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Blinking several times I wipe my hand down my face. How did these past few days go haywire?
First the Prince nearly kills Nik after marking me without permission. Then I found out he had his goon's beat the living crap out of Nik because he knew my secret.
Nik and I figured he would be tried in court not practically killed.
Not even a day later the Prince tries to kill Theo because he walked in on me telling Theo I love him. As a freakin brother!
"Why do males over react?" I whisper to myself.
I knew the Prince was sleeping soundly next to me. His arms twitching to wrap around my waist. Instead only a hand laid firmly on my stomach.
"He is afraid you will leave him once again." An unexpected voice answers.
Sucking in a deep breath at the sudden broken silence I try to calm myself down. "The Prince isn't helping himself by threating the people I love." Getting through to a girls heart is by spoiling her, isn't it? Not that I would know, but that's what all the servants and high born ladies would gush over. The pretty little jewels and beautiful sleek dresses.
"We know that, he does not." Movement to my right catches my eyes. The sliver of moonlight shining through the darkness gives me a glimpse of his handsome face. Dark brown highlights kiss the dark blonde on top of his head. A chiseled jaw graces striking face. Sky blue eyes hid secrets and loyalty.
"Jason?"
"Right on the dot, my Princess Claudia."
Opening my mouth I try to rebut his words. The Prince may be my mate, but that doesn't make me worthy of being the Princess of wolves.
"Don't deny it anymore. You are Caden's soul mate. The past is the past. If you two do not get your act in order you will only cause each other harm," he declared. He didn't sound angry at me, which confused me. Shouldn't he be? I hurt his best friend.
"He nearly killed my two best friends. How do you expect me to forgive him for that? On top of that he slept with how many females?" The questions popped out without my consent. Being brazen isn't my thing.
"Caden isn't perfect. He screwed up big time growing up. Yes, Nik and I tried to knock sense into his head. None of it sticking," sighing he sits down in the chair next to the bed.
"Obviously it didn't work." I snarled. What is happening to me? I don't speak to high ranking wolves with attitude. Taking my eyes away from him I stare up at the ceiling. Nothing special. Dark black with intercut light blue swirls.
"The night of his fourteenth birthday ball was the first time he broke down."
Why is he telling me this? Does he think it will soften me up? Sleeping with random women isn't the way to cope.
"I'm not speaking about throwing a tantrum and whining. No, he shifted inside the castle and bolted out into the forest. At the time we were best friend. His parents asked me to follow him, along with several guards."
Laying silently, I wait for him to continue. I may not want to feel guilty for leaving him, but I wasn't heartless. Plus, I may find out secret details even Nik doesn't know about the Prince.
Will it change my option about him? Maybe.
"We ran for hours. Until our paws became bloody. We didn't speak up. His mate ran away, we knew he needed time. All of a sudden he drops to the ground and shifts, curling up in the fetal position. At first we believed him to be injured. Before we could reach him to inspect his body, a loud sob breaks the silent cold air. Shocked we stood in place, not knowing what to do."
He cried in front of his friend? I thought he only wanted me to be his puppet. If he cried why in the world did he speak those utterly disgusting words to Jason? Could he have been trying to boost his status?
"In the end we sat down and created a perimeter around Caden. No one said a word as we watched him cave into himself. Loud sobs pierced our sensitive ears for nearly two hours. Once the sobs stopped we wondered what he was going to do next. Waiting patiently we came to realize he had actually cried himself to sleep."
Lifting my head up I stare at Jason. Almighty Prince Caden cried himself to sleep? After treating to whip and lock me up for speaking my own mind?
"One of the guards carried him back to the castle. He stayed in his room for nearly two weeks. By then his mother had had enough and barged her way into his room. After opening up his curtains she threw ice cold water onto his disheveled looking body. Demanding he grow up and take responsibility for his actions."
"Sleeping around isn't taking responsibility." I sneer. How can any male believe sleeping around is a smart idea? How would they like it if we women slept around before and after we met our mates? I'm pretty darn sure they would flip a gasket.
"He didn't actually sleep around until his eighteenth birthday Claudia," he exclaims with anger. How can I believe his words? The Prince is his best friend, of course he will protect his reputation.
"Lies. I heard the rumors. The women gloating about how amazing he was in bed. How he would pleasure them until the wee hours in the morning. Don't tell me he didn't sleep with women," I argue back. He couldn't be telling the truth. He just couldn't be.
"I'm not lying Claudia. Caden screwed up big time in sleeping with random women after his eighteenth birthday. I promise on my life he never once slept with one of those attention seeking whores before that day. Yes, they gloated about it. But they weren't sleeping with him."
