Taming Her Beastly Mate
The Lycan Princess Chapter 13

“Well?” Diana said, raising her voice slightly as she met with each Alpha’s eyes. “What is going on here?” She watched as Henry opened his mouth to speak, only for the men behind him to growl at him lowly.

“Don’t you dare,” Alpha Sid snarled.

“You are not to speak another word in here unless I address you!” Diana fixated her gaze on the man as her command forced his head to lower in submission. Not only was she a lycan, but she was royal. His wolf couldn’t do anything but obey her. She glared at Sid until he turned his head, baring his neck to her.

“I’ll tell you.” Rodney spoke up, stepping in front of his father. “My father wants to punish Alpha Bryant because he is mated to the woman he wanted. Our pack is a wealthy pack and Alpha Bryant borrowed more than he could afford to pay back in a timely manner. In order to fulfill some underlying sick wish of my father’s, he said he would erase their debt if they gave us Eleanor. He wants to live vicariously through me, but I’m not interested. I don’t want any of this. I found my fated mate and I want her. I don’t want to be forced into this. I can’t stand Eleanor… we are not compatible.”

“The feeling is mutual!” A woman’s voice boomed from the door. The woman had light brown hair that rested behind her back, and she had deep blue eyes. She was panting as if she had been running for her life.

“Ellie!” her brother Henry yelled in surprise. “How did you get here?!”

“I… I can’t do it. I just can’t. I came here to plead with Alpha Rodney for another way. I’m not a payment. I’m a person and I just can’t.” She whispered as her eyes cast down to the floor.

“It looks like neither of the two people involved agree to be mates. It doesn’t seem like a beneficial union at all. It looks to be led by greed and jealousy. I don’t approve of this arrangement. And I am forbidding it.” Diana said, arching a challenging brow at Sid. “Is this a problem?”

“They still owe me and can’t pay me back,” Sid said in a disgusted hiss.

“The Diamond pack can cover their debts and they can work it out with us.” Winston said as Alpha Bryant’s lips began to quiver. He grabbed onto his son’s shoulder and looked at Diana with watery eyes.

“Thank you so much. We will do anything and everything we can to repay you.”

“You can stay and speak with Winston. He will handle your affairs.” She said as she looked back at Rodney. “Your pack should be punished for this.” She said as she clicked her tongue a few times, deep in thought. “What is best for your pack is to have a new leader. You are of age; the pack will pass to you. Do better than your father.”

“You can’t—” Sid began to say, but with a glance from Lycaon, he halted in fear. The murderous content in his eyes promised him nothing but death.

“It is well within my rights to do this. Rodney is the new Alpha, starting immediately. I expect everything to be transferred to him and for his officers to take control. Is this understood?” Diana looked out over the other pack members, who looked relieved and nodded happily.

“Well within your rights? I don’t see any mark upon your neck. The prince hasn’t even claimed you, so how do you have the right—”

Lycaon sneezed, and a gust of air sent Sid flying through the room. His head hit the side of the wall with such a force that it cracked. He then slid down to the ground, unconscious. Diana turned and looked at Lycaon, who held his hands out acting innocent.

“Must have been some dust. Seems under control now.” He smirked as Jamie chuckled.

“Escort my father back to the car.” Rodney said as a couple of men picked up his unconscious body and carried him out. He looked up at Diana, and his whole demeanor seemed to change. He was no longer agitated and rude. He seemed relieved and happy. He let out a sigh with a smile on his face. “That was too close for comfort.” He looked over to Eleanor, who was now beside her brother and father. “No offense… but we don’t work.”

“You think? Spending my life with you made me physically nauseous. No offense.” She grinned at him as he laughed, nodding his head. “Congratulations on replaceing your mate. Now you can finally have her.”

“I am not wasting another moment. I am claiming her as soon as we arrive. I’m not going to risk not being able to have her by my side. Sorry for my mood here. I’ve been… well, you can imagine being forced into taking a mate when you want someone else.”

“Why did you just accept it?” Kurt asked, and Rodney pursed his lips together.

“My dad isn’t a nice person. He is particularly cruel to my mother when he doesn’t get what he wants. I had thought about overthrowing him honestly. I knew I had the pack’s support, but my mother loves my father. I didn’t want to cause her more pain. When Eleanor said she would only go through with the mating ceremony at the old lycan kingdom, I thought it was done. However, my father wasn’t having it. He arranged to come here and, well… yeah. Here we are. I don’t mind accepting a payment plan. Since I am the one in charge—”

“I think it is better this way. It separates the issue away from your father. I expect that your father isn’t going to let this go quietly.” Winston said, and Diana nodded her head slowly.

