Prince Reagan
Chapter 61

Prince Reagan

During arrival at the Palace.

Leaving my mate behind in this building that is so foreign to her is harder for me than she will realize. I hate every moment I'm away from her, and if I had the privilege, I would glue her to me so we would never be separated.

But my father seems in a hurry to see me since he didn't even give me the leisure of relaxing before summoning me to his office. What a good and loving father he is.

I walk down the long hallway that seems to go on forever in short, composed strides just to keep my father waiting a bit longer. The guard he had sent to fetch me was walking a step behind, making sure I do make it to my dad's office. I know the direction by heart and replace my way there without being guided.

I get to the door leading into his office, twist the doorknob open without hesitation and waltz in. Right in the middle of the room sat my father, the mighty King of all beasts, behind his desk filled with numerous paperwork, neatly stacked.

We didn't have much resemblance since I took most of my looks from mum while my older brother, Logan, had most from him. He was much more muscular than I am with his broad chest and bulging biceps. And for an old man, he looked healthy and strong. He had walked on this earth for centuries and was already losing his young looks with his dark hair turning grey.

His sharp jawline accentuates his stoic features, and his piercing blue eyes are enough to make any man cower in fear. His chin is unshaven as he always likes it to be, and his face is set in a blank mask that makes it hard to read him. I'm not sure if he is displeased or happy to see me.

Without being told, I take a seat opposite him, earning a scowl of disapproval. I ignore him as I make myself comfortable while flashing him a smug smile. I've always been the rebellious son while Logan is a bit more compliant, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have his way whenever he wants to. In fact, he is more determined than I am when he wants something.

Logan just does his own covertly while I'm more than happy to let everyone know my true nature. That's why my dad always grabs any opportunity to send me far away where I'm not constantly giving him a headache.

He could have had anyone else deal with the rogue situation in LA, but he had me do it as a way to get rid of me for the time being. I'm not bothered because I would love to be anywhere other than this palace, filled with unending rules. I grew up groomed to be the perfect son and Prince of my father and only got wiser when I grew up. It wasn't difficult for me to see my dad's selfish nature and realize that everyone was a puppet to him, including my mum.

They weren't bonded by the moon but arranged like most noble couples for political reasons. Her father was the head council then, and my dad marrying her added to his immunity. She was just another spawn he used to retain his power. Some noble Lycan will be happy to take my dad's position from him, so he claims he's doing all he can to prevent that.

My dad dismisses the Lycan who brought me with a wave of his hand and orders him to close the door behind him.

For minutes, my dad and I have a staredown with none of us wanting to back down so easily. But then I feel his powerful aura fill the room as he forces me to submit - something he always did to display his authority. As long as I can remember, I've never been able to defeat him. He is, after all, the King for a reason.

I try to hold on for a bit longer before I slowly look down to the floor and sit up straight in my chair.

"Your Highness." I spit the name with venom in my tongue, but he seems hardly bothered, feeling smug because of my defeat.

"Son." He nods with a smile, "I heard about your success in catching those pesky rogues, although you took your sweet time." He adds the last part with disapproval clear in his tone, and I stare up to see his face in a slight frown.

"Nonetheless, you did alright." He sighs, closing his laptop shut before taking off his reading glasses. He clasps his hands on the table between us, leaning down a bit with his broad shoulders hunched.

"It was such a shame to hear Janet involved herself in such disgusting acts. I already had such big plans for her when you two eventually mated. But not to worry, other qualified and highly respected ladies of noble status will gladly mate you. Countess Juliana, for example..."

A low deep rumble emanates from my chest with my eyes flashing gold as I glare at my dad opposite me. Ever since he mentioned Janet's name, I could feel my beast's anger combine with mine, and his words kept fueling it. I hated that b***h's name, who had tried to separate me from my mate. I could still remember the traces of blood I saw on Ellie's face when I went to rescue her from the warehouse. And I was a hundred percent sure Janet had been the cause.

I would gladly love to end her life and be done with it, but she wasn't a common person I could dispose of. Her father would turn the world upside down to replace her killer, and even though he might not be able to do much to me considering my status, the council might take serious action against me. And hiring someone to do it might also be risky as I would be caught if he does a sloppy job and gets caught.

I have the urge to destroy everything in this room due to my helplessness. It isn't fair that I can't take care of my mate and protect her dearly by putting an end to her abductor's life. I hate it. And my dad suggesting I mate with another lady fuels my wolf anger, and I can feel it ignite in my chest.

"I already have a mate," I growl the words out at him, meeting his hard gaze head-on. I am sure he knew that already considering I hadn't been subtle in letting everyone know Ellie was mine. And as a Prince, word would have traveled far enough for everyone to hear.

"Ah, yes. I heard about the she-wolf." He announces with his lips curled in displeasure.

