Love Athena

Evangeline Allard was getting married to the prince, and Camila, as her sister and the kingdom's knowledge keeper was expected at the palace in two minutes and fifty-five seconds for the celebratory dinner between her family and the royal family. The Epsilon trainees' workout had to end in eighteen seconds.

"Please, Camila, I can't go any further," Lorena Hearthstone cried out from her place at the battle ropes. Her hands were already on the verge of bleeding.

"You shall stop when you are told to," Camila replied.

There was a loud thud and three of the men rushed to pick up another who had collapsed. That was the fifth one in the past half hour.

"Come on, Camila. Quit it!" Adrien Adams growled, anger in his bright silver eyes.

She turned her cold eyes his way. Barely moving her lips, Camila said, "Stop if you dare."

He visibly gulped. Some of his friends called him stupid, but he wasn't dense enough to go against Camila Athena Allard, the youngest archivist of the shifter kingdom since its official inception roughly 7,000 years ago.

She did not look particularly terrifying; she was small compared to other female wolves, but the things she knew about people could make grown wolves weep like pups. Having been in the position for five years, she took the phrase 'knowledge is power' to new heights. The details and secrets she knew about her kingdom's citizens made everyone steer clear of her to avoid upsetting her.

Hence, the Epsilon defense warrior trainees ignored the pain in their muscles and continued under the watchful stare of her dead eyes.

"Training is over. You are dismissed," she said and walked in the direction of the palace at her even regular pace, her mind running wild with the secrets of the citizens of the shifter kingdom in Sueret, the paranormal world that had been created after the great war 1500 years ago.

Her ponytail swished thrice every two seconds. In the right pocket of her cargo pants was a flattened Rubik's, one of her creations. The other five were filled with tools, paper, and stationery that were set carefully so as not to make a sound. She wore no jewelry; her face was set in stone. She unconsciously numbered her steps, counted the number of seconds she was walking, and stored them away in the compartment of her brain. She was good at everything, but keeping knowledge she was best at.

"I thought I would run into you," a voice said to her right.

Camila didn't need to turn to see who it was. Her assistant Freda was the only one in the royal wolf pack who did not actively avoid her. Freda also took it upon herself to learn all of Camila's schedules, down to the number of steps she took each day. Freda saw Camila as a person, and if Camila knew how to be grateful, she was sure she would be.

At exactly 6:00 PM, Camila and Freda got to the royal family's private dining room. Camila opened the grand mahogany door without knocking; they were expecting her.

"There you are, sister," Eva said, coming to hug her.

Camila knew it was for show. Evangeline wanted to seem nice and family-oriented in front of the royal family. Camila wrapped her hands around her sister to help her. She didn't think Eva's acting would work if Camila wasn't co-operative.

After separating from the quick hug, Camila stepped further into the room to bow before the king and queen.

However, before she could speak, a plethora of smells slammed into her: jasmine, sandalwood, and the ocean. She quickly looked around, noticing no one else was doing the same. Were they not smelling what she did?

The smell seemed foreign and was not far away. The owner was in the room. What intrigued her was that she found it particularly pleasant.

Were they under attack, or did she just find her...

Impossible.

She could not possibly have a soul mate like other paranormals did. A soulmate was given to the beast side. She had no wolf and was essentially human. Granted that it was abnormal for her not to have a wolf as both her parents were wolves, it didn't erase the fact.

Her eyes quickly flitted across the faces of all the inhabitants of the room, servants and guards alike before it finally settled above.

"Honey, Camila, are you alright?"

Her father's worried face came into view, but she paid him no attention.

Her focus was on the set of green eyes, on the upper level of the meeting room, that were boring holes into her soul and stirring her insides. She began to feel a second presence in her head.

Her wolf?

She had no idea.

That was a first. She always knew.

She looked at his face: handsome, chiseled features that belonged to the prince, the same prince her sister's engagement to was to be decided during this meeting.

No. Of all men in Sueret, it had to be him.

Mate, his voice whispered in her head.

Camila turned to Evangeline and gazed at her to formulate an apology. After all, it had been her sister's life long dream to become royalty. Her mouth refused to spill out the words. Something inside her refused to feel sorry for something that was hers.

Feel? Was she feeling?

Camila fought her urge to look at the prince and turned to his parents instead. "Your majesties, may I be excused? I-"

"Of course, Miss Allard. You don't-"

Before the king could complete his statement, Camila turned and, for the first time in her life, ran away from something.

***

Camila arrived at her house at 7:39 PM, six minutes later than usual.

As soon as she opened the gate, she knew something was amiss. Some of the stones were turned the wrong way, Freda's potted sunflower was shifted an inch to the left, and her doorway had the sweet scent of jasmine.