“The problem here is your mother. Your father may still take his frustrations out on her.” Diana frowned as Rodney inhaled a sharp breath through his teeth.

“That is a problem because she won’t leave him. She loves him… she has always loved him. But to him, she is the one he was stuck with since he couldn’t have who he really wanted. It is the best or nothing for him.”

Diana nodded, understanding the complicated family dynamics at play. She could see the worry on Rodney’s face. It was clear he cared about his mother. He was willing to throw away his happiness in order to protect her.

“Does he love her… at all?” Kurt asked, and Rodney only shrugged his shoulders.

“I think he cares about her, but I don’t know how he could do some of the things he does if he really loved her.”

“You sure I can’t just…” Lycaon mumbled to Diana as he made a breaking motion with his hands.

“Don’t worry, I will talk with my mother. I am the Alpha now, so if I have to… I will command my father. I don’t want to have to do that, though. It’s fake… but I will protect my mother, no matter what.” Rodney’s eyes moved to Diana’s and then he smiled. “You are very perceptive and I’m at ease knowing you are one of the future leaders.”

“If you need anything, please let us know.” Diana said as she watched him rub the back of his neck.

“Well, to be honest, now that it has been brought up, the shrieks really are a problem. Before, you could go for a lifetime and maybe only see one. I’m not sure what we can do about it, but certain areas are dangerous. We either need to restrict those areas for travel or replace a solution.”

Diana nodded her head in agreement. “I think this is a valid point. We will send a message to the Alpha King about it for his consideration.”

“I’ll walk with you back to your vehicles. Alpha Bryant we can discuss our arrangements while we walk.” Winston said as he held his hand out towards the door.

Diana watched as they walked out and then a moment later, she felt a rough arm swing around her neck while her head was assaulted by hands.

“That’s our Luna right there,” Jamie said as he shook her side to side in excitement. Kurt’s hand was roughing up the top of her head as he leaned down, grinning.

“She’s all grown up and dethroning Alpha’s… it all happened so fast.” Jamie said with a fake, sad look.

“Deeders you are amazing. Aiden will be so proud of you.” Kurt said the words that made Diana’s eyes instantly water up. Finally, Jamie let go of Diana to go over and bump his shoulder into Lycaon.

“And how about that assist with that timely sneeze?” Jamie bumped into Lycaon playfully as Kurt started to chuckle looking at Diana. Her hair was frizzing all over the place, and it looked like she had just rolled out of bed.

“Yeah, Ike, about that sneeze.” Diana said, as he turned to look at her. His eyes filled with amusement, and then his lips curled up into a grin. He tried to muffle a laugh, but then Jamie joined in. Within seconds, all three men began to laugh. Diana always looked reserved and ready to play the part, but not at this moment.

Her brows furrowed as she reached her hands up to try to tame her hair down. She felt her face become heated as embarrassment crept in.

“I like Deeders better this way.” Kurt chuckled as he reached over, foiling her efforts to tame her hair.

“Me too. I am a big fan of the wild woman look.” Jamie teased as he watched Diana stop fighting Kurt. A smile spread over her lips and soon she began laughing as well.

“Alright. This is war!” Diana declared as she swatted Kurt away from her. These three men have managed to shatter her walls. They snuck into her heart and became her family.

“Pillow fight tonight!” Jamie cheered in excitement. “Then later we can spill the tea over our crushes.” He teased as Diana blinked at him. “Spill the tea… it means to gossip… talk about our secrets. Like how the heck did freckled Janna turn into a sizzling hot woman with electric h**s? Man, she knows how to swing those things, too.”

“Yeah, Janna is still too busy licking her wounds to notice you though.” Kurt smiled as Diana turned to look at him.

“What happened?” Diana asked, as she thought about the woman. She was a member of their pack. She had dark black hair, deep brown eyes, and milk chocolate skin. She was very beautiful and seemed to always be the center of attention. Gia was never a fan of hers, but she never mentioned why.

“Just unreciprocated love.” Jamie said, and Kurt scoffed.

“Not love. It was a game to her, and she didn’t like losing.”

“Was she interested in you?” Diana asked, and Kurt and Jamie grew quiet. They both stared at each other as if deciding what they should say. “You don’t have to be so secretive. Well?”

“She likes Aiden. They went to a couple of dances together, but it was nothing serious.” Kurt watched as Diana shrugged.

