“I know, and it will take some time for her to trust him. He has been alone too long and has done some really stupid things. But I can see that he loves her. They will both come around, it might take time, but it will happen.”
“Hopefully before they kill each other,” Carla said.
“Hopefully,” Emerson agreed, as Edric walked back in with a bottle of honey and a spoon.
“Put some honey on your finger and put it in her mouth,” Emerson told Edric.
“I don’t know Emerson, she might try to bite it off,” he grimaced.
“You’ll just have to trust that she doesn’t, won’t you,” Emerson grinned.
Edric did as he was told, and put some honey on his finger, and prying open Jillian’s mouth, he stuck his finger in.
Jillian tasted something sweet in her mouth and sucked on it, earning a slight moan from Edric. It was turning him on, having her suck on his finger. He just hoped the other’s hadn’t heard it, but then he saw Emerson smirk before he looked away.
Jillian opened her eyes as Edric removed his finger.
“I have cookies,” Warren said, walking in, waving a package.
“Good, hand them over. I should have had you grab some apple juice too,” Emerson said.
“I’ll go get some,” he replied, handing Edric the cookies and leaving again.
“Jillian, we need you to eat some sugar, you need your blood sugar raised,” Emerson told her.
She nodded weakly.
“Good girl. You had us worried. We don’t like seeing our Luna unconscious.”
“I am no Luna,” she whispered.
“You are, and will always be,” Carla told her.
“I will never make a good Luna. I don’t like your Alpha.”
Edric flinched.
“True, he is a jerk sometimes, but you will learn to like him. He can be nice,” Carla assured her.
“But what of the other girls?” Jillian asked, ignoring Edric.
“They are gone,” Warren said, handing over some apple juice. “I kicked them out personally, every single one of them. They are headed home to their families or to another pack.”
“Promise?”
“I promise, and they will never come back, you have our word. Right, Alpha?” Warren said.
“Yes, they are gone for good, Luna,” he assured her, watching her drink her juice and nibble on a cookie. Her color was returning, which he was grateful for.
“Promise me you will eat from now on?” Emerson asked Jillian.
“I’ll try,” she whispered, still ignoring Edric, making his wolf whimper again.
“Can I talk to my Luna?” Edric asked his friends.
They nodded. Carla looked at Jillian and then at Edric. “Both of you, be nice, I will bring you some food in a minute,” she added, and then left the room.
Edric sat down on the bed, taking Jillian’s hand. She didn’t flinch, or pull away for which he was grateful, even though she wanted too. She was still extremely ticked off at him.
“Jillian,” he began, “I am sorry for the things I have said, and more importantly for the things I have done. I know I keep promising things, and then not doing what I promised. I am so sorry. I understand if you don’t want to forgive me, I deserve it, and I deserved it when you hit me,” he said, rubbing his jaw.
She was watching him as he talked to her. He did looked truly repentant, but was he? It was Warren who finally threw out the garbage, not him.
“I’m not sure you are sorry. You keep apologizing, and then I keep finding you doing something stupid. I don’t think I believe you.”
“I know, and I don’t blame you,” he sighed. “I kept saying I would get rid of those girls and I didn’t. I truly apologize for my stupidity. But as Warren said, they are gone. Can you give me a second chance?” he asked her, watching her, hoping to see any hint of forgiveness. Her blue eyes were sparkling with tears as she said, “One month.”
“What?” Edric asked.
“One month. I give you one month to get your crap together. To forget about those girls, and to keep your promises. If I am supposed to be your Luna, I don’t want to hear about or see any more sluts in here, and no more arguing. If we can stand each other after that, I will stay. If not, I will leave and go home, understood?”
“It’s a deal.” He then leaned down to her. “Can we seal it with a kiss?”
“How about a handshake.”
He nodded, disappointed. “Fine,” he said, shaking her hand. “But if we are to work things out, then I have to be allowed to kiss you. Others will wonder why I am not kissing my Luna if they see us together.”
“But no one is in here to witness that, are they.”
He frowned. “True, but what if someone does walk in, and I am shaking your hand, how would that look? Me, shaking the hand of my Luna.”
She sighed. “Fine,” acting like it was torture, when she was actually looking forward to his kiss.
He chuckled. “You know you don’t have to make this so hard on yourself.”
“You know, you don’t have to look so smug,” she retaliated.
He leaned down and kissed her softly.
She sighed, trying not to enjoy it too much. He pulled away, a smirk on his face, knowing she had enjoyed the kiss just as much as he had.
“See, that wasn’t so bad now, was it?” he asked her.
“It could have been worse,” she shrugged.
“You are something else Luna,” he chuckled, kissed her cheek, and stood. “Eat, and rest today. Tomorrow, I would like for you to go back to school.”
“You do?”
“Of course. I decided it would be good for you. You need to finish your senior year, and if you would like you may take college classes online.”
“I can’t afford college.”
“I will pay for it. Is there something that interests you?”