He sighs, "Son, you're royalty and should only mix yourself with noble ladies of high status. Your brother has disappointed me enough to publicly mark and mate that werewolf hunter, don't make the same mistake. Now, he needs all the support he can get to successfully take this throne or it's going to be snatched from his paws. He needs you right now. You can have your fun with the she-wolf on the sidelines as being with her would make your beast stronger, but you have to publicly accept a better female who would elevate you..."

"Enough!" I yell, abruptly standing up with my voice booming around the room. I glare down at him, holding my beast back from attacking him as he sat without even an ounce of guilt in his eyes after his words. I feel so disgusted by him that he would even suggest that. And he only stares back at me blankly as if he hadn't said anything wrong.

I know Logan, and I doubt he needed my help to be King someday. My dad is soon going to drop the crown for him, and at the same time, some would want to use that opportunity to challenge Logan for the title. But me marrying a noble lady wouldn't change much the outcome of it all.

"Ellie is the only lady I'm mating, and no one else. So, you can either be happy with my decision or f*****g go to hell!"

"Watch your tongue, boy!" He stands up also and towers over me with his large frame.

"You both should watch it!"

My mum's stern voice sounds behind me as she walks in. The sound of her heels clicking on the marble floor resonates around the room as my father and I both look away to her. She's as regal and beautiful as I remember, having an air of authority surrounding her, but at the same time, she seemed approachable. Right now, she has her crown sitting proudly on her blond hair, and her sharp brown eyes are glaring at us both in disapproval. Her floor-length tortilla colored dress shimmers under the light and complements her peachy skin tone.

"Mum." I lean in to place a kiss on her cheek as she comes to stand beside me. I have a tremendous amount of respect for her, unlike my dad, who annoys me all the time. She wasn't weak and took her duties as a Queen seriously. One would think that my father would have turned her into his personal puppet and control her just as he's trying to do with me, but surprisingly, she's the one who he fears. If it wasn't for her being around, I think my father would have succeeded in manipulating both my brother and me to do his biddings.

"What's going on here?" She asks, turning to my father this time in question. "Why hasn't my son been allowed proper rest after his long trip?"

"Because, just like his brother, he doesn't care about his responsibilities. Talk some sense into your son to mark a suitable lady for himself and not some lowly she-wolf with no status!" He gestures to me in anger before huffing in exasperation. My mum's eyebrows furrow in confusion as she tries to comprehend what he meant. Just then, her eyes focus on me, and she leans in to sniff my scent. I try to hide the smirk forming on my lips when her eyes suddenly widen in surprise. "Uh...I think it's already too late for that." She comments, eyeing me like I was an unknown creature she had never seen before. My dad stares at her in confusion, c*****g an eyebrow as her eyes drifts to him.

She rolls her eyes at him, "Have you even taken a proper good look at him since he arrived? Does he look or smell like an unmated beast to you?"

His eyes snap back to mine, and I can see the realization begin to dawn on his face. My smirk widens at the comic expression on him, and I feel smug all of a sudden. He hadn't noticed right from the start that I was already mated and couldn't mark another lady anymore. And I hadn't taken the energy to explain that to him either. And seeing the look on his face made it all worth it.

Gritting his teeth, he bangs his fist on the table before slumping into his chair in defeat. I watch as a shadow looms over his face with his blue eyes swirling with a mixture of gold. He just realized that not only was he unable to get Logan married to a lady of his choice, but he had also lost in doing the same to me. And he looks about to explode with veins popping out of his forehead and neck.

"You should go get some rest, Reagan." My mum advises, also noticing the steam blowing out of my dad's ear. "We'll see at the dinner table later on." She adds with a smile.

And with a nod, I venture out of the room, confidently and slightly relaxed. But my beast was still letting out low growls, sickened from my dad's earlier words; the thought of us even being with another woman apart from Ellie disgusts us both. "This is all your fault!" I hear my father's loud voice behind me as he accuses my mum, but I'm not worried as I am sure she could take proper care of herself.

Both their voices drown out as I close the door shut behind me. But when I turn to leave down the hallway, I'm met with my brother leisurely leaning against the wall opposite me. His eyes are pinned on me already with his face set in a scowl. His black hair falls over his face, almost covering his eyes and giving him a daunting look like that of the devil.

"Logan," I smirk at him, but he doesn't return the warm greeting, and I know why.

"Why can't I smell her here?" His gruff voice demands without his eyes blinking once.

I shrug, "Because she isn't here."

A low growl rumbles from his chest, and he pushes himself up from the wall.

"I thought I told you to drag her a*s back here!" He keeps his voice low, but it had already taken a threatening tone. I don't back away, not feeling one bit intimidated by him.

"You know I can't do that. She would kick me in the nuts and curse me to hell."

He huffs in annoyance before whipping around to storm down the hallway. A smile stretches my lips as I watch him leave. If there's one thing my sister-in-law was good at, it was driving Logan crazy.

Shaking my head, I decide to go look for my mate and lean into her arms.