Wolves' Queen (The Royal Heir Series Book 1)

by Jen L. Grey

  “Are you trying to seduce me like a human?” Mates usually didn’t hold back and typically cemented their bond as soon as possible.

  “Oh, hell, no.” He tugged me into his arms again and winked. “I’m seducing you as a wolf taking care of his mate. Putting her needs above my own.”

  “Even though I fought it at first, I’m so damn glad we’re finally together.” It all seemed so pointless now.

  “Let’s start over again, no secrets from here on out.” He let go of my arm and headed over to the passenger door. “Your chariot awaits.”

  “For you to be such an alpha, I never expected the word chariot to pass through those lips.” He was being exactly what I needed right now. Destiny did have a way of making things work.

  “If you tell anyone, I’ll be forced to tell them about your secret.” He raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips.

  My heart felt like it fell to my stomach. “What?” Here I was thinking we might be able to work through everything, and then he threatened me like that.

  “Hey.” His forehead lined with worry, and he stepped closer, taking my hand. “I was kidding. I was only going to say that I’d tell them you liked me.”

  Of course. I was being ridiculous. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I’m a little on edge.”

  “No, after what you just told me, I shouldn’t have joked about it.” He took my hand and led me to the car. “Come on. Let’s go and relax.”

  Everything seemed perfect right then. Not only had I found my mate, but he was being supportive in every way. But for some reason, this added to my hysteria. The other shoe had to drop at some point.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The next morning, I woke up with a goofy grin on my face. I glanced at the clock and realized it was only ten minutes until my alarm would go off. The previous night with Mason had been more than I could’ve ever imagined. He was kind, attentive, and made sure that I was okay before he left. It was hard to believe how we treated each other before then.

  I’d told him that we needed to tell my guardians everything we’d learned. Even though I’d messed up, I couldn’t keep things from them, especially when I might have inadvertently put them in danger.

  It was time to come clean and determine a plan of action. I jumped out of bed and began searching my closet for an outfit to wear. I’d never worried about how I dressed before, but that had all changed. I pulled out a hunter green romper that hit right above my knees and had short, puffy sleeves. I remembered Kassie buying it for me and telling me, “You never know when things like this will come in handy.” I’d never thought she’d be right, but here I was, being proved wrong yet again.

  Not wasting any more time, I jumped in the shower and quickly washed my hair and bathed. I got out, threw on my outfit, and blew my hair dry. It wasn’t long before I was back in my room, sitting at my makeup counter, putting on my makeup. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d put so much thought into my appearance.

  I opted for a medium pink color for my lips and a neutral brown for my eyeshadow. As soon as I finished, the doorbell rang.

  He was a few minutes early, and my heart fluttered. I bounded down the stairs, but Kassie was already at the door, staring at Mason.

  “Why are you here so early?” Kassie rubbed her eyes. “Elena’s not going to be happy.”

  Mona stepped from the kitchen into the hallway. “I bet she isn’t even…” Her words cut off as she rounded the stairway and saw me. “...awake.”

  “What?” Kassie turned around and stopped. “Well, okay then. Who are you?” She opened the door the rest of the way, allowing Mason to enter.

  “Oh, stop it.” I jumped down the rest of the stairs, and Mason reached for me and pulled me into his arms.

  “Sorry I’m here early.” He whispered into my hair.

  “Don’t be.” I snuggled into him. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “What the hell is going on?” Kassie’s voice was loud but not from anger, more from hysteria. “She’s got to be sick.”

  Mason’s chest shook. “At least I know no other guy has picked you up before.”

  I pushed back and smacked him on the chest. “Behave.”

  “I’m not sure if I’m happy about this.” Kassie’s mouth was slightly open as she turned to Mona.

  “We told her to make friends.” Mona shrugged and glanced back at me. “Obviously, she has.”

  “Friends, not men.” Kassie shook her head and glared at him. “And he’s a wolf at that.”

