Taming Her Beastly Mate
Continuation from to The Lycan Princess Chapter 1

-This is the start of Aiden and Diana’s Story-

–

“You are willingly betraying them… betraying Lycaon… for me?” A woman’s voice asked.

“Of course.”

“What about your mate? Diana?” The woman asked again.

“We aren’t mated yet. She is young and naïve. I don’t want a girl… I want a woman… I want you. I only took her as a mate for you.”

“You realize what you are doing, right? I just want to make sure you know what you are doing… Shaun Faust, by committing a sin on this grave, you will put a curse on your own lineage as well. A curse that can only be broken by Lycaon, and I don’t see him doing that since you are betraying him now.” The woman proceeded to warn Shaun in the empty stone building.

“Eris, I pledge my loyalty to you. This is what you want, right? I will do anything to make you happy.” Shaun whispered in a quiet voice.

“Thank you, Shaun. Thank you for bringing this to me. I’ll make sure you are safe. I’ll link your b***d so that no one in your family is affected by it.”

Outside of the building, quiet tears trickled down a young woman’s face. She covered her mouth with her hand as her blonde hair swirled in the breeze. Diana was the lycan princess. She went looking for her intended mate and trailed him to this secluded building just outside of their kingdom. She was in shock. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Not only did her intended mate not want her, but he was betraying them.

Diana stepped away from the building as intimate sounds began to fill the air. She felt nauseous. She trusted Shaun… she… she loved Shaun. That was the reason she agreed to take him as a mate. She met Shaun at battle camp, and the two of them had a connection. Well, at least she thought they did. She was captivated by him and his unique silver eyes that matched her own. He was on her mind long after returning home from her training.

A month after seeing him last, he showed up in her kingdom with his father. He was the second son of a prominent pack, and he had come to seek the lycan princess’ as a chosen mate. Diana was elated and agreed to the proposal instantly. They spent sweet moments together, and Shaun was always so attentive to her. They were to mark each other in just a few days under the next new moon. It was to symbolize their new life together.

How could he do this? Who was this Eris woman, and what was she planning? She had never felt the bitter sting of betrayal before… it hurt. Her lungs felt like they were being crushed as she took a few more staggering steps away.

Diana turned around and looked at the building as she breathed in the cool air. She needed to get to her father and tell him what she had overheard. Then, he would be able to talk to Lycaon, their deity. She balled her hands together into a fist as she glared at the building. Her shoulders heaved as her hands trembled in anger. He played her. He was using her to get into her kingdom. It was all pretend.

But why? It didn’t make any sense. Why would he want to betray his own kind? And what exactly was he planning? A sin so grave it would curse his lineage. Anyone who shared his b***d would be cursed. What could this mean? What sort of atrocity was he planning? What had he given this woman?

Diana shook her head and turned away from the building. She quietly ran through the woods. She didn’t want to risk shifting and alert them of her presence. It wasn’t until she felt she was far enough away that she shifted mid-run.

A sudden realization hit her; she knew what Shaun had given Eris. It was her father’s scepter! It had to be. The scepter had a jewel attached to the top that was imbued with Lycaon’s essence. This was how her father contacted him. This had to be what Shaun took. The essence of a god… damn. In the wrong hands, this power could…

Her silver lycan dug its claws into the earth below as its paws beat against the ground. She pushed herself harder than she ever had before. She felt panic race through her chest. She didn’t even want to think about what could happen.

She raced inside of the castle and shifted. She quickly threw on her clothes and then dashed into the throne room. She ran into someone right before she entered the main room. Diana looked up to see Decker, her older brother.

“Easy, Lil sis. What is the rush?” Decker asked with his gentle warm eyes. He cherished his little sister. He wasn’t thrilled about her taking a chosen mate, but she seemed happy with it, so he let it go. As long as she was happy…

“Decker! It’s horrible. I think Shaun stole father’s scepter. There is no time to explain. I need to speak to dad.” Diana’s voice trembled with worry.

“Dear gods…” Decker breathed out as he wrapped his arm around Diana’s shoulder, ushering her into the throne room. “Dad! Mom!” He yelled as they rushed up to their parents.

“Dad, where is your scepter? Do you have it?” Diana cried out desperately.

“What seems to be the problem?” The Lycan King, Alvis, asked as he looked between his children.

“I think Shaun may have stolen the scepter. I overheard him talking to someone named Eris about betraying the lycans. She mentioned his sin would be so grave that it would put a curse upon his lineage—” Diana stopped as her mother, Ingrid, gasped.

