The King and His Red Wolf Mate

4 Take Me Away

Jacob POV

I still can't believe that Ella is my mate. I can't help the smirk that spreads across my face at the fact the feisty girl with the no-nonsense attitude was chosen for me by the goddess. The smirk falls from my face as quickly as it came. "What the f**k did you do" Phoenix growls in my head as we watch Ella take off through the trees. "I didn't do anything. You know I haven't. The minute I realized she was ours I haven't so much as kissed another girl." "Well, you did something to f**k up. Our mate is perfect and whatever happened has to be your fault." I can't help but roll my eyes at my wolf. It's killed me not to tell her that she is my mate from the moment I discovered it when I turned eighteen. I knew I couldn't claim her until she came of age but I wanted to tell her she was mine the minute she got her wolf. Now she ran and I have no idea what the hell is happening. "Boy, you must have really screwed the pooch with my granddaughter." I turn to face a man I've never met before. He seems to be enjoying my misery. "I'm Archer and you are Ella's mate." I notice my father stalking in my direction and he looks like he wants my head. "What the hell did you do" he asks. "I did nothing but say she was my mate." I realize that everyone is looking at me now. "You better hope whatever upset her is something you can fix and she doesn't reject your a**." I look over my father's shoulder and I can see disappointment on my mother's face. I push past my father and head toward Serina. "Can you please tell her to come back? I need to talk to her. She is my mate." "Even if I wanted to, I can't. She is blocking us all out." I don't wait for her to say anymore before I take off through the trees. I shift and give control to Phoenix.

Her scent is gone. It's like she disappeared into thin air. I can feel Phoenix's fear and anger bleeding through our bond. After what feels like hours, I head back toward the pack house. Most of the people that were celebrating Ella's birthday are gone. The only ones that are sitting at the table are my parents and hers. As soon as they see me, they all stand. "Where is she?" "She needs time, son. She is hurt and angry about the things you've done", my father says. I growl and my father doesn't even flinch. "You will not keep my mate from me. She is the other half of my soul. I need her." "Then you should have heeded our warning about waiting for your mate Jacob. The only thing you can do now is pray to the goddess that she finds a way to forgive you for your stupidity", my father says. I feel like my heart is being ripped out of my chest. "I love you, Jacob, but there are consequences for your actions even when you're the next king." He turns and starts walking back toward my mother. This can't be about me making out with a few girls. Phoenix growls and I stiffen. "So, you wouldn't be upset if our mate was making out with another man." I can feel my eyes turn black and I'm consumed by anger. This is my fault. I'm an i***t and now I have no idea where the hell they took my mate.

An Hour Earlier

Ella POV

I showed Maya our past with Jacob and I could feel her anger. "I'm sorry our mate put you through that, Ella. He doesn't deserve us." Even though I know she's right, the bond still calls out to me. My heart aches that I couldn't run to our mate and feel the sparks dance on my skin. It's not meant to be like this. He turned eighteen two months ago, which means that he knew we were mates. He knew what I was to him when he slept with Hayley. "That doesn't make sense, Ella. Did you feel any pain in your belly that day?" Now I'm confused. "I was sparring with Micah but I don't really remember. Why is that important?" "When mates find each other, even when they aren't fully mated, infidelity causes pain. The pain is less when there is no mate mark but it still happens", Maya says. "I'm not sure, Maya, but I know what I saw. Jacob has always been a jerk, but seeing him in bed while she stood there barely covered nearly broke me. I didn't know at the time why I was so hurt but now I do." "I'm sorry sweet girl. What do you want to do next? Are you going to reject our mate?" Even the thought of rejecting him brings a fresh wave of pain in my chest. "I'm not sure, Maya, but I can't be around him right now. Let's just head back and talk to mom and dad."