  “You can’t blame her.” Mona winked at him. “He’s certainly eye-candy.”

  “Ew. Stop.” Yes, he was hot as hell, but I didn’t want to hear someone that was essentially my mother say that.

  “I’ve got eyes, and blood runs through these veins.” She laughed. “I call ‘em like I see them.”

  “Even though she’s tempting as hell, I only have eyes for you.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek.

  I figured we’d better rein it in before it got too awkward for me. “Do you guys have some time to talk to us?”

  “It’s Sunday, and neither of us is working, so yeah.” Kassie’s shoulders tensed, but she nodded her head.

  “Let’s go to the kitchen. I need some coffee.” Shifter or not, I needed caffeine.

  “Sounds like a plan.” Mona waved Kassie on.

  As the two of them walked away, Mason slid his hand into mine and gently turned me toward him. “I had an idea last night that I want to run past you.”

  “Let’s go into the kitchen and talk about it with them.” I nodded my head toward the kitchen door. “I want them to know everything. They deserve it.”

  “Okay.” He nodded his head and followed me into the room.

  Mona was at the Keurig machine, making a cup of coffee. “Do you want some coffee?”

  “Do I breathe oxygen?” She knew me better than that.

  “That wasn’t really directed at you.” She shook her head and grinned. “I already know your answer, I was asking…”

  “Mason.” He winked at her. “And if you don’t mind, I’d love some.”

  “So what are your intentions with Elena?” Kassie tapped her finger on the table. “We know nothing about you.”

  I loved the bluntness of these two women so much. “Well, first off, he’s my mate.”

  “What?” Mona paused and glanced back and forth between him and me. “And you’re just telling us now.”

  “To be honest, we tried to fight it.” Now that we were laying it all on the line with my guardians, I couldn’t help but feel overcome with guilt.

  “Are you serious?” Kassie shook her head and groaned. “That’s the worst thing you can do. It forces the bond that way.”

  “Yeah, we kind of learned that the hard way.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us?” Mona grabbed the two cups of coffee she just made and brought them over to Mason and me. “We could’ve helped.”

  “I know, I just…” I glanced toward the window, not sure how to proceed.

  “She was trying to protect all of us.” Mason sat at the table, bringing our coffees with him, and patted the seat next to him for me to sit. “She doesn’t want to worry you two.”

  “But that’s our job.” Kassie pointed at herself. “I want to worry so we don’t find out weeks later that a vampire is stalking you at work.”

  “Stalking? Work?” Mason turned his head in my direction and narrowed his eyes. “I thought we were finally on the same page.”

  “I referenced it at the witch’s place.” Okay, I wanted to take it back. Doing this was stupid, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it now. “One of them keeps showing up at my work.”

  “Where do you work?” Mason’s shoulders tensed.

  “The Flying Monkey.” I hated the name. “It’s just ten minutes from campus.”

  “Yeah, I know where it is.” Mason frowned and crossed his arms. “What do you do there?”

  “I work in the kitchen.” I sat next to him and
placed my hand on his arm. “Mainly wash dishes, but I have to help with serving food when we get busy. That’s how he saw me.”

  “Great, when do you work again?”

  “Next weekend.” Brad had told me I better have my hot ass back. I figured I could leave that part out of the conversation.

  “We made her take this weekend off.” Kassie frowned as she picked up her cup of coffee. “Honestly, I’m not thrilled about her going back.”

  “It’s not like it’ll matter.” Mona sighed as she plopped into the seat between Kassie and Mason. “They know her scent. They can hunt her down.”

  “Not only that, but one of them was at Mason’s …” Oh, shit. I probably shouldn’t tell them that, “…gym last night. He recognized me while Mason was changing out of his sweaty clothes.”

  The corners of Mason’s lips tilted downward. “Yeah, I wish I would've killed the bastard.”

  “Me too,” Kassie grumbled. “But I bet humans are around where you’re working out, so that wouldn’t go over well.”

