Chapter 8

As we step into the dining room, Honora is already there, waiting.

Thank goodness Matteo isn’t here yet.

I can’t help but think that Roman’s stubbornness is a trait he inherited from his father.

Honora greets us with a warm, welcoming smile.

She’s wearing a deep red dress that makes her already stunning beauty even more pronounced.

I bow my head slightly in her direction. She is the queen, after all.

Honora’s laughter fills the room.

“Oh, you silly girl, there’s no need to bow to me. Between us, I’ve always thought the whole bowing thing was a bit much. Must be a man’s thing.” She winks at me.

I can’t help but laugh at her words. I’m starting to really like this woman. Maybe she’s not as hard to please as I thought. I take a seat next to her and she takes my hands in hers. “Now, tell me everything about you.”

“My father is Alpha Jackson.” Honora claps her hands together.

“I’ve always admired that man. He’s quite honorable, as is your mother. I heard she had thousands of flowers delivered for the Mate Founder. Such a clever woman. It must have been a sight to behold.”

Her eyes sparkle with excitement.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Please, continue.”

“You know my mother? Then you must know I’m half witch, half wolf. I can fully shift though.” Honora gasps.

“It’s rare, I know. But my mom trained me well, I have control over all my powers. The pack warriors trained me too. I passed the test and was on my first week of being one of them.”

Honora shoots Roman a stern look.

Everyone knows about his disdain for warriors, just my luck.

Thank you, Goddess.

Roman’s father walks in and I’m relieved. I quickly stand up and bow before him.

I know this man is going to be a lot harder to win over than his wife.

Once he’s seated, I sit back down.

“Bring the food.” His voice sends a chill down my spine.

This man is one intimidating, spoiled, dominant wolf.

Goddess, forgive me for thinking such things.

Honora gently slaps Matteo on his arm, her eyes filled with adoration.

I can’t help but feel a pang of jealousy.

If only Roman would accept me for who I am, we could have that too.

I glance at him and see that he’s already looking at me. His expression mirrors mine.

He probably wants me to be his obedient little pet.

Not happening.

“I understand you’re a warrior, correct?” Matteo’s gaze is intense, as if he’s trying to see into my soul. I shift uncomfortably in my chair.

“Yes, my King. That’s correct.” I quickly look away from him, not wanting to come off as disrespectful.

“A queen cannot be a warrior, for if she dies, her king would be lost.” The room suddenly feels like it’s filled with ice. A shiver runs down my spine.

Honora looks worriedly at Roman, and Roman stares at the wall, his jaw clenched. I can’t help but feel there’s a story here that I’m not privy to.

“A queen losing her king would be a tragedy too. If the queen were able to fight alongside him, they could BOTH be saved.”

The room is so quiet I’m sure I’m about to be beheaded.

The King has his poker face on again, and I can’t stop the tears that well up in my eyes.

This man scares the hell out of me.

Then he does something I didn’t expect.

He laughs. A genuine, hearty laugh.

“I have a feeling you’re going to be quite a match for my son. He could use some toughening up to be king. I’d like to see you in action, Katelynn.”

My mouth drops open, but I quickly close it again.

The King wants to see me fight.

I sneak a glance at Roman, who’s looking at his father with a displeased expression.

I see his mouth open, but thankfully, four women come in to serve our food.

I thank the woman who places a platter in front of me, and she seems surprised.

They should treat their staff better.

Without them, there would be no food.

We eat in silence, the steak is the most delicious I’ve ever had.

I can feel the tension radiating off Roman, but the King seems relaxed.

Every now and then, Honora looks at me with concern.

I wonder why.

Maybe this whole fighting thing is a trap.

When we’re finished eating, Roman excuses himself.

I start to stand up too, but Honora stops me.

“Darling, could you stay a bit longer? I’d like to talk about your mating.” I nod and sit back down.

The King stands up, so I quickly stand up again, probably looking like a fool. I bow, but he doesn’t even glance at me. He kisses Honora on the forehead and leaves the room.

“I’m sorry that tonight was a bit…tense. I promise it’s not always like this.” I smile at her. Tense is an understatement.

“It’s our tradition to officially introduce you to the pack tomorrow through games and social gatherings. In three days, your official mating and initiation will take place.