“Yes, but it’s not worth pursuing.”
“Why not?”
“Because my dad said so.”
“What is it, Jillian?”
“Nothing,” she shrugged.
“I will get it out of you later,” he promised.
“If you think so.”
“I know so. Don’t dare me, I have my ways of making you talk.”
She just rolled her eyes at him. “Whatever.”
“Jillian,” he warned. “I am your Alpha and mate. It is not respectful to roll your eyes at me.”
She sighed. “Fine, would you rather I flip you off?”
His wolf chuckled. “She is a feisty one.”
“No, and don’t even think of it,” he said, and shaking his head he left the room. She was tempted to flip him off as he left, but she was worried he would turn around and see her doing it.
Carla brought in a plate of food then and pulled out a lap tray from under the bed and placed it on Jillian’s lap. “Eat, you need it.”
“Thanks, Carla.”
“Anytime, Luna.”
“Edric wants me to go back to school tomorrow.”
“Good. You can’t stay locked in the palace forever.”
“Do I have clothes to wear?”
“Your clothes are in your closet. Your parents didn’t have time to drop them off. Edric found them another digging site right out of town. So Edric had two of the pack go get your clothes.”
“What about my pictures and things?”
“Everything is in boxes in your closet, you can sort through them if you want.”
“Thanks again, Carla.”
“Anytime. Now eat up and change. If you need anything, just holler, okay?”
Jillian nodded and watched as Carla walked out, closing the door behind her. She could see them becoming friends. Even though she had only known her for a day, she was beginning to like her.
Chapter 6
Excited to go through her things, Jillian ate her lunch quickly, then headed to the closet to change. She spied all of her clothes hanging up and grabbed a hoodie and some
jeans, slipped them on, and then sat on the floor and opened a box. She smiled as she saw her photos. She would start by hanging those up. She was grateful that someone had brought her everything from her room, and from the storage closet in the hallway of her house. Her parents must have told the men where her things were. She picked up the box and put it onto her bed, then looked around at the walls. There were a few paintings hanging up, but she didn’t like them. They were boring modern ones. She hated modern art, it was so ugly. She stood on the bed and pulled a picture down, and then the other one on the east wall. She set them next to the door, to send somewhere. She then opened the French doors that led to a balcony. She walked out and smiled. The balcony sat above a large lawn and a very large swimming pool. She would have to try that out later. She stepped back into her room, leaving the doors open, and walked to the phone. She picked it up, not sure what number to dial. So she hit 0. It rang once. “Yes Luna?” came the response. It was Emerson.
“Um, Emerson, I wanted to hang up some pictures. Can I get some command strips or some thumb tacks or something?”
“I’ll see what we have and bring you some, okay?”
“Thanks, Emerson.”
“No problem Luna,” he said and hung up.
She laid her pictures out on her bed. She had several of her and her parents from their many trips around the world. She had to admit even though she had been in several different schools she had a background that no one else had. She had been to Egypt, Germany, Mexico, Australia, Russia, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, and to Africa. She still needed to add South America to her list. She still wanted to go there, and to France of course. France was such a romantic place, at least she had heard it was. She picked up each picture, smiling at the memories.
A knock sounded on her door.
“Come in,” Jillian said.
Her door opened and Emerson walked in with a couple of packages. “I found both thumb tacks and command strips,” he said, handing them to her, and then stopped when he saw all of her photos.
“Wow. You have been to a lot of places, even the Kremlin?”
“I have.”
“How was it? I have always wanted to visit.”
“Go during the middle of summer. The winters are killer,” she grinned.
“So I have heard.” He then picked up each photo. “These are amazing Jillian. I am so jealous of you right now,” he chuckled.
“My parents took me everywhere. I haven’t been to South America, and I would like to go there. I also would like to go to Paris.”
“Paris is overrated,” he said, picking up a photo she had taken in the Virgin Islands. She was standing in front of a sailboat, a look of pure bliss on her face.
“You look happy here,” he stated.
“Why is Paris overrated?” Jillian asked, ignoring his statement.
“Oh, I have been there a few times on pack business. It is too touristy. On every street corner is someone selling some type of souvenir, and you should see the base of the Eiffel Tower. You can barely make it through there without someone trying to sell you some trinket.”
“I would still like to go though, just to say I have.”
“Perhaps next time I go on pack business, you can go with me.”
“I would like that, a lot,” she grinned, hugging him.
“Ahem, why are you hugging my husband?” Carla asked as she walked into the room, but she was smiling.
“He said he would take me to Paris next time he went,” Jillian grinned.
“It is boring,” Carla shrugged. “Too many tourists.”
“That’s what Emerson said, but I still want to go.”
“Look at these photos love,” Emerson said, pointing at the pictures lined up on the bed.
“Wow,” Carla said, picking some of them up. “You have been everywhere.”
“Not quite,” Jillian said, as she pulled out some command strips and put them on the back of the photos.
Emerson and Carla watched her. “You look happier,” Carla said.
