Chapter 10 - Reconnaissance

Back in the main bedroom, Kai had grabbed some more fruit off the platter. "I wasn't sure what you'd like so I just got Tsuna to bring up a plate with a few different things on it. I hope that's okay?"

“Tsuna?" Adalyn questioned. She looked at the platter again and settled for another grape for now

"She's the head house keeper on this estate," Kai answered.

" Oh..." Adalyn replied. 'Rich boys and their estates, oh how the other half live' she thought.

Seeing her pick up a single grape from the platter, it was clear to Kai that she was still feeling uneasy. Understandably so given all that had happened. He took a seat on the end of a chaise longue. "Look, I know a lot has happened in the last 24 hours and you had a ton of questions before, so let’s talk."

He patted the empty space beside him motioning for her to sit down next to him.

Adalyn approached but then sat down in a single chair directly opposite him. After all their heated interactions she assessed that her proximity to him played a big part in it. She wanted answers to her questions with a clear head, so thought best to keep her distance for now.

Kai struggled to hide his disappointment but he understood why she would want to keep her distance. He'd have to settle for just having her in his presence and that seemed to appease both him and his wolf... for now at least.

Kai chuffed a small smile then relaxed back a bit more in the seat. He could tell that she had her guard up. She was at the edge of her chair which forced her to sit upright to best support her back. It was almost like she was trying attending a business meeting. Visitors at the palace would normally engage him in this way but he didn't want that from her, his mate. He hoped that his more relaxed sitting position would make this whole interaction feel less formal, but no such luck. This girl meant business.

Breaking the silence, Kai spoke up first. "Did you sleep okay?"

He wasn't keen to get in to all of the details straight away, he still had lots of gaps in the information that he did know and he didn't want to concern her unnecessarily.

"Yes, thank you" she replied curtly.

Kai took a bite out of a plum he had picked up on the way.

Watching him pick up another piece of fruit, Adalyn sighed to herself. 'Oh no, not more erotic fruit play' she thought. If she had to watch him seductively eat more fruit she’d turn in to a lumpy mush on the floor. She looked at anything and everything around the room to distract herself from him.

"Whose room is this anyway? It's gorgeous".

Kai's eyes followed hers around the room to mirror where she was looking. "Thanks. It's mine. I'd like to say I'm responsible for the decor but I'm really not. Interior design is a big passion of my mother, so she decorated most of our family homes".

Being such a public figure, it was fairly common knowledge amongst the local pack members that Kai's birth mother had died not long after he was born. The look on his face as he referred to the queen, his step-mother, as his actual mother suggested that they had a good relationship in spite of the fact that he was the result of the King's affair.

"Am I being held prisoner here?" Adalyn's question cut through the pleasant chit-chat like a knife. She did really just want to get down to business.

Kai struggled to swallow the piece of plum that he was chewing. No longer hungry, he put the remains back on his plate. "No Adalyn, you're not a prisoner," he replied with a straight face.

"Then I'd like to leave please."

'Shit!' he thought to himself. He had been mentally preparing himself for that to be her next request, but he hadn't expected it to come up so quickly in their conversation.

“The reason I have you here is that I’m concerned that somebody is deliberately targeting you.” Kai followed up. He was keen to try and deviate her away from her original request to leave. “I’m pretty certain that those people that kidnapped you had done so with the intention of provoking me”

"Why would somebody be targeting me to get to you?”

“You’re my mate Adalyn, they know I’d come for you.” Without looking up, Kai started twiddling some pawn pieces on a chess board in front of him.

“They? Who’s they?” Adalyn queried genuinely more interested.

“Someone or some people on my father’s council. That’s all I’ve been able to deduce so far, but I’m not entirely sure who. As the third in line to throne I shouldn’t pose any threat to them but because my birth mother and father were fated mates of royal blood it gives me certain physical advantages that my sister and brothers don’t have. I think some of them are worried that I might use my power to take the throne for myself. Whilst I have no intention of doing so, I'm sure that many of them think that it would be best if I was just...out of the way.”

