Quite a few days went by, with me lying in the very bed I used to clean and change the sheets of.

In amongst my recovery, my mate lurked forever in the background: a close presence at night, whilst I was either half or fully asleep; popping in throughout the day to check and discuss with my medical team on my progress; sitting on his made-up bed reading and working on various bits of paperwork. Eventually, I worked out that my mate was ensuring he never left me for any longer than three to four hours at a time. Yet, the whole while we maintained an agonising silence, broken only by stilted attempts on either side's part to ask how the other was. Fortunately, these were far and few between as I was rarely left on my own, a medical orderly or an unknown cleaner was constantly coming in and out. There were a variety of nurses and doctors assigned to my care, not just the ones who were there upon my waking. Constantly I was checked, weighed, and encouraged to do small bits of physio.

On my fifth day after waking from my coma, a mischievous face surprised me at my, or rather his, door. It was a rare moment to myself, no one had fussed over me for at least half an hour.

"Henry!" I exclaimed, surprised both to see him and also surprised by the genuine joy I felt at his arrival. A small part of me was hurt that no one I knew, especially Edna, had of yet come to see me. Although, perhaps they hadn't been allowed? Or, still worse, they felt they couldn't.

"Always the invalid I see," Henry smiled, coming into the room and standing at a distance from me. I was propped up on pillows in bed and reading some kind of inane thriller the last nurse had brought in for me.

"Shouldn't you be tidying this room? Not messing it up," Henry cheekily continued, eyeing the few hankies littered around me as I was still a bit sniffly at times.

"Shouldn't you be on guard duty?" I replied, but not hiding my delight in having a visitor.

"A small break can't hurt... although you never know with you," Henry eyed the window meaningfully and I had the good grace to blush.

"I think my window climbing days are over," I admitted out loud.

Henry snorted, "I'm surprised you had any to begin with."

"Hey! I'm not that disabled!" I exclaimed, rather disgruntled.

Henry's brow furrowed with confusion then cleared, "No, I meant you needn't have left at all."

The atmosphere shifted and became more tense, as I glanced down at my bedding in shame. But, I forced myself to look back up. Henry, humongous and warrior built, stood leaning back against a chest of drawers with his arms crossed over his chest. His face, instead of his usual smile, wore a serious and vulnerable looking frown; his eyes searched me beseechingly for answers I knew I couldn't give right now. He was hurt and I'd allowed that to happen.

I sighed, unsure of what I was feeling. Quietly, but not breaking eye-contact, "I'm sorry Henry. I haven't even explained myself to... him yet. But, I never meant to hurt anyone."

All I could do was repeat the bland apology I made to my mate. In good consciousness, I knew I couldn't tell him any more until the King and I had had it out.

Henry looked at me, reading my face for something, but eventually he nodded. Then, the moment of tension was over. We chatted about safe topics for a little while, about guard duty and how it was being stuck in bed all day. He brought his hand up to the back of his head and ruffled his hair; his skin was slightly flushed as if embarrassed.

"You know... I actually thought you were going to be my mate for a moment there."

"Yours?"

Henry looked quite uncomfortable now, a funny expression on such a large warrior. "Well... it made sense. You seemed healthier when you were up here."

I blinked a few times, suddenly seeing it all from his perspective. Before I had long to think, Henry carried on.

"I don't suppose you have a sister?" he asked with a wolfish smile and I could see there were genuinely no hard feelings about the mix-up. I grinned despite myself, "No, only child."

"Shame," Henry smirked, "Although, you being our Luna explains the protective instincts we've all been feeling."

I visibly shuddered, "Ugh, don't say that."

"To be a Luna is a great honour... if not the greatest title in the Kingdom." Henry sniffed.

Backtracking carefully, "perhaps I'll grow into it?" Although I didn't really believe what I was saying. I had no idea what being a Luna entailed, and it was very much a role that felt incredibly separate to me. I couldn't even talk to my own Mate at the moment anyway or leave this bedroom, so such ideas seemed superfluous.

"You will, the Moon Goddess pairs everyone correctly." Henry sounded like he was repeating a mantra from his childhood.

I was saved from knowing how to reply with the sudden slam of the door as it swung open from a mighty push. The Alpha King stood in the doorway, filling up the frame. The rooms were built larger than those of the human quarters; yet, even so he shouldn't have made the door look small or have left a dent in the wall. But, Hadrian had partly shifted into his Wolf form.

The soft, stretchy fabric all the wolkfolk wore (and now I realised why) was taut along his frame. His legs had elongated and partially shifted into the lower hind quarters of a beast on two legs, whilst his chest had broadened to scrape against the four-foot-wide door frame. At his sides his fists were clenched, causing blood to drip between his fingers as claws pierced the flesh of his palms. Emanating from the man's chest were deep growls, as my mate glared at Henry with fury.

It was difficult to explain, but a force seemed to pulse outwards from my mate that felt like a blanket over my senses. Although, I instinctively knew it was a force that had no direct control over me, unlike Henry who'd fallen on one knee with his head bowed.

