The Art of Taming Her Mates

3. Lycan Prince Kingston.

The white drapes that were suspended around Kayleen dropped to the floor, leaving her frozen in shock.

‘Kingston is half lycan and half wizard, Cassius is half lycan and half vampire, while Klauth is half lycan and half dragon,’ Kayleen recalled the information from rumors that she had heard since childhood.

There was a story of a Lycan Princess with a scandalous and messed-up family background being mates with the Lycan Prince Haakon. Princess Bella's father had a number of wives from different races which was not seen as acceptable in the eyes of the people. Haakon only cared about Bella and accepted her as she was. He was a pure-blooded, powerful lycan, his acceptance of her resulted in them being blessed with triplets that were viewed as a threat to the rest of the world.

In an attempt to kill the triplets in Bella’s womb, their enemies mixed a drug that caused miscarriages that had no cure into Bella’s food during a celebration. Haakon lost his mind when the Doctor said if the children died, Bella would die as well. That’s when Bella’s overprotective older half brothers, who were hybrid vampire dragons and crown princes of their own kingdom, put their lives on line to stop Bella's miscarriage. Their half brother, a powerful wizard healer, assisted the brothers in saving their sister. They used every last bit of their powers to save the triplets and Bella.

Their sacrifice resulted in the triplets being born as hybrids, though it manifested differently as each baby inherited powers from a respective uncle.

‘I am mated to the hybrid triplets lycans who avoid women like a plague?!’ Kayleen was having trouble digesting the truth.

‘Yes,’ Ebbe admitted. ‘But their reason for avoiding females is still a mystery.’

‘True,’ Kayleen took a deep breath and thought about her situation with a calm mind. The childhood memory of them avoiding her and treating her like she was invisible was still fresh in her mind. ‘I am a woman and being a woofless she-wolf adds fuel to the fire. There is no way they can recognize me as their soulmate,’ Kayleen murmured, knowing well how arrogant lycans were. Confronting them in order to reveal the matebond would lead to nothing but a new way to die. It could create misunderstandings and ruin things. ‘But to save my life I have to make those untouchable gods fall in love with me,’ Kayleen could not forget that fact.

‘Fall in love with us?’ Ebbe gasped.

‘Yes, but I can’t fall for them,’ Kayleen took a deep breath. The events of her past; her parents abandoning her, her orphan-like youth, and Wallace's betrayal crossed her mind, causing her heart to ache at the painful memories. "This will end in rejection, another dose of humiliation and heartbreak once they discover they are mated to a wolfless divorcee like me. Lycans like them could not bear having a mate that was lower in status than them. This can only ever be lust, never love," Kayleen realized. She looked at Ebbe in the reflection of the mirror, whose silence proved her agreement.

‘As soon as I have ensured my survival. We will leave them forever,’ she decided.

‘So what now?’ Ebbe asked.

‘Doing things hastily can have a price. Especially seeing as they are not something I can put my hands on recklessly.”

“Lycans rarely leave their territory. They are free to enter our lands whenever they please, but it’s not the same for us. The ongoing tensions between werewolves and lycans have hurt our ability to approach them,’ Ebbe exclaimed, running out of ideas to approach her mates.

‘True, but don’t forget the love story that has blossomed between my soon to be former mother-in-law and the Lycan King,’ Kayleen chuckled.

‘Yes! They’re going to get married,’ Ebbe remembered.

In order to end the misunderstandings between the two races, the widowed Luna Queen Orla, Wallace’s mother, reached out to Lycan King Haakon a few months ago. Haakon was known for his dominant yet righteous nature and was respected by other races. He invited Orla to a meeting to attempt to broker a peace. The frequent meetings between the two royals caught everyone’s attention. Haakon was a widower and no one could question Orla’s beauty.

Their attraction quickly evolved into love, but the baby that soon followed was unexpected. Orla found herself in a difficult situation as abortion was not an option. So she decided to raise the child on her own without telling the world who the father was. When Haakon discovered this, he decided to take responsibility. In turn it also became a way to end the long standing feud between wolves and lycans.

‘If you hadn’t suggested that Wallace accept Queen Orla and King Haakon’s relationship, he would have lost his opportunity to impress his mother and claim the title of Crown Prince,’ Ebbe remarked, recalling Wallace’s ungratefulness.

Initially, Wallace had been furious over Orla and Haakon’s relationship. He had planned to make a scene to try and break them up but Kayleen suggested that it was Orla’s private life and he could win her over by accepting everything wholeheartedly. Kayleen had also mentioned the profit, security, and peace that the Werewolf Kingdom would gain if his Mother married the Lycan King. There was nothing bad about their greatest enemy, one that they could never defeat, becoming their friend.

