Eden’s POV
He just told his dad that he would be mine and now he is threatening to reject me. Seriously? “Daddy tell him.” He can’t leave. He is the person I'm meant to be with. The goddess had matched us. He then gives me a rant about how I am ungrateful, disrespectful, and spoiled. He just called me spoiled. Charisma, cowering in my mind.
I can’t believe it. I am a goddam princess and there he stands in his burned t-shirt talking to me, like I am nothing. What makes it worse is my dad sitting there snickering, like he agrees with him.
As dad runs after him, I stand there thinking about how I have changed over the years. How, when I was younger, I had to be cared for by aunt Evie, who was our nanny. So that mom could work. How we had no family. I thought about how the only thing I ever wanted was my mom’s time. Anything else did not bother me. She worked so hard to give us anything.
But when we got our dads, everything changed. I think about how often I am told the word ‘no’. How few friends I have? I always put it down to my aura, but maybe it is because I am a spoiled brat and no one wants to spend time with me.
Oh my gosh, I am. They have spoiled me so much, my handsome, perfect man, my mate may reject me. I can’t lose him. I won’t lose him.
Dad came back into the room after speaking to him. He shook his head at me. “He has agreed to stay until morning.”
“Is he right? Am I really that bad?” I asked him, praying he says no.
“Sweetheart, you are my only daughter and we have all treated you like the princess you are. That young man has a strong work ethic. He will make a great king, a man the people can respect. But he will walk away from you. He is not interested in titles, he is interested in the person.”
“That is not what I asked?”
“Okay, we have spoiled you too much. You are so spoiled your fated mate doesn’t want to know you. How is that?”
“Harsh.” I said to him. Harsh, but true. “Daddy, am I going to lose him?”
“Better do something quick then, Eden. It’s up to you.”
Tomorrow? That is not much time. But I have to try. I remember how sad mom was before she found my dads. She never knew that we saw how unhappy she was. But we could see it in her eyes. She was lonely. I don’t want to be like that. I nearly started crying at the thought of losing him, but that is exactly part of the problem. Me acting like a baby because I am not getting my own way.
I never expected this when I woke up this morning. Then again, I never expected that my mate would walk straight into my home this morning either.
There is lots going on in the sitting room when I get there. I know I should pay attention. But there is only one thing on my mind.
Grandma says my name and I look at her and smile. I love my grandma. Then I go back to staring at him. “We had better not lose him because you’re a brat.” Charisma tells me. “I will work hard.” I promise her.
“Burn me.” I heard Nix say to Lottie. “Hell no!” I shouted out. She can’t burn my man. I know what she did to that council man. It’s then I realized there were only a few of us in the room. I was talking things over with Charisma and they must have all left. “Yes.” he said, ignoring me and saying something to Lottie.
She touches Nix. She touches my mate, while the man from the car crash stands next to her. What the hell is she doing to Nix? I want to go over and drag her off him. But he asked her to do it. Stop freaking out Eden, I tell myself. I smell burned hair. When she removes her hands, Nix isn’t hurt. Thank you, goddess, I say to myself.
“More?” Lottie asks. “No,” I cry out again. I don’t want him hurt. “Yes.” he says. I sit on my hands, trying to respect his wishes. It is hard. But then I see, I see what my friend Lottie is capable of when her eyes and hair glow. I am in shock. I know my eyes glow when I used my royal gift with my brothers.
I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it. She is just as special as I am and I have been treating her like a new toy. Today has been an eye opener “Nix, I think your fire proof.” She says to him, laughing. “Thank the goddess, he isn’t injured.” I said to Charisma this time. It would break my heart if he was. This confirms it. I can’t let him go. He is too important to me.
Afterwards, Nix follows Lottie as she goes to walk out of the room.. He looks at me, “Nix, can I talk to you?” He sighs, but he comes and sits on the floor in front of me. “I heard what you said. I mean, I truly listened to what you said.” I take a breath. “It will be hard, but if you give me a chance, I will change. I knelt on the floor in front of him. You are my mate, my equal. I should be a reflection of who you are. I can’t change my past behavior, but I can change how I act in the future.” I took another deep breath. “It will be hard, the second hardest thing I have ever done. But I will try.” I held back my tears. “Please don’t reject me.”
