2. Vivianna
VIVIANNA
“Ineed to check with the security lead to see what I’m dealing with in this archaic castle,” Darius muttered as he walked out the door.
My shoulders sagged. I wanted to go after Darius, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good. He’d made it known he would look after me and keep me safe but wasn’t willing to give up his life to be with me.
“Give him time,” Rik said, pulling me into a hug.
I breathed in his scent of evergreen and fresh mountain air. “It's his choice. I don’t want him if he doesn’t want to be a part of this.”
If he’s not wolf enough to handle us, then it’s better to let him go. Even if I do want to eat off those abs of his.
I had to agree with my wolf. If Darius was absolutely against having a mate, then it would be easier just to move on before I got even more attached.
“Come on, let’s check out the rest of this place. If it’s anything like the living room, I’m totally fine living here,” Rik said, giving me another squeeze before he let me go.
“That’s good to hear, actually. You were the one I was worried about. I didn’t think you would enjoy being anywhere but on your mountain,” I teased.
“Babe, I can tell you for a fact that if you’re not on that mountain, then Rik wants nothing to do with it,” Koit interjected.
Rik frowned at Koit. “Don’t think I won’t still kick your ass just because you’re mated to her.”
Koit ran and hid behind me, peeking over my shoulder. “You wouldn’t dare. Babe, you won’t let him hurt me, would you?”
I could think of a better idea involving both of them if they want to work out some of that aggression.
I walked away, laughing at them and my wolf’s commentary. “You're on your own, Koit. Survival of the fittest and all that.”
“That’s just mean,” Koit called after me as I walked up the stairs.
The guys followed after me as we explored the rest of our private area.
Along a short hallway were four doors on either side that revealed simple rooms with a bed and other bedroom basics.
The last door at the end of the hall opened up to another staircase, which led to a giant bedroom the size of the whole width of the tower.
On the back wall was an opulent bed with a full canopy supported by a dark, hand-carved wooden frame.
The billowy fabric was gathered at each corner of the bed, giving me a view of the welcoming pile of pillows taking over the mattress.
On the left wall was a row of large windows that were covered in wooden shutters.
Tav and I unlatched the shutters, allowing sunlight to flood the room and give it a warm, welcoming glow.
A large, stately desk was facing the room with a leather chair at the ready, and a simple seating area with a loveseat and two armchairs sat in the middle of the room.
There was also a table with four chairs to eat at.
“Holy shit, this room is amazing.” I gasped, taking it all in.
“When she said the bed would fit all of us, she wasn’t kidding,” Rik said as he sat in one of the armchairs, looking the room over.
The stone walls really made you feel like you’d been sent back in time, but the large flat-screen TV visible from the sitting area broke the illusion.
Koit winked at me. “It’s good to be queen in these parts.”
“You going to pick out a bedroom?” I asked. “I’m sure they will let you change anything you want, seeing as they are so impersonal.”
Koit just grinned at me and wandered over to my bed and belly-flopped on it. “Just did.”
“You guys, I don’t expect you to be with me every second of every day.
You all still have your own lives. I don’t ever want you to feel like I’m taking that away from you.
I never want to be a burden or cause you to give up more than you already have for me,” I explained, beginning to panic they might see me as clingy.
My wolf groaned. Are we back to this again? Seriously, you need to trust them more.
Shut up. I do trust them, and I admit the guys always make me feel more grounded, but I can’t have one attached to me at all times. That’s just selfish. I need to figure out a way to deal with all these changes myself. I’ve never needed anyone before.
Since you’re clearly not going to listen to me, maybe one of your mates can talk some sense into you.
My wolf growled in frustration, then turned her back on me and curled up for a nap.
“It seems you're not really understanding how this whole being mated thing works, babe,” Koit said, sitting in the middle of the bed.
I frowned at him, not following.
“What he’s trying to say, love, is that we want to be with you just as much as you want to be around us.
Being mated is more than being married. It’s when two souls blend with each other.
We are so much more to one another than any human will ever be able to understand,” Tav explained, wrapping his arms around my waist and holding me close.
“We’ve only been mated for a few days, and right now, we crave each other like a drug.
