I had hoped that giving Lily time would be what she needed to finally decide that she wanted me for her mate. However, nearly a year after she’s turned 18, she still hasn’t come to me. I’ve given her space and I’ve heard through the sprite grapevine that she’s been dating, or some semblance of dating. I know she hasn’t done anything with the wolves she’s dating, I would have felt it if she did.
My father, after realizing that Lily wasn’t going to immediately accept me as her mate, decided that he would throw parties for me every month. Every eligible member of the fae monarchy has been in attendance. The fae monarchy is similar to that of the humans. So, every Marchioness, every Countess, every Viscountess, and every Baroness has been in attendance. While royal parties are not unusual, these are obviously meant to give me a chance to choose a different mate.
My father is ready to pass the torch of the fae monarchy to me. He wants to spend time with his Queen, my step-mother, Anastasia. She is an Alpha werewolf by birth, and my father’s second chance mate. While my father is 267 years old, he has been King for over 200 years. He’s ready to live his life without the demands of being a King. Since he met Anastasia, his need to quit the monarchy has only grown stronger. He wants to enjoy his time with his mate. While elves live much longer lives than werewolves, his lifespan will not outlast hers. Anastasia’s life will extend because she is mated to my father, and at thirty-nine years old, she still has a long life ahead of her. But my father waited a very long time for her, and he wants to enjoy the time they have left.
I’ve also taken up my seat at the supernatural council. The council was created by the Guardians nearly two decades ago. Once the supernatural community realized that werewolf Guardians were stronger than any other supernatural creature, the supernaturals began asking them to preside over issues among their kind. The aptly named, Custos Regni, or Guardians of the Realm as the vampires termed them, created the council which includes a minimum of two Guardians, a werewolf from another pack, a vampire and a fae. I’m currently in the rotation as the next fae King. Once my time is up, I’ll elect another fae to sit in to represent the fae on the council.
So, between my duties on the council and my father’s monthly parties, I’ve been keeping myself busy, trying to not think about what Lily is doing or who she might be choosing to spend her time with, since it’s obviously not me.
Tonight, I’m standing in our grand ballroom. The lights strung up by our sprites are glinting against the glass walls of the building, making everything seem more magical. It’s beautiful and I wish I could enjoy it, but my heart isn’t here, it’s in Canyon Ridge.
“Prince Aolis.” I turn to see Lorelai, a Marchioness, next in the line to rule her parents’ Duchy. Of all those who have attended these gatherings, Lorelai is the only one that has given me pause. Her people love her. They would follow her anywhere. That kind of dedication and love is good to have when you’re a Queen.
“My Lady Lorelai. How are you this evening?”
“I am well, my Prince. I couldn’t help noticing that you looked a bit melancholy. I hope that the party isn’t what is causing that sad look on your face?” She asks me.
I shouldn’t be showing my sadness. My people are good people and deserve to have their Prince in full attendance at these parties. I push my thoughts of Lily out of my head.
“On the contrary, the sprites have done a wonderful job, as usual, wouldn’t you agree?” I say, looking around the room.
“Indeed. The sprites that live in Araphyra do love to decorate with lights. It makes the glass walls shimmer with warmth.”
I turn and look at her, giving her my full attention. Lorelai is a beautiful elf. She has long, straight brown hair, unlike Lily’s whose hair has big curls like her mother. Lorelai’s hair falls to bottom and it’s thick, rich, and dark brown, like the color of walnuts.
“Would you give me the honor of a dance, My Lady?”
“I would be honored, My Prince.” She says and gently puts her hand into my outstretched one.
Lorelai and I dance around the room. She is an excellent dancer, as one would expect from a Marchioness and she is able to maintain a conversation that is light, but not frivolous. Unlike some other women I’ve danced with who can do nothing but giggle the entire dance and I have to work to make sure they don’t step on my toes, Lorelai is perfect.
I look at her more intently. There really is nothing about her that wouldn’t make a perfect Queen, except for one key point. My heart belongs to another.
I push those thoughts away and begin to focus on enjoying my evening. I spend my time dancing and chatting with the single female fae interested in being the next Queen. In truth, there is only one, Lorelai, that I would choose as a mate and my future Queen.
