You Rejected Me. Remember?

“Abused? Her alpha abused her?”

Cassy asked over the phone. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“You wouldn’t believe the extent to which she was abused by her alpha. And guess what? She is not the only one. He had forced himself on her mother years ago, making him the one who had fathered her.” Ava leaned towards the landline that was put on the speaker.

“The hell,” Cassy was alarmed. “I can’t believe I’m finding out about this after so many years. No one from that pack tried to contact me…” she trailed off.

“I need to teach that stupid alpha a hard lesson!”

There was a short pause.

“Wait, what is the name of that pack?” Cassy asked them.

“Red Wings,” Miles answered. “I think they will come prepared for war. Their beta was rather disgruntled when he left today.” Miles tapped on the office desk as he spoke and glanced at his mate. Calli nodded at him.

“War? Even if I’m on your side?!” From the tone of her voice, everyone knew how discontented she was.

Miles looked at Nolan, who leaned forward.

“We are on standby. We are expecting the worst.”

“Well, if they declare war on you, they are going against their Queen. I’ll send them an urgent message notifying them about that. Let’s see if they still choose to fight.” She responded.

“I want to pay a visit to your pack. I will be there in a couple of hours. I’d like to meet that girl personally.” She added.

“And we have found another wolf from the same pack in the woods. He was badly injured and right now he is unconscious. However, he is recovering slowly. We expect him to wake up within this week.” Miles enlightened her.

“Okay. I’m on my way. And I think you should remain on alert. Judging from what I have heard about this alpha, I don’t think he can be trusted.”

Nodding at her instructions, Miles spoke.

“Yes. Our warriors are on alert.” He affirmed and the call ended.

Monica, who was listening to the conversation, breathed out heavily, gaining everyone’s attention.

“Were you holding in your breath the whole time?” Cade chuckled and she laughed with him.

“That was the Queen?” She asked, gazing at him goggle-eyed.

Amused by how astonished she looked, he nodded.

“That was the Queen and she is coming to see you,” Cade told her, as he lovingly tucked away a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Dumbstruck, Monica remained frozen on her spot.

“The Queen is coming to see me?” She breathed out and looked around. “She is coming to see me…..”

Her eyes wandered around. Her creased forehead and unstable breathing told Cade that she was panicking.

He quickly grabbed her and held her close to him, allowing her to feel their connection. He held her there until he felt her relax.

“You’ll be fine darling. We are all here for you,” he mumbled into her hair.

“And the Queen is pretty cool. You just need to get to know her,” he added.

She nodded although she wasn’t confident of herself.

“Did you know that she grew up in this pack?” Castor said.

“She grew up as Nolan’s sister. They aren’t related by b***d, but they are family,” he smiled.

Monica glanced at him, frowning.

“She grew up as my adoptive sister, later we found out she was the crown princess,” Nolan affirmed.

“And our beta female is her best friend,” Cade caressed her back as he spoke.

Monica’s lips parted.

“Wow,” she gasped.

“Yeah. Now let’s get something to eat. Shall we?” Cade suggested as he led her out of the office.

Hours passed by. Although Monica felt a little better after speaking with them and having food, she couldn’t help but wait in anticipation for the arrival of the Queen.

Monica was pacing in her room and glancing out of the balcony from time to time until the Queen arrived. The sun had set when the Royal car halted in front of the packhouse. Monica watched through the balcony with an erratic heart.

Her cold fingers clutched onto the railing of the balcony as she nervously watched an attractive blond climb out of the car, followed by a handsome male. Fierce looking guards surrounded them. Monica noticed that there was a car on the front and two on the back of the car from which they climbed down.

“Is that the Queen?” Her heart thumped hysterically.

Cade nodded.

“And that man standing beside her is her husband, the Royal Prince, Elliot,” he explained.

They watched as the Queen greeted the pack leaders and walked inside with them.

“She is here!” Monica wheezed, feeling overwhelmed.

“I wouldn’t know how to…. I don’t know what to say to her…” Her throat tightened. She could feel every single beat of her pounding heart as Cade wrapped his arms around her.

“I’m sure it will be fine,” He told her.

Closing her eyes, she snuggled into his chest. His wonderful scent was like a drug that calmed her down instantly and the sparks of the mate bond eased her racing heart.

Cade continued to rock her in his arms until a set of knocks on the door caught their attention.

“That must be my sister,” Cade mumbled.

Heaving a deep breath, “let’s go,” she said.

“The Queen is asking for you,” Calli said as soon as they opened the door.

Nodding, Monica stepped out of the room followed by Cade. Her heart raced as they followed Cade’s sister towards the grand room where the pack leaders were meeting the royals.

The Queen smiled at her.

“Hello, dear. What is your name?”

The question was simple. However, Monica was stupefied. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought she would come face to face with Her Majesty the Queen.

“Uh… M..Monica,” stammering, she bowed, “Your highness.”

Beaming, Cassy stood up and walked over to her.

“Monica. I love your name. Can you tell me more about the condition of your previous pack?” She asked kindly, looking into Monica’s hazel eyes.

“Umm,” gulping, she glanced at Cade who nodded to show that she had his support.

“Yes, Your Highness,” she managed to breathe out.

Cassy and Elliot listened to her attentively as she struggled to narrate the story of her life. It was hard for her to relive those memories, yet, she strived against her tears, sobs and overwhelming emotions and described what had happened to the best she could.

