Lycan Prince Hunter
I had to go have a shower and change before I headed to training. I didn’t care that I smelt like Kailen, but she didn’t want anyone to know about our relationship. We have been together for the last three and half years, but only my beta and gamma knew.
I wanted her to be my Queen, my chosen mate, but she was convinced that I would find my mate and move on. Nothing I’ve ever said to her has changed her mind. Someone else was supposed to be Queen, and she wasn’t going to take a position that wasn’t meant for her.
I walked up to the open training arena and saw my Gamma and Beta getting the trainees ready for class. This was our first class of this semester. I slipped into the change rooms to have a quick shower and to change into shorts and a tee. When I was done, I walked out to find them pairing up. I jogged over to them, and that punk ass from Kailen’s class was also in my class.
“Cooper!” I called out. He looked over at me and looked terrified that I was one of his trainers.
“You’re with me,” I told him.
“What the hell did he do to piss you off already?” Zach, my Gamma asked me.
“He called Kailen a w***e in class today.” I told him.
“Everyone say a prayer for Cooper.” Greyson, my Beta, called out to the group, earning him a ton of laughs.
I was in the middle of kicking Cooper’s ass when I noticed Kailen walking over to the bleachers. What was she doing here? Not that I minded. I could stare at her all day and never get bored.
She was now wearing a pair of black leggings and a long-sleeved teal green work-out shirt that hugged her torso. She had her long golden brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and her forest green hazel eyes sparkled in the afternoon sunlight.
She put her earbuds in and started running the track that ran around the field we were training in. I noticed Cooper was staring at her and I took the opportunity to punch him square in the jaw. He fell to the ground, rubbing his face.
“What the hell?” He yelled at me.
“Pay attention.” I glared at him.
After class was over, Cooper had a deep blue bruise on his jaw and a split lip. Kailen was done with her run and was sitting by the bleachers where the students would enter the change rooms. Zach, Greyson and I approached her, but Cooper beat us to her.
“Miss Steele, I’m sorry for what I said in class. I was out of line.” He apologized. She leaned over and pulled an ice pack out of the fridge that we keep stocked for training.
“Hold this to your jaw and lip to help with the swelling. And I’ll see you in class, Mr. Cooper.” She told him.
“Thank you, Miss Steele.” He nodded to her before he entered the change room.
How the hell could she not see that she was Queen material? She gave the punk ass b***h that called her a w***e earlier an ice pack for his face. She cared about his wellbeing, but I could f**k his face up every day because of what he said to her.
Once all the students had entered the change rooms, I finally spoke to her.
“What brings you out here? Don’t you have work to do?” I asked her.
“You told me not to open my email. I finished everything else.” She told me.
“You haven’t told her?” Greyson asked me, surprised. And even Zach gave me a pointed look.
“Okay, someone better tell me what the f**k is going on?” She asked us, crossing her arms over her chest. I sighed.
“I will, but you need to promise me you won’t freak out.” I told her, and she furrowed her eyebrows.
“Hunter, you’re scaring me. Just tell me.” She pleaded. I sat down beside her and leaned forward to rest my elbows on my knees. I couldn’t even look at her. I knew she was going to be beyond pissed.
“There was another body found.” I breathed out.
“A body? Okay, and where was this body found?” She asked me.
“Blue Crescent,” I whispered.
“I’m sorry, Hunter. I thought I heard you say Blue Crescent.” She asked me, confused. I sighed and turned my head to look at her. She was staring at me, confused.
“I did. They found the body of a young female wolf just inside their borders. She has numbers branded on her hip.” I told her. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees while she pinched the bridge of her nose.
“Shit.” She breathed out.
“Kailen, I know this is your case, but we could always send someone else out there.” I rushed out.
“I have to go. I have to figure this out. I’ll see you guys later.” She told us before she hurried off.
“Fuck.” I breathed out. Greyson and Zach sat down beside me.
“You were supposed to tell her earlier. What the hell were you doing?” Greyson asked me and I looked over at him.
“Don’t answer that.” He told me, shaking his head.
“So what’s the plan now, Hunter?” Zach asked me.