After weighing the pros and cons carefully and seeing the battle for the throne that lay before him, Wallace followed Kayleen’s advice. Later, he gained Orla’s favor, obtaining the title of Crown Prince. His path to the throne was finally secure, he had promised to sit Kayleen as Luna Queen next to him one day, but now Anne had replaced her.

‘Their wedding is the key to me gaining access to the Lycan Princes and soon I will get it,’ Kayleen admitted, walking over to the window.

‘How?’ Ebbe questioned.

‘It’s time to tame my mates,’ Kayleen smiled, playing with her wedding ring.

***

Wallace sat frowning in his office looking at the letter in his hand. “The Lycan Prince is on the way to our kingdom?”

“Yes,” Kane nodded. “The Lycan King arrived to meet with the Luna Queen two days ago to make decisions pertaining to the wedding. So the Prince’s arrival is expected.”

“All three of them?”

“No, for now I only know of Lycan Prince Kingston,” Kane remarked.

“Still, this short notice is unexpected,” Wallace shook his head. “This wedding will smooth out the relationship between wolves and lycans. That way, I won’t have to deal with the lycans in the future when I become King. So they should not experience any problems as long as they are here,” Wallace pointed out. “Quickly make arrangements for Prince Kingston and other princes.”

“Umm… there is a problem,” Kane hesitated. “The warrior who had a responsibility of handling the arrangements was removed from the residence days ago.”

“Why so suddenly?”

“It was done following your orders sir. When we removed Princess Kayleen’s people,” Kane informed them. Kayleen’s people only saw her as their mistress and did not give importance to Anne. She was ignored as dirt. So when Wallace found Anne in tears of humiliation, he removed Kayleen’s people from his house.

“Then find someone else who can perform this task,” Wallace sounded slightly irritated.

“There are none,” Kane admitted.

“What the f**k,” Wallace was doubfounded.

“The others are not capable of even standing in front of lycans. Allowing a random wolf or low ranking wolves to serve the lycans would be seen as offensive and we don't have the ability to cater to them. So…”

Standing at the end of the office hallway, Anne overheard the entire conversation between Wallace and his Beta while eating an apple. She pulled away from the wall when the maid exited a room on the left side of the hall.

“Did grandfather eat?” Anne was surprised to notice the plate.

“Yes, after all, it was sent by Princess Kayleen,” the maid smiled.

“That’s wonderful,” Anne returned the maid’s smile before starting to walk to Wallace’s office with a stern expression.

Wallace’s grandfather was paralyzed but the whole ordeal was a pain in the neck. Anne had tried everything to win him over but he always ignored her. He refused to eat the food made by others, it was only Kayleen’s that would do. If she was unable to be there for whatever reason, then he would only eat the food sent from Kayleen’s residence.

Anne was amused and annoyed in equal measure by the effect that Kayleen had on the Prince's household.

“Wallace, here is your tea,” Anne smiled as she entered the office with a tray. Beta Kane excused himself, leaving the couple alone.

“Anne, haven’t I told you that you don't need to do things like this anymore,” Wallace got up to take the tray from her hands.

“You just love me so much that I want to take care of every little thing for my mate, Wallace,” Anne wrapped her arms around his waist. “I don't want people to call me a substitute or compare me to anyone else. I know I don’t have Alpha blood like Princess Kayleen but I don't want to become the reason that people sneer at you,” Anne explained with slightly watery eyes.

“You don't need to prove yourself to anyone,” Wallace cupped her face, his eyes full of love. “I love you for who you are. You don’t need to compare yourself to Kayleen. You two hold different positions in my life. Kayleen is just a friend but you’re my mate, do you understand?” he placed a kiss on her lips.

Anne blushed with a slight nod. Wallace’s lips softly nibbled on her lower lip then tailed down to her neck. Anne moaned, tightening her grip on his waist.

“Wallace,” Anne purred, rubbing her hips against Wallace’s hard c**k. She was so excited by Wallace’s arousal that she just wanted to be f****d on the desk behind her. She moved to put her hand in his trousers to pull his c**k out.

“Anne…” Wallace stopped her questing hand breaking the kiss. “Go and get some rest,” Wallace suggested with a smile while pulling away from her. Anne panicked and held onto his hand tightly.

“Wallace, isn’t it time for us to mate? It’s been a month,” she gave him a seductive look.