"But his guest rooms were always destroyed the next day. The servants wouldn't have lied about that." I demand. Servants love to spread gossip. If the Prince of wolves was sleeping around, word would get out within the hour.
Ignoring my words he continues on. "Caden would acquire female clothes and scatter them around the room. Destroy the bed sheets and spray female perfume. To the servants it looked as if he had spent a night filled with hot passion."
"Why would he do that? Why trick me into believing he was a man whore?" I grill with anger. How stupid could he have been? Sleeping around wouldn't get me to come to him.
"He believed you would become jealous and seek him out. Demand he stop his ridicules ways. Of course I knew better. Having a younger sister myself I realized Caden would only hurt you by his actions. Forcing you to keep your identity a secret until he proved himself worthy." Shaking his head, he runs his fingers through his already tussled hair.
"Nik used to give me updates on the Princes daily whereabouts. He never once told me Caden had tricked the palace into believe he was sleeping around." He would have told me. If I would have known, maybe things would have ended differently.
"Caden kept that secret from him. I believe Caden held a small piece of doubt about Nik and you. Some days Nik would beg Caden to reconsider sleeping around. He never once betrayed you, but the way he spoke, it was off. As if he knew you would personally hate what Caden had been up to." Sighing I hear him stand up and begin to pace. "Now we know he actually did know you."
"Is that why we were followed for the past few weeks?" Did the Prince believe me to be his mate then and desired evidence before moving forwards?
"Nik informed Caden that he was falling in love with his new girlfriend. He was warming up to propose and marry you. When he let the little detail of your mate not being dead Caden flipped on him. He became furious at Nik. Demanding why he would steal another males mate away. Nik said he wasn't stealing you away, that your mate had rejected you. We didn't believe him. Logical thing to do is put people on him. Which Caden did."
"We saw. You guys weren't too sneaky about it. The three men walked right up to us and questioned Nik about me. Plus the car parked in the parking lot for the whole duration of our picnic sort of gave them away," I gloated. If your placing men on one of the military's Commanders, make sure they are the stop spies. Otherwise within minutes they are noticed.
Sitting up I slide out of bed carefully. I had pushed the Princes hand off my stomach a few minutes before. Rolling my shoulder I try to relieve the horrible ache. The wound throbbed painfully but at least the blood had stopped flowing.
"You missed a few," He laughs. Turning to me I see a wide smile grace his handsome face.
Looking up at him, I squint my eyes. "What?" Nik wouldn't miss a spy.
"There were a few mothers at the park that day watching over their children play. Their assignment was to take pictures of you and Nik. They succeed to capture the side of your face. If only we had gotten a face shot. Maybe then these past few days wouldn't have happened," he said with sadness.
"Will you tell me the truth if I ask a personal question about the Prince?" I request. If he is speaking the truth, may as well get a few secrets out in the open.
"Of course Claudia. May I ask one as well?" He shoots right back. An eyebrow raised.
Nodding my head I stand up on shaky legs. "Did he care about any of them?" Turning my back on him I head to the closet. I didn't have the courage to see Jason's face when he told me, yes."
"I can see why you would believe he did. He kept Jessica for exactly one year," he states. I wonder what happened to her.
Turning the light on I search for comfortable clothes to wear. As of right now, I didn't care if these were Jessica's. My body felt sticky.
"I swear on my future children he didn't. I actually do not know how he continued to sleep with them. Not a day would go by without him complaining about how he detested the women. Their touch burned his skin. He had to take an hour long shower to get their scent off his skin," he whispers. "Nearly six months ago he hit an all-time low."
"What happened?" Do I honestly want to know? I have so many questions running around inside my mind.
"In the middle of a night with Jessica he ran to his room. She came and got me, knowing she wasn't allowed into his room. By the time I entered his bathroom, he had about taken his skin clean off. Blood ran down the drain from the open wounds covering half his body."
Gasping I bring my hand up to my mouth. Why in the world would he do that to himself? Did I cause him to physically harm himself?
"I immediately called for his parents and the castle doctors. We all agreed he needed time to heal away from the hungry eyes of the nobles. We were sent to a small cabin two hours away. His parents demanded he stay until he returned to his normal self."
"You two were gone for nearly a month." Rubbing my face I blink back my silent tears. "I remember hating him for leaving. Seeing him daily helped me calm down. Without him, I became lost. Slightly crazy even."
"While we were there, he spoke of his fears. You mating with another was at the top of his list. That is why he freaked out on Nik and Theo."
Picking out a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie I walk out of the closet to see him standing right in front of me. "Why would he continue to sleep around then?" It doesn't make sense. If he feared me leaving him, why not snip the problem in the butt?
