“I think I’ll go get my bags now, we’re due back in Midsummer shortly.” Belle said sweetly, releasing a gasping Sierra to the floor, before she made her way around her and pointedly ignore the enforcer. “Oh, and close your mouth, Layke. You’ll catch flies.”
Perplexed and also slightly horny as a result of the alpha vibes rolling off of her, Layke watched after Belle as she strode out the room nibbling on her last piece of bacon. Once Belle was out of sight, Layke’s eyes landed on Sierra, who was desperately rubbing her neck. At least it wasn’t him on Belle’s bad side this time.He gave his three men a look, instructing them to follow him out of the dining room as he prepared to leave his home once again. He couldn’t help but chuckle and feel a slight sense of pride when he heard Coen mutter, “damn, that female is freakishly strong for her size.”-“Well, you certainly made an impression.” Layke snorted, trying to refrain the corners of his lips from twitching as he focused on driving. It was a strain not the laugh as he recalled the sudden possessiveness in Belle’s tone, he didn’t realise she had it in her. Granted, he knew she was a little firecracker and wasn’t to be pushed, but even in his wildest dreams, he couldn’t have possibly imagined her having pinned Sierra against the wall as she explained the different ways she could kill the enforcer.Belle narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m glad you find this amusing.”Layke grinned, shaking his head. Her display of dominance might have been the hottest thing he had ever seen. Despite her fiery and infuriating nature, he found himself being turned on by this female much more frequently than he would have liked. “Jealous much?” He taunted.Layke knew that display of power back in Avalon was mostly to enforce respect out of his staff, if they thought they could take her on and beat her or put her down, they would never respect her as a leader or their Queen. But there was something about riling Belle up that brought Layke immense satisfaction.Belle scoffed, she couldn’t believe the audacity of this man. “Don’t flatter yourself, Charming. You know that had everything to do with respect and nothing to do with you.” She demanded. She’d die before she ever admitted the slight pang of jealousy she felt when she found out he’d slept with that lunatic. Which was another thing she couldn’t figure out, Belle had never been a jealous person.. so why, over a man she’s known three days and has no emotional connection to, did him even mentioning another females name make her want to claw out her own eyes?Layke pressed his lips firmly together to stop the laughter threatening to escape. “Strongly disagree.” Belle didn’t like the way he was grinning, it said he was aware of her inner battle over her conflicted feelings. But she had a motto for this situation: deny till you die, and that’s exactly what she planned to do. Besides, Belle may be a faerie but she was also an alpha female. While ever this arrangement was ongoing, Nia saw Layke as hers and damn, was she going to ride Belle to make sure people knew that.“Ah, so you’re a resident of La La Land.”“There’s no shame in admitting it, Belle. After all, this time tomorrow I’ll be your husband.”“Hey, I have an idea, why not put a condom over your head – if you’re going to act like a dick then it makes sense to dress like one.” Belle retorted. This time, Layke couldn’t stop himself from barking out a laugh at the female’s quick wit.----The following morning, as Belle woke up on what was now her wedding day, there was a subtle knock on her bedroom door. Frowning, Belle wondered who that could be. The staff weren’t due to come and help her get ready for another 30 minutes. She groaned, she just wanted some peace for a few minutes before the drama she had experienced over the last few days became her life for the next few months. She didn’t think that was much to ask.Mumbling a few choice curse words to herself, Belle opened her bedroom door, only to find herself absolutely flabbergasted as she realised who was stood behind it. By some absolute miracle, Belle’s three best friends stood in the doorway, yelling “surprise!”Belle stared at them with a blank face at a loss for words. Was she seeing things? “Aww, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her speechless.” Immi laughed.“Someone take a picture! This moment won’t happen again and I need evidence to prove it happened in the first place.” Sutton joked.Returning to reality, Belle laughed at her best friends, before pulling the three of them in for the tightest hug she’s ever given. “You’re all here!”