Taming Her Beastly Mate
The Lycan Princess Chapter 16

The portal opened, and Aiden stepped into his soundproof office. He looked around the familiar room and took in a deep breath of air. Finally, he was back. He was the first to return since his parents were staying a bit longer. With him he carried nullifying scales to protect the pack against the effects of nembrant glass. He also had a mirror so that he could run a check on all the members in the pack. He needed to see if anyone there was under its influence.

The moment he opened the door from his soundproof office, he heard the sounds of laughter and yelling. He listened to the high pitched squeal of his mate and her adorable laughter. She sounded… happy. Not that he wanted her miserable, but there was a sweetness there… that he hadn’t heard before. He slowly made his way to the room and glanced in through the c***k of the door. He was careful to keep his aura diminished, but his scent would give him away eventually.

“Ike! You are not allowed to use your powers.” Jamie hissed as feathers swirled around the room. “Just look what you did—oooof” A pillow collided with his face, followed by rippling giggles.

“Fresh b***d.” Diana laughed as Jamie’s eyes flickered up at her.

“The cheeky princess needs to be taught some manners.” Jamie snorted as he reached for another pillow.

“Fear not, my lady! Come to my flank, I’ll protect you.” Kurt lifted his head up nobly as he used an overexaggerated, manly tone.

“This is a free for all, no teams!” Jamie huffed as another pillow smashed into his face. The pillow exploded and with it more feathers filled the air. He turned his head to see Lycaon’s shoulders shaking. “Oh… it is on.”

Aiden’s eyes were glued to Diana, and he swallowed. His b***d roared in his ears, inundating him with the deep primal need to claim her as his own. Every breath he took was thick with her scent, it ignited a fierce ache within him that he couldn’t deny. It took all of his willpower to keep himself from lunging towards her and taking her right then and there. To say he missed her was an understatement. He obsessed over seeing her again.

He had never seen her interacting like this before. She had changed. As if she was ready to live her life. The gut-wrenching fact was she looked like she was doing better without him. He took in a deep breath as he wondered if it was because he was gone that she was doing better. He flexed his muscles and his jaw tightened. He was fine giving her the time she needed but with the idea that she would eventually be his. If there was a problem with him, she needed to let him know so they could work it out together. In either case, she was his, and he had no intention of letting her go.

The moment he noticed Diana lift her nose in the air, he pushed the door open fully. Lycaon looked at him, but the god already knew he was there. Aiden smiled and looked around the room. “What have you done to my pillows? And… why are there cots in here?” He quirked a brow as Jamie collided with him, wrapping his arms around his torso.

“You are back! Sorry, we’ve been sleeping with your girl.” Jamie grinned at him widely as a low growl came from Aiden’s chest.

Kurt laughed and walked over to Aiden, pulling him in for a hug. “Aiden’s back, so you are going to have to tone your joke down now. We felt there was safety in numbers.”

“Yeah, we’ve been having a slumber party… guess the party’s over.” Jamie laughed as he watched Aiden’s fixated gaze on Diana.

Aiden’s eyes left Diana’s as he reached into his pocket to pull out a mirror. He turned it around and watched as Jamie and Kurt looked into it. There was no reaction from the mirror, so they were clean.

“Diana.” Aiden said in a quiet tone as he held the mirror towards her. He watched as her eyes flickered in confusion, but she stepped up to look at herself in the mirror. Once again, there was no reaction. “Okay, good. This mirror can detect nembrant glass. Here, each of you take one of these. They are nullifying scales. They will protect you from the effects of the nembrant glass.” He handed one to each of them and watched as they took them. He then handed the mirror to Kurt. “I want you two to examine every member of the pack. If any of them make the mirror glow red, report back to me. I know it is late, but we need this done. Take this too.” He said, as he handed him a sack. “There are enough nullifying scales for the whole pack.”

“Yes, Alpha.” Kurt said with a big grin. “It’s good to have you back. Deeders…” He paused as he searched her blank face. She looked tense and uncomfortable. “Jamie and I will still be here. We will just be moving out of Aiden’s room. If you need us…” He nodded at her, knowing she understood what he meant. He wanted to stay until he knew she was comfortable, but Aiden was her mate. It was his job to make her secure. He gripped the mirror slightly and then left the room with Jamie.

