Taming Her Beastly Mate
Bonus Chapter

Tristan walked down the long corridors of the castle in Elysium. As he rounded a corner, he heard Caleb’s voice call to him.

“Tristan!” Caleb yelled, making the man stop in his tracks. “A few of us are going on a night hunt. Are you game for joining us?”

“Maybe another night. I have company tonight.” Tristan raised his brows as Caleb nodded his head in understanding.

“You really should think about settling down instead of bedding random women.”

“It isn’t your concern how I keep my bed warm,” Tristan watched as Caleb lifted up his hands in surrender.

“True enough. You do you. Have fun doing the bear wrestle… thing.” Caleb chuckled as he turned, walking away, leaving Tristan alone.

Tristan smiled as he made his way back to his room. He has always vocally told everyone how he would never take a mate. Traditionally, guardians didn’t take mates, but this has changed recently with the next generation. He had always lightly joked that he was fine with the way it was. And told those around him that he was by no means a monk.

This led them to infer he slept around… but that wasn’t the case. With a small smile on his face, he pushed open the door to his room.

“I was wondering if you were ever going to come to bed.” A sultry voice cooed to him. He looked at the beautiful brunette with emerald, green eyes and saw her full breasts under her nightgown, the fabric hiked up to reveal the smooth skin of her thighs under the silk. Her hair fell over her black negligee, obscuring part of her flesh and highlighting the curves of her h**s and breast.

“My legs couldn’t get me here fast enough. You know this is my favorite part of the day… feasting on your flesh.” Tristan eyed the temptress as his large frame moved towards her. “Caleb stopped and asked me if I wanted to go on a night hunt with the guys.” He watched as her green eyes searched his.

“What did you tell them?”

Tristan chuckled as he reached out to touch her exposed skin. He slowly traced his fingers over her bare skin, smiling as he felt her respond to him. “Don’t worry, love… I alluded that I have company. They still think I entertain multiple women. What they don’t know is you are the only woman who I hold in my arms at night.” He felt her body shift slightly away from him and a frown formed on his lips. “Cass…” He cooed to her.

“I’m sorry, Tristan. I know we’ve been together for decades now, but I’m afraid of the pressure if they know…”

“Cass… I’m not going to change the rules on you. We were both very clear with each other how we felt about mates when we first met. I won’t pressure you, but I am ready to embrace whatever this is… only if you ever are.”

Cassie stood up from the bed and walked across the room. She inhaled a slow breath as she tried to still the stirring memories of the past. It was decades ago now… but sometimes it seemed like it was only yesterday…

_

Cassie walked through town; a gold pocket watch clutched tightly in her hands. The precious metal was cold in her fingers, and the glossy finish was so bright it seemed to glow. She paused occasionally and admired it in the sunlight, as if she had stumbled onto something new and wonderful. The intricate engraving, with the sun in the center and each star linked by a swirl of lines, seemed to move under the light of the afternoon sun. The smile on Cassie’s face grew as she thought about her mate, Greg.

Greg could be quiet and reserved at times. He wasn’t always big on showing his affection, but they were mates. She was certain he cared for her deeply as she did for him. A couple of years ago, he was caught stealing gems from dark elves. The punishment was potentially lethal, especially for a werewolf. Cassie was an elf of light, but still kin to the dark elves and she could not bear to see her mate suffer a punishment beyond endurance. With courage fueled by love, she offered herself as reparation, a sacrifice she was certain would be rewarded with a lighter sentence.

The dark elves lashed out without mercy, slicing through her womb with cruel precision. She remembered how she screamed in agony as her uterus was removed, a permanent punishment to her and Greg alike. The sorrow and anger spilled down her cheeks while Greg kept a steely expression on his face. She was sure this was a painful loss for him as well. Not only was she injured, but she could never give him the son he desperately wanted.

She tightly grasped the watch as she blinked up at the sun. The sun’s rays were welcoming, and she took a deep breath. She had long come to terms with her inability to have children, but she wasn’t sure if Greg ever had. She had brought up adopting before, but he had refused her flat out. He said if he could not have his own children, he didn’t want any at all. That was the last he ever spoke about children. She assumed he decided not to dwell on what couldn’t happen.

Cassie walked down the shopping district to order a special chain for the watch. She heard a laugh in the distance from a voice she would have recognized anywhere. But what was Greg doing in town? He was supposed to be out on patrol for a few days. This is why she planned to come to town for a couple of days to shop for his birthday. Her head swiveled in the direction and her feet moved on their own towards the sound of his voice. In just a few moments, she was standing outside of an establishment with the words ‘Madrid Jewelers’ written in elegant gold lettering above the door.

