Braiden
“My King, I am so sorry. She has some sort of tracking device on you.”
Mary, Sarah's mother, laughs as she approaches us, looking flustered. She takes Sarah and then r eprimands the
children, telling them to let go of me and return to work, learning their ABCs.
Sighs and groans come from little bodies sitting in a semi-circle, with ten small faces looking sad and gloomy. If I
had a soft spot, it was for my Ava and these kids.
“If you are good and listen to teacher Mary, everyone can have an ice cream when they are done. Chocolate ones.”
My words have an immediate impact, bringing back big smiles to the children's faces. Mary mouths a thank you to
me.
“Before we go, I wanted to introduce you to someone. This is Ava. She is new to the pack.” Inquisitive eyes dart
between me and the princess standing beside me.
“Hello, Ava!” A chorus of greetings leaves the children's mouths. Sarah's whispered, ‘She is a princess,’ almost has
me laughing out loud. She is so close. Princess, Queen, the leap is not far.
“Hello, everyone,” Ava responds, smiling at the group.
“Welcome. I hope we haven’t scared you off. I swear they are usually better behaved. It’s just when My King is
around that chaos ensues. They adore him,” Mary says, smiling at me and Ava.
“No, not at all. It’s been very eye-opening,” Ava responds, looking briefly at me.
“We have to go,” I say to everyone, a chorus of byes and screeches following us as I grab Ava’s hand.
Mary’s face registers shock, reminding me of Ava’s words earlier and people's perc eption of what is happening
between us. While I wanted to rush things along and mark her as mine, her history and distrust meant we needed to
take it slow. And forcing her would just drive her away.
Ava is lost in thought as we start retracing our st eps back toward the entrance. The lack of resistance to my hand
holding hers tells me as much.
“What a lovely environment to learn in,” Ava eventually says. She sounds envious, making me wonder at the
environment she grew up in. From everything I have heard, it can’t have been great. Her only impression and it was
terrible. I was determined to change that. I also wanted her to know that even the damaged, though I didn’t see her
as that, had a place in this pack.
“We have two schools, but we found this environment more calming for the children brought in with issues.
Allowing them to focus better in smaller groups and among nature. Mary is one of three trained child psychologists
and a teacher. It’s the best combination for rehabilitation.” Her expressive face hides nothing, and her eyebrows
pull in, evidence of her confusion.
“What kind of issues?” Her question tells me she has not heard about the werewolf children kidnappings. Let alone
some of the other horrendous stuff done to our race. She had truly severed herself from everything to do with our
world.
“Most of those children, including Mary’s own child, Sarah, were captured by humans and forced to shift. Forced
to remain in that state for weeks through conditioning. Brutal whippings until the child learned that they were not
beaten, and were fed, in that form. Like a pet. Like a dog.
Even k ept on leashes and paraded around to friends and family. Those who remain in that state for long enough
become feral in their human state. It's challenging to undo the damage inflicted. But if we get the children soon
enough, we can rehabilitate them.” I hold the door to the large greenhouse open, the heat from outside contrasting
with the dampness from the misting sprays. Ke eping my eyes on Ava’s face instead of the damp shirt hugging her
body, is a challenge.
“Geezus. That’s horrific,” she whispers, her focus no longer on me.
Perhaps hearing this triggers stories of her abuse before arriving at her old pack.
“I wanted you to see for yourself that everyone has a place here, Ava.
Even those society considers damaged.” Her gaze meets mine, and the look on her face tells me an argument is
coming. At least I was able to say I knew that about her.
“Don’t be naïve, Braiden. There is a vast difference between a damaged seven-year-old being acc epted by a pack
and a damaged twenty-seven-year- old. Mate to the King. Future Luna and Queen. The child has the sympathy
vote. The adult, not so much. It’s much easier as a child. To be acc epted. To forget your past. To be integrated. Not
so much for rogues. Not so much for me,” she finally says, boiling it down to her own insecurities.
“Don’t do the same thing you don’t want others to do and judge so quickly, Ava. Just because your old pack was
fucked up, doesn’t mean mine is. At least give it a chance.” She doesn’t hold my gaze as she contemplates what I
am asking of her, the silence continuing until we reach her room on the top floor. The one next to mine. However,
this was a temporary stay.
She didn’t know that tonight we would be moving to my house.
“Fine. But just a chance while I’m here. That doesn’t solidify anything else,” she says, her hand waving between us
wildly.
“Perfect. We will start tonight. Be ready in an hour. Pack dinner is in the hall, and we will be attending. You will
meet my parents.” Her face falls, morphing into shock.
“Your parents. Why?” she asks, her question amusing me. She was anything but ordinary.
“You are my mate. They will need to meet you. I don’t see the issue,” I respond as her mouth gapes open in even
more shock.
“So you want us to meet in a hall before everyone? They might not like me, then what? Why would you create such
a situation?” She is angry with me, her hands finding their place on her hips as always when she feels this emotion,
her breathing becoming choppy as the feeling swirls within her.
“I haven’t created the situation. The situation just is. The royal family always eats with the pack when we are here
and available. Also, what kind of mate do you think I am, Ava? Do you think so little of me that I would allow you
to be disrespected in my pack? I’m not your ex-mate, Alexander,
who fucked other women before rejecting you. Who couldn’t stand up for you because he was missing a backbone.
Don’t assume that I operate at the same level of low he does.” My anger clashes with hers, our ragged breathing the
only noise now.
Her tongue darts out to wet her lips, that action switching the tension from angry to sexual in a split second. She
feels it too, her eyes dropping to my lips before green meets grey again.
I st ep towards her, her hands dropping from her hips as she takes a st ep back, her mouth forming that sexy ‘o’ that I
love. Her back hits the door at the same time my hands do, caging her in.
“You have a temper, which I don’t mind. You voicing your opinion does not scare me, Ava.” I dip my head,
breathing in her scent, my cock hardening further. “But I’m not here to cushion your feelings. I will call you out on
bullshit as you do mine. Even if we argue, I’m not going anywhere.
And I can guarantee the makeup sex will be phenomenal.”
She sucks in a breath and closes her eyes, but not before I see how dilated her pupils are. The scent of her arousal
blooms around us, and I growl out, my wolf pacing inside and egging me on to mark what is ours. It takes all my
willpower to reign in my impulse to take her here and now. But I won’t give in, not until she asks me.
“What do you want, Ava?” Her eyes open and drift down to my lips before meeting mine again.
“You need to use your words. Ask me, or you won’t get anything.” She bites one side of her lip, her stubbornness
warring with the desire so evident in her eyes.
I lean forward slowly, her eyes closing in anticipation of what she thinks will come. My lips graze her cheek, and
then I pull back, her eyes flashing with confusion and then anger.
“I’ll pick you up in less than an hour.” And then I walk away, laughing when I hear the slam of her door and the
string of expletives directed at me.
Time for another fucking ice-cold shower. Having a mate was hard.