“If she’s going, I’m going. I’m not letting her see her piece of s**t ex-mate without me being there.” I told them.
“So, are we all going?” Greyson asked, and I nodded.
“I’ll find someone to cover our training for the next few days,” Greyson told me, and I nodded.
“Hunter, it’s been three and a half years. I think it’s time you put a ring on it.” Zach told me, and I sighed.
“You don’t think I’m trying?” I exclaimed.
“We know you’re trying, Hunter. And we understand both sides. But you haven’t found your fated mate in almost six years. At this rate, I don’t think you’ll find her.” Greyson told me.
“I don’t care about my fated mate, and I told her that. And if I wasn’t in line to be King, I don’t think she’d care either. She said that the moon goddess chose the Queen, and it wasn’t her.” I sighed.
“I’m going to go find her. She should be in her office.” I told them. I stood up from the bench and headed into the change room to shower again and get dressed.
I wish she could see that I didn’t need a mate bond to love her. I would already give her everything. I wasn’t even looking for my fated mate and I haven’t been for over four years now. As soon as I locked eyes with Kailen at the pack house when she arrived, that was it for me. I’ve never touched anyone but her and she was all that I wanted.
I know her fears of me leaving her when I did find my fated mate, but if she would just let me mark her, she wouldn’t have to worry about it. Once I’ve marked another, the mate bond with my fated mate will break and a new bond between us will be forged.
She rejected her piece of s**t mate, and she wouldn’t be blessed with a second chance mate. The rejector rarely gets a second chance. I wish she believed in herself as much as I did. I knew without a doubt that she would be an amazing Queen and even my father knew.
I was even thinking of giving up my title. I didn’t need to be King, I just needed her. I love her and I wanted the whole werewolf world to know. I hated the way other males looked at her. I would kill them all if I could. And my wolf, Rex, agreed with me. He loves Kailen’s wolf, Aurora, but Kailen has to be so stubborn.
“And now we get to meet her piece of s**t ex-mate!” Rex growled in my head.
“I’m not happy about it either, buddy.” I told him.
“Just let me out with Aurora. I’ll mark her and it will solve all our problems.”
“It needs to be Kailen’s choice, too.” I told him and he started to whine.
“I know it sucks. At least we have her in our lives.”
I was trying to find a silver lining to this. Our relationship isn’t public, but at least she is with us and only us. I guess I’ll just have to live with that for now.
I made my way to her office to find that the door was locked. It’s only ever locked if she’s not in or I’m in there with her. She must have gone to her room. I left the main pack house out the back and walked over to the Royal house.
The Royal house was a six-story mansion and was just for living. All our offices were in the main pack house, with all the unmated pack members, staff, and students.
My father and I had the sixth floor, not that I ever stayed in my own room these days. My father’s beta and Greyson had the fifth floor. The gammas had the third floor, including Zach. And Kailen had her room on the second floor. My Father had a few rooms modified to give her more of an apartment-like area. And the other half of the floor were rooms for important guests.
The main floor had the kitchen, living room and dining room. And the walkout basement had the pool, hot tub, sauna, gym and game room. We only had to go to the main pack house for our offices.
The campus was located on the other side of the training field, which was about a ten-minute walk from our house.
I walked into our house and climbed the stairs to Kailen’s floor. I knocked before I entered her room. The door was unlocked, so I knew she was in there. I closed the door behind me and locked it. She wasn’t in her living room, so she must be in her bedroom.
I walked to her bedroom entrance to find her packing a small suitcase and cursing under her breath. She looked so adorable when she was angry and I couldn’t help but smile while I watched her.
“Yes, Hunter?” She asked me, annoyed.
“Why are you packing?” I asked her.
“You know why I’m packing.” She told me. She zipped her suitcase up and placed it on the floor by her bed. I walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her waist, and buried my face into her neck.
“Hunter, I’m really just not in the mood.” Her hands on my chest, she was trying to push me away.
I pulled away from her neck to look at her. I could tell she was worried about going to go see her ex. He was now the Alpha and there was no way around seeing him.
“Then let’s change that.” I crushed my lips to hers.