Stay at the Palace

After breakfast, Nate asked one of the maids of the castle to take Mei to her room to freshen up while he has a quick shower before he heads to the study to meet Alec and Kelly who've been staying in the palace for the last 3 days due to Mei being treated here and being watched by Derek. Nate enters the study but Alec and Kelly only spare him a glance before returning their gaze to the window. Nate takes a seat behind his desk and watches the two who refuse to start the conversation but share glances every so often.

"Who's Alpha?" He asks breaking the silence.

"Me." Alec says meeting his gaze head-on, not bothered by the fact he's the King.

"I want Mei to stay here." Nate says and Alec scoffs at the statement rolling his eyes.

"How are you so sure when wants to stay here?" Alec asks.

"I can protect her better than you ever can." Nate says but before Alec can respond the door to his study opens to reveal Mei wearing a purple off-the-shoulder dress that reaches her mid-thigh but her feet are bare.

"I'm not staying here and I'm not a damsel in distress." She says causing Nate to look at her guiltily.

"Why won't you stay?" Nate asks her as he glares at Alec and Kelly.

"First off, they are my family and they need me. Second I don't need you to protect me." She says.

"Mei, you don't need to be afraid." Nate says as he stands ready to approach her.

"I'm not but what gives you the right to make those decisions for me?" She asks and he falls silent while Derek looks on amused.

"I wanna keep you safe." Nate says quietly.

"The palace is no place for rouges, never was and never will be. We're shunned enough as it is. We've found a way to live safely without interacting with the other packs so that we can protect ourselves but what have these established packs and their royal family done to guarantee our safety?' She asks.

"Nothing." He responds.

"Exactly." She says.

"How will I see you? You're my mate." He says to her taking her hand and she lets out a sigh.

"I can't stay here in a castle pampered when no one of the royal family knows what it's like to work longs days and nights with getting paid properly for your work or when your parents sell you to pay off their debts or what it's like to struggle to survive while your wolf is one the verge of pushing you deep in the back of your mind." She says calmly.

"How will I find you?" He asks feeling dejected but surprisingly Eli understands her and her wolf more than he does.

"I'll find you but I can't stay here. It's not safe for me." She says and he nods accepting her decision though he doesn't like it.

"If that is what you wish." Nate says then places a gentle kiss on her cheek surprising her but she gives him a gentle smile.

"Prepare a car to take them to the edge of the city." Nate says and Derek nods at Nate and with one last glance at their king the trio follows Derek to the palace's garage. Luckily they don't have any obvious problems as they are driven to the edge of the city where all the prestige packs are waiting to see their new King's mate though the ceremony wasn't complete.

The trio exits the vehicle and ignore the judgemental stares of the Alpha's and their mates as they turn to Derek to offer thanks then faster than anyone can blink they dash into the forest not allowing anyone to question them or follow them since no one knows the unruly forests as well as they do. Derek returns to the castle and walks the halls absentmindedly when Anna approaches him.

"What can you tell me about Mei?" She asks Derek who simply ignores her.

"Ask Nate." He responds when she makes it a point to block his path.

"He won't tell me anything." She says.

"Then take a hint." He says through clenched teeth.

"Why are you so cold towards me?" She asks him and snarls at her, eyes becoming orange as his wolf comes to the surface.

"Let me remind you that you're the one that rejected me because you filled your head with nonsense that you can become Nate's chosen mate and Queen." He says and her gaze falls to the floor as she's hit with a sharp jab of pain and guilt in her chest.

"You're lucky but don't test your luck." He says before he brushes past her heading towards his room.

It doesn't take long before she brushes off those feeling and heads toward her parent's room. When she arrives at the doors she doesn't bother to knock entering the room to see her parents already waiting on her.

"What have you found out?" Her mother asks her.

"Derek refuses to answer and I can't go to Nate due to the clear warning at our last breakfast." Anna responds with a sigh.

"We have to remove Mei from the picture." Her father says.

"How? I'm exactly favored by the members of the royal family." Anna says folding her arms across her chest.

"All except one. The former Queen." Her father says and a smirk makes its way onto Anna's lips.

"I heard that she's visiting in 3 days. You'll have enough time to turn her against Mei." Her mother says and Anna nods in agreement as she looks up at the new moon in the starless sky as a plan starts to form in her mind.

Later that night Alec, Kelly, and Mei finally return home, exhausted but relieved. The pack is relieved when they enter the packhouse but no one bothers them as they need rest more than anything.

"Alright time for bed everyone. We can meet in the morning." Mama Kate says taking charge and Mei smiles gratefully at her then heads towards her room.

'Hopefully, we can sleep longer tonight.' She says to Nixie who gives her the cold shoulder.

'You know what I did was right.' She says to her before she heads to the bathroom for a quick shower then changes into her silk nightie and falls into a dreamless sleep as soon as her head hits the pillow.