Taming Her Beastly Mate
The Lycan Princess Chapter 22

Diana sat on the couch curled up in Aiden’s arms. She felt his soft lips on her head as she relaxed in his warmth. The days had all blurred together as they waited for Colleen to recover. Now that she was awake and out of danger, they could finally take a breath. Between caring for a new baby, an injured woman, and Aiden catching up on his duties, they were all in need of a good night’s rest. They both glanced up as Kurt walked down the steps with a small frown resting on his lips.

“That bad?” Jamie asked as he walked over from the kitchen.

“They’ve done a number on her. Honestly, that pack needs new leadership. It’s bad Aiden.” Kurt watched as Aiden and Diana rose to their feet.

“I want to speak with her,” Aiden said firmly, and Kurt shook his head.

“She is resting again, and Sull is napping as well.”

“This is more pressing than nap time—”

“Aiden,” Kurt said in a tone that made their eyes clash against one another. “She has been through a lot. Her emotions are on a teeter… she needs to rest more.”

“Aiden, Kurt is right.” Diana placed her fingers delicately around Aiden’s arms. “You know I don’t lead with my heart but with the best judgment. We can’t risk her breaking and going silent on us. Honestly, we don’t need any more information. We have heard enough already. However, I do want to know the names of the leaders. I want to know exactly who to look for when we arrive.” She listened as Aiden g*****d and she looked up at him. “We promised we wouldn’t be parted again. Not to mention, you need me.”

“I don’t like taking you through the shriek woods—”

“We have a solution to that.” A commanding voice boomed from the side. They all turned their heads to see a group of familiar people.

“Mom, Dad! You’re back. Lucy had her babies?” Aiden asked as he listened to Jin giggle.

“Your dad and Uncle Jason are both Grandpa’s now. And Jason is struggling with the term.” Jin smiled as Jason snorted but had a happy smile resting on his face.

“Surprise, three healthy babies were all born at the same time.” Freya’s eyes moved to Diana’s and then the mark on her neck. “But it looks like things have been interesting here as well.”

Diana reached up to her neck with a light pink blush staining her cheeks. “You said you had a solution to the shrieks?”

“First, welcome to the family, officially.” Wyatt’s voice was warm and kind. “Yes, the new death god, Sion, can handle the shrieks. Rhea will be seeking an audience with him and his mate, Clover, the sheya. Both Clover and Sion will be asked to join the both of you to the Children of the Moon.”

“Really? You are giving this assignment to me?” Aiden said as his eyes lit in excitement. The whole time he thought his father would end up handling the situation.

“Yes, your mother and I talked about it. We were your age when the pack was ours and it is time you eased into the role you were born to fill. Your mother and I will lead the pack while you are away. Sam and Adam should be returning soon. The war there is finishing up now. In a few weeks, you will be traveling to the Children of the Moon. This will give things time to settle down. Time for Diana to adjust to the changes taking place inside of her… and the changes Kurt and Jamie are going through.” He looked over at them and smiled. “The fairy messengers are thorough, and Elysium knows everything that is going on. No wonder my parents always knew what was going on.” He chuckled as he pulled Freya tenderly to his side.

“I don’t want you two to be overconfident. They might be a pack of werewolves, but we don’t know what they are involved in. However, you will be traveling with your officers and other very strong allies. We know about the agreement that was made. Just like your father and I had to make a similar tough decision. The union of your children will be in the best interest of… the world.” Freya noticed the spark in her son’s eyes and smiled. He always voiced his dislike of Lucy’s arrangement. “You’ll see. One way or another, these things tend to work out the way they were meant to. However, this will be a great time to get to know each other. You can begin building the bridge for what the future will be like.” She paused and decided to move back to the topic at hand. “You will be tasked with making the decisions regarding the Children of the Moon. Their fate is in your hands. Whatever decision the two of you make… we will back it up.” She watched as her son and Diana nodded at her, she then turned to look at Kurt. “We were informed that the woman, Colleen, is your mate. How does she feel about it?”

