Chapter 1
UNEDITED
"Meeting you was like listening to a song for the first time and knowing it would be my favorite."
Delighted squeals could be heard in every direction surrounding the flower filled meadow.
The small girl who had just celebrated her 6th birthday was roaming the picturesque field behind her small cottage. A canvas in one hand and a small bottle of purple paint in the other. A worn down wooden paint brush was tucked behind her ear holding back her brown, curly locks, that were so hard to tame.
Looking in every direction her big hazel eyes scanned each and every flower. Pink, yellow and green filled her eyes, they were all indeed beautiful but she wasn't interested in them. The small clearing of purple bellflowers had always been her favorite.
Skipping happily through the thick growth of flowers, weeds and grass she made her way over to the spot she visits everyday. Rounding the tree, her bright wooden shed came into view. The said shed was a Christmas present the year before. Her daddy built it as a miniature art studio, and she hardly ever left it.
It wasn't much, but to her it was the most beautiful place in the world. The shed was covered in bright white paint with little dark green shutters on either side of the windows. The door was smothered with rainbow hand prints made by her mom, dad and older brothers. Right in the center her hands proudly stained the once brown wood a deep blue.
The inside was covered with paintings, her canvases haphazardly littering the walls and tables. Her older brothers have always teased her, saying there was more paint on her clothes than there were on the canvases, but momma would always back her up.
She loved this place, she could be anybody she wanted to be, or go anywhere she wanted to go. The only limit being how much paint she had dabbed onto her brush.
If it was up to her the small girl would stay in her safe haven all day. Painting masterpieces and coming up with little stories of how they came to be.
With a happy sigh she got to work on her next masterpiece.
The young prince ran through the woods in his human form, his wolf growling inside his head, trying to calm his anger caused by the Alpha, his father.
He didn't understand why he had to train all day, every day. All the other nine year olds got to play video games and make friends. But not him, for as long as he could remember his father has trained him from dawn to dusk.
Huffing out a breath of exhaustion, the young prince walked towards a meadow filled with flowers. Instantly a delicious scent hit him, it smelled perfect like honey and mangoes. Following the sent instantly he came across a small little shed that was brightly colored.
Stopping at the door he slowly cracked it open, only to stumble upon a pretty little girl dressed in a white dress.
Pink covered the small apron she was wearing and her hair was a curly mess but he determined that he loved it. The small shack was covered in paintings, and he instantly wanted to know the story behind every single one.
He wasn't stupid he knew the small artistic beauty in the corner was his mate. He had been in the pack library hiding from his father one day, when a bright red book caught his attention.
It was all about mates, what they were to people and how precious they were. Ever since that day he wanted to meet his mate. Maybe it was the lack of attention he was getting from his father, or the nonexistent mother figure in his life but whatever the reason was he craved to have that little bit of security.
He craved someone to love like an addict craves their addiction. He was constantly wanting.
Not being able to wait anymore he took a small step into the shack but as soon as his foot touched the old floor boards the wood creaked and the small girl shot up from the little stool she was sitting on.
Alert and frightened she whipped around and threw her paint brush right at his head, causing the pointed wooden handle to scratch his eye.
The boy groaned in pain while she gasped in guilt, realizing the older boy wasn't going to do anything malicious.
"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you! But then again why would you be here in the first place. Don't you know you have to knock before entering someone's room!"
The smaller girl continued to ramble on about the principles of knocking, but the older boy wasn't paying attention. The only thing he could think was 'she's so perfect.'
Her hair was flying all over her face while she talked about his ill manners. She had a dash of freckles littering her nose and cheeks but her eyes were what drew him in, they were the perfect hazel color.
Finally noticing the older boy wasn't listening to a word she said the smaller girl sighed and decided to introduce herself.
"I'm Aurora, but you can call me Rory if you want." She stuck her paint covered hand out and he instantly took it, wanting to feel the sparks the mate book talked about.
"I'm Jaxon, but you can call me whatever you want." Rory looked up at Jax and grinned. "We're going to best friends."
So that's how Jaxon found himself. Sitting beside his smaller mate watching intently as she painted and listening to her ramble about the stories behind each and every painting, and thinking 'She can call me her friend, but I'll be so much more.'