“You didn’t think we would miss your wedding day, did you?” Lottie tutted.The four girls had been best friends since as long as any of them could remember. Their parents had been best friends since before any of them had been born and the four of them had managed to keep the friendship going to the next generation. They’d grown up together, all living in Belle’s family’s castle back at Amaris thanks to each of their parents being in the most trusted circle of King Nate and Queen Serena.Sutton’s parents, Amber and Jacques, were Belle’s fathers Gamma’s. Much like her father, Sutton had a pure heart and a somewhat goofy personality. It was exactly what Belle needed in her life when the responsibilities that fell on her shoulders momentarily became too much. But Sutton wasn’t always an angel, the redhead was a gamma wolf and she wasn’t too be messed with.Lottie was the daughter of Archie and Joel. Archie had taken over from his parents and become the Amaris Beta, whilst Joel was the head warrior until a few years ago. Lottie didn’t know which of her fathers was her birth father, but she didn’t care. She loved them both equally and she considered them both to have her DNA. Due to both her fathers positions, again Lottie was one hell of a fighter. Whilst the blonde had a petite frame, much like Belle she knew how to use this to her advantage. She wasn’t to be underestimated.Finally, there was Immi. Immi’s parents were Maddie and Joe and whilst Joe had taken over Joel’s position as head warrior, Maddie was the daughter of the Fer Fung coven’s High Priestess and when Gladdis stepped down, Maddie would take over that role, making her the most powerful witch in existence. It was Gladdis, Maddie’s mother, who had helped Belle with the cloaking spell for hiding from her mate.Immi and Belle had always been slightly closer, not by much, but definitely somewhat. It was easy to be close to someone who you related so much too. Both Belle and Immi were hybrid wolves, and as they both dealt in magic, they were often trained together growing up. Belle had loved being a part of Immi’s journey, she couldn’t have been prouder of the incredibly power witch Immi had turned out to be.Immi squeezed Belle’s hand. “Nothing would have stopped us from being here.”“And we have another surprise..” Lottie announced, closing Belle’s bedroom door before throwing her bags on the floor.“We’re staying!” Sutton squealed, unable to contain her excitement.Belle’s eyes flickered between the three, not being certain if she understood them correctly. Staying for what? The wedding?“Every Queen needs her Court, right?” Lottie winked.Belle gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. If this was true then there was nothing that could have made her happier. She had been missing them like crazy over the last week, often feeling lonely without them. They were her strength and as much as Belle liked to play the big bad wolf role, she’d desperately missed being around the three girls that allowed her to just be herself.“Really?” Belle didn’t know whether to laugh with excitement or cry from the overwhelming happiness of the news.“Really! Now, let’s get you ready for your wedding day, Your Majesty.” Immi grinned.Belle glanced at herself in the mirror, she didn’t remember a time she’d ever felt as beautiful as she did now. Her thick, blue hair was styled into loose waves with pieces from the sides being braided until they met in the middle at the back of her head. A few loose strands fell down the side of her face in an effortless yet put together fashion. Her sold gold tiara rested on her head perfectly, with potentially the biggest topaz gemstone she had ever seen positioned in the centre. Her lips had been painted a natural shade of pink, allowing the centre of attention to be on the soft blue eyeshadow along her eyelids, encouraging her ocean eyes to pop even bright than usual. Matching her hair and makeup, she was wearing the most exquisite topaz shaded gown she had ever seen. It started with a strapless corset, amplifying the curves of her body as it enveloped her waist, before delicate gold embroidery separated the corset into a free flowing, floor length skirt with a 3 metre train. T
The rest of the day had gone smoothy, the people of the two kingdoms had began to bond and intermingle as they accepted their new world. Layke had expected some animosity between the avalonions and the summerians, due to the different beliefs many of the subjects held, but things couldn’t have gone better. An even bigger blessing was that Sierra had decided to stay at home and miss the wedding. It was drama neither Layke nor Belle needed that day and with Belle having her werewolf friends here, Layke knew how easy it could have turned into a blood bath. Since the ceremony, the pair had acted as though the kiss between them never happened. Belle had put the feelings the kiss created in a locked box inside her mind, deciding it was purely because of the adrenaline of the day and the heat of the moment. Layke believed it was purely the tension from the night in his office that had stirred up those feelings and as long as the pair stopped bickering like fire and ice, they wouldn’t have
The moon had descended and the sun had risen in what seemed like a blink of an eye to anyone else but Belle had experienced practically every drawn out minute. Layke’s warm body flushed against her had anything other than sleep pacing through her mind, forcing her to frequently toss and turn before she had finally given up on sleep taking over. As she ran her fingers over the material of the bedspread in her Avalon bedroom, Belle questioned her ability to stay sane during the coming weeks, particularly now she had a husband who’s mere voice had her body deceiving her. She resented the effect he had on her, every second in his presence she wanted to either rip his head off or his clothes, there was no happy medium. “I don’t think you’re supposed to look so glum the day after your wedding, Belle.” Sutton commented, noticing the odd quietness in her friend. “Was the package not what you hoped it would be?” Immi insinuated with a pitiful smile. Belle pressed her lips firmly together t
