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“No, not really. It seems… outdated.”
“Well, it is,” she points out with a snarky little grin. I smile right back, loving the pink blush that spreads across her face. “You’re the King. Why don’t you just change the rules if you don’t like them?”
“Tradition mostly.”
She laughs at that, the sound light and carefree. Something that I haven’t felt in quite some time. I wish I could bottle up the sound and carry it with me.
“I like your jeans,” I tell her, instead of spouting off any of my crazy thoughts. She grins at me.
“Can I tell you a secret?”
“Sure.”
“I think my friend and I got in the wrong line. We’re tourists, and we’re mainly just here for the free food, but then we were told we were going to meet a king, and we sort of just went along with it.”
I blink, and then start laughing.
“Smart girl.”
“Thanks,” she murmurs, that blush spreading from her cheeks down to her neck. “It was actually my friend Ren’s idea. You just met her.”
“I remember her. Nice girl.”
“We’re backpacking through the United Kingdom. We just graduated high school and have to save money where we can,” she says. I nod, wanting to know more. I want to know everything about this woman.
She’s surprisingly open and easy to talk to. Not at all like the other women I saw tonight, excluding Ren, of course. An idea forms in the corners of my mind, then hits me in full force. Maybe we can help each other out.
Malia may or may not be my mate, but she’s sweet, attentive, and genuine - all qualities I want in a mate and queen. Perhaps she can help keep me sane during the next five days by being one of the few people I can trust.
Plus, that keeps her around so I can figure out why I feel so connected to her. Surely, if she were my mate, I’d know by now. We’ve gone well over the allotted five minutes per meet and greet, and yet I have no idea if this bright young woman is fated to be mine.
“Are you staying in town?” I ask casually.
“Yeah, right down the street actually.”
“How would you like to stay here? You and Ren? You can save some more money by not having to pay for a hotel for the next five days.”
“As one of your choices?” she asks, her pale eyebrows rising in surprise.
“Yeah,” I say with a nod, loving the way her eyes sparkle. “I already know none of these women are my Queen, but I still have to go through with the ceremony. I can show you and Ren around town as part of our group dates, and in exchange, you help me fight off any of the overzealous girls here.”
Malia bites her bottom lip as she debates my offer, and I hold my breath. I don’t know why it’s so important that she says yes, but it is. My wolf agrees, his confusion and agitation mirroring my own. He howls inside of me, wanting to go on that run that I promised, but I ignore him.
“Alright,” she says slowly. Malia twists her lips into the cutest little smirk, quirking an eyebrow up as she flits her gaze over my face. “But you have to throw in some more soap from that boutique shop in town. I want orange and vanilla, and Ren wants a bucket load of lemon.”
“Done,” I say with a grin. I fucking love the way she sticks her chin out as if she won the jackpot. So adorable and brave at the same time, holding her own in a negotiation with a king.
She holds out her hand, and I smile as I lean forward and shake it.
There it is again.
That spark. That…somethingsimmering between us, just beneath the surface. This woman is absolutely mesmerizing, and I have no idea why. I’m just satisfied she’ll be here for a few more days so I can try to figure it out.
“You know, you’re not what I thought you’d be like,” she comments after we’ve shook on it.
“How did you think I would be?”
“Stuck up. Maybe a little bored with life.”