Because of that, I spend more time with her than I have in the past.
“Would you walk with me in the garden, Lady Lorelai?” I ask her.
“I would be honored, Prince Aolis.”
The gardens are lush here in Araphyra, even in the winter. My father’s love of Anastasia is the reason. As royalty and more importantly, as the King, his love for his mate propagates in the gardens surrounding our lands.
“I always love how beautiful your gardens are here. So much so since Queen Anastasia came to live here.” She says.
I chuckle. “Did you ever hear the story of when they met? They were in Safe Haven Pack and the gardens and forest surrounding their land became the most lush it has ever been.”
She laughs prettily. “I don’t imagine that is something that the werewolves see very often.”
“It was a first for them.” I say looking over the beauty of the gardens.
“May I ask you a bold question, My Prince?” She asks me.
I turn and look at her. “You want to know how long I will wait for my mate to decide she wants me?” I guess.
“Yes. It’s been a year. Well, it’s been nearly 20 years. I was just wondering, how long you were willing to wait for her.”
I look out over the gardens, jealousy of what my father has trying to take root before I pull it back. I have to remember he lost one mate and lived his life alone for hundreds of years. I’ve only been waiting for my mate for nineteen years.
“I don’t know, Lady Lorelai. I truly don’t know.”
Aolis has given me what I asked for, time and space. I didn’t really ask for the space, but he’s given it to me anyway. I’ve barely seen him over the past year and when I do, he’s been very standoffish. So, while I see him looking at me, he doesn’t approach me like he used to. Everyone is irritated with me, including my brothers.“You can’t keep doing this to him, Lily. Make a decision. You either want him or you don’t. It’s not that hard.” Cohen says to me one day after Aolis leaves our pack.“It’s not that easy.” I try to explain.“It is that easy, Lily. You’re the one making it hard. I have a lot of respect for Aolis, and I hate that it’s my sister who is treating him like this. If it was anyone else, I’d tell him to reject you and move on.” My brother Clint says to me.“How can you say that?” I ask him, appalled that he would even think that.“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were toying with him. It’s cruel, Lily, and I would never have expected you to be cruel to your mate."
I couldn’t sleep at all last night, worried that I had finally pushed Aolis too far. When the sun finally starts to rise, I’ve made my decision. Aolis is mine. Even if my feelings for him are brotherly, I can’t lose him. In the year I’ve been ‘dating’, spending time with interested werewolves, none of them have come close to my feelings for Aolis. I need him in my life and that’s enough for me to finally make my decision.‘It’s about time.’ Hera grumbles in my mind. ‘I was afraid I was going to have to start killing Alphas to get my point across. I won’t accept anyone but our mate.’‘I know. I’ve taken too long to get with the program, but I’m here now.’‘Good. Let’s go get our mate.’I call Leana. If I’m going to Araphyra, I know my parents won’t want me going alone. My best friend is the only person I want with me.“Lily, it’s so early, is everything okay?” She doesn’t sound like I’ve woken her. We’re both used to being up early for morning training. I don’t waste any time getting t
When I arrive in Shadow Falls, Leana is ready to go. She’s already said goodbye to everyone, so we head out quickly. We run for a couple of hours before we stop, taking a break. We shift and stop to eat, knowing we’re getting close to another pack’s land. We’ll have to stop and announce ourselves before we cross their borders. “Tell me what happened.” Lea says as we start to eat. So, I tell her the story. “Hopefully we won’t run into any problems. A week isn’t that long to get there, especially knowing that we’ll have to stop periodically to cross pack lines and there’s King Urien’s land we’ll have to pass through. Plus, if we have time, I’d like to take a quick stop at the council and let them know I’ll be taking up my seat soon. But only if we have time.” When we’re done eating, we head to the pack’s border, waiting for their patrol to come to us. When they do, we introduce ourselves and seek permission to cross their lands. I watch the patrol lead mind link his Alpha or Beta. “W