“Well… you two will have a lot to talk about,” Lycaon said as Diana turned to look at him with wide eyes.

“Are you… leaving, leaving? Are you going after Eris now?” She watched as his green eyes softened as he looked at her.

“Soon, but I’ll check in on you once more before I go to make sure everything is fine. Okay?” He stepped up to her and placed his hand upon her head. He heard the almost inaudible, low growl that came from Aiden. He turned his head and raised his brow at the young lycan. “Take good care of her… or else.” He wanted to take Diana and leave with her. He would never make her doubt their relationship. He would shower her with love and affection. He would be everything for her… everything except her fated mate. He clenched his jaw and swallowed the lump that was beginning to form in his throat. He had to leave now before he did something he would regret. Diana wasn’t his… and that was it. Without another word, he vanished, leaving Aiden and Diana alone.

Her silver eyes met with Aiden’s green ones. Green like Lycaon’s but different. His green eyes pulled her in and threatened to drown her. She wanted to run to him and to bury herself in his scent. She wanted to tell him she wanted him and that she loved him. She had so much she wanted to talk to him about and some things that they needed to talk about. However, she didn’t want to talk to him right now. All she wanted was to be wrapped in his embrace and feel his comfort, but she felt like she couldn’t. Aiden needed to know everything. Please, hold me. She inwardly pleaded.

Aiden looked at her silver eyes and waited. He was waiting for her to say something, to do something, but she just stood there. What was she thinking? Was she upset that he had returned? He was going crazy without her, and it didn’t look like it had bothered her. He had been dreaming of this moment and this was not how it went in his mind.

As he looked at her face, he realized her sweet eyes looked confused and vulnerable. Was there something wrong? He couldn’t take it. He had to hold her. He walked up to her, closing the gap between them. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest.

“I missed you… Gods, I missed you.” Aiden whispered into her hair as he breathed in her delicious scent.

She felt her body instantly relax as his homey scent of a wood burning engulfed her. His warmth embraced her as she pushed her head deeper into his chest. Her grip against him tightened as her chest ached. Her composure shattered in this moment and the tears began to fall freely, soaking his shirt. She missed him so much, she needed him so much, but there was still a barrier of things between them. And there was a chance that Aiden would not accept her after hearing what she had promised.

Aiden felt the dampness against his shirt, and he looked down at her. “Diana?” he cooed softly as he tried to look at her face. She pulled him tighter and pressed her head into him. “Dee.” He whispered as he tilted her chin up to look at him. Her silver eyes shined with water that streamed down her face continuously. He leaned in and began kissing her falling tears. His nose caressed her cheek softly as he continued to pepper her with light tiny k****s. “What are these tears for?” His soothing voice asked her.

“I’m sorry. I just missed you so much. I thought I was going to die. And—” Diana was about to tell him how she was afraid she would never feel this again. That she had made a promise that he might not like. But Aiden never gave her that chance.

His lips crashed against hers greedily as he pulled her impossibly close. His lips seared hers with his heat. It wasn’t enough to just have her lips though. He began to suck on her bottom l*p and then plunged his tongue into her mouth. She found her hands reaching up around him, digging into his flesh as she tried to push them more together. Her mind was cloudy, and she wasn’t thinking. The way he was taking her lips was as if he was marking them as his. Tingles erupted as his tongue danced with hers.

She let out an involuntary m**n of pleasure as she gave in to the desires taking over. He tilted her head to the side, angling it so he could taste her deeper. He growled into her mouth, and she answered him with a growl of her own. Her primal beast was awakening and demanding what was hers. Their tongues tangled as they moved together with fervor and hunger. Aiden’s hands roamed over her body as she felt the hard length of him pressing against her.

Aiden wanted to feel every inch of her. He wanted to taste all of her. What started out as a desperate need to touch his mate changed into a primitive hunger to claim his mate. She responded to him greedily and dug her fingers into his flesh. The prickling pain and pleasure had him biting her l*p as he sucked on it.

Diana’s heart raced as Aiden’s lips continued to tease her skin. She felt like she was on fire, and she needed him. She was lost in the raw l**t of it all until she felt something warm trickling over her fingers. With a jolt, she forcefully pulled away from a stunned Aiden. His eyes were dark and lustful as he panted, looking at her in confusion. She looked at her fingers and gasped in shock. She had dug her claws into Aiden… claws. She had partially shifted her hands, but without her knowledge.

