Zion

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I mumble, the reflection of his car stopping before the shop’s windows, ones where you cannot see inside. Above the massive double doors is a sign that makes me feel either like the Queen of England or some Billionaire Duchess. To say the least, I don’t fit in where Zion plans on taking me.

Zion hops out of the car, handing the keys to a valet around my age, jogging around to my side before I can open the door. Before I even climb out I can hear the talk of the busy people around us, comments about Zion, how he looks, his wealth, his taste...and then there are the comments on me, how I don’t look equal, how I shouldn’t be in that car or in my dress. I feel bitter.

“Don’t worry about them,” Zion whispers as he pulls me close to him, walking with an arm around my shoulder to the front doors of the shop. Pressing a button for the intercom, we wait as I look up. The buildings reach for the sky as the busy noises of the city make me feel at home once again.

“Appointment?”

Yup, this is some high-end place I don’t belong. I hope Zion does all of the talking once again, I’d hate to open my mouth and let off sentences flow forth. “Zion Monquieff.” We wait for the answer, and receiver one as the doors open and a man in a fine Italian suit welcomes us with a massive smile.

“Sir Monquieff, welcome to Cora’s.” We are ushered inside quickly as people stop to take a look into the fancy store. As to what this store sells, I am about to find out.

And find out I do as we pass through another set of doors, the modern and posh interior revealed to us as we are the only ones inside. “As requested, Sir, your party is the only one present, and we have some of our finest champaign as you shop around.”

This is definitely not my scene. The endless counters of the most expensive jewelry. The first counter I spot, a simple ring that looks nothing more than plain is over fifty thousand.

“Why are we here?” I ask closely as Zion pulls out his phone, tapping on the screen as a woman comes to aid us.

“This must be the lady, Mr. Monquieff, very beautiful.”

“Thank you, Anna,” he comments, putting his phone away as Anna takes my other hand, pulling me further down. “Just what we discussed over the phone.”

Anna nods as I raise an eyebrow, thrown to the wolves as Zion departs and goes around another corner of the store, leaving me all alone. “Mr. Monquieff had called me up two days ago speaking of a ball that he needed you to be the most beautiful woman in. As he has requested, we will go through the earnings and necklaces for now.”

I offer the woman a small smile, knowing on the inside I’m hating ever coming here with Zion.

We spend the next what seems like an eternity just doing the earring, her saying how my hair will be done with each one depending on which pair I choose. The whole time she hides the prices from me, not letting me know a single number except what year it was made in. However, it’s still pretty obvious that each pair is diamond that she has presented, plated with either gold or platinum.

The whole time Zion is no where to be found, soon the same man that let us in bringing me over a glass of champagne. I thank him and pretty much drown myself in one gulp, knowing I’ll need it to get through with this.

Pretty soon we decide on a pair, dangling down and staying simple yet posh at the same time. Next are the necklaces, and no more after forty minutes do we have the necklace figured out.

As Anna puts them into tissue paper carefully, Zion comes around the corner, a wide smile on his face, gaining a raised eyebrow from me. I’ll give him a small rant from leaving me all alone later on.

Anna puts the pieces into a black and slick bag, asking for Zion’s card. I check the prices, making my eyes go wide in shock. Goddess I hope the kingdom or King is not in debt after this. Three million. I’ll give him some questions as well.

As we exit the store, I take in a deep breath of the city air, free from the shop as Zion only pulls me into the car in a rush, explaining how he wants to take me somewhere.

Once in the car and heading into the miserable traffic, I turn to Zion. “Three million?!”

“Let me guess,” he begins, turning to face me as I cross my arms. “You didn’t think I’d do-

“People just don’t randomly spend that much money on jewelry for someone they haven’t known for more than a year,” I remark, letting my head hit the headrest as I sigh. “What am I to you, Zion? You insist on parading me around to your kingdom for sure during this ball due or the fact that you picked the design and details of my dress and spent over enough money on jewelry.”

“I’ve told you, Sybil, time after time, that I want to be your mate, that we are to be mates. Human’s find their mates by falling in love, not having them picked out by their gods. I know we are to be mates.”

I scoff, shaking my head. “How old are you, Zion, because with age comes wisdom. What are you? No older than twenty-six, though we werewolves slow down our aging at twenty-five.”

Fact, us werewolves do slow down in our aging process, letting our lives be spanned out longer. The Moon Goddess let this be because of the population numbers of werewolves, we are hardly even a race due to the same numbers of what we used to be.

“Twenty-eight.”

“Ten years older,” I mumble.

“Twenty-nine on the night of the ball.”

“Eleven years doesn’t make it any better,” I mumble, taking in a deep breath as I look at the fine male specimen before me. Goddess he is one hell of an Adonis. “Does the age gap at least make you rethink everything?”

Zion pulls over, a few people honking in the way as I find myself biting the inside of my cheek. Suddenly, my chin is grabbed, facing Zion as my wolf stores. How the hell can someone be so gorgeous? “I’ve thought about what people will say, Sybil, I’ve thought about what my friends and family will think, about how the people around us will judge us,” Zion exclaims, suddenly pulling me out of my seat and into his lap, my back arching to not try and honk the horn. “I’m not dumb.”

“I never said you were. Zion, you barely know me!”

I feel uncomfortable and very unprofessional as I straddle the Alpha King, in a car, my dress completely ridden up due to the fact it’s form-fitting. “I know you enough, Sybil, that I want to spend the rest of my days with you,” Zion states, making my eyes grow wide and my skin pale. “All I want is your response.”

