*THIRD PERSON'S POINT OF VIEW*
A few meters from where Isabella and Nathan are playing and deep within her room, Summer watches on with a bored look on her face.
"Seriously, why am I moping around right now." She sighs and looks up at the ceiling with her back on her bed. She just wish that she could see David again and he would actually stare at her the next time.
Suddenly, a small knock comes from the door and it is pushed open before David pokes his head into the room.
"Is it okay if I come in?"
Looking up, she immediately flushes and her face pales. "Er... What are you doing in here?"
David lets out a heavy sigh. "Of course, sorry I even asked."
Before he can retreat back, she jumps out of her bed. "Wait, wait. Don't leave!"
This makes David stop on his tracks. "Sorry about that. I was just surprised to see you, please come in."
She opens the door for him to fully come in before she speaks. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
As much as she tries to hold her composure, she can't stop her heart from racing.
"I...um..." David gulps. He has suddenly forgotten the excuse he came up with before he arrived here. To be honest, he only wanted to see her again and actually talk to her.
What a coincidence, that was what Summer was thinking about before he showed himself.
"You know that we are mates, don't you." Summer whispers as she looks away from him.
"Um, yeah. I know that." He answers.
Summer can almost feel her walls crumbling down as she hears that. "Are you... Are you going to reject me?"
"Why would I do that?" David appears shocked and confused.
"Why wouldn't you!" Summer throws a comeback, now having the mind to look at him in the eyes. "By your attitude towards me since we met you clearly don't like or approve of me. You didn't even look at me!"
She blurts all of this out but when she realizes what she has said, he has heard everything.
"Well, you were the one who ran when we first met." David says and her face turns red as he continues on. "Oh what did you say again... you have to take magic lessons?"
"Learning magic is really important you know." She grits her teeth. This guy is pissing her off all of a sudden. It's not like she didn't have magic lessons. Well, technically she didn't, she just lied.
"Don't lie to me. You were only doing that to run away from me. I have been making excuses all my so I know."
This shuts Summer up. It's almost like he can see through her.
"And besides, your parents know that we are mates and they have been giving me stink eyes since then. I can tell that they are watching me, that's why I have been keeping my distance."
Summer blinks. "Wait, how can you tell and how sure are you that they didn't see you come in here.'
"They are currently in a meeting but since your mom uses magic I tucked a pile of clothes under my bedsheet, when she checks on me she'll think that I'm asleep but I can't really stay here for long." David looks smug with himself. He avoids her first question with ease.
He managed to impress her, he can tell because of the small gasp of surprise she lets out but when she starts squirming he begins to wonder what he has done wrong.
Maybe decieving her mother like that made her hate him. No, no, no. That can't happen. He's probably proud of him, right?
"So you're not going to reject me?"
"Hmm?" David stops his train of thoughts and focuses on the princess. "Why would I do that?"
"I'm younger than you and I'm not exactly the prettiest girl in the kingdom." Summer continues squirming as David stares at blankly.
"How old are you anyway? I remember Isabella saying something about your age but I totally forgot."
"I'm twelve but I'll turn thirteen in a few months." She doesn't know if she is trying to assure herself or him.
"Well, I turned fourteen a few months ago. It turns out that I am just a year older." He says.
"Isn't that a problem?" She asks and immediately David's face turns red when he figures out what she is asking.
"Wait! We aren't going to start doing anything now. Well just be friends till we are older, okay?"
"Friends?" The princess face squeezes into a frown. "That isn't secure enough, how about about betroth. We can use the ancient Elvin spell to bind our soul together so that when we are of age we will surely be together."
"That sounds a little too extreme." David thinks aloud, this makes Summer's frown deepen and she rushes to him, holding his shoulders in place.
"Don't you get it! You don't feel the bond as strongly as I do, meaning that you could probably fall in love with someone else and maybe even forget about me. This is my way of making sure that you don't leave me."
What has he gotten himself into. David begins to wonder...
"If this will make you feel better, then I guess I'll do it." He says.
"But for you to make me feel more secure about this, you'll need to give me your cellphone number." Summer eyes glimmer.
"Um sure, I guess that will be okay." David says. He can't believe he is agreeing to this but looking at her happy it has made her he can't just say no.
As they exchange contacts, Summer can't stop herself from smiling. Her anxiety turned out to be for nothing and now she can secure the right to her mate's heart. She can feel her fingers tingling from the recent touch.