“Honestly, it is too early to say. She has a lot of mental issues that she needs to work through. The feelings of not having value… plus she isn’t used to having a say in her life. She doesn’t know what she wants because she was never allowed to decide. From what I gather, the women there don’t have a say in things. The men get to decide if they are mates, and the women have no say in it. The women are sent away during their periods and made to feel like they are unclean. It doesn’t sound like a pack at all… it sounds like a cult.” Kurt watched as Freya curled her fingers together in a tight ball.

“On second thought, maybe I do want to visit…” Freya voice dropped to an icy tone and her eyes promised pain.

“I don’t think a diplomatic visit is what you have in mind.” Wyatt chuckled, though he agreed with his mate. Most likely there would have to be bloodshed in order to change things in that pack. It would be interesting to see how Aiden and Diana handled it.

Wyatt looked into the silver eyes of Diana. He didn’t know her well, but could tell she was wise for being so young. Despite her youthful appearance, he sensed a dangerous wisdom lurking just beneath the surface, honed by experiences far beyond her years. A lifetime of past history and conflicts she had stored within.

She carried herself with a quiet charisma that commanded respect. A natural leader who would be an asset to the Diamond pack. She could make the harsh decisions necessary. While with Aiden, he wasn’t so sure. Aiden had a very understanding nature, and his temper was fairly under control.

But Aiden was a wildcard. Beneath his calm exterior lay a tempestuous rage that could be unleashed at any moment. Wyatt had seen glimpses of it before – when Lucy was threatened and he had to calm him down. Now with Diana, it could awaken in a primal fury for her sake. The only one who could stop him then would be her.

He stared at his son, knowing that some battles wouldn’t be fought on the battlefield. They would be fought in the hearts and in the minds. While they weren’t seen on the surface, they could be the most brutal ones they will ever face. Part of becoming a leader is facing those battles and conquering them.

“So… your mate… she has a son?” Wyatt finally asked, directing his attention to Kurt.

“Yes, he is part fairy and such a sweet little baby.” Kurt said proudly, as if he was the father.

“The child’s mother… your mate, she is a former pack member of the Children of the Moon?” Wyatt asked and watched as Kurt noticeably stiffened.

“She was, but she is no longer with them. She is with us now.”

Wyatt smiled and nodded his head gently. “Kurt, I’m just making sure I understand the situation. She will not be judged for her pack. Just like everyone in the pack, they won’t be judged based on their leaders. The Children of the Moon were mentally abusive towards the women… how about physically abusive? How cruel were they? Was it just with the females? What about the lower ranked males?”

Kurt relaxed and shrugged his shoulders. “She has just recently woken up. She was exhausted and even the healers had a tough time restoring her. I know she ran away with her son since they were going to kill him. And she ended up running here where she has me, a mate. That can’t just be a coincidence. I’m going to protect her and her child.”

Wyatt looked at the fire in Kurt’s eyes. The undeniable determination to protect his mate and her child. “Good for you Kurt. Your father will be proud to hear this when he returns. As soon as she is ready, we do need to fill in the gaps. We need a full picture of what life is like at this pack in case they decide to put on a show. Know they won’t like Aiden and Diana showing up and will despise them for not being pure.”

“How is the vampire change coming for you?” Freya asked as she focused on the aura coming from Diana.

“It’s strange. It comes in waves. At first, when… when I was first marked, that side took control. It’s been more quiet now, but I feel a new power inside of me stirring. I’m not sure what it is or how to use it.” Diana watched as Freya nodded her head.

“It will come to you when you need it. Same with Aiden and his powers. He has untapped powers that come from me. My witch side is very strong. Aiden and Lucy have yet to use those powers. They are there though. When they need them, they will surface.”

“Alright… who is hungry?” Jason finally said as he slapped his hands together. “I am starving and need some good food.”

“Oh and chocolate for me!” Jin grinned happily as everyone chuckled.

__

“Are you sure this is the place?” Lycaon squinted as he tried to look at his surroundings.

“Yes, I am sure.” Reapus listened as Lycaon snorted at him.

“Well, that’s reassuring.”

“Ike, you are so damn moody.” Reapus growled as they moved through a thick red mist.