“Since we don’t know each other very well, I thought we could go shopping the day after tomorrow. Pick out a dress, talk about your favorite flowers, and all that. Would you like that?”

Her last words are almost pleading and I feel a pang of sympathy for her.

Being a queen must be tough. Everyone has to accept you and be polite to you.

I hate shopping, but I hear myself thanking her for the lovely offer and saying I’d love to.

Her eyes light up and I’m once again struck by how beautiful this woman is.

I should really start paying more attention to my appearance.

“Roman will no doubt take me to the game fair tomorrow. Speaking of him, I should go see what that grumpy wolf is up to.” I blush as I realize what I just said.

I just told the queen AND mother of my mate that he’s a grumpy jerk.

Someone needs to save me from myself.

Thankfully, Honora laughs and agrees with me.

We say our goodbyes and soon I’m on my way to Roman’s...well, our house.

I can’t help but feel nervous.

My initial idea of just being sexy to distract him seemed like a solid plan.

I’m aware I have a good body, all the training has paid off.

But that doesn’t erase the fact that I’m still a virgin and my mate doesn’t accept the real me.

Suddenly, I feel incredibly lonely.

So, instead of walking all the way up to the house, I sit in the garden and pull my phone from my bra pocket.

Yes, I have bras with pockets, I’m a warrior after all.

I Facetime Lucy and after what feels like an eternity, she finally answers.

Her face fills my screen and I scrunch up my nose.

“Goodness, Luce. Did you just have sex?” A girly giggle escapes her lips, instantly making me feel better.

“How was it?” I whisper.

“Absolutely perfect. Eric was so gentle and sweet. He’s amazing.” Her face is flushed and her hair is a mess, but she’s still beautiful. Goddess, I wish she was here with me.

“I’m so happy for you, nerd. You deserve the best in the world.” I feel a twinge of jealousy, but I’m genuinely happy for her.

“And how’s that jerk doing?” Her face immediately turns annoyed. Ugh, where do I even begin?

“We fought on the plane, I burned his hands. He doesn’t want me to be a warrior for some unknown reason. Then we almost had a fight back at his house, which is incredibly beautiful by the way.

“But this stupid mate bond got in the way so I might have kissed him. I mean not just kissed him, I’m sure if someone was watching it would’ve looked like two equally big fishes trying to swallow each other.

“Oh, and I met the king. Super scary guy, but at least he wanted to see me fight. Oh, and his mom is a sweetheart. Though she wants to take me shopping in two days.”

“I forgive her though because she’s like an angel. So yeah, that was my day. Fun, right?” I roll my eyes at my day, twice.

Lucy stares at me in a way that I know she’s processing and sorting all the information in her head.

“If he doesn’t accept you, I wish him luck and your dad probably too since he’s been dealing with your warrior obsession forever.

“He needs to stop being selfish, I know that might be hard for him to understand. But he’ll just have to. And the kiss, oh my.

“It sounds very Carrie and Mr. Big. I thought Mr. Big kind of left her at the altar on their wedding day, so maybe not the best comparison.

“Too bad his dad is creepy, but if he’s on your side just ignore the creepiness. By the way, you’re a lady. Go enjoy shopping, for goodness sake.”

When she finishes speaking, I hear Eric mumble something in the background.

“That’s why you’re not a woman and men’s meetings take forever. We can discuss multiple topics at once.” I smile at her comment.

I love it when Lucy gets all technical and sassy at the same time.

“I can still come and kick his ass, you know.” I drop my head in my free hand.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll kick his ass. Will you come to watch me when they behead me for killing the Prince though?”

“Don’t worry, girl. I’ll come to rescue you and we’ll go live on an island.” Eric once again says something in the background.

“You have no choice. I’m kidnapping you too, handsome.” He says something again, and I see Lucy blush. I’m happy for her, and though I’m a bit cheered up, this conversation isn’t helping.

“Hey, Luce. I got to get back to my big bad wolf Prince. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay? AND DON’T FORGET TO TELL ME WHEN YOU GET PREGNANT.”

Lucy turns as red as a tomato and quickly says goodbye before hanging up. I grin at the screen. At least I can still bug her through Facetime.