“What was the hardest thing? If this is the second hardest?”
“Watching my mom die.” That’s when the tears escape. I remember that day. We all do. We don’t talk about it anymore, but we all remember. As I cry, I feel his arms around me, comforting me. “Please give me a chance, I beg him.”
“Eden, I don’t know. You are pretty bad.”
“Please, Nix, please. A few days. I promise you’ll see. I can change.” Charisma whimpering in my head.
“Sorry Eden, I am leaving in the morning. Show me something by then and I will consider staying.” He says before walking out of the room. My heart breaks and I cry and cry. I cry myself to sleep right there on the floor.
My aching back wakes me up at some point. It’s early and I am angry. No, I am determined. He has given me till morning to show him something new. Well, it’s morning and I will show him something new.
I am the goddam Wolf Princess and my mate will not reject me. He has another thing coming if he thinks he can reject me without a fight. The spoiled Princess has left the building.
Lottie’s POV I was aware I had to give my statement to the individual the Wolf Council were sending. I'm doing this because I promised General Rayne that I would. I'm doing this for him because he showed his support for me on that day when he practically saved my life. But I blew my top when I saw who the Wolf Council sent. I couldn’t believe our paths had crossed. Both me and Ember wanted him to suffer as he made our sister suffer. If Nix hadn’t restrained me, I would have seriously injured him. I don’t even know Nix that well, but I know from what Caren has told me, he is a good man. I’m not sure how he kept me under control. The memories of Caren being upset just flooded my brain. I knew I wasn’t calm. But I also knew I wasn’t livid. I was somewhere in between. But that means I wasn’t in control. Then, when Nix walked through that door, Ember screamed, “Mate.” I forgot everything, the pain, the anger. Maddox was there, alive and breathing. He was there. “Mate,” I said as
Eden’s POV I feel like a car has run me over. My whole-body aches after sleeping on the floor. “What can I do to make him stay?” I ask my wolf, Charisma. She knows me best. Nix’s wolf is her mate and he will reject her too. “He told you why he was going to reject you. You either don’t listen, or you listen but only hear what you want to hear?” I think about what Nix said. He called me ungrateful, disrespectful, and spoiled. How do I fix any of that in a few hours? I get to my feet. It must be early. The sun is just rising. “Breakfast. I could make breakfast for the family.” I suggested to her. “Great idea, except you can’t cook.” Charisma informs me. “How hard can it be?” I told her. “I can get the chef to help me.” She snickers. I do not know why. I could be an amazing cook. I just haven’t been given the opportunity to try. I walk to the kitchen and the entire staff stops and stares at me. Most of them move away from me. I guess they can’t stand my aura. I am used to t
Nix’s POV Reed was sacred for his life, so when they offered us rooms, Reed asked if we could share. I will let him know Lottie no longer wants to kill him. If I didn’t know him so well, I think I would have as well. Caren is amazing. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought Reed was her mate. Strangely, now, when I think of Caren now, I don’t feel that sense of wanting her. I guess it’s because I know I have a mate and who she is. “Diesel, we have a mate?” I told him. “No, we don’t. You haven’t marked her.” He says stubbornly. “It’s complicated.” I tell him. “I don’t care. I want my mate.” He yells this time, giving me a slight headache just behind my eyes. I was so happy when I found her and that kiss. That kiss was just out of this world. I know a lot of that was the mate bond, but as a man, I knew I couldn’t be Eden’s mate. She is just awful. The way she speaks to her parents, how she acts. The way she treated me like an object. My life would be miserable and I woul