I barely breathed, but in a panic for Henry's life, I swung myself out of the bed. But, in my haste and the weakness of my frame, I tumbled to the ground with a bang and got tangled within the blankets. This may have been what saved Henry from slaughter, because the fall broke Hadrian's concentration on the Delta as he rushed to my side with a protective growl.

Paws bashed softly around my small body, as my mate tried to check me over and pull me up from the floor. Yet, he was also snared by the various blankets and pillows that had fallen down with me, and in his Wolf's panic it only served to tangle me further and push me back down to the ground after I'd manage to get onto my knees. No doubt we probably made a foolish sight, until Hadrian thought to pick me up entirely blankets and all and retreat to his temporary bed in the corner.

Whilst we had tangled together, Henry had made a tactical retreat. But, whilst I was being carried, I caught Henry give me a sly smile and a wink before rushing out the door. Fiend!

"Your majesty," I squeaked, as I was nestled like a small child in the king's arms with me wrapped towards his chest. He had sat down on his bed, leaning against the wall, and held me captive. When I called him by his title, his growls grew louder, and he squeezed me in frustration.

"Hades," I tried again, whispering into his shoulder, surprisingly not terrified, just cautious and a little shy. Shivery tingles travelled their way around my body, making me feel ticklish and hot. Instinctively I nestled into his arms further and ran one of my hands up and down his chest in what I hoped to be a smoothing manner. It worked. His growls shifted to loud purrs.

I couldn't see much. I was awkwardly squished into my mate's chest and his arms were a cage around me, but the warmth of his body and that of the bond, made the strange experience quite comforting. I felt safe. I felt both clear-headed yet loose; the sensation after being massaged and your limbs feel like they could float off.

We stayed cuddled for quite some time, but gradually my mate began to shift fully back into his human form. He went from being three or four feet taller than me, to just two. I smiled at the thought. His purrs grew quieter and quieter, until they suddenly stopped completely. That's when I knew he was back, from wherever he went. I had read and heard plenty about Wolfpeople's relationship between their humanity and wolf in the last year, but it was still very much a mystery to me and when I get the chance I plan to ask as many questions as I can.

King Hades's arms shifted, and I could finally wriggle out just enough to move my head and look up. Hazel eyes met mine. All traces of otherness were gone from my mate's face, despite his size, he looked human again. Feeling comfortable in our embrace, I smiled up at him in a slight daze. As if looking into his soul, his eyes creased with fondness and adoration. But, before I could register it fully, a shadow fell across his face. That decisive jaw twitched, and his eyes hardened.

"We need to talk," King Hades stated.

I knew this moment was coming. Our first conversation barely scratched the surface of what we needed to say to each other. I gulped in trepidation.

"Ok," I whispered, feeling resigned and nervous. I wriggled out of my mate's hold, which he let me, and I stood up. Vertigo caused me to stumble, and Hades was quick to place his hands on my waist to hold me steady; I blushed slightly at the intimacy, even though it was nothing compared to the long, feral cuddle we had just shared.

I lightly cleared my throat to show my awkwardness and I was let go. Turning around, I moved over to the chaise longue beneath the window. Whilst I moved across the room, I felt sure I could feel my mate's eyes burning into the back of my leg, noticing the slight drag it took me to move it and my lopsided gait. My team of doctors this last week had asked about my pre-existing medical conditions, which I had dutifully filled in the little I knew. For some reason or other, my mate had not been present during such interviews, but I assumed he would have been filled in on every word shared.

Sitting down, I faced my mate who had now moved over to the armchair. Like a schoolmaster, he pulled the chair closer towards me and sat down with one leg crossed over. Intimidating was not the word for it. Wolfpeople were not built like humans: their chests were typically broader, their necks thicker and their bones were strong, yet rubbery to cope with transformation. According to them, their moon goddess blessed those of a higher rank with larger frames to signify their position in society. My mate, being the Alpha King, was seven foot like most Deltas and above, broad shouldered and severe looking. The leather armchair he sat in would have made me look like a toddler if I were in his place.

In contrast, I was perched on an ivory-coloured chaise longue, feeling tiny in a room built for someone three times my size. I was still too thin, as my clavicle and ribs stuck out gratuitously. The clothes I had been given did little to hide my condition, a simple yet expensive mahogany tunic and trousers, but even though they'd been made to my measurements, they wrinkled around my knees and elbows. A perfect juxtaposition the two of us made: strength and weakness.

"If you... if you speak with unmated men alone," Hades snarled as he spoke, before managing to reign his wolf in through what looked like a tremendous act of will, "it will cause my Wolf to fight for dominance. I explain this to you assuming that you wouldn't know."

I didn't. Or, I kind of did... but his world was not an easy one to understand. "I'm sorry. This relationship is... new to me."

Hades nodded at my apology, looked away and then straight at me again. "When did you first know we were mates?" He asked, a question I had long anticipated.

"It was when you came to... liberate the humans in my home pack. I was in the town centre when you paraded through after the... skirmish. I shouldn't have been able to smell anything, but when I caught sight of you I followed as if in a trance. You gave a speech in our town hall. I was in the crowd, towards the back. When you walked out... that's when I knew. You came quite close to me and I felt a fiery sensation over my back as my tattoo appeared."

