Maya’s POV
“What are you doing here?” The third guard said as he faced me.
He seemed to be the head, judging from his uniform and the way the others didn’t speak until he did.
“I am looking for the alpha.” I said, unruffled by his gruff voice. I was the sister to the general of the pack, it wasn’t likely that a mere palace guard could intimidate me.
He didn’t react unlike the others who had reacted slightly before masking their expressions. “Do you have an appointment with him?” He asked.
I shook my head. “No, I don’t but it’s important.”
“You should leave. You are not allowed in here.”
“Didn’t you hear that I said it was important?” I said.
He ignored me and snapped his fingers at the other two guards who were with him, ordering them to push me out. I struggled as they held me by the arms, breaking free from their grasp.
The guards tried to hold me again but I wouldn’t allow that. I moved and kept doing that so they wouldn’t be able to hold on to me.
The guard glared at me and seemed exasperated when he eventually spoke. “Didn’t you hear me say you shouldn’t be here?”
“I said it was important for me to see the alpha. Why are you hiding him?”
He was pissed. “Get her out.”
“Let me go!” I shouted, struggling to break free.
“What is going on here?”
The guards went still at the voice of the person who had joined us and let go of me.
“Your highness!” They bowed.
I looked at the older man and felt ashamed of myself. I had dreamed of many fantasies of meeting Kevin’s father but it was never like this. I had hoped to meet him as his son’s mate and not a stubborn intruder into the palace the guards were struggling to throw out.
“Your highness.” I bowed.
He gave me a curt nod and turned to the head guard. “What is going on here?”
“She came into the palace without an appointment and wouldn’t leave.” The head guard explained.
He turned back to me. “Why are you here?”
“I came to see the alpha.”
“Why do you want to see my son?”
“I want to ask of my brother’s whereabouts. He hasn’t been home and I came to check up on him.”
“If he hasn’t been home, then you should know he has been given a mission. He will be home when he is done with it and comes back. Is that all? You can leave now since you’ve gotten your response.”
“Liam never leaves without saying goodbye to me.” I knew it wasn’t all the time he sees me before leaving but I was willing to push my luck.
He narrowed his eyes at me. “Aren’t you one of the female wolves who messed up with my son then?”
I winced. He didn’t have to put it that way. He just made a ridicule of my feelings for Kevin. He didn’t have to remind me that I was one of the many who soothed Kevin’s itch without being of any significance.
“Is that why you feel you can demand an audience with him without an appointment?”
“No, your highness.” I bowed, feeling ashamed.
“You should leave and don’t come back again. Your brother is fine. I wouldn’t take it lightly with you if I hear you’ve caused trouble again.”
“I won’t, your highness.” I shook my head.
“Let her go.” He said to the guards.
“Thank you.” I bowed and left.
“Let’s go.” I heard him say to the guards and they left.
I took a short route to the garden the moment I noticed Kevin’s father and the guards had left and were out of sight. I knew he liked being in the garden and hoped I could find him here. I wasn’t about to leave here in vain.
“Do you know when they are going to let us go home? I should be preparing for my leave by now.”
“Until the alpha, the Luna, the general and the princes are back. They can’t have the maids out of the palace so no one will spill the secret that they aren’t in the palace.”
I gasped at the news and stood by quietly to listen more. They seemed to be maids and I didn’t want to be caught eavesdropping. The last thing I needed was Kevin’s father finding out I hadn’t left.
“I wonder why the Luna ran out of the palace with the kids.”
I gasped and quickly covered my mouth with my hand, my eyes rounding with shock.
“I don’t care. I hope the alpha and the general bring them back home safely and soon.”
I walked out quietly away from the garden. I had heard enough. It was no wonder they were all acting strange. I would be damned if I kept this to myself.
Neo’s POV
I could barely still. It was time to go to school. It was time to resume work officially as Melody’s musketeers slash bodyguards. She didn’t know yet what was in store for her. Her school life was about to change from what she used to know it as.
Uncle Liam noticed how unnecessarily jumpy I was as he took us to school. He narrowed his eyes at me and looked back. “Is there a problem I should be aware of, Neo?” He asked.
