Prince Reagan
Chapter 53

I stare up at the stars glinting above in the night sky. They are so many with no clouds to block out their light. I let out a sigh, gazing at them, naked and on my back with my hands supporting my head behind. The sound of crickets the only thing that can be heard in the forest, along with the gushing stream beside me. I turn to see my mate washing his face in the stream while I ogle him from behind. His muscles ripple every time he moves, and I wish to run my fingers all over them.

After I ran from him, he chased me like a panther, swift in his moves, but he didn't catch me right away. It was as if he was playing with his food, letting me think I'm winning and holding back on his skills. But after minutes of joking around, he caught me right away before we ran some more together and then back here. We aren't too far from the warehouse as I could hear voices and the sound of some cars leaving, taking away the rogues and she-wolves with them.

I hear light footfalls bringing me out of my thoughts as I see my mate walking towards me in all his glory. His hair messy and blowing with the wind, his eyes darker with his face looking menacing in the night. His muscular shoulders move along with him as he walks with his smooth chest and ridges of six-packs on display. An epitome of beauty he is, in every way.

I resist the urge to look further down as he walks over to me, and lift my gaze back up to his hungry eyes devouring every inch of me. I can feel how strong our connection is as our emotions and feelings are shared. I can feel his desire and want for me, his need to possess me in every way possible.

He leans down and crouches to stare directly into my eyes with a dangerous smile lifting his lips up.

"And what would be my reward for catching the Princess?" His voice is deep, with lust flashing in his eyes. I lean up on my elbows, not feeling shy of my naked state as I go to whisper in his ear.

"Whatever the Prince decides to do with the Princess...or her body." I made sure to purr in his ear. I move back to see the effect of my words in his clenched jaw and taut muscles as he tries to maintain self-control. Truth be told, I wouldn't want to be taken on a forest floor or against a tree as my first time.

After a few seconds of silence, he stands back up, still peering down at me on the ground.

"In due time." He mutters before reluctantly tearing his eyes away from my body.

"I'll go get us some blankets." He announces in a gruff tone before walking away in the direction of the warehouse. I c**k an eyebrow at him, drooling over his tight a*s and hoping he wasn't showing up like that in front of other females because I'm gonna kill them if they see what was meant for my eyes only.

I lay back on the ground with a sigh, once more, enjoying the sight of the stars. I feel different after Reagan and I marked each other. I feel closer to him and still crave for more.

After a while, I hear his footsteps once more and look to see him walking towards me with a blanket riding dangerously low on his hip and one in hand. He came back fast, must have used his Lycan speed.

He's beside me within seconds, covering me up before taking me into his arms. He carries me out of the woods, using his body to shield me as much as possible from other males' eyes, but they didn't even dare look at us. I clutch my blanket tighter, not meeting anyone's stare because of my embarrassing situation. I had walked into these woods a while ago with Reagan on my tail, and now I'm walking out with my clothes gone and only a blanket covering both mine and my mate's body. I can only imagine what their thoughts are.

I can sense their curiosity as they could probably sense something is different between us, but they all made sure to act like they're immersed in their works of investigating the warehouse for other clues and evidence. They had all reduced in number, though, and only a few remained. The she-wolves and captured rogues have been taken away too. Reagan takes me to an awaiting vehicle where I can see Adrian waiting in the driver's seat.

Just then, I hear someone call out my mate's name, causing my chest to burn in jealousy as it was a feminine voice. I shift to see the emerald-eyed lady from earlier walking towards us with confident and relaxed strides. She has an aura that demands everyone else to bow before her and her features are like that of a fighter. Not muscular or anything like that, but strong and regal.

She's staring Reagan in the eyes as I've never seen anyone done, with her chin in the air as if equal or superior to him.

Reagan first keeps me in the backseat of the car, a decision I'm not too happy with as he slams the door shut. He turns back to the pretty lady who I'm glaring at now. I hate that she's seeing my mate half-naked and is in close proximity to him. But her eyes don't stray from his, though. I decide to listen in to what they're saying then.

"....he won't be happy with you being gone too long. You can leave back tonight, and I'll do the interrogation alone tomorrow before handing them over to the council," Reagan states while she rolls her eyes and lets out a scoff.

She replies with both her hands curled on her hips, "I can stay as much as I want without his consent. He's not the boss of me. Besides, I have to be there at the interrogation and replace out who the hunters that are working with them are. I may not be one of them anymore, but I made a vow that I will not see the system of the hunters fall, nor am I going to let a few pests in their midst destroy them." Clear determination rang through in her voice as she stands tall in confidence.