I'd practised telling my story a few times in my head these last few days. Hades said nothing as I spoke, his face was devoid of expression apart from a furrowing of his eyebrows at certain points.

"What did you do next?"

"I went home and told my parents." I left out that I cried for three days straight, alongside my mum. My father just went around looking shocked and ashen. They managed to pull themselves together before I could. "Three weeks later I heard about job openings here in Ardel to encourage mixing and goodwill. We decided for me to move here." Again, I left out that it was mainly my parents who begged me to go.

Hades's face showed no clear reaction to my sparse telling of events, although he asked a few more questions probing me to share the particulars of how I got my job at the palace, accommodation, people who came with me and when withdrawal symptoms began.

"A few months after moving here I began to get more breathless than I usually do, increased fatigue and I lost my appetite," I admitted, "Edna put that down as linked to my disability."

When I spoke freely of my limp, this caused Hades's eyes to hone in on my posture. I was sat with my back against the back of the seat, hands clasped in my lap to prevent fiddling and my legs didn't quite reach the floor; this showcased the small difference in length between my left and right legs, my hip raised higher on the left.

"Your medical history says you were simply born with a shorter leg..." my mate paused, unsure of how to phrase what he wanted to say, "is, is that true?"

I furrowed my brow, "What do you mean?"

"I mean... you weren't ever... hurt as a child?" Hades eyes flashed yellow for a second and the intensity of his gaze increased as he studied me for a reaction.

"Oh," my eyes widened in surprise, "No! Not at all. I was just one of those rare people to be born with an abnormality. My left leg is shorter than my right, always has been. If there was anything that could have been done when I was born then there just wasn't enough medical care available."

"So, no Wolfperson abused you directly then," Hades continued, as if struggling to let go of an idea that had built up in his head.

"No, absolutely not. The Wolffolk had as little to do with us as they could. Sure, they'd push around a few of the older guys if they got a bit rowdy and our facilities were not nearly as... plush as theirs. But, our lives were just kept very simple. No luxuries, but no egregious acts of cruelty either." I explained carefully. Although, forced implants could probably be counted as egregious I thought after I'd spoken.

My childhood had its difficulties that was for certain and I 'd only come to really see it once I had lived in the luxury of Ardel. But, my family hadn't grown up in cages. We had our house, although no central heating or indoor plumbing. Electricity only worked at certain times during the week. But, we'd been happy me and my parents. We had made the best of it all.

"My parents... do you think... they could be allowed to come visit?" My voice got quiet, I knew I was in no position to make demands.

Staring at me quietly, Hades seemed to be mulling my request over carefully, "I assumed you'd want to see them and I have invited your parents to come live in Royal accommodation. They are packing up their home and are meant to arrive by escort in two weeks' time."

Swallowing a few times and squinting my eyes to stop tears from welling over, guilt reared its head again. Guilt that I had expected the worse of these people; of this man. I used to tell myself that he'd never let me see my parents due to jealousy.

"Thank-you" I spoke earnestly, wanting him to know how much I appreciated this.

Hades said nothing for a moment, weighing up my reaction carefully, "You're welcome." A small smile graced the corner of his lips, perhaps slightly wistful over something I couldn't interpret.

"I think that will do for today," Hades uncrossed his legs and placed his hands on his knees, "I've been thinking Rose..."

I jumped at the sound of him saying my name, ignoring the ticklish feeling I felt in my stomach.

"You probably have questions just as much as I do... so, tomorrow I thought we could go sit in the gardens and talk them over." Hades's tone was quite plain in asking this, and his words felt as if they'd been scripted.

A chance to ask about the mate bond from an actual Wolfman... my own mate nonetheless. "Erm... yes, I'd, I'd like that," I stammered, feeling incredibly shy at the prospect.

"Good," Hades's gently slapped his knees and got up. He moved across the room, turning back at the door to say, "I'm looking forward to it." Whether this was true or not, I couldn't tell. He was still keeping his expression carefully guarded. I gave a small smile in response, after which he left the room.

Not long after, one of the nurses came bustling in to give me dinner. Throughout the whole meal, I kept thinking of how my mate hadn't asked about why I'd chosen not to have my implant taken out. Or, anything about my time working directly for him as his maid. Maybe he will bring it up tomorrow? I didn't understand his silence; he doesn't strike me as a man to shy away from conflict, for he wouldn't be such a good King otherwise. Whatever his reasons for not pressing me, however, I was grateful.

But, as I lay in bed alone later, just before Hades typically joined me for the night. A cold sweat developed down my back as I dwelled on the events of the day; I remembered Hades half-transformed and monstrous in the doorway, caught between his beast and humanity. Barely able to control himself and possibly about to kill a friend. At the time I felt no fear, the bond repressing the flight reflex and encouraging me instead to comfort him. This is what scared me the most... my reactions were not my own. Furthermore, he was not as in control of himself as I had previously thought... what would happen if a man spoke to me in the middle of a state dinner?

Still unable to keep myself awake for long, I fell asleep feeling troubled and unsure of the future.