by Jen L. Grey
"This is a sight for sore eyes." The fact that Cecelia was able to be up and moving had to be a very good sign.
She glanced over her shoulder at me and paused. "Oh, Queen Elena." She quickly placed the silverware on the plate and lowered her head. "I didn't realize you were joining us. I would've waited."
"I didn't know I was going to join you two either." I glanced over to find the skillet was still holding eggs. Right next to it on the counter, there was a pile of bacon wrapped in aluminum foil on a plate. "I can eat somewhere else." The last thing I wanted was to impose on them.
"No, please." Matteo pulled out the chair next to him. "It'd be our honor."
Locked in at this point, I moved and sat in the seat next to him. "I'm so glad to see you up, Cecelia. Are you hurting at all?"
"No. Thank you so much for helping me." Cecelia began eating again, and the room grew quiet.
I still wasn't comfortable around people outside my tight-knit circle, but it was something that I'd have to get over. "No problem at all. It's my duty and my honor to do so."
"At first, I thought you were going to be similar to your uncle." Matteo took a large bite of bacon and paused for a few seconds. "He'd come to eat at my restaurant but never wanted to talk with me or meet any members of the pack. You've surprised me in the last twenty-four hours more times than I can count on one hand."
"I can only hope in good ways." There was no telling at this point. Hell, for all I knew, he could hate me. The vampire had threatened me and hurt Cecelia in the process. If that was the case, I wouldn't blame Matteo for it.
"They are all very good ways." He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "We'll be on our way after breakfast and get out of your hair."
"You are welcome to stay as long as you like." I didn't want them to think I was pushing them out.
"I believe you, and for that I want to say what I said to your father all those many years ago." He averted his eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm honored that you're our queen. Both my pack and I pledge our lives to you."
And just like that, another one hundred connections tugged at my heart. That was when I realized why I had to meet all of the packs. Connecting to all of them was the only way to know how they were faring. "And I promise to protect and provide for you, whatever you should need." I just hoped I was able to follow through on that promise.
Chapter Eleven
The next few days for me was like walking on eggshells. Everything seemed all right with the two packs I could feel, but I was just waiting for the vampire prince's next move. It felt like we were playing chess except lives were at stake. He’d obviously had hundreds of years to practice his strategy, and all I'd had was maybe two months. Even so, I still had to move on and do the best that I could with the knowledge I had on hand.
"Let's go out and get some brunch somewhere." Ella entered my office and plopped on the couch beside me. "I'm bored."
"Why don't you go bug Louis or Alec?" Whenever those two were near, there was so much tension in the room that it felt suffocating.
"They're both being weird." Ella rolled her eyes and nodded. "It's like they're trying to size each other up, which is stupid. Louis is a prince for God's sake."
"And you have no clue why, huh?" She couldn't be that clueless. Ella was fun, loyal, gorgeous, and not afraid to speak her mind. She was the complete package, so I was not surprised that both of them were interested in her.
"No, I mean Alec and I have always been tight." She flipped her hair over her shoulder and placed her head on the armrest, looking up at me. "And Louis is ..." She trailed off.
"Is what?" Maybe we were finally getting somewhere.
"Annoying, hot, and cultured." She frowned at her words. "It's like I want to slap and kiss him at the same time."
Now that was a feeling I was all too familiar with. It summed up Mason’s and my relationship at first, very well. "Is he your mate?"
"What?" She jerked back and sat straight up again. "No, he couldn't be. He's the prince of Europe. That would be crazy."
Interesting. Now she was deflecting. I'd been suspicious of them being mates even though Mason proclaimed I was crazy. "How does his being a prince have any bearing on whether he’s your mate?"
"Because it wouldn't make sense." Ella wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "He's sophisticated, has that damn sexy accent, and loves to pick on me. And I’m just from Columbia, South Carolina. A princess or someone like you would be a better fit."