Diana had not shifted into her lycan once since she had awoken. She had felt the beast, but lately it was as if it was in a fog. She looked up at Aiden’s shoulders and reached up to check him.

“Dee, I’m fine.” Aiden chuckled as he pulled his shirt to the side, proving his point. His wounds were completely healed. “I enjoy this side of you… let’s not stop.”

She shook her head and took a hesitant step back. “I didn’t mean to. I didn’t even know my fingers had changed…”

“Dee, it happens. We are beasts after all.” Aiden stepped towards her as she shook her head violently.

“You don’t understand, Aiden, I can’t shift.” Diana watched as his face turned to confusion. “I tried to shift while you were away. I wanted to train and work hard. I was trying to be— I wanted you to be proud of me.”

“Diana, I—”

“Even with Ike there, I couldn’t shift.” She listened as Aiden growled.

“I don’t like the way he looks at you.” Aiden had seen the desire in Lycaon’s eyes. An undeniable force that he recognized. The way she was looking at him now showed she had no idea what he was talking about. With a smile, he stepped into her and placed his hand on her cheek. “Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll be able to shift with time. Your beast is there…” he turned his head to look at his torn shirt and chuckled.

“But what if I can’t shift? What if I can never shift?” She asked, and Aiden shrugged.

“Then you never shift. I’ll protect you. I’ll keep you safe if that is what you are worried about.”

“You need a strong luna. Not a burden—”

“You will never be a burden to me. You are my greatest comfort. Is this what is bothering you? Baby, you are everything I want and need.” He listened as she let out a shuddering breath.

“I hurt you. I should have control… that could be dangerous.”

“You didn’t hurt me.” Aiden’s voice was low and husky. “You excited me.” His dark eyes wandered over her body. The desire rising inside of him. “Dee—” he whispered as she shook her head.

“There is more. Aiden, I have done something, and I’ll understand if you don’t want me afterwards.”

His lips curled down as his thumb brushed over her cheek. “Do you want me… do you still want to be with me?”

“Yes, but—”

“Then it doesn’t matter. Even if… even if things had gone too far with someone… I understand you were lonely and I— I’ll still want you. I’ll forgive you.” Aiden watched as her lips parted and then her brows knitted together angrily.

“Aiden Locke! How could you say such a thing?! What type of person do you think I am? I would never give my body to someone else. Never.” Her voice snapped in irritation at the very thought. Then the horror set in. “Is this… what happened with you?” she said in a painful whisper. Was Aiden lonely and was with someone else?

“No, I would never. I’m sorry Diana. I wasn’t accusing you. I was just trying to reassure you—I’m sorry. Dee, I need you. I would never forsake our bond.”

She wasn’t sure what was so different now, but being near Aiden was enticing her feral beast. The lycan within her was demanding her mate like never before. Was it because she was mentally ready to be his? She took a step back, away from Aiden. She couldn’t get lost in that feeling again.

“Dee.”

“Please, Aiden. I need to talk to you and I’m afraid—”

“You don’t need to be afraid—”

“I’m afraid I can’t control myself. I want you Aiden. I want to be with you. I don’t want to deny this any longer. However—” she said as she raised her hand to ward off Aiden from approaching. His eyes were dark, and the hunger was evident in his eyes. “I need to talk with you… first. It’s important for me.” She watched as he curled his fingers into balls at his side. His face was tense as he battled with himself.

A dark chuckle left his lips as his eyes flickered at her. “How do you expect me to fight this when I hear you want me? I’ve been waiting to hear this from you. I’ve been waiting… for you. What type of restraint do you think I have?” He let out a frustrated g***n and wiped his hand over his face.

“I’m sorry, Aiden… I—” Diana whispered as she watched him move his hand from his face. His eyes were now a calm entrancing green, and a faint smile rested on his lips.

“Dee, you don’t have to apologize. I’ve been waiting for you for a while. What’s a little bit more? If this is important for you to talk to me about, then let’s talk. Let’s seal our bond with nothing hidden under the table.” He watched as Diana pursed her lips together and then scrunched up her face.

“Yeah… speaking with things under the table… is there anything I should know about Janna?”