Chapter 11
11
DECLAN
L eaving Natalia in my room and going to find Trystan was one of the hardest choices I’d made today.
I knew she needed space, but I wanted nothing more than to stay there and comfort her.
My wolf and I both agreed; she was ours and we were going to do everything in our power to keep our mate safe.
It went against everything I had thought I wanted for myself, but there was just something about her that was already taking ahold of me, mind, body, and soul.
We had a fight ahead of us.
Natalia was going to make me work for it.
Losing control of myself and pulling her through my portal, and knocking her out probably wasn’t my smartest move…She was not going to be as easy to convince as I thought she might be.
Once I decided she was mine, I figured she would go along.
Yet she is resisting me.
I would give her all the time she needs to accept this bond.
I was a patient man.
I bided my time before I challenged my father for his pack, that took patience considering what was happening within the walls of our home.
If I could wait that out, I could wait for my mate to be ready to accept me.
I made my way into the living room, knowing I would find Trystan waiting for me.
He was standing by the fireplace, looking out the window.
Trystan was my best friend and had been since I brought him into this pack but he had hidden so much from me.
I understood why, yet I still wished he would’ve trusted me with his past, which was now colliding with my present and future, because that’s exactly what Natalia was.
She was my future.
Wherever this path may lead us.
“Sounds like she gave you a piece of her mind if the yelling was any indicator of how she feels about you knocking her out.”
He smiled but it didn’t reach his eye, not like it normally did.
He seemed like he wasn’t quite present.
Like he was remembering a fond memory, and he looked…sad.
“Yeah, she is pissed to say the least.
I need to have Sasha bring Jericho’s niece over before she decides to murder me with her dagger.”
I grumbled.
Trystan laughed, “Has she even found it yet?" Shaking my head a smile graced my lips, “No I haven’t left her with any weapons, I figured she might be a little volatile upon waking.”
Trystan cleared his throat while holding back a laugh, “She reminds me of her mother, and if she is anything like Queen Elora , you have your work cut out for you.
She won’t make it easy.”
I moved towards the couch and sank down into the soft cushions before asking, “What happened all those years ago, Trystan?" I really did need to check the wards, but I needed Sasha for that and I doubt she was going to be pleased at my request to enter Jericho’s territory and pick up his niece.
“That my dear friend is a story I am not quite ready to relive, and when I do tell it.
I will be telling the princess.
Her memories of that day were removed when the glamour was placed, and she will need your support when they are revealed to her.”
I was so angry with him.
I clenched my fists as I tried to control the anger swimming beneath the surface.
Where I understood it was his past, I couldn’t help but feel betrayed.
A layer of trust was broken between us.
“I can’t help but feel like you have betrayed our bond by lying all these years Trystan.”
I said while pulling my phone from my pocket to text Sasha.
“I am truly sorry, but my past has haunted me for a long time, and it was my burden to bear, not yours.”
He whispered.
“You are my beta, and my best friend.
We share our burdens.
That is a part of our friendship and bond as pack mates.
No more lying in the future.
From either of us.”
I told him with a bit of alpha power lacing my voice.
He nodded.
“Yes Alpha.”
I leaned forward resting my hands on my thigh, and added “We need to figure out how to keep her safe.
She is my mate, and I do not want harm to come to her.”
Trystan raised his eyebrow at that.
“So, you’ve changed your mind then? You want to seal the bond?”
I sighed, “Yes, she may not be so keen on the idea yet, but my wolf and I agree.
She is ours and we will do what is necessary to prove it to her.”
Contrary to what he must be thinking , it had nothing to do with what was revealed about who she truly was.
I couldn’t give two fucks about her being the last remaining heir to the throne of the Scarlet Vales.
She was the key to saving the shifter realm and reuniting the races, yet all I wanted was her.
Where she went, I would follow.
I just hoped she would forgive me when she found out my role in the downfall of her mother, my role in her assassination attempt, since I clearly failed… Trystan could have easily seen me that night.
I had thought I had succeeded in my task.
But here I am Twenty-Five years later and my fated mate is one of my previous assassinations.
Well failed assassinations.
“She has a long road ahead of her Declan.
She will need training, and rigorous training at that.