"Those don't sound like bad things. And where is my confident friend? You could kick a princess’s ass." The more we talked, the more certain I was that he was her mate. I was happy for her but also sad. If this proved true and they were mates, she'd be spending a lot of time far away from us.
"Well ..." She bobbed her head around and acted like a fish out of water. "They are good things. Obviously."
"Okay." I had planted the seed. Now it was up to her what to do with it. "So ... I'm thinking I need to go visit the Chicago packs next."
"That makes sense." She nodded and shook her head as if she was clearing her thoughts. "Hit all the major cities first."
"Yeah, each major city has at least two if not three main alphas." If I could get their official support, it would help support my new reign extremely well.
"I've never been to Chicago before, and honestly, I’m dying to try their pizza." She licked her lips. "I heard it's amazing."
"From what I can remember, that is true." It was one of the last places we'd visited before my parents’ deaths.
"When is Alec heading back home?" Ella picked at the ends of her hair.
"Not sure." He and Mason ran out to shoot some guns or something like that. I was glad that Mason was finally able to get some time with his friend. He needed time to be himself and realize that it was okay. He still appeared to struggle on what being the king meant to him and figuring out whether he really wanted it. He was getting better, but he had to realize that these were his people as much as mine and that fate chose him for the same destiny.
"Has he mentioned his coronation again?" Ella narrowed her eyes at me as if she was searching for something in my face.
"No. I don't want to push it." I wanted him to be the one who took the initiative. "He has to come to the decision in his own time."
"From my memory, you weren't able to ease into it. It was kind of like a slam dunk." She leaned over the armrest, staring straight into my eyes. "And have you thought that maybe he isn't sure you want him to go through with it?"
"But I've told him ..."
"Told him but maybe not shown him." Ella pursed her lips. "I've known him my whole life. He's strong but only for the ones we love. He tries to do what he thinks is best for them."
“But …”
She lifted a hand in front of her face, signifying that I shouldn’t interrupt her. "He isn't going to say he wants a coronation again because he's afraid you might not want him to be king. Just plan it."
"I don't want to pressure him." What she was saying did make sense. He'd said he wanted it. Though I'd been afraid it was only because he thought I wanted him to want it. "So essentially, we are both afraid that the other wants something different?"
"Yup, and each of you is thinking you're doing what the other wants." Ella snorted. "You two are messed up. Thank God you have me."
"So, I plan it and say this is when it is?" I didn't want to put that kind of pressure on him though. "What if you're wrong?"
"If Mason didn't want to be standing next to you, do you think he'd be here?" Ella arched her eyebrow and snorted. "My brother wants to do right by you and support our people. He is meant to be the leader beside you."
"All right then." I picked up the calendar and was a little surprised at how close the holidays were. It was mid-November with Thanksgiving coming fast. "Well, other than me realizing I need to get my holiday shopping started, let's plan on his coronation for January first. He can ring in the New Year as King.
"Actually, I love it." Ella s
miled. "How do we get it locked in?"
"I'll inform Tommy in the morning." I had to at least inform Mason first and not let him get completely caught off guard.
"How would you feel heading to Chicago sometime tomorrow? Thanksgiving is next week, and I'd like to get this meeting out of the way before the holidays." It would be best to get the visit over with so I could focus on Mason’s and my first Christmas together.
"I'm down, and I'll be sure to pack my eating clothes." Ella nodded and grinned. "Thank God we have a fast metabolism."
Her appetite was insatiable. Even more so than mine. "Yeah, you'd be screwed otherwise."
"Don't hate." She stuck her tongue out at me and jumped to her feet. "I'm going to go start packing. I don't have many food-baby clothes that look nice. Most of them are elastic pants."
The sad thing was that she wasn't kidding. They were atrocious. "All right, let me call the three Chicago heads so we can get everything planned accordingly."
"Hey, what have you been up to?" Mason entered my office and pulled me into his arms. "I wish you could've gone with us."
