The Tiger Prince's Witch
Chapter 13 - Dinner

Everyone in the dining hall stared in shock as the guards dragged the screaming Elsie out of the room. The queen, graceful as ever, turned to the others and smiled.

"Thank you, everyone, for coming. Please don't let this unfortunate episode ruin our dinner. Later you will meet my son's mate and the next queen." She smiled again and then returned to Kamryn and Anna.

"I'm sorry for that interruption. We should have never made a deal with Spirit Energy. Tomorrow we'll call them and let them know the arrangement is off. Angel, we will do whatever we can to help get your memory back." Lynette took her hand, and Anna breathed a sigh of relief. It appeared they had accepted her.

"Thank you, queen." She answered, slightly bowing to her.

"Please call me Lynn. No need for formal titles and no need to bow. We're family." Anna smiled at her gratefully. Lynn was dressed in a shimmering burgundy dress that clung to her still-youthful figure.

Meanwhile, someone was watching from across the room. This person was not happy with the acceptance of the girl with no name. Kamryn was supposed to be hers. She'd had plans to get rid of the witch once she got here, but now that was unnecessary. Now she had to get rid of another parasite. Maybe then Kamryn would see that they were meant to be together, even if they weren't mates. She started plotting as she walked around the room. It had to be soon before they marked each other.

As a loud bell sounded, everyone started walking from the large open room to another room off to the side. Anna saw many round dark wooden tables with white linen table clothes. Each table could seat eight people. Kamryn led her to a table near the front of the room, where they sat with the king, queen, Micah, and Melita.

"You look incredible," Melita said as Anna sat down.

"Thank you. Jeana is wonderful." She answered with a smile. Kamryn sat between his father and Anna. She noticed Micah looked upset, and she was sure it was how his mate had acted.

"Micah, we heard that Elsie is your mate. Have you had a chance to talk to her?" Lynette looked at her youngest son with pity. She didn't like that his mate was that nasty girl.

"When I told her we were mates, she said she didn't care; she only wanted to be queen. I tried to talk to her, but she brushed me off and came in here to confront Kamryn. I'm conflicted because I feel a pull toward her as she is my mate. However, she seems to have no mate feelings toward me at all. What should I do?" Micah asked, feeling an ache in his heart.

"If she doesn't have feelings for you as your mate, then maybe you should reject her. It will give you the opportunity for a second chance, mate." Melita stated matter of factly. She hadn't found her fated mate, but she wasn't concerned. "I always thought when I found my mate, we would be pulled to each other like Kmaryn and Angel. It never crossed my mind that she wouldn't want me. I'm going to need to talk to her before she leaves." Micah said as their drinks were served.

Anna looked at the glass of red wine in front of her. Did she like wine? She took a little sip, and the tart taste was appealing to her. She took another sip and sat her glass down. She glanced around the dining hall and realized there were dozens of people. Many of them were stealing glances at her, and she smiled at the ones she made eye contact with. The majority of them smiled back.

"Who are all these people?" She whispered to Kamryn.

"They are people from all over. The palace allows anyone to dine with us at any time. We only ask that they let us know when they want to come so we can ensure we have enough room. My parents like making themselves available to everyone. It's one of the many reasons why they are so respected." Anna looked around at the people there and noticed that some of their clothes were somewhat worn. She had a new respect for the royal couple. Multiple servers began coming out and placing food in front of them. Anna had no idea what it was, but the aroma made her mouth water. When she took the first bite, the flavors seemed to burst in her mouth. She savored it and then took another bite. She wanted to know what it was, but Kamryn was speaking with his dad, and Melita was speaking with Micah.

Lynn watched her son's mate eating, and she smiled to herself. The young woman was a delight to be around in comparison to the witch they were trying to force Kamryn to mate with. She liked calling her Angel until they learned her real name; it suited her.

"Are you enjoying your meal, Angel?" Lynn asked her from across the table.

"Yes, it's delicious. While I was in the cabin, I only had canned food and berries available." Anna answered softly. Her life had taken a sudden turn for the good. She went from being alone in the forest to a future queen. She was still getting used to the idea of being a queen.

"How did you stay there so long with no one to talk to?" Lynn asked thoughtfully.

"I didn't feel I had a choice. I didn't know who I was or where I'd come from, so I was scared to leave. I was afraid I would get lost and be unable to replace my way back to the cabin." Anna shuddered, thinking of the time she spent there. It was not something she ever wanted to do again.

"I admire you. Many would have gone out of their mind being alone. I wonder where your family is. I'm sure they're looking for you. We sent a search party for Kamryn, and he was only gone a couple of days. It's amazing that you two ended up in the same part of the forest." Lynn was still concerned about who poisoned her son and also who caused his mate to lose her memory. Could it be connected?

"I wish I knew if I had a family. I feel like I do. There are some things that feel familiar to me. Like when Kamryn told me about the supernatural world. I wasn't surprised; it felt like I already knew about it. When I look at the mountains in the distance, they also feel familiar. Kamryn saved my life when he was left there. I only had a few cans of food left, so I would have had to take my chances of leaving to replace food or staying there, hoping someone found me. I'm so grateful to you for allowing me to be part of your family without knowing who or what I am." Anna looked around the table and saw they were all staring at her. She blushed slightly.

The other five were all lost in their thoughts about what she had said. Micah couldn't help envying his brother for having such a strong mate. To endure what she had, there was no doubt in his mind that she was stronger than all of them. It made him think of Elsie. Maybe Melita was right. If she didn't want to be with him, he would reject her and hope to replace a second chance mate. After dinner, he would talk to her to see if she had changed her attitude.

They finished their meal, and as Anna took the last bite of her turtle cheesecake, she felt like she was going to burst. It was a new feeling for her to be completely full. She usually ate only enough to survive. Kamryn held his arm out for her, and they walked back to the large open room to mingle. Lynn guided them to the center of the room where Randal was waiting.

"Attention, everyone. As promised, I am pleased to inform you that my son Kamryn has met his fated mate. Please welcome your future queen." He purposely didn't say her name because they didn't know her name. Everyone clapped and smiled at the blushing woman. Kamryn beamed at her as he put his arm around her shoulders.

People started coming to the young couple to congratulate them and meet Anna. Kamryn didn't say anything about her memory but told them all for the time being, she would go by Angel. Many wanted to question him what that meant, but they wouldn't dare ask a royal to explain themself.

Once they had met too many people for Anna to remember, they left the hall and headed back upstairs. She had felt welcome by everyone who approached them that evening.

"Was everyone there tonight, weretigers?" She asked as they made their way up the steps.

"Mostly. There were a couple of werewolves, and I saw a few werepanthers." She looked up at him in surprise.

"How can you tell what species they are? To me, they all look human." They arrived at their room and went inside.

"By their scent typically. In tonight's case, I recognized them from before. You'll get to know them as well. Are you ready for that bath now?" Kamryn asked, wanting to get that dress off her. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Yes. I've been looking forward to it all night." He leaned down and kissed her as he started unzipping her dress.

The one person who was not happy about the new queen glared at the couple as they left. She snuck out and watched as they made their way upstairs. She should be at Kamryn's side, having him look at her lovingly as he did to that woman. She left the dining hall and went to her room. It was time to make his mate disappear before she got too comfortable.