She furrowed her brows in confusion and then stepped inside the dark brown wooden door. Cassie’s heart dropped to her stomach as she looked at the far end of the room. Greg was standing at the far end of the room with a woman wrapped in his arms. He was smiling down at the woman as he held out a ring.

Cassie’s lips parted as she recognized the woman. It was Elouise. She had left the pack seven months ago, though no one knew why. Though, judging by her pregnant stomach, she looked to be about seven months along.

“Patrol sure has changed.” Cassie’s voice was laced with ice as the couple turned to look at her with shocked eyes.

Elouise looked at her with a sympathetic face and shook her head. “This isn’t how I wanted for you to replace out, Cassie. I would have told you sooner, but… Greg said he wanted to handle it.”

Cassie glanced at Greg, her heart constricting as she observed the stone-like hardness that had taken over his face, a look that seemed like it would never disappear.

“What did you expect, Cassie?” Greg’s voice was terse and seemed agitated. At least that was some emotion. “You think this was easy for me, Cassie?”

Cassie’s lips pursed, her own anger growing. “I expect my mate to be loyal, Greg. I expected the love I had for you to be reciprocated by you. What we had just wasn’t enough for you?”

“You could never give me what I really wanted, Cassie, she could. And she did.” Greg said as he pulled Elouise closer to his side.

“I’m sorry, Cassie. You know I always had feelings for him… I know this was cruel and selfish of me. I won’t deny that. I won’t ask for your forgiveness.” Elouise said, lowering her gaze from Cassie.

“I saved your life, Greg. I couldn’t give you what you wanted? That was because I sacrificed that for you!” Cassie’s voice was growing louder, but she hardly noticed.

“I didn’t ask you to,” Greg said simply, not even blinking.

“You would have been killed. What mate wouldn’t sacrifice themselves for the one they love?!” Cassie snapped, shaking her head. How could she have been such an i***t? She gave up a big part of herself for him. She lost the ability to have children for him.

A cruel smirk reached Greg’s lips as he looked at Cassie. “Did you ever hear me say thank you? I never would have asked you to do that. Did you ever think that I wanted to get caught? Imagine being the beta of a werewolf pack and mated to an elf. I wasn’t given a werewolf as my mate. I couldn’t stand it. Ready for some truth? I wanted to get caught that day. You were with me… I honestly thought that if a fight broke out they would end up killing you. Instead, you willingly offered yourself up as a sacrifice. I couldn’t have planned it any better. Only to my disappointment, it wasn’t life-threatening. However, now that you can’t have children, the pack will pity my situation. Having pups is part of life. They won’t look down on me for leaving you. Sorry Cassie… but I need you to move out so Elouise can move to where she belongs. And we can raise our pup in our pack.”

Cassie squeezed her hands into fists. Her knuckles were white with tension. That bastard used her. He never cared about her. She had gone through that horrible ordeal for nothing. She heard the sound of the door opening behind her, but she was too blinded by rage to care.

“You think that I should just walk away? Should I crumble on the floor crying because you used me and cheated on me? i***t. What elitism is this? Since when does a werewolf become higher than an elf? You were embarrassed being mated to me?! I am a high light elf. If anything, I downgraded to accept you. I can’t have children now because of you. Do you think you are stronger than me?” Cassie growled as light glowed in her hand. “You will be dead before you can even touch me.”

Elouise jumped in front of Greg and began sobbing, placing her hand over her stomach. “Please don’t, Cassie. I’m so sorry. I know he has wronged you. I’m sorry for my part in this as well. But please… don’t take my child’s father away from him.”

Cassie closed her eyes, reigning in her anger. Elouise was protecting him much like she had that day. Another woman letting emotional stupidity rule them. Without a word, she turned and stepped towards the door. She paused and spoke quietly, “I won’t be returning. I don’t want anything. Burn my stuff for all I care.” With that she left the shop. She left town and dove deep into the wilderness. She didn’t need anyone. She didn’t need to be around people. And she certainly didn’t ever want a mate again…

__

“Cass.” Tristan’s hot breath sizzled against her neck as his lips tenderly brushed over her soft skin. She leaned back in his embrace and inhaled his steady scent. She had met Tristan a few months after her mate abandoned her. She had just found out that Elouise had given birth to a son. She was aimlessly wandering through the forest when she ended up in the territory of the Diamond Pack.

