Taming Her Beastly Mate
The Lycan Princess Chapter 12

Diana stretched her hands above her head as she stepped outside into the sun. She was surprised that with everyone in one room, she slept better. Knowing that Kurt shared the same soul was like seeing her brother get a second chance at life. This time, she would make sure she protected his happiness. Though so far, he was still looking out for hers.

“Are you going to stand there stretching forever, or should I just grab a chair?” Lycaon chuckled behind Diana as she lazily turned her head to look at him.

“I’m pacing myself.” She grinned at him and then stepped to the side so he could pass. She watched as Kurt and Jamie trailed out behind Lycaon. Their eyes held a serious glint to them that she instantly picked up on. “What is going on?”

“Nothing you need to concern yourself with.” Kurt gave her a warm smile as she raised her brows at him. “Honestly, Deeders…” He sighed, knowing she wouldn’t give up until she had answers. “It’s just that I was just informed that a couple of Alphas and their officers have stopped by unexpectedly. Winston has gone out to greet them. Jamie and I are going to head there now.”

“I want to come.” Diana said, and they shrugged.

“I mean, if you really want to, you can.” Jamie frowned and let out a sigh. “I wish I didn’t have to go. Some of these Alphas and their officers are so annoying.”

“Can I come, but not as the lycan princess? Can I pretend…” Her eyes widened as she grinned. “That I am Aiden’s Delta. He hasn’t chosen one yet.”

“You want to rank down?” Jamie asked, and Kurt suddenly grinned.

“You want to see who they really are? True, without any head leaders, we will probably see more of their true colors.” Kurt said with a nod and then he looked at Jamie. “We should get to Winston. I don’t want him to be alone, just in case.”

“Dad is strong enough to take on an Alpha, but not several. Being an officer of the Alpha King can only get you so far.” Jamie said as they began to walk to the meeting hall.

“Hence why you boys will become lycans. There is a reason lycans ruled over the werewolves.” Lycaon said as he followed next to Diana.

“Well, as soon as lover boy comes back, we will be set.” Jamie turned his head around and wiggled his eyebrows at Diana.

“So, who will you be at the pack meeting?” Diana ignored Jamie and looked at Lycaon next to her. His brows knitted together, and she clicked her tongue. “Well, you can’t go in there as a deity.”

“He is my cousin… or… you could be my loverrrrrr.” Jamie chuckled, and Lycaon g*****d in annoyance.

“Or I could be hers,” he said, eliciting a growl from both Kurt and Jamie. A smirk rose over Lycaon’s face. “How about I am a guest from a visiting pack?”

“You don’t exactly smell like a werewolf.” Kurt continued to walk forward until a foreign wolf’s scent hit his nose. He turned around in shock, looking at the smirk on Lycaon’s face.

“It’s just a scent… throw me a harder curveball next time.” He patted Kurt on the back as he continued to walk by him with Diana giggling next to him.

“Diminish your aura too, Ike.” Diana instantly felt his aura vanish, and she smiled. “There you are practically a werewolf now.”

“Don’t forget to do yours, Diana.” Lycaon said, and he raised his brows at her. “You can do it and you’ll need to if you want to pretend you are a Delta.”

Diana nodded and focused on diminishing her aura. This isn’t shifting, and it is something she wasn’t worried about accomplishing. It took a few moments, but she could feel the change happening within her, her power and strength fading. She continued until she felt like she could blend in with the werewolves. It was a strange sensation, but she felt a sense of excitement rush through her.

She used to diminish her aura with her brother when they wanted to go for a run without the guards. It brought back some dear and fun memories that she will always cherish.

She turned to Lycaon and grinned. “How do I feel?”

Lycaon chuckled. “Like a Delta. Alright, we are ready.”

“In case anything goes wrong—” Kurt began to say, but Lycaon instantly interrupted him.

“I’m only pretending not to be a god. If anything goes wrong, it will be like swatting gnats.” Lycaon smirked as he looked at Kurt’s unamused face.

“That is never our goal. Wyatt and Aiden believe in working things out and keeping the peace.”

“You keep the peace. I’ll protect the princess… through any means.” Lycaon’s voice dropped to a low growl, letting Kurt know he wasn’t about to do things the way the Diamond pack wanted.

Kurt sighed as he turned to Diana. “Just stay close to us, okay? We don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“You do your thing and I’ll do mine. I am capable of taking care of myself, even without shifting.” Diana then turned and gave Lycaon a reproachful look. “This is my business, so don’t hurt anyone.”

“I wouldn’t hurt anyone. I would kill them so fast they wouldn’t feel a thing.” A smile spread over Lycaon’s lips as Jamie snickered. Diana folded her arms over her chest, and he rolled his eyes and sighed. “I’ll stay out of it unless I deem it necessary. But then you do your thing and I’ll do mine.”

“That’s the best I can do.” Diana shrugged as she looked at Kurt.

“I’ll take it. The hall is right up ahead.” Kurt nodded towards a modern large log cabin.

As they approached the pack meeting, Diana took a deep breath, ready to play the part of Aiden’s Delta. She could hear the low murmur of voices coming from the open door. She could smell the different scents of werewolves as well.

Winston was standing in the front of the meeting hall and was talking to two large men and, next to them, two younger large men. She assumed it was the two current Alphas and their future Alphas. Other men were standing behind them and quietly talking amongst themselves. Kurt and Jamie walked straight towards Winston. Diana walked slowly with Lycaon next to her.

Winston looked up at them and a slight haze formed over his eyes. He then nodded his head and looked back at the Alphas.

“Alpha Sid, Alpha Bryant, this is the future Beta Kurt and the future Gamma Jamie.”