Reed’s POV With Nix out of our bedroom, I finally had time to use the bathroom. I was getting desperate when I had to bang on the door. He had been in there for hours. I really want to encourage him to give Eden a chance. I admit I made a mistake. I made a huge mistake. I never expected to have a second chance mate. Not when she found out I was her mate and went with David, regardless. I didn’t need or want either of them in my life. They deserved each other. I told no one about her, not even Ethan. He didn’t need to know. I had a chance of a better life when I went to work for the council. Or one at least where I wasn’t the upcoming Alpha’s loser brother, who he frequently knocked about. I made my way to the dining hall and found Nix. He is sitting there chewing slowly. He has a smile on his face in between bites. “What’s happened?” I asked him. “Nothing, just taking a friend’s advice.” No idea what he is talking. I know I am taking Lottie’s statement this morning, so ea
Eden’s POV I follow Ara as we drop her son Brandon off at kindergarten. Then we walk, we walk and walk some more. My feet are throbbing. “How much further is it?” I whine at her. “Another mile,” she says. I groaned. “Nobody asked you to come. It would be faster for me to shift and I could run there. But I don’t know how the horses will react to you. Or how your wolf will react to them!” she says, glaring at me. “I know, but I wanted to show Nix that I am not useless.” “Well, you tagged on to the wrong person if you wanted a simple day.” She says. “Brandon has one parent who has to provide for him.” “You were the only person who could withstand my aura.” I said sadly. She doesn’t realize how few friends I have. “But you get support from the kingdom.” I say, trying to make her life sound less awful. “They put a roof over our heads, but I have to provide a service for that. But what about the food in our bellies? Or the clothes on our backs? Do you see me driving a car? No.” S
Nix’s POV Reed was encouraging me to give the mate bond a chance. I wasn’t sure. When I saw her and she had that blue hair net on, I knew he was right. Suppressing a smile was hard, but I did my best. As I ate my breakfast, I couldn’t get the image out of my mind. I knew she wouldn’t be able to change overnight; she has had a lifetime of being spoiled. But at least she is trying. I told her I was leaving in the morning. It appears she actually listened to me and tried to change before I left. I want to know how she does at the stables. There are only a few jobs to do there. Each one will be hard work. When Reed goes to speak to Lottie, I get the directions to the stables. It’s quite far, but I enjoy the walk. It is beautiful here. So much greenery. When I got there, I saw Eden’s friend, Ara. She is riding a horse with a bow in her hand, shooting at a target. She releases the arrow and actually hits the target. Not dead center, but not far off. I have never seen anyone do t
Dawson’s POV “Mom, slow down. Everything will be ready for the eclipse. Just have a bit of faith.” “Faith? Faith? Are you serious? We will be in the presence of a goddess and you want me to have faith?” She didn’t even give us a chance to explain what me and Nathan had been making plans all morning. No, she just came barging into our study, making demands. I look at Nathan, who snickers at me. She walks over to him and slaps him around the head. Which makes me snicker. She then walks over to me and slaps me on the head. “If everything is not perfect for her. I will...I will. I don’t know what I will do, but it won’t be pleasant.” I can tell that she is stressed out. She has been on a rampage since she got up this morning, or so the staff have informed me. Do this, do that. I can’t remember the last time I saw her like this. That is how rare it is that she gets this stressed. “Nathan, phone the Wolf Council and tell them what is going on. We need our best to protect the p
Council Member Charles POV “Is he dead yet?” I asked, staring at Mike, the head of the council’s protection detail. “Not that we know of Charles. We can only assume he is. From what I was told, the wolves were making a meal out of him. We can’t get through the witch’s barrier to check.” “He had better be dead or he could inform someone of our plans. It is too early.” I thought for a moment. “Make sure someone guards the house at all times.” “Yes sir, I will inform Richards to increase the number of wolves patrolling the area.” I have never had any dealings with Edward’s brother. I have never wanted too either. The way Edward had always talked about him made him sound like he was hellbent on revenge. So, when Edward told us he wanted revenge on the Royals for killing his daughter, I knew that would fit in with our agenda. Richard risking his life to exact his revenge is an opportunity not to be missed. Killing her would weaken her mates. That fits in with our plans and tha