The Missing Princess
Chapter 3 - Competition

Reign

-Why are we up so early? We do not have training today?-Blade

-We are going to Mauku’s surf competition.-Me

-But it does not start for another hour and we are only fifteen minutes away.-Blade

-Stop your whining and your bitching.-Me

-Fuck you, as if you like being up this early. It's still fucking dark out.-Blade

I smirked when he grumbled before he disappeared into the back of my mind. For an alpha wolf he was very dramatic. I have no idea why he was bitching. We are normally up this early all the time for training and patrolling the borders and he has never bitched about being up this early for that or the fact that it is still dark. I had cancelled all the morning training sessions for this weekend since I knew numerous members of the pack wanted to see Mauku compete. He had competed in a few surfing competitions since he was 15 or so, but very few were here in our home waters. I was also aware that many wanted to see this Kodi guy compete. I had heard all about him and how he was the best there is over the years, but I had yet to see him compete. I was not a complete idiot. I knew how to surf and had gone with Kekipi and Mauku a few times, but I had never seen the elusive Kodi. While I liked surfing it did not hold the same appeal for me as it did for Mauku. I knew a few of the other members caught the surfing bug, but again they were not as dedicated as Mauku is.

“Is Blade bitching about being up this early?” Ino asked as he yawned.

“Yes, I am guessing Ohu is acting the same way.” I state.

“Yes, and it is giving me a headache.” Ino replied.

"I am not sure why they are acting like whiny bitches. We are up this early for training or when we are running patrols." I pointed out.

"I do not know either but Ohu was complaining the whole time I was getting ready." Ino replied with another yawn.

I cannot help but laugh at him. The two of us climb into my truck while he is still listening to his wolf bitch about the time. Blade is still grumbling at the back of my mind the entire drive. The sun is just starting to peak above the ocean as I park. Mauku has been here for close to two hours already waiting for this competition to get started. The contestants had to be here before dawn to get registered. I am not sure why our wolves are bitching this much about being up early. We could have had to have been here when Mauku left the pack house. That damn scent catches my attention as I shut my door. I take a deep breath and the scent of spicy dark chocolate floods my senses. Blade perks up and slinks closer to look out to see if we can replace the source. Suddenly he isn't so pissed about being up this early. That damn scent has been haunting me for the last two years. I will periodically catch a faint whiff of it around town, hell around the island. Right now the scent seems to be concentrated here. Ino and I make our way to the stands to replace Kekipi, Shay, and Brandt already here. Shay and Brandt are my two best warriors and they share the title of head trainer. They are also cousins. The hand Ino and I coffee which I am thoroughly grateful for.

“You two arrived just in time. They are about to announce all the competitors.” Shay told us.

“Good, let’s see what kind of competition my gamma has.” I comment.

“Fuck, whatever, his only real competition is Kodi.” Brandt grumbles.

Brandt surfs with Kekipi and Mauku every morning so he must know this Kodi guy. We get comfortable as the announcer steps up and grabs the microphone. One by one he announces the competitors.

“And now for our final competitor and only woman in this tournament, Kodi Lancaster.” He yells.

Blade lets out a growl as my breath catches. Holy fuck me, the person that steps out is not the person that I was expecting. The ocean breeze carries her scent to the stands and I damn near let the growl that I am holding escape. She is absolutely stunningly gorgeous. Her long copper hair has clearly been lightened by all the time she spends in the sun and it works perfectly with her lightly tanned skin. I can see freckles sprinkled across the bridge of her nose and the apples of her cheeks. More of her spicy dark chocolate scent assaults my nose. I have to grip my seat when her eyes, that I can only describe as fire, lock with mine. I want to strangle the announcer when he tells the contestants to head back to where they have to wait for their run to begin.

-Mate!-Blade

-I know buddy, but we cannot do anything now. After the competition we can talk with her.-Me

-I do not like everyone looking at her.-Blade

-I do not either but we cannot do or say anything.-Me

I can hear him grumbling in my mind as he lays his head on his paws so he can watch the competitors. I do not like the idea of all these guys looking at her either, but there is nothing I can do about it. Her bottoms are a tie side bikini in a pale blue colour with a matching tankini top with the logo of a famous local writer on it in black and grey. She looks stunning, but it is taking everything I have to not stomp down there and throw her over my shoulder taking her away from all these guys. I want to ask Kekipi about her, but I need to wait. While I can smell her intoxicating scent I can also smell that she is human. I take a deep breath and focus as the first guy starts his run.

“Well that was exciting. I knew no one could touch our boy except for Kodi.” Shay states.

He is not wrong. Mauku is in third place, but one of the guys from Florida is only a few points ahead. Kodi stands more than comfortably in first place. She could probably not show up tomorrow and stay in first place. We make our way down the stands and towards where Makua is. We quicken our pace when we hear him growl and several others shouting. We peel open the tent to replace Mauku facing off against one of the guys from Florida. Ino grabs Mauku because the other bastard is human and we do not need an incident. One of the security guards comes stomping in asking what the fuck is going on. Another surfer, a vampire, tells him he was talking shit about Kodi. He must be from the royal family since they are the only ones able to walk in daylight without being killed by the sun.

“That little bitch should not be allowed to participate in a man’s competition.” The guy yells.

“Watch your language. Kodi is the top female surfer in the world and was invited here by the world surfing league and several of the sponsors here. They want her here unlike you who had to compete to enter.” The vampire explains.

“You should listen to Eli. We invited her to participate in the competition and if you don’t respect that you can leave.” A man states.

