A Tiny Favor
*Hezzlie*
“What do you mean you want to leave?” I ask Natalie, staring at her as if I don’t understand the language she’s speaking.
“Not forever,’ she says, and I blow out a long breath in relief. “I just want to go visit a friend in another pack that I haven’t seen since before the king was killed. We haven’t been allowed to leave except to visit the villages in over five years, and I’d really like to go, but I’m too scared to ask.”
I take in what she’s saying and think about how hard that must be for her. It’s only been a few months since I saw my friends at Peripheral, and though it’s been more like six months since I saw the friends I grew up with, that’s nothing compared to five years.
“Of course, I’ll talk to Rowan, if that’s what you’d like,” I tell her, placing a hand on her arm. “I can’t imagine he’d mind–unless he thinks it’s too dangerous.”
“That’s always been the problem,” she admits. “And he probably thinks it’s too dangerous now, but I’m old enough to find my mate now, and the full moon is coming up. I’d like to take my trip then and see if my friend might actually be my mate.’
When she says that, her request hits on another level. This isn’t just a girlfriend she hasn’t seen in while–it’s a guy. Someone she really cares about. “Okay,” I say, considering what Rowan will say. “Is his pack nearby?”
“It’s about an hour drive,” she says. “I’d need to borrow a car or something. It’s not like I have my own.”
I know there are a lot of vehicles kept in a giant garage here at the mansion. I’ve never given it much thought, but I’ve seen rows of cars before–like when they were taking me to my father. I’ve never really thought about the fact that the staff doesn’t have their own vehicles. I don’t have my own car either. “I can ask. Will you be near my father’s territory?”
“No, it’s the other direction,” she says, and that makes me feel a bit better about her leaving. “Longclaw is a peaceful kingdom. They stay out of everything.”
“Well, I can definitely talk to him.” I give her a reassuring smile, although part of me is still a little hesitant to bring up something that might make Rowan mad. He’s been so kind and gentle with me since I woke up from my first power-draining fit, and I’d hate to do anything to change that.
But Natalie is my friend. She’s been so helpful and sweet since I first arrived here. I can’t tell her no, even if I am a little scared. The worst that can happen is Rowan can say no. Well, that’s not true. If he says no, I’ll ask why not, and he won’t tell me because that’s just how he is, and then I’ll tell him he’s being a jerk, and he’ll get mad, and we’ll argue.
I really don’t want that to happen.
“What if he won’t let you?” I ask. “I mean, what if I’m not able to convince him.”
She shrugs. “I guess I’ll have to wait. But I already feel like I’ve waited so long. I was hoping, now that you’re here, Alpha King Rowan might calm down a bit. Maybe he won’t be so angry all the time. He seems to be in a better mood since you’re here and Mara is doing better.”
“Yeah, I can agree with that,” I say with a nod. “When did you want to leave?”
“In a couple of days. I’ve already talked to Wilma, and she’s sure that between her and the other ladies who keep the house tidy they’ll be able to cover for me. There’s really not all that much to do around here on a daily basis. Does everything really need to be dusted and polished every single day?”
“No,” I tell her thinking it’s a little silly if they do that now.
“And only a handful of the bedrooms are being used. I can clean most of them by myself in an hour or two. We have a lot of idle time on our hands.” Her lips draw into a tight smile.
“I bet you do.” I’m not sure what else to say as I realize I haven’t even met everyone on the staff. What kind of Luna Queen am I going to be if I don’t even know everyone’s names?
“Thank you for agreeing to speak to him.” Her smile brightens. “I’m glad the two of you are getting along now.”
“Me, too.” That I can wholeheartedly agree with. I hated it when Rowan and I were fighting so much. “What will you do if you do find your mate? Will you come back?”
“I’m not sure,” she admits. “I mean, I’d like to. I love working here, and I’d miss all of my friends. I think Cory would like to come back, too. His mother used to work here after his father died. His mother found a second-chance mate, and they got married, and he moved away not long before the king was killed. I’ve been calling him, but that’s not the same. He thinks we’re just friends. I don’t even know how he’ll react if we are mates, but ever since I first met him, I’ve thought maybe he could be my mate. It’s about time I find out for sure.”
Her story is so sweet, I can’t help but cheer her on. “I sure hope he is, too. Well, maybe Cory will want to move back here. I”m sure Rowan can find a place for him.”
“If we’re mates,” she cautions. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself–just in case.”
“Right.” I pat her arm again. “I’ll try to ask Rowan later this evening, but it’ll depend on what kind of a mood he’s in. If he’s angry, I'll put it off.”
“Good plan,” she says. Reaching over to squeeze my hand, she continues, “Thank you so much, Princess Hezzlie. I’m so glad we have you here with us now.”
“You can just call me Hezzlie,” I remind her. “I’m glad to be here.”
“When you are Luna Queen, I will have to call you Luna,” she explains. “Anything less would be disrespectful.”
“I think I’ve heard Dean call Rowan by his first name a time or two,” I argue. “If he can do that, then so can you.”
“They’ve been best friends forever,” she reminds me.
“The length of a friendship isn’t what’s important. It’s how deep the friendship is, and you are one of my best friends, Natalie. So I can always be Hezzlie to you.”
Her face lights up, and I think I see tears in her eyes. “Thank you.”
“Thank you for being my friend,” I tell her. She stands and gives me a hug before heading out the door, and I fall over on my bed hoping I can manage to talk to Rowan about this without making him mad.
Whatever he’s doing in his office, I hope it’s going well.
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