“Not now, I have some urgent matters to attend to. You go and rest,” Wallace placed a kiss on her forehead. Anne forced an understanding smile onto her face as she swallowed the bitter truth that she knew in her heart. Due to Kayleen’s presence in his life Wallace would not have s*x with her. The last time he had stopped after both of them were already naked in bed, when Kayleen happened to pass by the door in the hallway. Every time their close proximity would end with nothing more than kisses and touches. Thanks to Kayleen, Anne yearned for more physical contact.

She noticed Wallace staring out of the window down to the main gate of the house where the high-ranking warriors and guards were taking his grandfather back to his own residence. The old man had only come to Wallace’s home to bless him on his birthday and was now returning home.

Wallace tried to catch a glimpse of Kayleen but she was not there. Normally she came to visit his grandfather at this time but that evening she had not. Even though Kayleen was not there he did not want to mate with Anne. Anne’s heart quivered at seeing the effect that Kayleen had on Wallace’s heart.

Wallace sat back in his chair to focus on the letters.

“Are those invitations meant to be sent to Princess Kayleen’s residence?” Anne asked, fixing her clothes. “Don’t worry, I sent one to her this evening and she…”

“She what?” Wallace looked up at Anne.

“Nothing, I wasn’t upset by her words. She was my mistress once, so her anger is justified,” Anne bit her lip and let her shoulders slump.

“Tell me what she said,” Wallace demanded, not appreciating Anne’s discouraged face.

“She laughed, saying that as long as she’s alive I won’t receive your love. You won’t mate me. I’m just her replacement,” Anne’s eyes grew watery. “She’ll always stand between us otherwise I’ll be removed soon.”

Wallace frowned bitterly. “Kayleen has a great deal of confidence after trapping you in the swap! How could she threaten you?”

“Please don't blame Kayleen, Wallace. After all, she was your wife first. She must feel wronged,” Anne softly touched his chest.

“No matter what, she doesn’t have the right to insult you, Anne. Does she think you’re easy to bully? I’ll have to do something about Kayleen before she starts any rumors,” Wallace remarked. Anne hugged Wallace, the corner of her lips lifting slightly.

“I’m so moved by your words, Wallace but what can you do? She comes to visit your grandfather. People see her as the mistress of the house, not a lowly Omega like me. It isn’t like you can send her away or something. Otherwise people would blame me saying that I was bullying the Princess,” she spoke in a quiet, defeated voice.

“They can blame me but not you, when I decide to take care of the situation with Kayleen. She won’t come between us,” Wallace remarked, lifting her chin up. “People will recognize you as my mate and the mistress of my home, Anne,” he promised.

“How?” Anne innocently blinked her long wet lashes. Wallace looked at the letter on his desk and smiled.

“I need a smart, high ranking individual to handle the arrangements for the triplet Lycan Princes. Kayleen is the best choice for that!” Wallace explained.

“You mean you’re sending the Princess to take care of the arrangements for Lycan Princes?” Anne gasped, her heart jumped in victory. It had not been easy to remove Kayleen from the residence and Wallace’s life.

“Yes, Kayleen will be my emissary,” Wallace announced. Anne nodded like an innocent sheep who was unaware of the situation but smiled to herself. She just needed a few days alone with Wallace to get him to mate her.

Wallace mind-linked Kayleen with all the tasks she needed to perform but did not get any response no matter how many times he repeated them.

“Why is she not responding?” he was not sure if she had gotten the mind-link or not.

“Lycan Prince Kingston is already in the Kingdom!” Beta Kane entered Wallace’s office in panic.

“Already?” Wallace was stunned. “Where is he?”

“No one knows,” Kane shook his head.

“What does that mean? Where the hell is Kayleen?” he demanded.

“No one knows, I could not mind-link the Princess either.”

Standing to the side, Anne bit her lip. If Kayleen did not show up then all of Anne’s hard work to remove her from the residence would be ruined.

“I think I heard some people talking about the Princess wandering around the cherry garden this morning,” Anne mumbled under her breath, but Wallace heard her clearly.

“Cherry garden?” There was only one residence that had a cherry garden. “I will be back,” Wallace left immediately. Anne sat next to the window with a smile. How dare the Princess try to hide? Thanks to her spies, she was aware of Kayleen’s whereabouts.

The wolves guarding one of the biggest property knelt in panic and lowered their heads in submission at the sight of Lycan Prince Kingston’s sudden arrival. His legs were long, his large strides passed them as he walked into old Alpha King Basil’s residence. He admired the place where he had spent one year of his childhood, a place that held beautiful memories.