As time goes on, that will lessen some so that it won’t be so hard to be apart, but we’ll always want to be close to you, and vice versa. ”
Translation: calm the fuck down.
I winced as she yelled in my head. Fuck. No need to scream at me. I can hear you just fine.
I know this is freaking you out to have someone really care about you, but you need to enjoy the honeymoon period. If you need any ideas, I am happy to help.
I took a deep breath, leaning into Tav. I just needed to get my bearings, learn how to be a good mate and Dama. They were right—I didn’t have to do this all on my own. I had my mates by my side.
“Okay, so Darius is checking with security. What else should we be doing now that we’re living here?” I asked, looking at them.
“Astrid is going to be the best person to answer that question,” Rik said.
“Right, so I need to set up a time to talk with her. First, though, tell me what you know about being Dama. I don’t want to go into that conversation totally blind.”
“This is going to take a while. I’ll get us some refreshments,” Koit said, bouncing off the bed. Leave it to Koit to run off when things might get boring.
Tav pulled me next to him on the loveseat, and Rik shifted his chair to face us.
“Where do you want to start?” Rik asked.
I rolled that question around in my brain before I answered. “Tell me what you know of the role of Dama. I know in theory what a queen does, but how does it work in the werewolf world?”
“Much like a queen, a Dama rules over her pack. The difference is that back in the old days, packs were much bigger. To handle the massive size, they had male alphas or betas that had been picked by the Dama to help her keep order. Think of them like governors over a town for a king. They would meet with the Dama and make sure her rules were upheld,” Rik explained.
Tav picked up from there. “Along with those males, the Dama would also have a council of strong female betas that advised her. Out of the council, there was one that the Dama chose to be her right hand to run things when she left the castle or visited other parts of the pack’s lands.
So if, for example, you wanted to visit Rik’s pack lands, then your right hand would keep this part of the pack running smoothly. ”
Breathing in deeply, I digested their words. “So, I rule over this whole island and Rik’s pack?”
“The island, yes. As for my pack, that would happen upon us being mated. I would gladly hand over my pack to you as the ruling Dama for us to manage together,” Rik answered. I felt like he was choosing his words carefully.
Understanding hit me like a bucket of cold water. “Tav, am I going to have to fight your dad or your brother for your pack? Oh god, this is why Darius doesn’t want me as a mate either—he would have to give up everything.”
Tav hugged me to him, nuzzling his face into the back of my neck and taking a deep breath.
I’m sure he could feel the torrent of emotions that was flooding my brain right now.
“No, you don’t have to fight him. Unless you wish to take control of my father’s pack.
But since I wasn’t the leading alpha, you don’t inherit my pack with us being mated. ”
I knew that Tav didn’t feel that he’d left anything behind when he made his choice to mate with me, but I felt sadness that he’d never have the option of returning to his homeland.
I guess we both shared that—I couldn’t return to London unless I wanted to be captured and sent to Russia. Then another thought struck me.
“Will your Collective see me as a threat?”
“There is potential for that happening. What we need to do is beat them to the punch by announcing your arrival and acceptance of the position,” Rik said, resting his hand on my leg and squeezing it gently.
“So it sounds like we really need to have a meeting with Astrid to figure out our next steps,” I mused.
“Let’s just take the rest of this day to enjoy our new home and hit the ground running tomorrow.
We’ve had quite the rough past few days.
I know you’ve healed from your wounds, but I don’t want to push your body more than we have to.
This is going to be a marathon, not a sprint,” Tav reasoned, using his strong fingers to massage my scalp.
“Why do I feel like you’re manipulating me right now?” I asked, smirking before pressing my lips to his.
Tav smiled. “Somehow, I get the feeling you don’t mind very much.”
Affirming his thought, I deepened our kiss and twined my fingers into his hair. Wrapping his other arm around my waist, he pulled me into his lap and gripped my ass firmly. The skirt of my dress puddled around my thighs, letting me feel just how much Tav was enjoying me being here.
“No fair. I leave the room for a few minutes, and you go from boring conversation to christening the room.” Koit's voice rang out, cutting through our lust-filled haze.