*Logan*
Albert promised to take me to Mrs. Hopkins right after his son's race, his first entry into the tournament for aspiring warriors this year. This custom originated many years ago and is celebrated in every pack. I remember taking part in them when I was ten years old.
Each young member, regardless of gender or species, participated in a tournament in which their predispositions to later ranks were tested. From an early age, people checked whether they were fit to be warriors, trainers, trackers, scouts, or even the highest ranks, such as beta or alpha. Thanks to this annual competition, leaders can even be selected.
I moved over three hundred yards away from the tent, perfectly hidden in the tree line with still perfect visibility of the event. Trevor lined up at the starting line with six other kids in his age group, ready to run. Trevor is a complete dad, not only in appearance but also in character. The boy loved jokes and pranks but stopped at nothing to defend those humiliated and ridiculed.
His father had to deal with this from childhood, and even knowing me, the Prince of Lycans, did not guarantee him the absence of comments regarding his skin color, origin, or rank. My fingers were broken more than once, punching people in the faces who ridiculed him, but Albert, with his stubbornness and strength, silenced everyone and achieved the highest.
Albert is one of those people who became Alpha thanks to competitions like this. He won his position by beating the smart-asses, bullies, and entitled brats. I am incredibly proud of my friend and honored to watch him in his born role.
"Kick their asses, Trevor. Then I'll show them."
The same sweet voice echoed through the crowd, and my ears moved as I tried to discern where the sound was coming from. My nose caught the scent of citrus and chocolate again, and my eyes scanned the crowd for Gemma, the girl with golden hair and blue eyes.
She stood right on the line, cheering on Trevor. Her blonde ponytails flapped as she jumped, and her pretty blue dress flowed in the wind, covered in mud. Her smile beamed, and her eyes sparkled, staring at her friend with adoration, delight, and faith. I smiled and moved towards the she-devil I was looking for when she suddenly turned around and waved to someone in the crowd, calling to the line.
My nostrils flared as the fresh scent of mint mixed with a hint of raspberry awakened my senses, accelerated my heartbeat, and sent shivers down my body. I halted there, waiting for the person with this effect on me to emerge, and Gunnar straightened up and waited impatiently for that person to appear.
A flash of blond hair caught my eye in the sun, blinding me, and before I could shield myself, I was struck by a spark of blond hair blowing in the light wind, lifting little Gemma into her arms. My heart stopped, and my eyes bulged at the silhouette of a woman with curves so delicious that my fangs came out of hunger. Gemma giggled as the woman kissed her neck, hugging her tightly. I didn't have to see her eyes to know what was happening to me. Gunnar would be ready to flatten himself before her and pledge his love and loyalty to her until the end of his days.
I moved towards her without taking my eyes off her, although her face was still hidden under a curtain of shiny, long blonde curls. The whistle blew, and the kids started running, but I ignored them. Trevor was my godson, but somehow, at the moment, this little blonde cutie in the bigger one's hands was occupying my attention.
I don't know when I reached the crowd, and I don't know how I managed to get through the screaming crowd without hurting the others who were ramming my way, but I found myself near my mate, who seemed to be related to the little devil who was trying to snatch my chair from me.
Another whistle blew, and everyone started chanting the winner's name. I wasn't surprised to hear my godson's name, but my mate's reaction was. The woman ran towards the finish line with the little girl in her arms, screaming how proud she was of her beloved little Alpha. I felt a pang of jealousy. Even if it involved a ten-year-old prankster who could be her son. My mate was only supposed to glorify me and no one else.
I quickly followed her, pushing with my elbows, not paying attention to the others. When I reached the finish line, my mate hugged Albert and congratulated him on the most incredible son ever, and little Gemma hugged Trevor, bragging that he wouldn't beat her in the next competition. Gunnar almost forced a transformation on me, jealous and hurt that our two girls weren't paying attention to us.
Agreeing with him completely, I growled loudly, attracting people's attention. Albert noticed me and quickly moved away from my mate, smiling warmly. The woman also turned around, and my heart stopped again when I saw her.