"I believe because he tried to picture you. The softness of your skin, the way your brown hair would fall around your face as he made love to you."
"It wasn't me though." I said. Feeling disgusted, a shiver rakes my body. How would sleeping with Jessica, feel as if he was sleeping with me?
"I know that." Turning his back on me he faces the bed where his best friend laid.
"Is he alright. I mean in the head?" I question with worry.
"Honestly Claudia, I do not know. The night you ran from him, destroyed his hope. He caved in on himself. Yes, he showed to the world he was fighting the heartache. I knew better. It was slowly obliterating his hope for love with you." Stopping he turns to give me a heartbreaking frown.
"I didn't know." Honestly I didn't. He seemed perfectly fine in public.
"What the public doesn't know was that he would go for runs in the dark of night. Fifteen of us would follow behind him. Making sure the forest was clear of all wolves, but us. Once we reached our destination Caden would go up against each and every one of us. Fighting until he could no longer stand. Commander Togen and I were saved for last. He wanted to be exhausted before we fought him."
"Did he have a death wish?" My leaving him had worse side effects than I imagined.
"Fighting us took the pain of you leaving him away. He understood he caused you to run and hide from him. This was his way of punishing himself for his actions. Being beaten to a bloody pulp."
Slouching I lean against the wall. "I saw him leaving the castle one night. Theo, Taylor and I were leaving to go on our nightly runs. I should have followed the lot of you. Instead we ran in the opposite direction, not wanting to get caught."
Shaking his head he runs his fingers through his dirty blond hair. "All the times you two were right next to each other and he never realized it."
Nodding my head I scratch my arm as the silence between us intensifies. Not wanting to be left standing there I head to the bathroom.
"All I ask of you is to keep a level head around him. He isn't stable in the least. Seeing you naked in Nik's bed frighten him. He actually believed he had lost you to his best friend. On top of it he comes in to his own bedroom to see another male dressed in his clothes laughing and having a grand old time with you. When you told Theo you loved him, it was the icing on the cake. He snapped."
Pressing my forehead to the cold wooden door I sigh at my stupidity. Of course the Prince would become livid. What male wouldn't? "I meant it as a brother. Theo and Nik are my brothers. Nothing more, nothing less. The only romantic feelings I harbor are for the man lying in the bed I just vacated." Speaking the truth to a complete stranger scared me.
"So the letters are true then? You do love him?" The excitement is clear in his voice.
"I may have ran and kept hidden, but that didn't stop my heart from growing to love him Jason. I saw his faults and his accomplishments. I may have despised his whoring around, but you can't tell the heart and soul to stop loving someone just because they messed up big time."
"Will you give him a chance?"
"I'm tired of hiding Jason. I genuinely am. I want my natural hair color back. To feel his strong arms wrapped around my waist, telling me how beautiful I am to him. I crave to race throughout the forest alongside his massive wolf. To live happily ever after is all I've ever dreamed of," I whisper. Tears streaming down my cheeks.
"That is all I've ever wanted to give you Claudia," the Princes husky voice breathes.
Turning around slowly I come face to face with the Prince. Without thinking I do the one thing I've craved of doing for years.
Reaching up I grab his head between my warm hands. Bringing his mouth down upon mine for nearly a few seconds. Allowing the warmth of his kiss to permanently stain my lips I quickly pull away and run to the bathroom. Slamming the door in a handsomely shocked Prince and Jason.
Smiling I touch my warm lips. I kissed the Prince of all wolves. Giggling I skip to the shower. What has gotten into me? Days ago I hated him. Now? Well I freakin kissed him.
"He is our mate Claudia. We are still in heat. Our attraction towards him is growing. You won't be able to deny him for much longer," laughing Annabelle gloats in my head.
"Which is exactly what you desire, isn't it?"
"Of course I do. Don't you remember? I want to hump him," she snorts.
Rolling my eyes I hop into the luxury shower to rinse off my sweaty body.
"Give me the time I need to warm up to him Annabelle."
"Not in this life time honey. You took your time, eight years to be exact. Now it's my turn to turn your body on to that fine piece of meat."
"You're going to torture me aren't you?" I pray she doesn't get me on my hands and knees to beg him to pleasure me. I think I might just die.
"Of course dearie. You tortured me for eight years. A few heated days will be nothing in comparison. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. I promise you will love his hands on your body," she purrs with sexual frustration.
Groaning I take the longest shower in record to clear my mind of the fog. And just maybe to relive the small pleasure of his delicious lips.
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Authors Note: Thank you for reading. You guys are awesome.
Chapter Questions: Are things going to heat up between the two or are they still going to have boulders between them?