By the time she was done, she was gasping for breath. Cassy’s sympathetic gaze lingered on her as Monica wriggled the hem of her shirt. Tears were streaming down her face, yet she tried her best to remain strong.

Cassy stood up and walked over to her. She knelt in front of her and held Monica’s icy hands.

“You are strong. There is no doubt about that. You have fearlessly faced whatever life threw at you and have come this far. I could only wish I was as strong as you,” she whispered.

Monica gaped at the Queen. Was the Queen saying that? But why would anyone want to be like her? She wondered.

“I… Your Highness…” she stammered through her sobs and sniffles.

Smiling, Cassy shook her head.

“You are in the right place now. I’m sure you are where you need to be. You have met your mate. Cade is just perfect for you. I’m glad both of you have accepted each other. And the leaders of this pack surely will help you heal,”

She smiled at Cade.

“I’m lucky to be mated to her, Your Highness,” Cade responded.

“Right,” Cassy stood up. “Now stop with all those formalities. You all are family to me.” She grinned.

“Let’s have dinner together?” Calli suggested.

“Yes. I’m famished,” Cassy agreed.

The dinner was filled with exciting conversations and laughter. Monica soon started to feel comfortable around them. She found herself smiling and at times giggling at their jokes. Cade watched her silently as he munched on his food. Aspen kept sighing in his mind in contentment. Seeing his mate enjoy with his family was fulfilling.

“I hope her wolf heals so that she will soon be able to shift,” Aspen told Cade.

“Me too. We will help her heal.” Cade agreed with Aspen.

After dinner, they went to see Philip.

“He told me something about trying to contact you, Your Majesty. But he hadn’t been able to.” Monica told Cassy.

“Is that the Queen?” Her heart thumped hysterically.

“I’ll meet him when he wakes up. He sounds like a decent citizen to me.” Cassy said, turning towards Monica.

“And darling, you can call me Cassy.” She glowed.

A wide smile brightened Monica’s face and her cheeks tinted in a light shade of pink.

“Yes, Your Highness,” she responded, making Cassy sigh as she smiled.

“I hope it will change with time. I don’t like to be formal with those who are close to me. And this pack is exceptionally important to me.”

Monica offered a shy smile as they walked outside.

“I hope the alpha of the Red Wings pack is bright enough not to attack you all. I have sent the message, but he will not know that I’m here. Let’s see how he responds.” Cassy mumbled.

“Now go and try to get some sleep. I’ll stay in the pack until tomorrow night.”

Monica and Cade went back to their rooms.

“How are you feeling now?” He asked.

“Relieved!” She exclaimed, beaming. “After I described to them what I had gone through, I feel so elated. It feels like a huge load is taken off my shoulders. Even Asena is relaxed. I guess those memories were weighing me down.” She admitted.

“Does this mean she is ready to mate with us now?” Aspen chirped in Cade’s mind.

“Shut up Aspen. I want her to be comfortable with that. She was almost rape.d by that scoundrel. I’m going to give her as much time as she needs.” Cade retorted.

They changed their clothes. Monica stood in the centre of the room wearing a pair of shorts and a baggy shirt.

“Where do I sleep?” She asked Cade who was reading something on his phone.

“On the bed,” he shrugged.

Monica blushed.

“Umm… with you?” She felt her face heating up as she tried to avoid looking at Cade.

A smirk slowly curved Cade’s lips as he raised an eyebrow. He kept his phone and sauntered over to her. His gaze was fixed on her. He could see how she went stiff when she saw him approach her. He didn’t want to intimidate her. He wanted to shower her with love, and if he had to take things slow, he would. Because he believed that she deserved to enjoy life as much as he did.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

Monica stared at her handsome mate as he walked over to her. The palpitations of her heart increased and her breathing hitched. She tried to, however, she couldn’t take her eyes off his toned abs. Biting her inner cheek, she took deep breaths.

“He looks so yummy…” Asena mumbled seductively.

Monica couldn’t deny it. He was eye-catching. She quickly ran her tongue over her lips and breathed out as he halted in front of her.

“Yes, with me.” His husky whisper made the hair on the back of her neck stand. She gulped.

“I won’t hurt you, mate. I will not try to mark you or mate with you before you are ready. I’ll wait for you. I want you to enjoy it.”

His pledge made her melt. She was grinning like a fool when he picked her up and laid her on the bed. He laid down beside her and covered their bodies with the blanket.

“How can you not love him?” Asena sighed.

She was dumbfounded when he kissed her crown and mumbled good night before turning to the side to sleep.

Her heart fluttered as she looked at him. Asena was right. It was impossible not to love him.

“Maybe I do….” Monica told Asena through their link.

***

The night deepened and by midnight, the whole pack had fallen asleep, except for the patrols who were on duty. However, they were soon woken up by an urgent warning. The pack was being attacked.

Cassy, Elliot, and all the pack leaders hastened to gather the troops.

“I can’t believe this! He didn’t back off!” Cassy was infuriated.

“I have stationed some of my warriors at the perimeters, just in case. We will win!” Elliot stated as they raced towards the pack boundaries.

Monica anxiously watched from her balcony as they left to battle against the attackers. Cade had left her in the room, promising her that he would come back.

“Please….please let him be safe,” she whispered a prayer as tears gathered in her eyes.