She had cheery green eyes, rosy, luminous cheeks, a broad, beautiful smile, and sweet, shiny lips with lip gloss. Although my mate didn't have blue eyes or sweet dimples in her plump cheeks, she was a copy of little Gemma.
"Logan. Let me finally introduce you to the woman you came here for." Albert called to me, pointing to my mate and smiling shyly.
"Darling, this is Logan. He'll be the one to take you and Gemma to the palace." Albert pointed at me as I got close enough to enjoy my beloved's scent, presence, and sparks.
"Logan, this is Poppy Hopkins and her daughter Justice Gemma. This is Luna, whom you will be training to fight Alpha Brown. This woman obtained the consent to enforce Luna's law." Albert added, and I felt that my whole life had turned one hundred and eighty degrees.
"It's very nice to meet you, and thank you for your help. I promise to be the most diligent student and make you proud after winning the duel." My mate, Poppy, smiled and held out her hand in greetings.
Unable to utter a word, I stared at her charming smile and took her hand, nodding. A shiver of pleasure went through my whole body, and my hand clenched around her small and delicate hand, throbbing with excitement.
I just realized a few things. First, I will escort my long-awaited mate to the castle. Second, she is not only a beautiful woman but also a werewolf, and mixed bonds were rare in our case. I won't mention that the woman destined for me by the Moon Goddess was a mother, which was a challenge for me, but she was still mated to her first mate.
I had just found my mate who, according to our law, unfortunately still belonged to someone else. And how the fuck am I supposed to stop myself from throwing myself at her? This will be extremely hard for me and Gunnar. I hope that in the end, we will emerge victorious.
*Poppy*I stared at the beautiful Audi's taillights, gripping the steering wheel. My heart was beating to the rhythm of the song coming from the radio, perfectly matching my situation to its lyrics. I just trusted a handsome stranger to help me win my battle."Mommy, will I be a princess if we live in a palace?" Gemma asked from the backseat, bored with repeatedly looking through her favorite book.I glanced in the rearview mirror at her smiling, hopeful face, "You'll always be a princess to me, honey, but you'd have to be a king's daughter or marry a prince to become one truly. And we won't live in the palace, honey. Mommy will be there training, so we will probably stay in a guest house." I explained to my dreamy daughter, who was already making a thoughtful face."And if you marry Logan, will I become a princess?" She asked, shocking me so much that I lost control of the steering wheel and veered slightly to the side of the road."Shit." I cursed and quickly returned to the road. "
*Poppy*Gemma excitedly started singing along, imitating Britney singing about being stronger than yesterday. I focused my eyes on the prince, who was staring at me as if he wanted to come over and kick my ass for considering the guard's words or spank me for inappropriate behavior."Can we go? I have to be home before dinner." I called out in hope.The prince took a deep breath, tilted his head to the sky, and seconds later, he was back in the car and driving off with a screech of tires, leaving clouds of smoke behind him.I closed the window and put the car in gear, slowly driving away, wondering what had made him react this way. I didn't notice anyone waiting for our arrival until we parked in the same place where Arthur had previously parked. Neither the prince nor Mr. Bernard was ready to lead us further into the unknown.I let Gemma out of the car seat and quickly grabbed her hand, ensuring that my little, quick, and curious girl didn't escape me and cause problems with her curi
*Poppy*I screamed as I immersed myself in a bathtub filled with ice. I was shaking and cursing while slowly adjusting to the cold. This should have been easy after repeating it for a long time; somehow, I cannot get used to it. Iris was sobbing from exhaustion but clenched her teeth and suffered the consequences with me.'I didn't think pain could be so painful and enjoyable at the same time.' I admitted, shaking under the pressure of ice filling my vast bathtub.'Think how sweet it will taste when you stare at the defeated asshole in a few weeks.' Iris reminded me, and suddenly, instead of satisfaction, I felt fear.'We can do it, Poppy. You heard what Logan said; we're as strong as Alpha; we'll kick his ass.' She motivated me by repeating words that were important to me.I rested my head on
*Poppy*While once I wouldn't even dream of letting someone look at me in my underwear, now I can't imagine not having Anastasia with me when I almost have to crawl to the shower.King Alexander's words were prophetic, too. Not only did Gemma become so close to them, but so did I. For over two months, I have been with the King and Queen on a first-name basis, treating them like family. They pamper my daughter as if she were an actual princess. Apart from the moments when I saw Lex or Anastasia get angry and cause fear among people, I discovered that they were cheerful, regular, and accommodating people.Our acquaintance became a friendship almost immediately, leaving only one problem between us. Prince Logan. Although I finally managed to say his name without the title after his many corrections, I still don't know why I can't bring myself to relax around him.