Camila opened her door, removed her shoes, and hung her bag on the hook beside the door. Twelve steps later, she was sitting on her couch at one end, leaving the other end open for the intruder.

"You may take a seat, Your Highness," she said, not looking to where the Prince stood at three paces behind her.

"You knew I was here," he said, taking two steps forward.

"Of course. How could I not notice when someone breaks into my home?" she replied, trying not to show a physical reaction to the pleasant tone of his voice.

He sat down and began to stare at her.

Her skin began to itch and she had the urge to fidget or move around, anything that did not involve staying there.

Discomfort. That's what her mind told her she was feeling. But that is impossible, she doesn't feel discomfort or anything at all.

That was her most terrifying trait-she was emotionless and could destroy a person without pity or remorse. What then was happening to her?

"Your Highness, is there a reason you are in my home?" she said, making a mental note to study herself later.

He inched closer to her. "Enough of that. Call me Alexander."

"I do not believe I am qualified to be on a first-name basis with you, Your Majesty."

"You are my mate, soon to be my queen. You can call me by my first name."

"Your Highness, Evangeline Allard is to be your wife in a month," she replied, still not looking at him.

"Camila, I am not marrying Eva," he said.

As soon as he said her name, a shudder went through her. She quickly did an inventory of her body and environment. All her organs were in perfect condition. The room's temperature was normal. Why did a reaction associated with cold occur?

"She's the most suitable candidate for-," she said, still running through her mind shelves of ailments and the ones that could have caused her to shudder.

"She's a power hungry wh...I mean, the young woman who my parents selected," he said using a cough to cover his calling Camila's sister a whore.

Camila would not have minded because firstly, he was her prince and second, Evangeline was a whore.

Not that he was any better.

"I've found you. I've been looking for you for decades," he finished.

"I cannot come between your alliance. It is being done to ensure the well-being of the kingdom. My first obligation is to the kingdom."

"And what about my well-being, Camila? I can't live without you, Camila. You know that."

That was the problem with having him as a mate. Camila knew she needed to ensure he marries her sister before his coronation but also knew that they couldn't live apart for too long after finding each other. Most mates complete the marking and mating process within a day or two. Him marrying her sister was almost impossible especially since Camila would be the one to bless the wedding, right after the king and queen. Not to mention remaining as his servant for the rest of their lives.

Prince Alexander held her face and turned it to face him. Immediately, sparks erupted at the contact points. She stood, moved half a meter away, and sat.

"Don't touch me. I don't like that," Camilla said. His facial features contorted to an expression most people made around her: confusion before suddenly, he threw his head back and laughed. "The complexities of jokes escape me."

Had she said something funny?

"Thank goodness you feel the sparks too. I had heard rumors that you didn't feel anything, even pain. When you left before dinner, I was sure I was the only one who felt the mating pull."

"I don't feel anything," she whispered, flashing back to all the times she'd been laughed at and isolated because she couldn't connect with humans the 'normal' way. She'd come to accept it as her life. Having a mate would cause a certain imbalance that she wasn't sure she wanted.

"What if I help you? I'm not sure I can but I'll try," he said, holding her hand.

She looked at the contact, willing the sparks to vanish. It just reminded her of another reason she couldn't have a mate: she didn't understand the need for interpersonal physical contact. "You are getting married in two weeks. You ought to be focusing on your bride."

"I told my parents to annul the engagement as I have found my mate. My mother particularly was very excited. They would like to meet you," he said with a smile.

"Your Highness, you should not have done that. You are increasing the chances of jeopardizing your reign if you do not marry Evangeline," Camila said.

Her being his mate would be a black mark in his reign. The king of shifters mated to a beastless paranormal would be nothing more than a

"I'm willing to risk it," he said, laying his head on her shoulder and taking a deep breath.

She could feel her logical thoughts clashing with her newly-found emotions, at his words.

"Why?" She asked confused.

"Camila, would you stay in this kingdom and be alright seeing me married to your sister?" he whispered from her neck.

She felt something begin to claw at her heart filling her with murderous intent, directed at her sister. She refrained from clutching her chest.

"I must serve the royal family," she whispered back.

"Well, I won't be. I will destroy anyone who tries to take you away from me."

He kissed her shoulder. Her hand lifted to keep him there but he stood up and moved away, his eyes alternating between forest green and a deeper green that looked black. He was fighting with his wolf.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said, moving towards the door.

"Your Highness, anyone who sees you here might think up a scandal."

"Like I care," he said, his voice gruffer.

"Your Highness, do not return," she said.

Her reply was a closed door.

He came back every single day.