I called my father last night, letting him know we were staying overnight in Alpha Leonardo’s pack and explained why. He was concerned about the possibility of wolves and vampires working together against the Guardians and said he would look into it as well. Leana and I are up early, knowing we have a long run today. As we’re leaving, we can still hear the grumbling of several warriors. This pack was reminded last night that Guardians are blessed by the Moon Goddess. Even Alpha Leonardo went down. To both of us. But he and his Beta were better sports about it than some of his pack members. Apparently, in this pack, it’s optional for the females to become warriors. Personally, I think that puts the pack at a disadvantage. Why wouldn’t a werewolf be a good fighter, simply because she’s a woman? I get taking time off when you’re pregnant or nursing, but to entirely ignore half of your pack’s population simply because they are women? As a woman and a Guardian, it’s insulting. In truth, i
It’s been three days. Three days since I gave Lily my ultimatum. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so rash. It’s not like me. But the pain of knowing she was with someone else had been too much. She was always meant to be mine. Even her Moon Goddess made her mine. Women throw themselves at me all the time. But the only woman I want, doesn’t seem to want me. I’m walking through the forest around Araphyra, lost in my thoughts, listening to the magical sounds around me. Well, I don’t consider them magical, but almost everyone else does. Fairy wings gently whistling in the breeze, dryads chittering to the trees, gnomes and dwarves beneath my feet, digging around in their homes, searching for treasures in the deepest parts of the earth, and in the distance, there is the sound of leprechauns playing their harps and pipes. The sounds of the forest soothe me, calming my frustrated soul, helping to easing my aching heart. I didn’t have a destination in mind, but as I walk, I find myself on a well-w
The morning after we met with Alpha Wyatt, Leana and I grabbed an early breakfast before walking to the outskirts of the city. From there, we shifted and began running. The fastest way to Araphyra from here was through King Urien’s lands. While both Leana and I were feeling unsettled about crossing the vampire’s land, but our parents have known King Urien for years. He was the first of the vampires and other supernaturals to swear his allegiance to the Guardians, specifically to Aunt Angel. It takes us several hours again to get to the outskirts of King Urien’s lands. We stop and eat, discussing our plan. “I think we should cross. I’d rather not stay the night, do you agree?” Leana says to me. “Absolutely. I think I’d feel more comfortable sleeping outside than in a vampire’s lair.” “Who do you think will be guarding their borders?” Leana asks, as we finish our lunch, putting our garbage away to toss out later. I look up at the sky. It’s a bright, sunny day. While vampires don’t b
Ever heard the phrase ‘Up shit’s creek without a paddle’? Yeah, that’s about how I’m feeling right now. Hera pushes her aura out, feeling Kella’s as well. We need to know how many vampires are in this room and surrounding us in case we have to fight our way out. “How did he die?” Leana asks the King. “It was time for him to retire. He and I disagreed on too many things. He wasn’t willing to change his outdated and archaic ways, so I killed him and took my rightful place as king.” He comes to stand in front of us. When he hits our aura, he’s stopped in his tracks. “Is there a problem, Guardians?” I give him a fake smile. “I’m afraid I’m not feeling very welcome in your castle, King Lance. My wolf is feeling threatened and when she does, she takes a protective stance. I’m sure you understand.” He returns my fake smile. “We’ll have to change that. I wouldn’t want you to leave here feeling as if I was not a good host. Especially since this is the first time I’ve had an opportunity to
When we step out, I see that there are guards, or I’m sure King Lance would call them guides, waiting for us. Their eyes immediately go to our necks and their eyes turn red. “Custos Regni.” One whispers. “If you want to continue to live this life you seem to enjoy, I suggest you get your fucking eyes off our necks and take us to the dining hall.” I snarl at him, Hera pushing forward. “Yes Guardians. My companion meant no disrespect.” “We’re not here to be your feeders, so you can spot licking your lips like we’re dessert.” Leana and Kella snarl. When we walk into the dining hall, there is one long wooden table that is filled with vampires and their human counterparts. I notice there are a fair share of male humans willing to be feeders as well. Vampires are known for being indiscriminate when it comes to sexual partners. Well, in truth, I’ve heard that they mostly participate in feeding orgies, but that’s what I’ve heard. I’ve never actually seen one. King Lance stands from his po