Trap?

It's been weeks since Mei and her group have been at the palace with nothing interesting to do other than stay in their rooms to avoid the haughty nobles of the palace. Mei has been having episodes more frequently with cryptic warnings unbeknownst to her mate blacking out for days at a time. The group has managed to tie her down so that she won't harm herself and hide the fact from Nate not that it's easy while Anna is still trying to seduce him to no avail.

"How are you feeling?" Alec asks as she opens her eyes with a groan while he releases her from her bonds.

"Like crap." Mei responds running a hand through her somewhat matted hair as she sits up.

"I've been worse though the experiences are competing for the top spot." Mei responds fighting back the urge to throw up.

"Hungry?" Alec asks and she nods, slowly unsure she trusts her brother's meal choice for her at the moment causing him to laugh.

"It's cinnamon porridge." He says and she sighs as he leaves the room and heads to the suit kitchen to prepare it, allowing Kelly to take his place.

"Any idea what's causing them?" She asks Mei who lets out a bone-weary sigh in response.

"Nope and honestly it's grating on my nerves." Mei responds pushing some stray strands of hair out of her face.

"We were lucky enough to keep Nate and his family from growing suspicious but I suggest that you see them as soon as possible." Kelly says and Mei nods in understanding at her friend's words.

"Are you going to continue practicing your magic?" Kelly asks knowing that Mei isn't particularly fond of her abilities but tolerates them on a certain level.

"To be determined." Mei responds coldly signaling the end of the discussion for that particular topic. Alec returns with a bowl of porridge and takes the responsibility of feeding it to his sister though she's reluctant to accept it at first. After reassuring the rest of the group she heads toward the library where Nate spends most of his mornings.

Upon her entry, he immediately perks up as her scent permeates the room bringing a smile to his face as he listens to her light steps as she navigates through the shelves of books until she is directly behind him.

"Whatcha reading?" She asks softly running her hands through his hair and he enjoys the light pressure from her fingers as they massage his scalp.

"Oversea's negotiation contracts." He responds with a sigh allowing her hands to support the weight of his head.

"Boring?" She asks and he nods without hesitation and she laughs lightly. During the days she wasn't having an episode Nate spent a lot of time with her getting to know her and her wolf which confused her at first but she began to enjoy it and they're not rushing their relationship.

They decided to spend the rest of the day together outside of the palace is just what they both needed after not seeing each other for his long. For the first time, he heard her laugh and smile genuinely as they enjoyed each other's company. On the way to lunch, they were spotted by Anna who was way too peppy and overly kind in inviting them to join her for lunch.

"Please help yourself to anything on the menu." Anna says after placing her order.

"Nate, do you mind ordering for me?" Mei asks and Nate places a kiss on her cheek in response making her smile.

"Sure." He says and skims the menu before deciding on ordering them the same dish. The server leaves and there's a somewhat tense atmosphere but neither Nate nor Mei rush to break it as they gaze at the restaurant's fish tank enjoying the colorful fish swimming by.

"I would like to apologize." Anna says capturing their attention.

"Excuse me?" Mei asks not believing what she just heard while Nixie sense's that something is wrong.

"I would like to apologize to both of you." Anna says but Mei responds as there is no genuinity in her statement while she stares at Nate who gazes at her coldly but luckily the server returns with their meals. They eat in silence and as soon as they're finished Mei and Nate leave the restaurant determined for their day to not be ruined.

After walking Mei to her room that night Nate returns to his with a goofy smile on his face unaware of the eventful day he's about to have while sleeping for eight hours for the first time before waking is an accomplishment for Mei before she goes back to sleep unaware about the trap waiting for her.