Sins Among Royals
Chapter 10

Indie slept a troubled sleep as she tossed and turned in the sheets of her bed. She woke many times with a gasp or a shake and found it difficult to settle back down. She had dreams and nightmares of things she would rather forget, despite her troubles at night she hoped her new life wouldn’t be so bad.

Dawn broke the darkness of the landscape outside and set flocks of birds singing through the trees around the house. Usually, the sounds of avian singing annoyed her but as she lay in her bed and listened she found it soothingly beautiful. Soon she blocked out the animal noises outside and stared up at the ceiling thinking of many things.

Feeling a whole multitude of emotions she turned to the side and curled up in a ball, “I wonder, if I never get up again would they notice.....” Though the thought had verbalized, she didn’t think she would be able to lay so still for so long. Indie needed to be up and busy doing something; she could never justify lying around all day.

Indie lay in bed in total silence for a moment longer before a heaving sigh left her, “time to face the world I guess.” Climbing out of bed she stretched quickly by joining her hands together over her head and arching her back. The feeling of a good stretch always brightened Indie’s mornings, and before long she headed downstairs to the kitchen where she heard her mother and father laughing which wasn’t anything to be worried or concerned with.

Walking to the window of her room she pulled it open quickly and let some fresh morning air flood into the confined space. Though it was herself sleeping in the room, it still managed to reak of sleep and something odd that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Staring down at the puddle of material on the floor near her wardrobe she couldn’t help but frown. The evening had started off awkwardly and had continued to be awkward until she got the dress off but the reality hit her again as she remembered that she had a mate.

Indie’s focus was broken when she heard something whine, a noise that was so familiar to her that she didn’t think twice about looking for where it came from. Her gaze dropped from the windowsill and down into the yard where she saw a dark-colored wolf sitting at the edge of the backyard. It wasn’t something she saw often, but she jumped at the surprise. The wolf didn’t stay long before it stood up in a languid and drawn out motion and turned away from her, its tail handing down while its posture straightened up considerable. Before long it had disappeared into the undergrowth leaving Indie with a puzzled expression on her face.

color Upon entering the kitchen, Indie raked her fingers through her hair before stretching her arms up high over her head again. She walked straight to the coffee pot that was near the stove top and quickly poured herself a cup of freshly brewed coffee before turning around and taking a sip.

“Don’t you look just like Sleeping Beauty?!” Indie heard her mother teasing her from where she sat at the table. There was a tone to her voice that the young Indie could not place, however, but her focus was firmly aimed at her cup of coffee. Indie could feel something that made her uncomfortable, but she put it down to the fact that it was because her entire family had seen her replace her mate the previous evening.

“I agree,” came a deep somewhat unfamiliar voice which startled the young dark haired woman into paying attention.

Swallowing the mouthful of coffee, she’d just taken Indie couldn’t help but turn her head sharply to see who it was. When she saw a man smiling back at her, she almost dropped her cup and fainted, though she managed to hold on and retain her composure it was challenging to do so. She felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment as she tightened her grip on the mug so much that she heard a distinctive crack.

“What are you doing here?” The question slipped quickly from her lips as she eyed Noah suspiciously. He looked far too at home with her parents and even gave her a cheeky smile when she stared at him in bewilderment.

“I told you I’d be back this morning, remember?” He was smug and had a natural charm to him that Indie never had experienced, even her parents seemed smitten with him when just hours before her mother wanted to throttle him. Indie groaned, in hindsight, she should have let her mother have a go at him.

“Oh, honey Noah just came to apologize for last night. I think we were all cranky from being up all day and he wanted to make sure we were alright,” Her mother was far too pleased with herself as she motioned for her daughter to take a seat at the table with them.

“I am dreaming right?” Indie queried them sarcastically as she stared open-mouthed at the trio in the room, “where are Hunter and Chase? Or do they not exist in this dream?” How could everyone be so civil and calm following the previous night?