“And them?” One of the younger men asked, nodding towards Diana and Lycaon.

“Yes, young Alpha Rodney, that is the future Delta, and the other is a guest who is visiting us.”

I watched as the young man nodded his head and looked away dismissively.

“I understand your concerns and I will relay them to the Alpha King. Might I suggest a different venue—” Winston was instantly cut off with a snarl from Alpha Bryant.

“My daughter has chosen that place. She was to have her mating ceremony where the old Lycan Kingdom once stood. How can I crush her dream?”

“You expect King Wyatt to drop everything and go ghost hunting? This isn’t something he can handle. The problem with the shrieks is beyond his powers.” Winston tried to reason politely.

“It’s because of them that there are shrieks everywhere. They were left over after the demon war.”

“A war that would have wiped out your existence if it wasn’t fought!” Kurt growled as Alpha Bryant looked at him lazily.

“A war that you never saw… PUP.”

“Dad!” the other young man growled. He then looked at Winston apologetically. “Sorry. He is just on edge because he wants my sister to be happy.” He reached his hand out to Kurt with a genuine smile. “I’m Henry, the future Alpha of the Swift pack.”

Diana watched as Kurt shook the young man’s hand and then they began calmly discussing the shrieks. She stared out over the others in the room and could see there were various levels of tension among them. They seemed on edge to be coming to the Alpha King’s pack and making demands. Was this really just for a mating ceremony? Honestly, it didn’t make sense to her. The old Lycan Kingdom was in ruins and was nothing more than a large graveyard. It was hardly a romantic place… not anymore.

She looked between Henry and Rodney. The two future Alphas of their packs. She presumed that Rodney was to be mated with Henry’s sister. What she found more curious was that she wasn’t here. Shouldn’t she be here to voice her own concerns?

“Why isn’t your sister here?” Diana finally spoke up, redirecting all the attention to her. “I would like to know why having her mating ceremony at the old Lycan Kingdom is so important to her.”

She watched as Alpha Bryant frowned and looked at the ground. Henry glanced back at the Alpha Sid and Rodney and then cleared his throat. “It was the one thing she insisted on.” Henry’s sad eyes met with Diana’s, and she pieced together the puzzle.

These were arranged mates. Henry’s sister picked that spot because of the shrieks. It was her way of getting out of the relationship. Arranged mates were a big thing during the Lycan Kingdom. They didn’t have the means to travel like they do now. Arranged mates were also the weakest of the bonds. At times, it is called for in order to strengthen a treaty, but what was their purpose? Something smelled fishy about the whole thing. And the absence of the woman only enhanced her suspicion.

“Alpha Rodney, right?” Diana said in a gentle and calm voice. His eyes moved to hers, but he looked annoyed. “Will she be your mate?”

“I think that’s obvious.” He snorted in a disrespectful tone. She felt Lycaon shift beside her, but he remained stoic in the face.

“Of course.” She said with a kind smile. “What is her name?”

“Eleanor,” He said almost dismissively. There were no emotions in him saying the name of his future mate.

“What types of things does she like? Maybe we can think of another place that would make her happy.” Diana listened as Henry practically scoffed and he turned to look at her as if she insulted him.

“I am a busy man, and I don’t have time to entertain fairytale wishes.”

Inwardly, Diana’s whole body shook with rage; her b***d felt like it would boil over. She clenched her hands into tight fists, white-knuckled in a desperate effort to hold back the rush of power that threatened to burst forth from within her, ready to wreak havoc upon anything in its path. Her teeth ground together as she fought with all her might to keep herself from completely losing control. Yet, from the outside, she revealed nothing of the catastrophic storm within.

“Can you tell me anything about Eleanor?” She watched as Rodney ignored her and redirected his attention to Winston.

“Answer her question.” Kurt demanded in a low growl.

“I didn’t realize we were playing twenty questions.” Rodney looked at his father, Sid, with an eye roll.

“You can’t… can you? I see… so this is an arranged union.” Diana said in a matter-of-fact tone and listened to the thick silence. “Has Alpha King Wyatt already given his blessing over this union?” Diana watched as Rodney’s eyes widened as she smiled at him. “I believe it is customary for the Alpha King to bless unions that are arranged.”

“The Alpha King is away, and we can’t put our futures on hold,” Alpha Sid growled out as Diana straightened herself to face him fully.

“Perhaps, or is it convenient because he is away, which gives you the perfect time to force arranged mates?” Diana listened as Sid growled at her.

“Be careful of those accusations!” Alpha Sid’s enraged roar echoed off the walls as he charged towards Diana. Before his foot could touch the floor, Kurt had him pinned against the wall with a strength even the Alpha couldn’t fight off. Winston stepped in front of Rodney, gripping his shoulder so tightly that it felt like his arm would break, preventing him from interfering. The air was thick with tension, and no one dared move.

“Kurt, let him go.”

Kurt wasted no time in obeying Diana’s command, instantly releasing the man and positioning himself as a shield between her and the pack. All eyes were now trained on Diana, curiosity radiating from the crowd. Who was this woman who could command even Kurt, the future beta of the Diamond pack?

“You are lucky Kurt reacted before your foot hit the ground. It is the only reason your heart is still beating.” Lycaon growled as he set a murderous gaze upon Alpha Sid.

“Ike.” Diana turned her head to the side to look at him and he just shrugged.

“Who are you?” Rodney finally asked.

“She is Prince Aiden’s mate and the future Queen of the Diamond pack.” Jamie said with smug satisfaction as an eruption of murmurs filled the air.

No point in hiding her aura now. Diana released the hidden energy, allowing it to fill the room, leaving no room for questioning who or what she is.

“Now, it is time we have some real answers.”