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“It wasn’t all bad,” Malia says, gathering herself and brushing off the bad memories. We continue our walk around the perimeter of the garden.
“Is that where you met Ren?” I guess. Malia nods.
“She came after her parents died. She was eleven then, and we’ve been inseparable ever since.”
“I’m glad that you had her.”
“Me too,” she says, a soft smile spreading across her lips. I can tell how much she loves her friend. “What about you? Did you grow up here?”
“Yep. Born and raised right here in this castle. So, did you like New Mexico?” I ask her, changing the subject. She shakes her head.
“No, not at all. It was too hot, too… brown. Everything was sand and dirt. As soon as we turn eighteen and get back to the states, we’re moving somewhere with seasons. Somewhere with flowers.”
“That sounds… wait. When you turn eighteen?” My heart stalls in my chest, my wolf standing at full attention as we replay her words.
“I…” her cheeks turn pink, and she looks at me with wide eyes. “I’m so sorry,” she whispers.
“You’re not eighteen?” I know I sound angry, and I need to dial it back, but this is incredible, unbelievable news.
My wolf jumps inside of me; his ears pointed as he waits to hear her answer. If she’s not yet eighteen, she could still be my mate. I wouldn’t be able to scent her since she’s not of age yet. Jesus, I knew Malia was young, but I had no idea…
“Not yet,” she hedges, her voice tentative. “But my birthday is tomorrow, and Ren’s is next week. Plus, we’ve had to grow up fast in the foster system, and it’s not like we’re irresponsible…” Malia is talking a mile a minute, spiraling as she tries to come up with a good explanation. I would tell her to stop worrying, but I’m still shocked. “We just didn’t want to miss meeting a King and seeing the castle, but I know what we did was wrong. I’m so sorry we lied.”
“It’s okay,” I assure her once I find my voice. I give her what I hope is a comforting smile, despite the maelstrom of emotions crashing down on me. “I’m not going to throw you in the dungeon for fibbing a little bit.”
She relaxes, and my mind starts to spin with possibilities. Malia or even Ren could be my mate. I wouldn’t know until they turn eighteen.
Maybe my mate is here after all…
My wolf yips and prances around, already convinced Malia is the one for us. I can’t know for sure at this point, but everything in me wants that to be the case.
We continue to walk along the garden, and Malia tells me all about each of the flowers planted there. I hang on her every word, inspired by her passion.
“I hate to cut the date short, but I should probably get back to the castle. I have some work to do,” she says after a few moments of comfortable silence.
“What do you do for a living?” I ask her curiously.
“I write garden articles for an online website.”
“Ah, the perfect job for you then,” I say with a smile.
“Almost. I’d rather be getting my hands dirty and planting the flowers rather than writing about them, but it pays alright, and I have a lot of free time.”
“Are you hungry? Do you have time for lunch?” I ask her as we reach the end of the garden.
“I could eat.”
“I had Greg set up a picnic for us.”
“Are you avoiding being around the other girls?” she asks me with a teasing smile as I lead her over to the picnic setup.
“A little bit. Is it obvious?”
“A little bit.”
I laugh as we take a seat on the plaid blanket, and I flip open the lid of the picnic basket.
“I’ve never been on a picnic before,” Malia says, and I pass her a bottle of water.
