MATES

T H I R T Y - F I V E

She waited for a merchant to pass by us before continuing. 

"If I didn't like you, I wouldn't acknowledge your presence. I wouldn't even be here right now, showing you my land and my people if I thought you were a nuisance" she held up her hand when I went to say something "And no, I don't care who your grandmother is. I like you because you have fire. Sass. You bring Hope. Something that our people need right now." 

I gave her a sideways glance "And you don't care if I'm Mated to a Wolf?" 

"Honey, I'm ecstatic that you're mated to a Wolf. One of my best friends is a Wolf" she grinned at me "They're devastatingly gorgeous and lickable."  

My cheeks blushed "Then why were you apart of the Marriage contest?" 

She rolled her eyes "It is mandatory for all Tribe leaders to attend and participate." 

"So you didn't want to participate?" 

She glanced at me from head-to-toe "No offense Princess, you're gorgeous and all, but you don't have the parts I'm looking for." 

I laughed and the tension in my shoulders alleviated "I think I like you." 

"Good" She grinned "Because you're stuck with me for the next two weeks." 

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

I howled with laughter, tears pouring out of my eyes "You did not say that to him?" 

"I did too!" Wynter sang from her stall. 

About an hour after we officially met, Wynter managed to drag me to one of her favorite shops in order to get ready for the welcome party the Winter Tribe was hosting for me. 

She stepped out of the stall looking like a fairytale princess, her chocolate skin glittering under the room lights. 

I gaped at how someone could look this pretty. 

"How do I look?" she mocked curtsy and I laughed. 

"If I didn't know any better, I would think you were the Princess and I was the Pauper." 

She snickered "That's exactly what I was going for."

I rolled my eyes "So...do you have a dress I could borrow?" 

She stared at me. 

"What?" 

"We're literally standing in a dress shop and you just asked if you could borrow a dress" she shook her head "You. A Real Life Princess just asked if she could borrow one of my dresses." 

"I don't have any money to purchase a dress" I argued "And these women work so hard on these dresses to be uncompensated." 

She gaped at me "I thought the human world was full of greedy, money hungry snakes that would do anything to bring others down." 

"It is" I said "But there are good people too. People who work hard and give back when they can. I believe that there are more good people than there are bad." 

"You really are a weirdo" she shook her head "Nothing like the horror stories Gran used to tell us about humans." 

"Yeah well," I touched the lace on one dress "You're nothing like the little faeries I pictured either." 

"Come on" she grabbed my hand "Let's find you a dress worthy of a Queen. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Hey everyone! 

Thank you for being so patient with me! 

I recently got a new laptop for my birthday, one that didn't shut off every 10 minutes when I would write, and now I am able to publish more chapters at a faster rate. 

Not to mention, my Christmas break is coming up soon and I will have time to solely focus on my writing. 

I want to finish this book by January 1st and start a new one soon after. I'm not guaranteeing anything but those are my plans as of now. 

Will update again soon with longer chapters! 

Stay Safe!

~MK