I shook my head. “Not at all, uncle.” I winced, hating how my voice sounded. It sounded like I was whining, even to myself. I was certain that Uncle Liam would never believe me.
“Why do I find that hard to believe?” He snorted, narrowing his eyes at me.
I groaned. I knew he wasn’t going to believe me. “I’m okay, Uncle Liam.” I insisted. “I’m just happy the weekend is over and I would be going back to school.”
“It’s cool that you are warming up to the human schooling system but don’t get too comfortable.” He smiled. “I don’t want you crying when we have to go home.”
“I won’t.” I promised him.
“Good boy.” He smiled at me.
Nick snorted, rolling his eyes at me. “If he is going to be crying when we leave, uncle, it’s definitely never going to be about the syllabus he didn’t finish in school. You know who he would be crying for. I bet my allowance right now that he is excited about going to school so he can act as Melody’s bodyguard. He could barely sleep last night.”
I groaned, scowling as I glared at Nick. Did he have to be a pain in the ass? I knew Uncle Liam had accepted my excuse and moved on but now he was going to give me a lecture or scold me for lying.
Nick shrugged and looked away from me, not bothered that he had gotten me into trouble. At that moment, I knew he had ratted me out on purpose. If this was because we had woken him up in the night, he was being petty as we had apologized to him and slept afterwards without disturbing him again. He didn’t need to do this. I smiled despite myself and the situation I was in, it was just like Nick to have his payback.
“Is that true, Neo?” Uncle Liam asked.
I didn’t respond.
He continued anyways. I rolled my eyes inwardly and kept my groan to myself. Oh, here comes the lecture.
“You shouldn’t be too excited about being a bodyguard especially if the ward is your friend. It will cause you to be less observant and give yourself away. Melody didn’t ask you to be her bodyguard so you don’t want to give yourself away to her and her enemies. I’m sure she wouldn’t like it if she finds out that you are watching over her like a mother hen.”
I sighed, grateful when Uncle Liam finally ended his lecture. I’m glad that it wasn’t as long as I had feared. “I will be discreet, uncle.”
He made a sound at the back of his throat like he didn’t believe me but he nodded. “Make sure as hell you do.”
I exhaled in relief when we finally got to our school entrance. Uncle Liam handed our lunch packs to us and bade us goodbye as we walked away from him. I knew he wasn’t going to stay far. He was still going to be around for the next two hours till we were all settled in our classes.
Melody raised her head and stared at me as I sat beside her. She noticed that Nathan and Nick had also changed their seats and were behind her and then arched her eyebrows at me, asking me questions with her eyes to know what happened.
I shrugged as if I didn’t know what was going on either even though the teacher wasn’t the one who rearranged us. I pretended like I hadn’t been bribed her seat partners and the kids sitting behind her with a big box of chocolate cookies to have them leave so I can take their places.
“Neo?” She called out when she sensed that I wasn’t going to say anything, thinking that I didn’t understand the question she said with her eyes though I did.
The entrance of the homeroom teacher saved me from answering her as she started calling out the attendance. Classes started and went on calmly but nothing was calm in me. I couldn’t stop looking outside the window and getting super jumpy. If a bird flew past the window, I would wince, worried that it was one of the witches monitoring Melody. If I heard a bird sing or the wind move faster than usual, I would get tense, afraid it was a spell by the evil ones to pull Melody into a trance and hurt her.
I was relieved when the bell finally rang for break as I could stretch my stiff muscles. It wasn’t as if I had been listening in class all through the morning. Being a bodyguard wasn’t as easy as I had thought.
I was still afraid of the bell time and thought it safer to stay in class than go out for break. Anything could happen out there. Anyone could harm her out there in the crowd of students juggling to play.
“Aren’t you going to the cafeteria?” Melody asked as she looked at me.
“What do you think of us staying in here instead?” I blurted out.
She narrowed her eyes at me and looked at me like I had gone crazy.
I sighed as I bowed my head in defeat, staring at my feet. So much for being discreet.
I was doomed as a bodyguard before I even started. I had no doubt Uncle Liam would roll on the floor in extreme amusement while laughing at me. I could only hope that he didn’t get hear of this story but with the way Nick was smirking at me from the back, I could tell that he was brimming with the need to tell anyone and everyone who would listen.