*Poppy*The dinner was awkward, at least to me. I couldn't look at Logan, and Iris couldn't stop reminding me of his words before he stormed off, leaving me stunned. Additionally, Gemma decided to have her worst day today and refused to eat, sitting with arms crossed over her chest, unsatisfied with the King's refusal to allow her to ride on his lycan. Although he promised her to do it one day, I convinced him to change his mind, explaining that it wasn't good for Gemma. Not because it was dangerous, or I didn't trust him, but because lately Gemma was acting more like a spoiled brat than ever, and that wasn't my intention to raise her as such."So, how's it going with the training, Poppy? I heard from many that you have improved tremendously, and the duel would be a cake for you or Iris." Lex asked, breaking the awkward silence."Well, thank you, but I wouldn't be so confident. The fir
*Poppy*My heart pounded in my chest, not because of his words but because of how he said them. It felt almost like he screamed his frustration out at me for not noticing his feelings towards me, but I was not his mate. Iris sat quietly, not commenting or joking about rushing to console the frustrated little lycan prince. She understood him better than anyone. Despite his flaws, Ezra was her everything, and not even his flaws were able to stop her from loving him. She would choose him every time over someone better."Mommy. Why is Logan angry?" Gemma asked, a little scared.I rushed to her and hugged her immediately. I knew she was sensitive to similar situations, as if my fear of being disposed of by Seamus had been projected onto her and instilled in her a fear of angry alphas. I kissed her head before smiling at her."Honey, you know Logan would neve
*Logan*I hit the punching bag with great force, but even that didn't bring any relief. Furious, I let out a roar and allowed Gunnar to come out momentarily. With his sharp claws, I tore the hard leather material into shreds, scattering all the sand on the floor."Great, that's the fifth one. I hope Your Assholeness will buy them all for me." Andrew, the owner of the gym in vampire territory, clapped as he approached cautiously."Don't piss me off too. Or I'll count your bones instead of that miserable bag. What happened to those strong dragon skins you were so proud of recently?" I hissed, breathing deeply, trying to control my anger and Gunnar's desire to kill.Andrew snorted and crossed his arms over his chest, showing off his tattooed forearms. The contrast of the black ink on his pale, almost snow-white skin always attracted my attention. I have a few tattoos, but none look as great as his. Maybe it's because of my sun-kissed skin; the tattoo doesn't stand out as much as it does
*Logan*When I entered the training field, I had a clearly defined goal. Still, after just a few seconds spent surrounded by this most beautiful smell, tantalizing my senses, I had to double my effort not to throw myself at her and tear off her tight training outfit, emphasizing her tempting curves.Gunnar was no better; if it weren't for the fact that I was the dominant part, he would have long ago assumed his intimidating Lycan form and forced the shift on Poppy and would have copulated day and night with Iris, marking her as ours in more than one way.But today, something changed. Not only the time of our training, which I may have forced Poppy too coldly and rudely, but her attitude, definitely her attitude towards me and, to my surprise, her training outfit. I stopped beside the sparring ring, set down my towel and water bottle, and watched my mate hit the heavy training dummy in the middle.Her focus was absolute, and her strokes were precise and calculated, precisely as I had t