“Unfortunately Noah some of her strange behaviors are something you will have to get used traveling. She has been this way since she was born.” Indie couldn’t believe what she was hearing; her mother was ratting her out right there in front of her. Indie had always been peculiar, but they all wished her strange behavior had a pause button. Sometimes.

“Please, don’t apologize,” Noah smiled warmly as he once again took in all that Indie was. Though Indie was nothing like what he’d expected in a mate he now accepted that she never would be and that was fine, but getting to know her could still prove to be interesting.

“I am standing right here mom! I can hear every single word you say.” Indie all but yelled with a degree of injustice in her voice. She hated when her mother got into one of her moods and tried to impress people; it often rubbed Indie the wrong way. Especially when it was her being embarrassed.

Noah looked appreciatively at Indie for a moment. He’d had very little and shifted multiple times during the hours he was away from her, and when he passed by his security teams time and time again to sit outside her bedroom window, he came to the realisation that she was quirky and possibly stubborn but she didn’t seem malicious.

“I replace her eccentricities rather fascinating,” he grinned towards the woman that would one day be his wife. “And while I do not wish to rush you we must be heading off back to my home, today,” Noah had already been away from home for far too long, and he was growing weary of travelling. He had visited no less than twenty packs on this leg of his journey, and all he wanted was to sleep at home in his own bed and be surrounded by his own family.

At the mention of leaving Indies entire world stopped turning and her mother instantly stopped fussing over Noah. “You only just met her, it has barely been a day surely you can spare some time?” Rita all but pleaded with him. They’d barely gotten used to the idea that Indie was the future Alpha Queen, Rita wanted a little more time with her daughter before she moved off to start her new life.

“I’m sorry,” Noah responded quickly. “I’ve already been away from home for a long time, and now that I’ve found her I need to get back and fulfil my responsibilities.” Although Noah was understanding of their concern he didn’t have time to indulge it, it had become evident during his travels that many packs had been left to their own devices for far too long, they’d become challenging and a few bordered on unruly. Things needed to change.

Indie had been expecting it, but she didn’t think he would be so abrupt. “I guess I need to pack up my room, I can’t do that in a day,” Indie sighed at the thought of packing up her life and moving.

“Just pack what you need for a few weeks. The rest can be shipped up,” Noah smiled warmly. Indie hesitated a little and put her mug down on the bench before she turned and ran back up the stairs to her room.

Just like that, the life she had always wanted was no longer obtainable. As much as she wanted to resist him and flip him off, she just couldn’t.

Noah looked awkwardly from where Indie stood to her mother. “Is she alright?” He asked curiously. Cautiously.

Rita shook her head, “no, but she will be. It’s just a bit of an adjustment for her to make and come to terms with.” She lied as sadness washed over her. Rita didn’t often get emotional, but she knew that when it came time for her to hug her daughter one last time, then her emotions would likely boil over.

Noah excused himself and went after Indie, despite being reassured by Rita, he felt a little uneasy. After climbing the stairs quickly, he soon spotted a battered wooden door with stickers all over it. An odd grin spread across his lips at the sight of the faded stickers or all shapes and sizes; it reminded him of his nephews.

The top level of the Jones home was completely silent as Noah stood outside the door with the stickers on it, as he listened quietly his ears tuned in to any sound that he could pick up. Behind him, he could hear chatter he knew was from Indies parents, but in front of him, he heard nothing. It was a good sign. She wasn’t crying, and she didn’t seem mad, but he couldn’t be entirely sure of what he was about to walk in to.

Holding his hand up to the door he tapped gently with a closed palm. It seemed to work as she yanked the door open and let it swing into the wall. “I suppose you want to help me pack so we can leave faster?” She snapped in an instant. From her posture, Noah could tell she was not happy with him. Her arms were folded across her chest, and she leaned back on one leg, away from him. The scowl on her face too was hard for him to miss, he hadn’t meant to upset anyone but she needed to learn quickly that his life was busy, it was chaotic, and there was rarely time to indulge in any activities he loved doing, it was something Indie would need to learn quickly. “Don’t take this the wrong way but back off! You are giving me serious breathing issues right now.”