The guy glares at everyone before he leaves the tent in a huff. I look around, but I do not see Kodi anywhere. I am not sure how she is able to sneak off without being seen, but Kekipi pulls Mauku out as we leave the tent. I am opening the door of my truck when someone calls out. I turn to see the vampire, Eli, and a couple of his buddies walking towards us.

“Alpha Reign I would like to introduce myself. My name is Elidrium, but everyone calls me Eli and these two behind me are Quinn and Xenton. I would like to ask that we have a meeting to discuss our alliance. I recently took the throne from my father. I have been meaning to call but shit has been crazy at the castle.” Eli explains.

“Of course, shit has been crazy for us as well. Ino, my beta, will schedule a meeting with you. You are welcome within our pack at any time.” I told him.

He nods at me as we part ways. I take one last glance around hoping to see my little copper flame. I smile at myself coming up with that nickname. It fits her well. I pull out of the parking lot turning towards the road that leads to the pack.

Kodi

Shit, I had not expected that when I walked out of the competitors tent. That damn spiced rum and leather scent had been haunting me for a couple of years now. I had caught it briefly around town, but more so down town around the corporate buildings. It had wafted into the tent, but I did not think anything of it, that was until I walked out and it damn near knocked me on my ass. When I turned around and those blue eyes the colour of Larimar locked with mine I knew at that moment he was mine. Thankfully the competition started and I was kept from seeing him most of the time. I bolted as soon as I could. I did not want to take a chance of him replaceing me. I saw Kekipi sitting by him which means he is part of the pack. With his size and aura alone I knew he had to be the alpha,which was even worse. I did not want to replace my mate, not because I did not want one, but because I knew once he found out what I was that all I would be was used for my power and as his breeder. I was not going to let myself be used like that. I could feel the pull towards him, but until I physically touched him the bond, well on my side, would not lock into place. I knew on his side the bond had already locked, but I was not a shifter. Fey bonds work a little differently than other supernaturals. While scent does play a role, touch is the most important part. Once we touch our mate that locks the bond in and it cannot be broken. Fucking, dark fey take it one step further. A dark fey cannot reject their mate, but can accept a rejection if the mate rejects us first.

“Shit I need him to reject me.” I thought to myself.

I sink down into the tub as I try to think of a way to deal with this, but I can think of nothing. I wish I knew how to replace Uncle Aaron. I knew he was a wolf, but I have no idea which pack he is from or where they are located. My damn necklace no longer works. Once Uncle Randy died, so did the spell he had cast upon it. Two more days, that is what I had for this competition. I can do this.

“Are you ready for the final day?” Mauku asked.

“Yes, but it was fun.” I admit.

Thankfully for whatever reason my mate had not shown up yesterday. I do not know why and I am not about to ask. I made sure not to look at who had shown up today. I did not need to. I could smell him and it took everything within not to climb into the stands and jump him. I could not deny that he is sexy as hell, but I will not succumb to this bond. I cannot, since it might endanger my life.

“Well let’s do this.” I state.

“I knew you would win.” Mauku growls.

I cannot help but laugh as he picks me up and spins around. I had won and numerous sponsors had already approached me. I had already been talked into a meeting with one of the biggest companies here on the island who had several products that if I agreed and signed a contract with I would be endorsing. The two assholes from Florida had slunk off to lick their wounds. Mauku had come in second while Alexi, a guy from Australia, had come in third. Alexi had already congratulated me in much the same way Mauku had.

“Listen, I have to go. I need to get home and get my ass back on course so I can finish my classes.” I say.

“Fine, but sometime this week we will be getting together to go out and celebrate at the bar.” Mauku told me.

“Of course.” I replied.

I hightailed it out of there fast. I needed to make sure I was gone before my mate came looking for me. I made it home and immediately jumped into the shower. I rested my head against the wall as I let out a breath. I was not lying when I said I needed to get back to my classes, but I was also way ahead in them and could afford to slack off for a few days. I did need to get back to my book. My editor and publisher had called the day before the competition telling me they would like a first draft of my third book within the next two weeks. Honestly, it was more or less finished. I had sent it to Fern. He is the guy I use to edit all my shit. He is also a friend that I made in school. I grabbed my phone off the coffee table when that stupid sound blared through my house. Fern had picked the most idiotic sound for both his ringtone and for when he texted me.

(Damn, you were not kidding when you said this book was going to be dark and sexy.-Fern)

(I warned you. I take it by that sentence alone you have already started reading it.-Me)

(Yes, and I am loving it. I know your editor and publisher will too. This will be your best book yet.-Fern)

(I hope so, I am going to take a small break after this one. I have already told them and they do not like it but I told them I need some time to decompress and after this competition I might be busy with endorsements.-Me)

(Oh, I know. I saw the whole thing on the t.v. You were unbelievable like normal.-Fern)

(Thanks, listen I am going to make some dinner and relax. This has been a long three days and I am exhausted.-Me)

(Okay, sleep well and we will talk later.-Fern)

I set my phone down on the couch. I heated up some of the leftovers that I had in the fridge as I grabbed a fork. Damn, I had not realised how fucking hungry I was. I scarf down my dinner and place the bowl in the dishwasher. I fall down on my bed letting my muscles relax. I know that I will be fine by tomorrow. My magic will heal all the aches overnight. I lay there under the fan that is spinning on my ceiling. I cannot get his face out of my head. Goddammit, I need to do something about this. I feel something running down my face and I wipe it away. I have no idea when I started crying, but sometimes I wish I was a normal fey or witch that didn’t have to worry about the shit I do. I know not everyone is like some that I have run across, but I also know I cannot take that chance. Not after the shit that I have seen and helped to try and stop. I turn over on my side looking out my window as the leaves of the palm tree move gently with the breeze.