“How can you possibly appear even more flustered than before?” Sutton laughed, leaning back in her chair as she observed the irritation rolling off the Queen in waves. Belle remained tight lipped as she entered the living room where Sutton, Lottie, Immi, Beau, Rai and Coen had been sat waiting for the last 30 minutes for her and Layke. Amusement danced in her friends’ eyes as they noticed an equally flustered King following closely on Belle’s tail. “How gracious of you to join us.” Rai commented, receiving a glare that had his lips twitching from the King. Belle slumped into a chair besides Immi, avoiding Layke’s gaze as he sat across from her. Neither of them quite knew what to do with themselves after that whole ordeal outside, feeling like children being caught with their fingers in the cookie jar. Unlike Belle, Layke had managed to get changed since their interaction, and now she found herself practically drooling over the way his biceps were straining under the fabric of his
It had been a few days since the incident in Layke’s office and Belle had managed to stay out of his way thus far, as had been her intention all along. What had occurred between them a few days ago was only further encouragement that she needed to keep her distance, her body couldn’t be trusted around him and Nia’s infatuation with him only made it that much more difficult to concentrate when she had her purring in her head. She remembered the smirk Layke wore as her body reacted to his touch, begging him to keep his hands on her and it had drove her crazy, she wanted to slap that smug smile straight off his face. If Immi hadn’t mindlinked her at such a pivotal moment, Belle had no idea where the interaction between them would have ended up. The tracking team were expected to get back in a few hours with some answers on what they had found, meaning she wouldn’t be able to avoid Layke today. Her best bet at dealing with his irritating presence was to go for a run before the enforcers
The pair separated immediately, watching each other with flushed cheeks and confused expressions. Belle inwardly scolded herself for getting herself in this situation again, it was exactly why she had been avoiding him like the plague for the last few days. It infuriated her that her mind and body were on such different pages, but her body certainly had a mind of its own whenever he was in close proximity. What the hell is that? Layke pressed his lips together, he was convinced more than ever that this little she-devil in front of him had somehow got a spell on him. How could he go from scolding her to wanting her wrapped around him in seconds? He couldn’t get his head around it, around how she had such an effect on him. It was beyond an infatuation, the spitfire had a hold on him and he couldn’t get out of it. The confusion infuriated him. It infuriated her. For two people who supposedly wanted nothing to do with the other, they sure couldn’t keep away from each other and that fact
Belle groaned, noticing the smug ‘I win’ on Layke’s face as she joined the others who were waiting with the SUVs. Not only could she not avoid Layke for the next couple of days, but he had also decided to appoint Belle her own enforcers who were now following her around like lost little pups. Like it wasn’t bad enough Layke treating her like she was fragile, now she had another two egotistical men watching her every move. “Have you noticed my surveillance team?” Belle muttered, descending the stairs. Layke smiled. “I noticed. I approve.” She grumbled in response. “I’ll bet you do.” Layke shrugged unrepentantly. “I like knowing you’re safe.” “And yet you haven’t thrown out Lucifer’s spawn.” Belle shot Sierra a glare, observing how the blonde stared daggers back at her. Belle grinned, if looks could kill – she would be dead. Chuckling, Layke shrugged again. “I know she was difficult in the past, but she’s a good warrior.” Ignoring Layke’s comment, Belle joined her friends by one
Belle and Layke had barely spared a word to one another this morning, last nights interaction still weighing heavy on their minds. Belle had been surprised by what Layke had said, she knew he was a strong alpha male but she hadn’t expected him to consider himself up to the challenge of fighting for her submission. When he promised to battle it out, Nia had gone stir crazy in her mind, desperately trying to push forward. She couldn’t deny the fact that she was happy to hear this, although she wasn’t sure why exactly. But the thought of Layke withstanding her disobedience to mate, despite the fight she would put up and the challenge it would be for him, and proving himself worthy of her submitting, it had ignited something within her. Something deep within that was desperate to get out. However, she wasn’t sure he really appreciated what he was getting himself in to. His previous conquests were submissive, obedient women who did as he instructed in order to please him. Trying to get a