“You don’t need to act weird about it. I know Aiden had a life before me. Just like I have a past too… I was engaged before… remember?” Diana watched as both men nodded slowly, but still seemed to be hesitant about it. She decided not to push the issue any further. If there was something she needed to know, she was sure Aiden would tell her. Plus, she didn’t want to make things awkward or uncomfortable for anyone. Instead, she changed the subject.

“So, pillow fight tonight?” she asked with a mischievous grin.

Kurt and Jamie both chuckled. “You’re on, Deeders,” Jamie said. “But be warned, we’re both champions at pillow fighting.”

“Fresh b***d.” Jamie tapped his fingers together with an evil grin.

“Fresh b***d indeed. Sounds like a game I am down for.” Lycaon grinned, and both men turned to look at him with a fiery challenge in their eyes.

“Time to teach the god how to fight a real war.” Jamie smirked at Lycaon as he flexed his muscles. Suddenly, the pillow match had turned into another challenge between the men. “You know, you really don’t look like anything special. It is only your title as a deity and that power that sets you apart. I mean… I bet your, you know, isn’t even brag worthy.”

“Don’t make me send you to the doghouse with your tail between your legs to cover those bumps you call—” Lycaon grinned as Jamie pointed to the far side of the room.

“You are going to have to back that claim up.” Jamie shook his head and looked at Kurt. “There is no way. I’m calling his bluff.”

“Wait a minute, you guys are not really going to…” Diana’s lips parted as she watched the three men walk away from her. With their backs to her, they all stood facing the wall.

“How the hell is that fair?!” Jamie scoffed and then looked up at Kurt. “I’m a well-endowed male and that right there is just bullshit.” He then looked down and patted his lower head. “It’s okay buddy, don’t look at him. You are a big dog.” He said, and then glared over at Lycaon’s meat.

“Hey you wanted to see. I was fine letting you walk through life blindly. You didn’t need to know any better.” Lycaon chuckled as Jamie leaned his head against the wall.

“We beat him at the video games, Jamie. We have that.” Kurt watched as Jamie slid down to the ground.

“Yeah, but I want that.” He muttered, and then his eyes grew wide. “Wait… I mean, I want my own like that… not that I want yours, you know.”

“What is the matter, Jamie? I thought you liked it when someone pulled your hair and made it rough. I can do that for you.” Lycaon teased as Kurt snickered next to him.

“Yeah, but I always thought when that happened, I would be the one with the bulldozer.” Jamie chuckled as he jumped back to his feet. “Alright, let’s see exactly how much bigger we are talking about here. Kurt! Get a measuring tape.”

“It’s just going to make it worse,” Lycaon said with a shrug.

“No, because now I can say how comparable my d**k is with a god’s. I mean… look at this.” He said as he dangled it around. “He’s an attractive dog. He looks clean… he is soft… I think he is inviting. Now I can say he came in second place next to a god.”

“HEY!” Kurt growled. “Who the hell are you calling second place? Surely, not that dehydrated piece of meat between your legs.”

“You stepping up to the plate? You think you can bat with the big boys?” Jamie flashed him a cheeky grin.

“I am still here.” Diana murmured as the men ignored her.

“Alright men, draw your swords… but who is going to do the measuring? We need it to be fair. Kurt might try to add an inch,” Jamie said thoughtfully as he glanced behind him at Diana.

“Jamie, hell no!” Kurt growled.

“She would be the most fair.”

“And we would both be dead men when Aiden returned.” Kurt retorted.

“Not a good idea,” Lycaon said with a shrug. “You don’t want her to constantly compare her mate to this?”

“Yeah… I don’t want her deciding to sneak into my room to get a taste of—” Jamie felt Kurt and Lycaon smack him on his head. “Did you guys just hit me with your d**k hands? That is a second-degree c**k smack!” he growled as the other two men chuckled. He then grumpily grabbed the measuring tape and passed it over to Kurt. “You first.”

“No, no, you have to start at the base.” Jamie snapped as Kurt sighed loudly.

“Dude, this is my base.”

“The f**k it is! Here let me—”

“You touch it, and you are getting a first degree c**k smack.”

Diana watched in disbelief as the three men continued to banter and make jokes about their manhood. She couldn’t believe that they were having this conversation in front of her. She rolled her eyes and walked away from the three men, shaking her head. Her mind started to think of Aiden.

She knew he had a past, just like she did. But she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy at the thought of him going to dances with Janna. Janna was beautiful, after all. She wondered if she measured up to her. Kurt said Aiden was never serious about Janna, but was that just for her benefit? Could he still have feelings for her?

She had just made it to the opening when she saw Winston talking with Sam and Adam. She could see instantly from the look on their faces that something was wrong. They had returned… but without Gia.