Maya takes off and when we reach the edge of the trees, I can't scent Jacob. We shift and I slip on basketball shorts and a t-shirt. I run toward the pack house. I realize my parents, Micah, and Loreli are waiting for me near the tables from the party. My mother jumps up and runs to me. The minute she wraps her arms around me, I let the tears I was holding back fall. I pull back and I hate that I'm going to need to tell them about Jacob and Hayley, but I need them to understand why I can't be here when he returns. As I tell them, my father and Micah look like they are ready to murder Jacob. My mother and Loreli look disappointed. "I'm sorry that my son hurt you, Ella. That is not how we raised him. I hope you don't reject him, but I would completely understand if you did" Loreli says. I give her a sad smile. "I'm not really sure what I want to do. I know the goddess chose him but I can't see past the hurt he has caused me right now. Maybe with time I will be able to be with Jacob, but I need time to figure out if I can." Micah takes a deep breath. "I think you should give yourself that time to make this decision. You two can't claim each other until you turn eighteen. I will take you to a special place for a few weeks and then you can return to Scarlett Rose. Loreli and I will not tell Jacob where you are. All I ask is that you have a conversation with Jacob after you turn eighteen. If you decide to reject him, we will accept your decision. You will always be family to us, Ella. You are like a daughter to us", Micah says. I wrap him in a hug. "Thank you, Micah. I think that is a good idea. I don't want to make any rash decisions if I see him now." He pulls back and smiles but it doesn't reach his eyes. I can't imagine how hard this is for them. I hug both my parents.

"We will see you in a few weeks" my father says. Micah waves his arms and the portal opens. We step through and the house in front of us is beautiful. It's surrounded by flowers. The front door opens and an older man and woman step out onto the porch. "She is a beautiful girl, Micah" the woman says. "Yes, she is grandmother. Ella, this is my great grandparents, Aspen and Jacob." Before I know what's happening, I'm scooped up in strong arms. "I had hoped my namesake would do better with his mate than I did but based on the fact you're here, I'm going to guess not. Come inside and you can tell us why my grandson is an id**t." I giggle at his words and follow them inside. Aspen leads me through a beautiful house. It's not what I expected a former king and queen to be living in. It's quaint and homey. I take a seat at the table and Aspen sets tea down in front of me. I feel bad telling Jacob's grandparents what he did to upset me, but they insisted that despite just meeting me, I was their family too. After I finished telling them about him and Hayley, his grandfather growls. "I thought I was a total knuckle head but I think your son, takes the cake Micah." Micah nods his agreement. I look between Aspen and Jacob wondering what exactly he did to his mate. "I can see you have questions, Ella. I will explain how stupid I was when I found Aspen. It might not make you feel better about what Jacob's done, but it might give you some hope that if he straightens up you two can be happy", Jacob says, and I nod.

"I was to be the future king when my sister brought her best friend to the castle. A friend that was human." Now I'm really confused because I can scent Aspen's wolf. "Aspen's wolf was dormant at the time and she knew nothing of our kind. At the time, I thought I knew better than the goddess and decided that a human could not be the future Queen of Werewolves. I rejected Aspen and it was the biggest mistake of my life. It took me a very long time to prove to her that I was worthy of her love and to be her mate. She made me suffer and I deserved every bit of her wrath. I am grateful every day that she forgave me. Even if she had never found her wolf, she was always meant to be my queen. I'm telling you this story not to sway you to forgive my stupid grandson but to help you have hope that things can still work out. Just as Micah told you, you are our family too and we will support whatever decision you make", Jacob says. "Thank you, for letting me stay with you." "You don't ever have to thank us. We hope you will come and visit once you return to the Scarlett Rose", Aspen says. "I definitely will." Micah hugs us all before he steps through the portal back to the pack. "Come on and I'll show you to your room Ella." I follow Aspen upstairs and she opens the door to a beautiful room. It is simple with purple accents. "I'm going to let you rest. Dinner will be ready in an hour." She hugs me before she leaves, closing the door behind her. I fall back onto the bed and reach out to Maya. "Are you alright Maya?" "I am, I'll always be on your side, Ella. All I ask is that when we finally speak to Jacob, we listen to what he has to say. If we decide to forgive him, we can make him prove that he is worthy of that forgiveness." I smile "I can definitely do that."