Chapter 1

I was joking around with Gwen as we both walked together to meet our mates for lunch. Gwen was a sweet girl, funny and absolutely charming. She was one of my best mates, so was her sentinel-to-be Lance. They were always together, but sometimes Gwen would come and meet me before lunch so we could spend a few semi-private minutes making fun of Lance.

Gwen and Lance weren't bonded yet, but they were promised to each other. Sentinels and guides needed to come of age before they were able to bond. Which, according to Lance, would be 17, but he would wait until whenever Gwen was ready to bond, that promise was as a good as a bond until then. Everyone respected it. Still, bond or not, anyone could see how well they fit together. Like most other pairs, it's like they belonged together. It was a beautiful thing to see really, and sometimes I would find myself jealous of their relationship.

We were only a few feet away when Lance, bounded towards us, "Merlin! Gwen!" he grinned, "Have you two heard yet?"

"Heard what?" Gwen asked, reaching for Lance's hand.

Lance paused and slowly took her hand, carefully threading his fingers through hers. Then he looked up and grinned again, "About the prime! He's coming here!"

"Prime?" I asked perplexed, "What's that?"

Lance rolled his eyes at me, "The prime alpha sentinel!"

I frowned at him and looked at Gwen, "Your sentinel is being his stupid self again, Gwen, please help."

Gwen grinned at me, "The prime alpha is our leader of sorts."

"Leader? Like your king or something?" I frowned deeper, furrowing my brows. I've actually heard of the prime before, but there really wasn't any information on them. I wasn't entirely sure how the hierarchy worked for sentinels, but I knew the prime alpha was the top of the food chain and that's where all my information on the subject ended. I'd never really had a chance to ask before.

"Come on. Let's have a seat and I'll try to explain it to you." I followed Gwen to our little group, taking a seat right across from her, "Alright, then, carry on," I told her.

"The prime helps create laws and in general manage all the sentinels in the country," she started, "That's what makes them so different, they are respected by everyone and they're much stronger than the average sentinel. If he commands us, our instincts force us to obey, generally, without question."

"Without question?" Mordred asked, "What if he sends you off to your death?" Mordred was another good friend, he was a wizard and a two years younger than me. I was lucky with him, we'd met early on when my mother and father moved me here in 8th grade. My first real mate here in Albion.

"Our instincts would protect us from that kind of thing," Lance answered.

I felt my stomach churning, "Ok. So why would the prime be coming here?"

Gwen turned to look at Lance then, arching her brow at him, and he answered quickly, "The prime is of age now. To become the true prime, he has to be bonded, but apparently he's not had any luck finding his guide. He's coming to visit the guide schools in the area and decided to visit our school too. See how things are for us in our little corner of the world. So they've announced a school dance, so that we can all meet him. This Friday!"

"Are we allowed to come, too?" Morgana said, plopping down beside me and leaning her head on my shoulder. Morgana was a wizard and Mordred's girlfriend, but they've recently had a row and Morgana's been doing everything possible to get back at him, including trying to make him jealous. Mordred knows me well enough though. Knows there's no possible way anything would happen between us and ignores it. That just makes her try harder though.

"Everyone is," Lance answered, "Gwaine said that the we're supposed to arrive an hour early, so we could all meet him separately and after that everyone else can come."

"What makes him think he'll find his guide here?" I asked, doing everything possible to remain calm. There was no way I was going to that dance.

"Dunno. Probably his father sending him all over the place, who cares though?" Lance said, energy just bursting through him, "We're going to actually meet the prime!"

"Well, you'll have to tell me all about it," I started, "I don't think I'll be able to come. Where's Gwaine anyway?"

Nimueh tackled me from behind, "What do you mean you're not going? I already told everyone you were my date!"

"Gwaine's with Elyan. They signed up to be part of the dance committee when they found out who's coming. They're having some meeting. I think Elyan talked Gwaine into it. You know how they are," Lance answered, ignoring her.

I sighed loudly. Nimueh was a mute, she was also my first and so far only girlfriend, we only lasted six months and that was two years ago, but sometimes I feel like she hasn't entirely been able to let that go.

"I'm not going," I answered her sternly.

Nimueh let me go and sat by me, "Why?"

"Yeah, why can't you go, Merlin?" Gwen asked.

"Family thing," I waved her off, "Don't think I'll be able to get out of it."

"Not even to meet the prime alpha?" Lance asked seemingly confused.

I shrugged at him, "He's not our prime alpha, don't think they'll care too much whether I meet him or not."

"Bugger all," he said shaking his head at me, "Try and talk them into it, yeah? It's still a dance, it won't be as much fun without you."

Nimueh pouted at me, "If you don't go, who'll be my date?"

"You can always take Cenred up on his offer," Gwen suggested.

I made a face, "He's a smarmy git."

"Which is why you should come," Nimueh insisted, "So I don't have to go with him."

"He's not that bad," Gwen frowned at me, "Always nice to me."

Lance tensed at that, "No, Merlin is right. He's a git, don't go anywhere near 'em, Gwen."

"Are you going to go with me, Morgana, or are you going to stay angry?" Mordred asked.

"Only if you apologize," Morgana answered.

"I wasn't wrong," he rebutted.

"Apologize or I'll go with Cenred," Morgana threatened, "I heard he knows how to have a good time."

Mordred groaned loudly, "I'm so sorry for being so bloody right all the time."

"Now I'm definitely going with Cenred," Morgana huffed getting up.

Mordred got up right after and pulled her into his arms, "Stop being stubborn, Morgana. I'm sorry, ok?"

Morgana gave Mordred a crooked smiled before she hugged him, "OK. I'll go with you."

"Still the drama queen as ever, Morgana," I laughed, "You're so whipped, mate."

Mordred let go of her and punched me in the arm, "Sod you, Merlin!"

Gwen, Nimueh, and Lance joined me in my laughter as we all got up to go back to class.

As I left their company, I wasn't too worried. So he was coming to our school for one night, so what? He'd be gone by Monday and so would his overly enhanced senses. He won't ever know I even exist.