Noah let the words she’d just spoken roll off of him like a droplet of water as he crossed the threshold to her room and watched her step back. He closed the door behind himself and grinned as Indie scowled at him, she was shocked that he would do something like that but not entirely surprised.

Noah walked up to her and stood pressed against her slightly, her forehead touching his chin as she stared up at him wondering what he was doing. The warmth of him radiating from beneath the thin cotton shirt he wore tucked into a pair of jeans made Indie feel more comfortable and calm than she thought it would. Tipping her head slightly she took it as a challenge and did not shrink in his presence.

From where she stood she noted the colour of his skin and its silky smooth perfection, his jawline was strong and muscular and lacking in facial fuzz, he didn’t so much tower over her as she had previously thought, but he was taller than her. Taking a step back she saw his eyes dancing with amusement, but the cause of it was slightly lost to her. Was she funny? Was the situation she found herself in strange to him?

“You aren’t very trusting are you?” Noah questioned her as he pulled his chin down and stared into Indies eyes.

“I’ll have you know I am very trusting!” She replied fiercely, “just not when random strangers invite themselves into my sanctuary!” It was okay when Poppy did it, but with Noah, it was a completely different story, she barely knew the guy.

“Well, I want to see what kind of person my mate is,” a cheeky grin settled itself on his lips as he took in the mess that was her room and tried not to judge her for it.

“Let me guess!” Indie began with some discomfort, “I am not what you expected, and you are completely repulsed by everything about me and have come to offer severance to our bond before we actually.....you know, bond.” Not really knowing how to convey what she wanted to say her words instead came out as a mixed up jumble of nonsense.

“On the contrary,” Noah winked as he stepped around Indie to further inspect her room. “Like I said. I replace you rather fascinating, and your reluctance to want to join me has piqued my interest further.” He noted the many alternative and indie band posters on the far wall of her room. A decent sized bed sat in the middle of the wall on the opposite side. A small wardrobe held clothing but most of it seemed concentrated on the floor. She had a little drawer that held various knick-knacks and mementos that were apparently important in some way and photographs of her with the girl who proved to be Leo’s mate.

“Okay,” Indie dragged the word out longer than she should have, “you’re a weirdo!” Though she was speaking to the Alpha King, she didn’t feel it was essential to address him in a formal way, not when they were in such an informal setting.

“Me? Weird?” Noah asked her quickly. He hadn’t been called weird in a long time, and the person that had called him such a name now lay vulnerable and immobile in a hospital bed somewhere. A cloud of memories swirled inside Noah instantly, and Indie noted a sudden mood change.

“Are you okay?” She questioned him a little more concerned. He’d gone from amused to angry in what looked like the blink of an eye. Indie thought it was her statement about him being weird that had caused it, little did she know Noah had many secrets to hide and things in his past he was not proud of, but he was not yet ready to confide in her.

Noah turned to her abruptly with a scowl on his face, “gather what you need and say your goodbyes. We leave within the hour.” Turning towards the door, he pulled it open with such force that when it hit the wall, it didn’t bounce back like it usually did. Indie watched as Noah stormed out of her room and down the stairs, she heard her mother ask him questions, but he didn’t answer as he quickly walked outside and left Indie questioning herself.

What had she just done to anger him so quickly? Pulling the door to her bedroom closed she noticed the door handle had made a hole in the wall as a shudder of what could best be described as fear ran through her. She hoped and prayed that he was not a violent man, she’d heard stories about women whose mates were terribly cruel, and she didn’t want that for herself. Indie felt her knees buckle and give way as she fell to the floor and sobbed into her hands, it was all too much to handle.