Reagan let out a huff, running his fingers through his hair. " Fine. But I really don't want to be in the midst of one of your fights with him. So hurry up and go back home as soon as you're done."

She sends him a small triumphant smile, "I do whatever I want. Tomorrow then." She shrugs and swerves on her heels to leave when her eyes meet mine. "By the way, you have a lovely mate. She hasn't stopped glaring at me ever since." She smirks before walking over to another car.

I feel another pair of judgy eyes on me and trail mine to the rearview mirror only to clash with Adrian's, who has an eyebrow c****d at me. What are you looking at? I narrow my gaze at him only for him to roll his and let out a sigh. "Good to have you back." He mutters, leaving me stunned as this was the first time he's ever actually talked to me. He's the silent type.

Just then, my mate lets out another sigh, this one of frustration before he enters the backseat with me.

I don't stray my eyes away from him as I cross my arms over my chest. Adrian starts the car without a word and begins to drive us home. I had already figured out that we are no longer in LA but the outskirts of it, so it's gonna be a long drive. "Who's she?" I try to sound as nonchalant as possible, not wanting to be rash for no reason. With their talk, it seemed like maybe she belongs to another, so I have nothing to worry about.

Reagan's eye lifts up to mine before he reaches for me and pulls me into his chest.

"Our future queen." He responds before burying his nose into my hair to sniff it. My mouth forms an 'oh' at his reply as realization dawns on me.

The only way she could be our future queen is if she was mated to the future king, which is the present first Prince and Reagan's brother. No wonder she looked so high and mighty, carrying herself like a leader.

Reagan doesn't talk much about his family with me. We seldom speak about them, and I just realize I know little to nothing about them. So in my curiosity, I look up and ask,

"Tell me about your parents, especially your mother, because I heard mothers-in-law are sometimes a pain in the a*s." My words elicit a chuckle from him that resonates from his chest to my body, causing tiny sparks to flow through me.

He exhales, with his eyes looking down at me in the dark. "My mum isn't exactly the kind to publicly show affections. She's a queen and has to act her role to perfection, which isn't an easy task. She is a softy on the inside and loves both her sons equally. And I'm sure she wil adore you when she gets to meet you."

I purse my lip, uncertain at his words. I do hope she likes me, but what if she doesn't? What if they reject me like everyone else seems to do? But they can't separate Reagan and me no more, that's for sure. We had already marked each other and only need to do one more thing to seal the mate bond.

"Your king, on the other hand, is a total douchebag." My eyes widen at his words before a light chuckle leaves my throat. I cannot believe he just said that out loud about the most powerful beast in the whole world.

"You did not just say that about your father."

He nods his head, "I did. He's only after things that will boost his power. So, no, he won't like you very much since he would rather I mark someone who would add more influence to the royal family."

I feel nervous after hearing that. I had suspected that some people might not accept me as Reagan's mate because of my former status as an average she-wolf. Even I didn't believe I was his from the start because Reagan was way higher than me. But here I am. I guess even after marking each other, we would still have some obstacles to face.

"But don't worry. He can't separate us, no matter what." Reagan assures me, cupping my cheek and making me look at him. I smile at him as he leans down to place a peck on my lips that left them tingling.

"Is your brother's mate someone of high status?" I had to ask just to know if I'm the only one who is of no importance.

Reagan scoffs with a smile stretched on his lips, "She's an ex hunter." He blatantly announces, and my eyes widen into saucers at his words. It's strange because hunters don't associate themselves with us in any way other than making sure we don't pose a threat to the human population. I think they even have some codes that would warranty them death if found associating with beasts of our kind.

And to think that one of the people we despise so much and vice versa is going to be our leader someday.

"The moon must have been really mad to bond two opposing creatures together."

"They're bonded by the moon?!" I'm stunned to see him nod affirmatively. Wow! And I thought I'm gonna have it bad.

"The whole beast nobles must have gone berserk to learn that."

"True. It took a lot of time for them to accept her, but even now, some still aren't too happy with the news. But enough about my brother and other family members." He looks down at me resting on his chest. "Tell me, how do you feel?" I can see the concern clear in his eyes as he regards me. I know he's talking about my shifting and our marking.

"Honestly, I feel like I'm in someone else's skin." I voice out my thoughts while drawing patterns on his chest with my finger.

He purses his lips and nods his head, "That's normal. You're still trying to get used to all this. But all will be well as long as we're together."

And I knew without a doubt in my heart that he's right because he's the only one keeping me sane.