"First off." I stepped up onto my tiptoes and kissed his lips. "You needed some alone time with your best friend. And secondly, I've gotten a lot accomplished."
"Oh, really?" He glanced at my computer that was still up and running. "What's that?"
"Actually, those are some rings I was looking at for us." There was a thick, solid white gold band that had a crown imprinted on it and a matching woman's ring that held a diamond in the center of the same crown design. My heart sped up a little. "As long as you're sure you're okay with it."
His lips turned up in a slow smile. "What's it for?"
"Your coronation that I was hoping to schedule for January first." Even though I tried to keep my heart calm, it still began to flutter. "Part of it is a claiming ceremony. It's sort of a merging of our wedding and the king’s coronation at the same time."
"A wedding?" A huge-ass grin lit up his entire face.
"Yeah." At least I did remember some things. My mom had told me the story of her and Dad's ceremony so many times. "Since I'm the heir by blood, we cement our bond and promise ourselves to each other. Then, we perform a claiming ceremony in front of an audience. Once that's done, we crown you as King, and then you make the promise to our people."
"Okay." His green eyes glowed, and he picked me up in his arms and swung me around. "Is there anything special I need to do?" He glanced at my ring finger. “Shit, I need to get you an engagement ring.”
"No, it’s fine. All I need is for you to show up." Ella had been right. He did want this, but both of us were being super careful, trying to take the other's feelings into consideration.
"I'll be there with bells on." He lowered his lips to mine again, deepening our kiss. I love you so damn much.
I love you too.
His fingers dug into my sides, making me moan. His touch did all kinds of magic to me, and I melted into him.
A low growl emanated from his throat as he nipped at my lips. His hands slid underneath my shirt and inside the hem of my yoga pants.
"Dear God." Alec's exasperated voice interrupted our moment. "I thought it'd be safe. We'd only been back for like two minutes."
"That was your first mistake." Ella appeared right next to him in the doorway. "It doesn't take them long at all to get like this. And honestly, if you had waited thirty minutes, you would probably still get the same thing." She gagged. "He's my brother. I shouldn't have to see these things. I’ve pondered stabbing my eyes out."
Mason removed his hands from under my clothes but kept them against my waist. He leaned down for another long, lingering kiss. After a moment, he pulled away. "You're the weirdo that watches."
"He does have a point there." Alec pointed at us.
Not wanting to let this go but needing to for my dignity, I was forced to take a step back. We’d better finish this later.
Oh, hell yeah, we will. He winked at me.
"Even when they aren't talking out loud, they're still gross." Alec frowned. "Well, he is … not her."
"Watch it." Mason cut his eyes right at his best friend.
"What? She's hot." Alec lifted a hand in the air. "Probably one of the finest girls I've ever seen."
"First off, not a girl." Mason shook his head. "That makes me sound sick. And secondly, paws off. She's mine."
"Well, of course she is." Alec dropped his hands and sighed. "Still, I can't help admiring her from time to time."
"I can't blame you for that." Mason shrugged his shoulders and took my hand.
"Now that I don't feel awkward at all, are you two game for going to Chicago for a couple of days? We’d head out tomorrow." I needed this conversation to go in a different direction and fast. "I thought it'd be good to meet the three leaders there before the holidays next week."
"Sounds good." He glanced at Alec.
"Yup, I'm down for travel. Hell, two cities in a week is a new norm, and I'm liking it." Alec gave a thumbs up. "But when we get back, I’ll probably need to get home."
"By the way, Mom called earlier. She wanted to know if the three of us along with Kassie and Mona wanted to come spend Thanksgiving with them." Ella bounced on the heels of her feet. "It's the first time she'll be able to cook for us in years."
"What about Louis?" I couldn't help but mention him. It helped that it was a valid question.
"Oh yeah, he can come too." She waved it off, but I could see a spark in her eyes.
They were definitely mates.