“Why?” Adalyn countered.

“Let's just say that I’ve never been a big fan of most of the council members and they know that. Many of them have grown too powerful and have become as corrupt as hell. With each new King comes a new council. If I were to succeed my father, they know good and well that I’d weed out all the bad ones and restore the balance of power, which is obviously not in their interest as far as their pockets are concerned.” Kai set down the pawn that he was playing with and then flicked it on to the floor.

“Like my father, if my fated mate were to die, I’d be severely weakened and therefore the threat would be eliminated in their eyes.” Kai looked back up at Adalyn to gauge her reaction to all this information. She didn't give anything away.

“But like I said, it not my intention to ever become king. I just wish somebody would convince them of that.”

Kai rose from his seat and went back to the platter to pick up some more food from the table.

“I suspect last night was somebody’s attempt at testing me to try and confirm if you were my fated mate,” he concluded.

Adalyn sat back in her chair taking this all in. She had heard about fated mates falling sick or even dying when their mate passed away. The same had happened to her parents back when she was young, which is how she ended up with her auntie.

It suddenly dawned on her. Is that what this had been about all this time? Was him ‘protecting’ her really all about him protecting himself? Like pieces of a puzzle coming together, it all started to make sense. Of course he wouldn't have any genuine interest in her as a true mate. He was a prince and what was she? A mut from the suburbs. She hadn’t realised how much the mate bond had tricked her in to thinking otherwise. Deep down she had hoped that there might have been some genuine concern and affection there.

She felt like a naive idiot. Against her will tears started to prick the corner of her eyes and she hurriedly tried to wipe them away before he could see. She had to leave this place as soon as possible. This bond between them was already driving her crazy.

“So that’s the reason why I have you here.” Kai started again. “I have someone doing a bit of digging in to the guys that took you last night. Once I have a better steer of the situation, I can work out what to do next.”

Failing to get a response, Kai walked back over, then knelt down in front of her. He looked up at her through her long hair. She had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn’t noticed he was so close until his face popped up right next to hers. Startled she sprang back in her chair.

He chuffed again and then placed a plate of food in her lap “You should probably eat something; you look a bit pale. Are you feeling alright?” Sensing that something in her had changed he worried that he had frightened her with all this information.

“You know, you don’t have anything to worry about. Like I said before, I won’t let anybody harm you." Unknowingly he had completely misconstrued why she seemed so withdrawn, but Adalyn didn’t want to alert him to that fact, so she played along.

“Thanks, I appreciate it” she said through slightly gritted teeth. She had made up her mind, she was leaving tonight. All the other questions that she had originally planned to ask now seemed irrelevant, so she said nothing more.

Later that afternoon, Kai had introduced her to the other staff that had worked across the estate. While Kai took a call, Tsuna, the head house keeper, was giving her a tour of the grounds.

“Outside of the main house we have several guest houses dotted across the estate." Tsuna pointed them out to her.

“I see.” Adalyn feigned interest. She didn’t want to arouse suspicion of her plans to sneak out and instead used the tour of estate as opportunity to carry out some re-con and work out how best to slip out unnoticed. From what Tsuna told her, the guest houses on the far side were unoccupied and were probably the best way to leave the estate. The only issue was that side of the estate had quite a steep drop down to the coast line below. It still seemed like the less risky route so she made a mental note of it.

“I must admit it was a very pleasant surprise to have his royal highness stop by here, and in the company of such a beautiful young lady.” Tsuna continued. “He hasn’t been here in a while. He’s grown in to a fine young man." Tsuna looked like she was recalling a fond memory of him as a child. Kai had mentioned that she had been working there for over 30 years.

From the way that she talked it was obvious that she had a lot of affection for him. Adalyn couldn’t help but find it slightly endearing, hearing something about her mate’s childhood, but sticking to her resolve, that wasn’t going to stop her from leaving. She’d wait till sunset then make her move.