Lips are upon mine in seconds, claiming mine passionately as I feel things go south.

Right away, I pull away, crawling right out of his lap and into my seat. “How about this, Zion,” I begin. “You pull out a ring next time and say some cliché shit and I’ll take you seriously.”

In fifty minutes we’ve pulled up before a massive skyscraper, a valet hopping out as Zion tosses him the keys. Right away Zion helps me out, thanking one of the doormen as we enter the massive entry of the building. It’s barely even as luxurious as the palace, the simple, brown, marble floods duller compared to the castle and the cases not as ancient. Zion leads me right to the elevator, pulling me in with him. He presses the top floor button, holding his finger down for five seconds.

“Let me guess, you have some fancy penthouse up here?” Zion chuckles, nodding his head as we head up. As the doors slide open, a set of double doors revealed. Zion pulls out a key, unlocking the door, the doors opening to show off a beautiful entrance hall. The dark orange walls display modern art, the chocolate wooden flooring polished as I try and find any specs of dust. The hall opens up to a modern living room, leather couches circling a fire pit-like-fireplace, a Persian rug beautiful done. “How often do you come up here?”

Zion heads directly to the posh kitchen, taking out from the fridge an expensive beer. “Whenever I’m in the city or there’s nothing to do at the palace,” he explains, taking a swing of the alcohol as I look to the city line displayed by the wall-replaced-windows. “Has a pool as well, right next to the office.”

Rolling my eyes, I can sense his ego through the one statement. “Well, I’ll have to test it out,” I comment, a smile spreading across my face as some new confidence has boosted me up. “Coming?”

I enter the only other hallway, the hall stretching on as ten doors are in the hall. Pushing open one, I reveal a guest room. Another door and I find a TV room. “You passed it.”

Arms wrap around my body, swinging me to the other side, a giggle escaping my lips. At least I’m acting my age now.

The door opens to show off a beautiful and massive room, one filled with a shallow to deep pool, a hot top as well, and mosaic tiling upon the pool floor. “Let me jar kick off my sh-

The warm water hits my skin and my clothes become soaked. “You asshole!” I shout as I resurface, Zion chuckling as he takes off his shoes and tie. He doesn’t even both with the rest as he dives right in, coming up right next to me as I smile.

For what feels like hours we just stay in the water, my eyes closed as I listen to the water, my heartbeat, and the occasional commentary from Zion.

Suddenly, lips brush again my cheek, arms wrapping around my body as I roll my head around, opening my eyes. “I can tell why you prefer this place, it has the city to go with it instead of that village, no offense.”

“None taken, I’d rather be out here anyway,” Zion replies, resting his forehead against mine.

“Is the Senate surviving? Anything new?” I ask, pushing off the wall and away from Zion as I float upon my back. “After all, you left them for the day.”

“They want to start having you contact some rogues that are well respected.” Closing my eyes, I concentrate on my breathing, thinking about the rogues the Alphas want me to talk with. Believe it or not, rogues have leaders, those that they look up to. “Besides, I bet they are having a shorter day today because of the ball tomorrow.”

“You gave a dress maker one day to create a piece?” I ask, looking up to see Zion checking his phone. As he looks back to me, he shrugs his shoulders, his dress shirt covering nothing as it sticks to his skin, completely wet, and making me want to do things I don’t want to do now.

“The owner of the store is a fairy, meaning it’s easy work.” Rolling my eyes, I swim on my back, reaching the other end.

For the rest of the day I spend the time in a silk robe that reaches mid-shin, Zion and I making small talk every now and then. After swimming we both came to a silent agreement that we were here to get away from the palace.

As of now I lay in one of the guest beds, looking up at the ceiling as I just want to be swept away from this life. I have no clue how I am going to handle the rogues and try to bring them in on the war. Fisting my hands in my damp hair, I groan, rolling off of the bed with the duvet secured around my body.

“Goddess I hate this,” I mutter, getting to my feet, I stretch my arms up, letting the muscles stretch and my bones pop. Getting up, I head for the door, a bit uncomfortable that underneath I have nothing on but my undergarments. As the door opens, I can hear the TV playing softly in the living room and noise in the kitchen.

“I’m thinking Japanese, opinion?” Zion asks right away as I step into the kitchen. As I cross my arms, I realize how casual the King is dressed, in nothing but sweats and an older t-shirt with Yale across the front.

“Fine with that...did you attend college?” I ask, cocking my head to the side.

Zion nods. “Got my bachelors and masters in electrical engineering at Yale.” I’m surprised, no business or law like I would of expected. I head to the fridge, grabbing a water as Zion comes up from behind me, caging me in. If anything from the past weeks that I’ve learned, Zion is growing more confident about imposing upon my personal space day by day. “We should leave after eating, back to the castle.”

“Good idea,” I mumble, looking over my shoulder to Zion. “I want an answer, and I want nothing but the truth.”

“What is it?”

“You promise to give a truthful answer?” Zion leans back against the kitchen island, crossing his arms as he nods for my question. “Did you kill my parents?”

Silence.

Complete and utter silence that makes me sick to my stomach.

“Do you trust me?”

Tears begins to form, falling down my face as I remember my mother’s gentle smile and my father’s laugh. I want the truth.

“I trust you.”

Zion let’s out a deep breath, looking me straight in the eye.

“Then that’s all you need to know.”