“I am trying to be positive about my situation,” Jillian shrugged.
“What was your favorite place to visit?” Emerson asked as he helped her with the strips, and then the three began to hang photos around the room. Jillian made sure they were in chronological order as they hung them.
“My favorite place,” Jillian mused as she hung up the photos. “I would have to say Germany. It is incredibly beautiful. I loved touring the castles, and the Christmas Markets were really awesome.”
“I would love to go to Germany,” Carla sighed, “especially when they have Oktoberfest.”
“It’s boring,” Jillian said.
“Only because you can’t drink,” Carla grinned at her.
“True, but I don’t ever want to drink either. That stuff smells nasty.”
“I heard German beer is incredible though,” Carla said, “and besides, werewolves don’t get drunk.”
“That is so not fair,” Jillian said.
“You are not getting drunk around me young lady,” Edric teased as he walked in the door. “What’s going on? I’ve been trying to mind link you, Emerson.”
“Oh, sorry Alpha. We got talking about Jillian’s travels. She has traveled all over the world, and we were a bit jealous.”
He pointed to all of the photos on the wall. Edric stepped up and admired them. He had to admit, his Luna looked very happy in the photos, and he suddenly felt awful for ripping her from her parents.
“What did you need me for Alpha?” Emerson asked him.
“Oh, it can wait.” He then looked at Jillian. “How would you like to have your parents over for dinner?”
Her eyes got teary. “Really?”
“Really.”
“I would love that, thank you Alpha,” she said and hugged him.
He hugged her back, loving how she felt in his arms. She seemed a bit happier after they had talked, and he was glad.
She stepped back and smiled up at him. “Can I call them?”
“Of course,” he smiled down at her.
Emerson and Carla glanced at each other. “I think someone is falling for her mate.” Carla thought.
“He loves her, that is for sure, you can see it in his face.”
“I will finish hanging these for you,” Emerson told Jillian. She wondered what they had said to each other, as she watched them. They looked smug.
“Thanks, Emerson,” she smiled and walking to the phone, she picked it up and dialed her parent's number.
Her mother answered. “Hello?”
“Hi, mom.”
“Oh, sweetheart, how are you? Is that man treating you well? Last time we talked you were very unhappy.”
“I am okay mom. Edric and I have to come to an agreement.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. I told him I would give him a month, and if I don’t like it here after that time, I get to come home.”
“Good for you,” her mom said.
“So, I was wondering if you and dad would like to come to dinner here tonight.”
“He will allow it?”
“Yes, mom.”
“I would like that. That way we can see how he is treating you.”
Jillian was watching Edric as she talked. He could hear her conversation and winked at her, making her blush.
“He is treating me better, mom.”
“Good, and sure, we can come. We are at a new dig site. The King was nice enough to compensate us for the last dig and set us up with this one. Tell him thank you,” she added.
“I will.”
“What time do you want us for dinner?”
“How about seven? Then you can go home and clean up.”
“Okay dear, see you then.”
Jillian hung up, a smile on her face. She then walked up to Edric and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”
“You are welcome,” he smiled softly at her.
“All done,” Emerson told her, standing back to admire their han
diwork. He had finished hanging the photos.
“I like it, it makes me feel more at home,” Jillian said.
She then walked into her closet and pulled out another box. Edric followed her and carried it to the bed for her. She opened it and pulled out some paintings.
“These are incredible,” Edric said, helping her pull them out. “Who painted these?”
“I did,” she whispered.
He looked at her in surprise. “You did? These are truly amazing,” he whispered.
Emerson and Carla stepped forward to look at the paintings. They were of places she had been. But she had never thought herself good enough to show them to anyone. She had wanted to hang one or two in her room though.
“You have quite a talent,” Emerson grinned. “These are of the places you have visited?”
“Yes,” she blushed. “It was something to do when my parents were at work, and I was home after school with nothing to do. I didn’t think they were that good, but I wanted to hang a few of them up in my room.”
“Choose which ones you want in here,” Edric told her. “I would like to hang a few in my room if that is okay, and some in the dining hall.”
“You would?” Jillian blushed again.
“Of course. You have some talent Luna,” he smiled softly at her. “Perhaps you should pursue a degree in art.”
“My parents told me not too, that it was pointless, I would never make any money painting, and that I would be broke my entire life.”
“They were wrong,” Edric stated. “You are an incredible artist, and I could see you making a lot of money, not that you need too. Would you like me to buy you some paints and canvas so you can paint while you are here?”
“I would like that, but I don’t have anywhere to paint,” she said, pointing to the room.
“I have just the spot,” he said, “follow me.”
She nodded and walked out to the hall with him. Emerson and Carla grinned at each other.
Jillian followed Edric to the back door and he opened it. “I don’t have on shoes,” she told him.
“No problem,” he stated, and swept her into his arms.
She gasped and he chuckled. “I can go get some shoes you know,” she protested.
The Alpha King and his Human Mate Page 6