"Why does he have to come?" Alec frowned and motioned to the house around him. "He has this whole freaking house to himself in the middle of NYC. I mean, he probably would rather stay here and find some single ladies or go back to his kingdom or something."
“Single ladies?” Ella almost choked on the words but then laughed awkwardly.
How long has Alec had the hots for your sister? I had noticed a slight hint back at home, but my world kind of imploded, and we hadn’t been around him much recently. The past few days had been eye-opening.
For longer than I care to think about. Mason grumbled even in my head. I threatened him four years ago to leave her alone.
Well, I hate to tell you this, but I don't think you have that to worry about any longer. "He's welcome to do whatever he wants to do."
"What's the big deal?" Mason shrugged and narrowed his eyes at his friend. "The more the merrier, right?"
"Yeah, yeah." Alec stepped out the door and shook his head. "Obviously, you two need to be alone. I'm going to go get something to eat downstairs."
"You should be packing," Ella yelled at him. "And make sure you pack your bigger sized pants. We'll be eating lots of pizza."
And this right here was the happiest I'd been in a long time.
As we walked into the Waldorf Astoria in Chicago, Ella's mouth dropped open. "This place is so nice."
That was an understatement. This place was one of the nicest hotels in the area and one of the few that Kassie and Mona would allow us to stay in. From my dad's past visits here, they'd learned about all the nooks and crannies of the place. It was also managed by one of the alphas here in the city. We were meeting him in a few hours at a local French restaurant.
"Oh, Queen Elena." The hostess's hands trembled a little. "You're here right on time." The girl had to be only a couple of years older than me, and her smell of vanilla and musk told me she was a shifter.
“Hi.” I forced a smile. I still wasn’t used to all of this. "Yes, we're here to check in. Conrad said he had a suite big enough for the seven of us."
"Yes." She began typing away into the computer. "It'll be on the top floor. It's not one we rent out except for special people like you." She printed out some keys and handed them to me. "There is a king-size bed in the master bedroom with a huge master shower, a room with two queen beds, a single bed room, and a pull-out sofa couch. It should fit all of your party comfortably."
"That's perfect." I took the
keys from her and smiled. "I appreciate all of your help."
"And if any of you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask." She grinned and chewed on her bottom lip.
I nodded my head, and soon we were in the elevator. Kassie took a key, scanned it, and hit floor twenty-six.
When we stepped out of the elevator, I was reminded of my place back in NYC, but it wasn’t quite as opulent. There was a fireplace in the middle of the room with a flat-screen television right above it. The walls were a light gray, and there were three large couches that surrounded the area. Right beside it was a huge open bar with the liquor completely stocked.
"Holy shit." Alec shook his head as he took in the entire room. "I may have to travel with you all from here on out."
"Please, no," Louis grumbled loud enough for all of us to hear.
"Aren't you just visiting?" Alec turned to face the prince. “It shouldn’t even faze you since you won’t be around for much longer.”
Since the plane ride, they both had been at each other's throats more. Something must have triggered it, but I had no clue what. Alec was athletic, but not muscular like both Mason and Louis were built. He might be biting off more than he could chew, and now wasn't the time for them to be having a pissing match. We were on official business here. "You both are. Let's not forget that and the real reason why we're here." Can you talk to Alec and figure out what the hell is going on? I'll talk to your sister.
On it. Mason punched Alec in the arm. "Let's go grab us a drink."
"Now, that sounds like a plan." However, Alec threw one last scowl in Louis's direction.
"Your and Mason's room is down that way." Mona pointed to a door past the bar.
"Great. Ella?" I pointed at Mason's bags that he had just put down to take Alec for drinks. "Do you mind grabbing your brother's things and helping me out?"
"Isn't that what men are supposed to do?" Ella placed a hand on her hip and arched an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I can help you." Louis went to grab the bags, but I stepped in his way. "I really need to talk to her alone for a second." I stared him directly in the eyes, waiting for him to challenge me.