Fast Forward

Rain's POV

I am currently standing at the airport, waiting for the Royal Heli to land finally.
Next to me is a wide-smiling Ivor, impatiently treading on his legs. His mate is arriving today to spend her vacation at the Palace. It was a promise I had earlier made and intended to keep, much to Ivor's delight.
"What takes this damn chopper so long to land," I hear him grumble inwardly. "Who so often circles above a runway that doesn't even have a fly on it?" I hold a hand on my mouth to muffle my laughter. Very little of that tight Chief Warrior is noticeable now. The two have maintained contact via video chat for weeks, but meeting in person is obviously another vibe. And every wolf wants his mate as close as possible to be mentally stable.
I think back to a few hours ago. Early on, the Chief Warrior was at my door, reminding me that he would be the one to drive me to the Royal airstrip later. He grinned broadly, constantly looking at his watch until I steered him away to the dining room. And when the time finally came and we had to leave, he totally forgot to open the car door for me and jumped behind the wheel.
And now I see the Heli begin its descent.
Elena's face is seen at the hatch, she waves at us. And as the pilot slides the door open, she runs straight toward Ivor in her youthful glee. Of all your life! And I thought the little one considered me her bestie but now look. I dig my hands into my sides and put on a displeased face. "Well, Elena, didn't you say that we were best friends a few weeks ago? And now look who you run first to. I have to wait for Ivor to finally greet you," I say sourly. She detaches herself from Ivor's embrace and storms toward me. "Hey, be careful with my pups. Space is just tight here nowadays," I tease her as she reaches across my belly to wrap her hands around my neck. "I'm so glad to be here, Saray. I've missed you so much", she whispers.
After a big hug, we walk to the car with our arms around each other.
Elena settles on the passenger seat while I take the back seat as usual. "So, how did it go at school? Are your grades good for the next phase?" I ask her interestedly. She nods and looks at Ivor first. "Yes. I passed all the subjects with the highest marks. One more year before exams, then I'll go to high school until I'm eighteen," she declares. Surprised, I listened to her. "Why do you want to stop studying when you're eighteen? Aren't you going to study a profession then? Your parents will be very disappointed if you skip university".
I throw a quick glance at Ivor and look at the girl again.
"Well, I want to see if a university exists in the Kingdom. I don't think I want to stay in the big city any longer," she declares dryly. I startle. This is something I need to talk to Ivor about. He alone may be the reason Elena wants to leave school. Of course, there is no university in the Kingdom, most students leave for Human Town for their degree. This is not done and Ivor will hear from me. Elena probably feels the mate bond strongly and does not know how to deal with it. She is experiencing a childlike infatuation and it is Ivor's responsibility to manage that without offending her parents.
The man at the wheel probably notices that my mood has dropped to zero and turns to Elena.
"Of course, you're going to university. Your parents are counting on you," he belts her. Elena looked at him sternly, wanting to say something but decided to remain silent anyway. Finally, we reach the Palace.
"Are you hungry, little one?" I ask the girl.
She nods. Naturally, she always is. We walk straight to the dining room, where, to my surprise, we run into Randall. He looks quite disturbed and flinches at first, but quickly recovers when he sees me. "Saray!" he acknowledges my presence. "And who do we have here?" I give Elena a shove forward. "This is my little friend, Elena. She's spending the school vacations here. I haven't been able to announce it because I've been too tired to show up at the table lately," I told him. Randall nods and extends a hand to Elena.
"I'm Ralph's dad. You can call me Uncle Randall," he offers.
Elena smiles softly. "Are you a werewolf, too? Like Esis, my brother-in-law?" We all stand stiffened in our places. I see Ivor and Randall communicate quickly in the mind link. "Sweetie, who told you about werewolves?" asks Randall softly. Elena turns to me and then she looks at Ivor. "I know you are all werewolves. Magda explained that to me when she came back," she says wisely.

We all smile with relief.
So, Magda has already done much of the work. "Yes, we are all werewolves," Randall confirms her words. "This is the Palace of the King and Queen of the Royal Kingdom. Ralph is the King and Saray will soon be the Queen. And I am the former King, Ralph's father, as I stated". Elena smiles back bravely. I am so proud of this courageous friend of mine, anyone else would have already run away from fear. But not Elena.
She turns back to Ivor.
"What about you, Ivor? What are you doing in the Palace?" she asks. "I waited for you to tell me everything yourself. But you remained to hide everything for me," she reproaches him. "I also know that I am your mate and cannot be your girlfriend until I am eighteen." She immediately turns and sits down at the table. Frozen in his place, Ivor stares at her, but she ignores him. I sit down next to her and Ivor opposite. He tries to take her hand, but she pulls back with an expressionless face. I think the two are now going through their first quarrel.
Well, not my business, not my monkey.
When the maids have served our food, Eric suddenly enters the room. I sigh deeply, the Secretary hasn't exactly been the company I've been looking forward to these past few days. "Saray," he greets me and sits down next to Ivor, across from Elena and me. I respond briefly to his greeting and keep my eyes on my plate. But Eric is not so easily shaken off.
"Saray, I come with the message from the King. Since you have been avoiding him for the past few days, he has sent me to deliver the news to you," he begins in an even tone. "The mating ceremony is brought forward to next weekend. The King has decided that and it is final. The King-Mother will come and get you in a few minutes for the final preparations"...