  “In my defense, I still thought she was human too.” Mason leaned back in his seat and took my hand. “And I’m worried that she hasn’t shifted. That’s not normal.”

  “We’ve told her the same thing.” Mona ran her fingertip along the rim of her coffee cup. “But we do understand her reasons.”

  They weren’t sure how much he knew. “Last night, he learned everything after he had to take me to the witch’s shop.”

  “You went there again?” Pure rage flamed in Kassie’s eyes. “After all this shit with the vampires?”

  “They already identified me.” The last thing I needed was to be lectured. I was well aware of the risks. They still treated me like a child at times. “So I don’t think a few more drops will make that big of a difference.”

  “I understand you’re mad,” Mason’s tone turned cold, “but don’t talk to her like that. You didn’t see the state she was in last night.”

  He reminded me of the Mason I first met at that moment. He was protecting me. “My wolf forced her way to the forefront, and I almost shifted. I’m not ready to face him.” I hadn’t meant for it to happen, but my voice cracked.

  “Don’t be so hard on her.” Mona dropped her hand back onto the table. “She’s had so much thrown her way.”

  “You’re right.” Kassie cut her eyes over at Mason. “Both of you.”

  “I think I might have found a way she can shift, and the king won’t know.” He turned his body in my direction. “When your dad said he could feel all his people, was it every wolf here or only the alphas?”

  “I don’t remember.” I had been so young it was hard to retain everything.

  “It was alphas.” Kassie nodded her head in my direction. “He told me the same thing, and that’s what you are. You were born to rule as Queen.”

  “But what if she submitted.” Mason squeezed my hand.

  “No way. She can’t.” Kassie slammed her hand on the table. “She’s not made for that.”

  “No, I want to do it.” That was the perfect plan. “Would it be to your father?”

  “Yeah, or even one of these ladies.” He pointed to Mona and Kassie. “As long as you aren’t the alpha, your uncle would never know.”

  “And I could be a true shifter after all this time.” I glanced over to Mona. “What do you think?”

  “Will you be happy?” Her eyes met mine.

  “Are you seriously entertaining this idea?” Kassie’s mouth dropped. “She wasn’t made for that.”

  “Maybe fate intervened when my parents were killed.” It hurt to say all this stuff, but what if it was all true? “Have you thought of that? Maybe Darren was always supposed to be King, and I was supposed to figure out a new way of life for myself.”

  “You don’t really believe that, do you?” Kassie’s forehead furrowed, and she leaned toward to me.

  That was a fair question. “The thing is none of you are worth losing for the crown. I’d rather submit and be happy instead of always living in fear. I want to be with my mate and not worry that my uncle will appear and take everyone that I love and care about away.”

  “And this will make you happy?” Mona took a deep breath as she stared at me intently

  I glanced at Mason and then them. “Yes, I believe so.”

  “She’ll have to go to your father.” Kassie shook her head and bit on her bottom lip. “I can’t have her submit to me.”

  “So, I’m the only one stuck with your grouchy ass?” Mona arched an eyebrow and winked.

  “Yeah, our pack will remain small with the two of us.” Kassie pointed at her. “But good try.”

  That was one of the points of contention right after we lost my parents. Neither one of them wanted to be alpha, but eventually, they had to choose since being rogue was taking a toll on them.

  “Will your father accept me?” He was my only hope at this point.

  “Of course he will.” Mason grinned and leaned toward me. “When I told him I found my mate last night, he was so happy. And when he asked if that meant I’d be leaving and I told him I didn’t think so, he asked if you’d want to join our pack.”

  Maybe this could work out after all.

  “I told him I would talk to you about it.” His voice turned warm. “If you don’t like it with my pack, we can go find another one to join together.”

  If I wasn’t already falling for him, I would have at that moment. “That sounds fair.” Granted, I’d never want to make him leave his pack. “So how does this work? Submitting?”