Tristan had found her there in the clearing, her deep green eyes and light brown hair illuminated by the moonlight. Her cheeks were flushed, not from the cold night air but from the heated argument she’d had with herself. In a heated exchange, she spilled everything to Tristan. She let out all of her pain and anger. Then in a startling move his lips were burning hers. It was a fiery exchange between the two of them that soon turned into an unbridled passion.

Cassie had left early the next morning while he was sound asleep. She felt a little sad, thinking she would never see him again. Shortly after that, she overheard that Greg had been attacked by a werebear and it left him with an injury that would never allow him to have any more children.

She remembered how she charged back to the Diamond Pack. Tristan seemed to have been waiting for her under the moonlight. He admitted to castrating Greg and said the world was a better place for it. She was livid with him since that wasn’t his business. They both argued and, once again, they ended up in each other’s arms. There was an undeniable, passionate chemistry between them.

After that, they began to randomly hook up a few times a month. Then, after he moved to Elysium, she also made her home there. Since then, there was rarely a night they didn’t spend together.

“You are a very strong woman. It was your strength that I first fell in love with. It made me feel things I always swore I wouldn’t.” He turned her body around so that she was now facing him. “I’m happy being whomever you need me to be. If you are ever ready for a public relationship, I will also be ready for that too. I just want you to be happy.”

“What about you, Trist? I want you to be happy too.” She felt the rumble from his chest as he lifted her in the air. Her legs wrapped around him as he led her to his bed.

“Good. Because this is what I need to be happy. I don’t give a da.mn about labels. I don’t care if everyone knows or no one. I just want you…this.” His voice grew husky as his hands gripped her bottom.

“Yes, this.” She nodded as her fingertips trailed across his bare chest. She pressed her lips against his and kissed him. His tongue swept across her mouth and danced with hers. She shivered as the warmth from his skin seeped into her.

Tristan’s lips moved down her neck and across her collar bone. He growled as he threw her on the bed. Her eyes watched as he took off his pants. He was a tall man with a broad, muscular body. His brown hair was perfectly cut, his eyes a deep blue. He was a very handsome man with a mysterious aura about him. Even though he could be intimidating, ever since their first night together, he had always treated her as if she was precious. Something she was afraid to believe in for years. But now, as he gazed down at her, she knew that Tristan was the one man she could be with.

He was fine with her never being able to have kids. In fact, he said it was better for him since he was a guardian. His priority would always be the royal fairy family, but he said he realized that he still had time for himself too.

“You make me happy, Cass. I love you.” He placed his knee on the bed as he climbed on top of her.

“I want you, Trist.” Her hands reached up to dig into his rich brown hair pulling him down to her lips. “I love you too.” She whispered out before his lips crashed upon hers.

Labels didn’t matter. What mattered was what was real. It may have taken her a long time to get there, but the important thing was that she did. She loved Tristan and trying to deny her attachment to him wouldn’t save her from feeling pain. She couldn’t fake her feelings out. They didn’t have to be called anything but just be what they were. Finally… she was ready. Ready to no longer walk in the shadows. Ready to let everyone know she belonged to him and him to her.

The moonlight streamed through the window, hovering over their silhouettes as they danced the dance of passion. As they lay there in euphoric exhaustion, Tristan wrapped his arms around her, keeping her close to his chest.

Cassie laid her head upon him, and with a content smile resting on her lips, she thought about how unimportant the events of the past were compared to the pleasure of being in his arms. She never thought she would fall in love again, but when Tristan held her after a long day, when he whispered soft words of love into her ear, and when they danced together under the stars, she knew she had found happiness again.

“Trist?” Cassie whispered.

“Mmm?” Tristan hummed tiredly.

“Tomorrow…” She whispered as she drew lazy circles on his chest. “Tomorrow… I’ll walk out with you for breakfast. I think we have kept us secret long enough.” She felt him roll slightly and now his body was hovering over hers.

“Are you sure?” He asked and she nodded her head. “You know what this means?” She shook her head with a small smile on her face. “This means I no longer have to wait for the cover of darkness to feast upon your flesh.”

“You have duties.”

“Tyler covers Lilly during the day too. And now I’ll also be covering you.” He leaned his head down and passionately kissed her lips.

Love wasn’t always pretty. Sometimes it was messy and unconventional. But real love wouldn’t abandon you. And real love was always worth fighting for.