“Well… I can see how this is going to go.” A deep voice chuckled from above the two of them.

“As if you could do better,” Lycaon growled as he glared at the man.

“I wondered if you were ever going to wake up from your nap.” Reapus grinned as he tilted his hat up.

“Oh look Ike, it’s the pretty boy who has to dress in all dark clothes in order to scare the souls he is trying to collect.”

Lycaon began to snicker as Reapus growled.

“What’s wrong? Jealous of my good looks and my way with the souls? I had to do what I did,” Reapus growled, yanking his hat low over his eyes to hide any trace of vulnerability. “But it seems like you’re enjoying it now…”

“Yeah… but now you’ve embraced it and think of yourself as a death cowboy.” Rogio hollered in laughter.

“I may have looked harmless, Rogio, but that doesn’t stop me from claiming the souls I am after. I’d be careful or I might decide to come after yours.” Reapus spat as Lycaon snorted, turning to look at him.

“You think he has a soul?” Lycaon listened as Reapus snickered and Rogio came down to rest his feet on the misty ground.

As the three of them continued to bicker and joke around, a faint rustling sound could be heard in the distance. Lycaon’s ears perked up as he turned to face the source of the noise. “Do you hear that?” he asked, his tone serious.

Reapus and Rogio fell silent, their eyes scanning the red mist for any signs of movement. Rogio glanced down as something brushed his leg. He saw a skeletal hand reach out of the mist grabbing onto him.

“Hey Grim, is this what a typical day at the office looks like?” He chuckled as he disintegrated the animated bones.

“There is a necromancer at work here.” Reapus scowled as he looked around.

“I thought we were looking for Eris, not a necromancer?” Rogio yawned in disinterest.

“Hmm… Eris was the goddess of chaos, right? So—” Reapus began to say, but Lycaon spoke up over him.

“So, if she has switched to an original demon, she would take the power to animate the dead. What better chaos is that? That is why the essence lead us here.” Lycaon listened as Rogio g*****d.

“Well damn… we are going to have to hunt down every undead creature she has raised and eliminate her essence one by one. It is like having a bunch of false positives.” Rogio clicked his tongue and looked up. “Are you just going to watch all day?”

“I’m here aren’t I?” A woman’s voice said as her golden brown hair descended from the sky. “Levi and Aken will be joining in on the hunt as well. I’ll let them know when we are close.”

“What are you, Gaia? Their messenger? Are they too good to join the hunt with us?” Rogio quipped as Gaia rolled her eyes.

“They just got done cleaning up the trash. Sorry you are sore they killed Erebus before you could. It must hurt to know they got to him before you.” Gaia said in a fake sympathetic voice. “They both have mates they have been away from. So this time, you can actually get those hands of yours dirty. Do you even know what dirt looks like under those nails?”

“We can stop for gloves,” Reapus said with a smirk. “Honestly, the four of us are already over kill. Do we need the other two?”

“Out of the gods, I want Aken here on this one,” Lycaon said, and Rogio sighed but slowly nodded his head.

“The punk might still be on my s**t list but he is a god killer. And Levi has taken out original demons. We could use their knowledge on this one.” Rogio listened as Gaia clicked her tongue.

“Seriously, don’t even say that. When you call him a god killer it makes him sound disgusting, and it isn’t anything like that. He killed traitors. He did what none of you would do. He did the dirty work that needed to be done.” Gaia hissed angrily.

“You know what I mean. I mean he has faced power itself and came out on top. While I—”

“While you squealed and begged the council like a spoiled child who wanted his mommy to make it all better,” Reapus sneered. “Waaahhhh my vampire king killed himself because his mate was unfaithful and it’s all Aken’s fault waaahhh punish him.” Rogio growled in fury as he bared his fangs, the snarl leaving his throat echoed through the mist.

“Enough!” Lycaon growled, turning to face the two men. “This is a dead end, let’s move to the next location. The sooner this b***h is dead the better.” He grabbed the scepter and began to trace the essence again. He needed to keep hunting and keep moving. He needed to stay busy, so he didn’t think about her. Though he always was… he wondered what she was doing at that very moment and if she was happy.