  “As long as you recognize him as your alpha, you’ll be good.” He reached out to touch my cheek. “Do not feel pressured to do this. I was only trying to help solve a potential problem. If you don’t want to do this, we can cut off this conversation now, and it’ll never be mentioned again.”

  “No, I think it’s the best solution.” It made sense. “And you two won’t feel obligated to watch over me anymore.”

  “Oh, baby girl.” Mona lifted a hand in the air. “This has never been about obligation. We love you as our own child.”

  “She’s right.” Kassie rubbed the back of her neck. “We aren’t going anywhere, and besides, who else is going to keep you out of trouble?”

  “I love you two.” My eyes began to burn as I fought back the tears. “I don’t know what I’d ever have done without you.”

  “Well, stop this right now.” Mona pointed her finger at Kassie then me. “This sounds like a goodbye conversation and makes me feel uncomfortable.”

  “When will your dad be ready to accept me?” I never thought this would’ve been possible. I figured I’d have to stay human and fight my wolf my entire life. Now, I was going to be able to embrace her and be what my parents were.

  “He said to bring you over when you make your decision.” Mason leaned his head against mine. “Are you sure? Do you want some time to think about it? This is a huge decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly.”

  “Yes, this gives me the future I never thought I’d be able to have.” I could finally be with him and have no worries. “I’m ready now.”

  “You do need to be careful.” Mona took a sip of coffee. “You need to let your wolf out a little to be able to submit to him before you fully shift. Otherwise, you’ll be a bleep on Darren’s radar.”

  “That’s a good point.” Kassie nodded. “Make sure it’s in place before completing the transition.”

  “Got it.” I probably wouldn’t have thought of that. “Are you ready?” I turned my head in Mason’s direction.

  “Yeah, we can go now.” His green eyes seemed to glow. “We can grab breakfast on the way there.”

  “Okay, I’ll be back later.” Even if I committed to this pack, I couldn’t leave them high and dry here.

  “Good, the four of us need to figure out what we’re going to do about the vampire situation.” Kassie stood and took in a deep breath. “I’m assuming he won’t be going away any time soon,” as she gestured to Mason.<
br />
  “Nope, you’ll probably get sick of me.” Mason winked at her.

  “Don’t try to be coy.” She shook her finger at him. “But we all know what’s going to happen as soon as she shifts.”

  I wanted to disappear right now. Was she bringing up us completing the mate-bond before we even had breakfast? “Okay, let’s get going.”

  Mason chuckled. “We’ll be back soon.”

  “You just better take care of her.” Mona crossed her legs and leaned back in the chair. “Because we know how to kill a wolf and get away with it.”

  That was the thing about Mona. She was all sweet and nice, but times like these were when she acted just as badass as Kassie.

  I hurried over and gave each one a hug and made my way to the front door. I was going to take back my life this morning. Nothing could go wrong unless fate intervened.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Mason stopped at a Burger King and got us some croissants on the way to his house. The food sat hard on my stomach, but it was due to my nerves. To be honest, I’d fought my wolf so long I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I allowed her to be unleashed.

  “Are you okay?” Mason reached over and placed his hand on my thigh.

  The strong electric currents sparked to life and warmed the skin under his palm. “I’m just not quite sure what to expect.”

  “I promise it’s not bad at all.” He glanced at me as his forehead lined with worry. “You don’t have to do this. I won’t be mad or upset or anything.”

  “No, I want to.” There was no hesitation in my mind. “I’m just not sure what to expect. That’s all.”

  “You’re sure?” His thumb began massaging my leg.

  “Yes, I promise. No hesitation at all.” It meant we could be together the way our bond wanted us to be.

  “Thank God.” His shoulders sagged a little. “I meant what I said, but it’d be nice to be around you and not fight everything inside me.”

  “I know.” I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I get it.”

  We were heading in the same direction as the lake from last night. “I take it that you didn’t stumble upon the lake.”