She will need to be able to lead an army and rule the shifter realm if she decides to claim her rightful place as queen.
The life ahead of her is full of unknowns and danger is surely to follow her.
I know she’s your fated mate, and I am you best friend but knowing what I do about your past , I must look out for her best interests.”
I sat there for a moment , looking into the flames of the fireplace.
I knew this would be a challenge, and he made some good points.
But I couldn’t find it in me to think of a future without her in it.
I have known her for such a short time, and my past may complicate matters once she finds out.
I am not a good man by any means, but if I was a monster, I would be her monster.
“We will train her.
We will get Jaxon on board to make sure she is equipped to handle anything thrown at her.
As for my past, she will either accept me, or she will not.
For now, my main concern is to keep her breathing.
Let’s take this one day at a time, shall we?”
Trystan stared.
Then he walked over to me and sat next to me on the couch .
“Well now that we have settled that, where do we start?”
I pulled my phone from my pocket and checked my messages.
“Sasha should be here any minute with Celeste.
Once she sees that Talia is safe and Talia can see that I have kept my word, we will devise a plan.”
I sat on the couch next to Trystan and waited for Sasha to show up with Celeste.
The clock chimed from the mantle of the fireplace, the cloud cover outside made it seem later than it was, but it was only half past noon.
Would she be safe here? Should I encourage her to follow the path chosen for her? Or should I try and convince her to stay in the human realm? If she returned and took the throne like she was destined to, I would follow and so would my pack.
We once resided there many eons ago, and the elders would be happy to return to their original homes.
Unclenching my fists, I looked down to find blood dripping down the palms of both of my hands.
Good thing I was a shifter and healed fast.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs and I turned to see Celeste and Sasha making their way down the stairs from the top level, With an angry Jericho and Lucas in tow.
Well fuck.
This was not going to be good.
“Did you portal into the library?”
I asked, while standing up and folding my arms across my chest.
“Where is Tals at?”
Celeste asked me while stomping down the stairs.
She strode towards me with an angry expression on her face.
Her eyes were starting to glow white, and her claws were making an appearance.
Fuck was she going to shift in my living room? And why the fuck were her eyes white? I couldn’t even see her pupils anymore.
Alright maybe I should have had Talia out here with me.
She was in front of my face so fast I couldn’t even blink.
She fisted the fabric of my shirt in her hands and growled, “If she even has a single hair on her head harmed when I find her, I will personally cut your balls off and feed them to your wolf when I force him to shift.”
So descriptive and what a masochist.
Swallowing slowly, I started to explain myself seeing as she also had a dagger to my throat.
She had to be more than Jericho had let on.
She was too damn fast.
What was she? “Natalia is safe in our room; she needed a minute to wake up and process everything.
I told her I would send Sasha for you.
Well, she demanded I get you the moment she woke up.”
I reached up wrapping my hand around her wrist and lowered her hand gripping the dagger and pushed her back gently.
If I wanted to prove myself to my mate I couldn't start by harming her best friend.
Trystan chose this moment to walk over and try to calm this volatile female down, but before he could say anything a growl came from the pretty boy shifter.
“How fucking dare, you! She was not just yours to take!”
Lucas got in my face and continued to hold my stare.
I stepped closer to him, and growled “Are you challenging me? The floor began vibrating beneath our feet a I let my alpha power loose.
My vision sharpened my wolf coming to the surface.
He held my stare for a moment longer and lowered his gaze stepping back.
“I am going to grab some fresh air, I’ll be back in a moment.”
His hands clenched as he headed towards the back door.
Leaving a fuming Jericho to deal with.
He cleared his throat, “We have a few things to discuss, but first off, where is Natalia?”
I took a deep breath and looked at him.
“I will go and find her; we need to have Sasha place a new shield of protection on her.”
I didn’t give anyone time to answer and headed back through the kitchen towards my room.
I had left Talia in my room for almost an hour now.
I hope she hasn’t wandered off.
As I turned the corner I noticed two figures at the end of the hallway.
One I could make out and it was Talia, the other could only be one person.
Fucking Lucas.
I increased the speed of my steps, and Talia looked up at me with her eyes wide at the same time Lucas leaned down to kiss her.