She only held her shoulders unconsciously and though it wasn't his skin the tingles are still strong. So this is how the mate bond feels like.
"Hey, are you alright. You spaced out for a while." David's voice knocks her out of her thoughts and she smiles.
"Thank you for not rejecting me, David." It is the first time she actually calls his name in his presence and it makes his heart stutter, but he puts up a smile too.
"I still don't fully understand why you would thinking that in the first place but it is I who should be thanking you." He says.
"For what exactly."
"I know that it isn't much but locking the curse in Shelia is going to help her a lot, atleast till a permanent solution is found. I am very grateful for your help, princess." He bows and she frowns.
Princess?
Why is he so formal all of a sudden.
"It's not a big deal, really."
But to David, it is. He walks to the door, opens it and turns to her again. "I'll see you later, Summer."
After he closes the door and leaves, the princess sinks to the floor. It is the first time he ever said her name, it makes her so happy but she's only feel e, she shouldn't be a thing like a lovesick puppy right?
Outside the room, the King and Queen of the Werewolf Kingdom- Summer's parents watch David walk down the hall in the opposite direction.
They have been watching the two youngsters from the beginning and it's very clear that the king was ready to step in if David or Summer had tried anything too intimate, even if it was a kiss on the check.
He has always been overprotective of his daughter.
"I think he knew we were watching at some point." The Queen says and the King nods.
"Yes, that's why he was suddenly formal."
"For a human, he is sharp and well aware of his surroundings." The Queen praises.
"I think I like him. He looks capable of keeping Summer safe." The King says and they both nod in agreement.
After the run with Nathan, Isabella goes back to her room and collapses on the bed. The days moves so quickly in her eyes but then, it's time for Summer to lock the curse in Shelia.
With less than a few minutes, they are all gathered in a room, watching Summer prepare. Isabella can tell that Summer is nervous, probably because David is looking at her too.
Even at a young age the mate bond affects her this much. Interesting.
Summer and Shelia sits in a circle and the former stretches out her hand close to Shelia's chest.
"This is going to tingle a little bit." Summer says before a light radiates out of her palms but before long it's gone. "Alright, that's all there is to that. It was harder than I thought but it will be able to hold the curse from manifesting even more for about six months."
"Six months?" Andrew smiles. "That's actually far more than I expected. Thank you very much, princess."
Andrew bows his head to her and she smiles, taking a side glance at David who looks away when he notices.
Isabella nudges Nathan who is by his side and whispers. "Those two are really sucking up to each other now. Maybe she'll get rid of his annoying attitude once and for all."
David hears this clearly while the others are distracted by Shelia's temporary recovery. Shelia turns to Summer with her green eyes sparkling with something else entirely.
"Hey, can we talk somewhere private?"
"Um, sure."
Summer doesn't understand what is going on but Shelia looks serious. She hasn't known this girl for a very long but she can tell that this girl rarely has this look in her eyes, the look of determination.
Summer leads her to the royal garden immediately.
"Is anything wrong?"
"I wanted to ask you... how do I get a mate."
The princess tilts her head. "Huh? You get paired by the moon goddess, didn't you know that?"
"Does the moon goddess pair humans too?" Shelia asks. "Is there a chance that I'll get a mate."
"Well, yeah. Everyone has a mate including humans but there's a catch, it's very common for humans to not find their mates."
"Maybe I'll be lucky." Shelia bit on her lips with a little anticipation. "If my brother can find his mate then so can I."
"Your brother... David?" Summer face turns red immediately she calls out his name.
Fortunately for her, Shelia is too preoccupied with her own thoughts to notice, the only thing that snaps her out of her mind is sound of the maids chatting as they pass by.
"Is there maybe a party going on?" Shelia asks in confusion when she observes what the maids are carrying around.
"Oh... It's actually a mating ceremony for Isabella and her mate. We have to celebrate, right?" Summer winks.
Somehow, Shelia knows that it goes deeper than that.
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"A mating ceremony? No, that's too much." Isabella shakes her head and her aunt, Minerva rolls her eyes.
"Stop being so edgy about this. I assure you that you'll enjoy it, we're just going to celebrate your mate bond; after all you are a royal of this kingdom and you clearly have no choice since it's your mate who suggested it."
"So it's part of a plan." Isabella says.
"Nothing ever goes by you unnoticed, just don't spoil the fun." Her aunt sighs.