to get caught up with anything. I know that if all things fail, Somi could not keep my life and my secret into safety.

“We should give this some thought. I understand that this is hard for you, pumpkin,” Granny muttered as she held me close. The warmth coming from my grandmother did soothe my nerves, even if it was only for a while. “The invitation is two days from now. Maybe something would happen that could stop this from closing in into reality.”

That is something that could never happen.

Somi is dedicated to this. She was adamant about inviting me, even giving me a possible itinerary through the whole interaction. It speaks just how little she interacts with friends, for there is no one who needed an itinerary when visiting a friend. Not only was that making her guilty enough, but even the Princes had ridden on the wagon.

I was sure that the Alpha King would see this as offensive when he had known that I had the power to say no to them. Judging by how everything is handled, it seemed like everyone did their best to welcome me. It would be improper for me to decline such generosity.

While I am only a human in their eyes, building a stable connection into that family will be challenging as the time comes. And it would hinder my relationship with Somi. As much as she is a handful, she is growing in on me.

“I do not think that we needed to think about this.” Granpapi frowned. My eyes moved to him with a slight frown. While I was worried, he had only looked at me with a soft smile. “I have always known that you can never say no to your friends despite your exterior to others. There is no need to feel pressured. If in any situation during the visit that you feel uncomfortable, tell me. I will fetch you myself, and bring any excuse to pull you out.”

He did seem to know me well enough.

There are instances where my mother was worried about my inability to say no to those who I welcome in my life, but I let it happen. I was concerned that my actions had caused me to be in the situation that I am now, and while I am very apologetic to my mother—there are instances that we both know that I had made the right decision.

“We should train you then.” Granny sighed, slowly pulling herself up from the couch. “There are things that you needed to perfect when facing the Alpha King and the King Father. His family had ruled over the Kingdom for three successions. I would know that they are hard to fool.”

“I understand.”

“Good.”

My heart hammered inside, worried to the face ahead of me. Even still, my grandparents laid out the table well for me to work through the situation that will be given to me. While it is easy to handle this, seeing that I am seeing a familiar face—the tension that I am soon to face made it harder for me to calm down.

“Taking to the Alpha King wouldn’t be hard, even for you,” Grandpapi started, his hands were carefully laid on his lap, eyes focused on me, and not a single ounce of devotion laid on them. He looked like a complete beta, one who is forced to face someone on behalf of his Alpha. “Since you are not there for formal affairs, it would be a rather laid out interaction. Remember that it is normal for a human to feel relentless, or worried when being presented by their pheromones. You do not have to force yourself not to react.”

Fuck, that’s right!

Their pheromones!

Noticing my reaction, my grandfather frowned. “Are you close to your heat, child?”

“No,” I answered easily, shaking my head. Maybe it was because of tension, or how I was worried about the whole thing—but my mind was becoming blank. I could not even remember when my last heat was. “I… think not. I don’t know.”

“Fate, I would not be allowing you to meet them if you are near your heat.”

I do understand why he was hesitant. Lycans have different pheromones. They are much thicker, and would often lure anyone who is in heat. Since the Alpha King still isn’t mated, nor have found his Queen—my heat could be forced if it was near. That means that nothing about this training would work, since the Alpha King could sense my heat.

“No,” I answered, slowly regaining my composure. “I am sure that it won’t be in another three months.”

Whilst he seemed hesitant, my grandfather simply accepted what I informed him. In all situations where I am forced to meet someone of high status, I always needed to be marked. It is not in a nature where someone needed to bite my neck—but my scent needed to be altered in a bit.

“Can this even work with a Lycan?” I asked, slowly raising the vial. The concentration was made for Alphas or other species that are stronger than they appear. I have used this countless times and I can be a vouch that it works. However, never have I tested it on someone of that power. “I don’t know much about Lycans, but I am sure that this wouldn’t work.”

Granny sighed. “Trying wouldn’t hurt. You can simply say that it was a perfume that was gifted to you, and they would easily accept that.”

“Perfumes are not allowed in the palace, but since you’re human—it can work.”

My grandparents were anxious, and I could feel that by the passing advice that was being offered to me. I could see how they were all hoping that things would go right, but even then—they were giving me proper ways to deal with things when everything did go wrong.

“Do I look at their eyes?” I asked.

Granny pats me in the hands, letting me see that they were shaking. “I am sure that nothing would go terribly wrong. Since you’re human, the men in that family would try to compose themselves. None of them would be in high alert, since they did not want to spook you.”

“And… in your years of service, how many would get executed for lying to the King?”

“You’ll be fine,” Grandpapi muttered, patting my shoulders.

While I know that I am doing this simply because I wanted to keep the friendship that I have with Somi, I know that I would be double guessing about this whole approval the second that I rode the car. Foxes are generally extinct—or if we’re giving the people some slack, we are counted as rare.

There is not enough sighting of us for years that some had even mentioned that we are nothing but a myth—a being that is both equal to the vampires and werewolves. Many would often believe that no shifters would be allowed to have powers, unaware that the hybrid of werewolves and vampires could possibly co-exist within the realm.

“I’ll be fine,” I convinced myself, looking at the yellow vial in my hand. Despite knowing that I do not have the ability to change its composition, I hold the thing as if it was a genie in a bottle. “Nothing will go wrong.”

Hawthrones are known to be the kindest leader in the realm—but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t a force to be reckoned with. Having to be the only family who managed to rule over the realm in three consecutive generations speaks that their strength is one that couldn’t be toppled over.

“Unless you’re the Alpha King’s mate,” Granny mentioned.

My eyes grew wide, looking at her in huge disbelief. “Please do not even say that. Please take that back. Please, for the grace of the Moon Goddess, please do not.”

They both let out a soft laugh, chuckling at my fears. I did not even think of that possibility. Hearing that from my grandmother almost made me want to crawl under a burrow—or at least beg my parents to take me back.

“Do not worry,” Grandpapi assured me, hands ruffling my head. “From what I had been hearing, they are preparing for the Alpha King’s wedding. He already exceeded the age that he is to marry, so there would be no chance that it’ll be you.”

Puffing out a sigh, I grumbled. “Oh, thank heavens!”

Now that is out the way, I do feel a tad lighter. Still feel nauseated, but since I would not be mated to the man—I have nothing to fear.

I am making the right decision… right?