His footsteps were so soundless, no one could tell someone was moving down the hall. Passing by the rooms, he stopped next to the window to a familiar room and saw a familiar figure laying on the bed. The old man who had taught him how to fight now lay there paralyzed. A once great ruler was all alone in this large residence.

Kingston’s brows knitted in displeasure. He took a step forward to clear his head of the past but in the next second he spotted a slim figure sitting next to Basil’s taking care of him. Kingston remained standing on the window watching the woman’s slander back. She had dimmed the lights in the room making it a soothing and comforting environment.

She wore a light colored gown and he could sense that she had quite a strong yet familiar aura. Her long hair brushed her hips when she moved to cover the sleeping old king with a blanket.

The pressure in Kingston's chest eased when he saw the woman caring for Basil. The old king was not alone but he had someone at his side. Kingston’s eyes went to the 5.9 tall woman when she moved the hair back from her face.

“Kayleen,” he blinked at the familiar beautiful face. She had grown tall and become a mature woman in the years since he had seen her last. Her eyes were full of smiles and her aura still attracted him like a magnet. Kingston stopped himself from enjoying this feeling. Sometime ago he had heard the news of her getting married to Wallace. She was a married woman.

Just as he decided to take another step forward he spotted a tall man wearing a royal rob stand up from the side sofa. It was Wallace. Kingston stopped, took a step back, and hid his aura and scent. He did not know both husband and wife were together. The last time he had seen Kayleen was when she was glued to Wallace in the mating ball.

‘Mate,’ Ebbe informed her of Kingston’s presence. Kayleen’s lips raised slightly in secret.

“Grandpa is sleeping. Now we can talk,” Kayleen turned to face Wallace with a cup of tea.

“I am not here to talk, Kayleen. Just do what I have asked you and next time answer my mind-link right away. I had to come over to meet with you here, leaving all my important work,” Wallace coldly remarked. Kingston instantly frowned at Wallace’s attitude towards Kayleen.

“Did you ever think that I might be sick, so I am not getting your mind-link, Wallace. Do you really have to be so cold hearted to me now just because you have found your soulmate?” Kayleen’s blue eyes were full of sadness. Kingston’s muscles tightened at the revelation. Wallace found his mate? Wasn't Kayleen his wife?

“Sick? Isn’t it because you went to the lake for a swim last night? Did you really have to go to such lengths to get my attention, Kayleen?” Wallace raised his brows.

“What woman would put her fertility in jeopardy by jumping into freezing water to get her husband’s attention?” Kayleen asked. Kingston’s chest tightened at the sight of her slightly watery eyes.

“You should stop calling me your husband, Kayleen. I have found my soulmate. It hurts Anne but she still smiles whenever you act out of line,” Wallace advised.

“Can’t you see I am hurt too, Wallace? My husband is about to mark another woman,” Kayleen bit her lip. She looked like a wounded little deer that her husband continued to hurt again and again. Kingston's blood instantly began to heat, grasping a full understanding of Wallace's betrayal.

“Let’s stop here,” Wallace sighed tiredly. “I have to leave now. Anne is waiting for me at home,” he announced, leaving from the same door that he had come in from.

“Wallace…” Kayleen called him weakly. She walked to the door to catch a final glimpse of him but he was already gone. Her hand tightened on the cup in her hand.

When she turned back around she bumped into Kingston.

“Oh!” she gasped, her blue eyes perfectly round in surprise. The hot tea spilled onto Kingston’s hand which was followed by the sharp clatter of the cup falling to the floor.

“His highness the Lycan Prince,” she breathed out. Kingston’s chocolaty brown eyes shone instead of letting out a hiss of pain from the burn.

“Be careful,” he whispered, feeling something unusual move inside him from her proximity. His eyes scanned every inch of her small face, getting caught up on her big eyes that looked down at his hand.

“Your hand is burnt,” Kayleen whispered. She took a step back looking into his eyes. As soon as she turned, Kingston's long arm curled around her waist and pulled her into his body, causing both of their bodies to collide. When Kingston felt her soft breast crushing into his hard chest, he heard her heartbeat and noticed the surprise in her eyes as he slowly brushed back the hair from her face.

“Strange,” he whispered, looking deeper into her eyes.

“What is strange?” Kayleen licked her lips.

Kingston’s gaze tailed down to her wet lips before he admitted. “You are the first woman who has made me hard.”