“Alvis… can you get in contact with Lycaon?” Ingrid’s breath was sharp as she anxiously looked at her husband and mate.

“No. I can’t reach him without the scepter unless he comes to me on his own. Decker, come with me to the vault.” Alvis stood up and rushed out of the room. His son was at his heels.

“Don’t worry, Diana. Everything is going to be alright.” Ingrid wrapped her arms around her daughter and held her close. She was trying to hide her own concern from her daughter. “Are you alright?”

Diana sniffled and felt her eyes beginning to burn. “He lied. It was all a lie, and I— I loved him. I did this to our family. I did this to our people—”

“Hush, sweet child. It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay. You’ll see.” Ingrid looked up as Alvis and Decker walked back in. She could tell by their pale faces and worried eyes that the scepter was missing. The power of a god was in that scepter. Suddenly screams began to fill the air.

“Decker, take Diana to the safe room in the basement.” Alvis looked at his son and pulled his head against his. He looked him in the eyes and smiled. “I love you, son. Take care of your sister. Stay there no matter what… now go!”

Decker’s eyes watered up, and he nodded his head. Then, he raced over to Diana and grabbed her by the hand, pulling her away.

“Ingrid—”

“Don’t even try it, my love. I’m with you to the end… to death do us part.” Ingrid smiled, and he nodded his head.

“The guards’ voices are all muffled. It is like something is breaking up the mind link.” Alvis wrapped his arms around Ingrid as their children vanished under a hidden floor door. At least his children would be safe. No one knew about the hidden room.

Several guards raced into the throne room and began barricading the doors.

“Your highness, we can’t stop it. We can’t fight it. It’s a strange green mist… its— its magic. They are just dying… we can’t stop it. It is coming this way.” One of the guards rushed back and stood before the king and queen.

Alvis watched as a green fog entered through the walls. As it reached the soldiers, they began to scream in agony and writhe on the ground.

“It’s stripping them of their lycans…we are one with our beasts. To kill our lycan… it kills us.” Alvis felt Ingrid intertwine her fingers with his. He turned to her and looked down at her with watery eyes. “My love… you are the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

Ingrid leaned up and pressed her lips against his. The guard in front of them screamed as the mist hit him. “I have no regrets. I just pray our children make it.” Her fingers trembled as her insides began to burn. She clung to Alvis as they collapsed on the floor together.

Alvis held Ingrid close as he felt his beast being ripped from him.

Lycaon… please hear me. Protect my children. Protect the future. These were the great lycan king’s last thoughts as he took his last breath. In the throne room the king and queen of the lycans lay there lifelessly in one another’s arms. Silence filled the kingdom. All the lycans had been killed.

__

“Decker, what about everyone else!” Diana cried as she watched her brother seal the door to the bottom floor inner chamber. When he finished, he ran back to his sister and held her in his arms.

“ Don’t worry, Diana. Everything is going to be okay. Your brother has never let you down before, right? I promise I will protect you. Everything is going to be okay.”

“We shouldn’t be down here hiding. We need to be out there helping fight!” Diana growled angrily.

“Diana—” Decker started to say but stopped as a green fog crept into the room. “What the hell is that…” He pushed Diana back against the far wall and stood i front of her. The mist attacked his body like burning lava. He turned to look at Diana helplessly. He just wanted to protect her. He wished he could keep her safe. “Be… brave.” He whispered out before he collapsed.

“DECKER!” Diana screamed as the fog engulfed her. She collapsed to the ground and curled into a fetal position. It was like her insides were being incinerated by liquid iron. Her eyes pooled with tears as she looked over at her dead brother. At least she would be joining him soon. It would be too much to bear living without everyone. She closed her eyes as she felt her beast ripped from her. It was time.

“WHAT THE FU.CK! DAM.NIT NO!” Lycaon yelled as he shot out his energy on Diana. He encapsulated her in a solid crystal barrier to preserve her body. She was only seconds away from death. He sat there and debated what he was going to do. Should he just give her another lycan? But nothing could be done about those who had already died. He was going to replace whoever was responsible. His beautiful lycans…

“Let her be.”

Lycaon turned his head to see the goddess Selene appear in the room.

“What?!”

“You know the rules. I can’t tell you everything, but she has a mate in the future. When the time comes to awaken her, I will let you know. But the future needs her just not right now.”

“What about my lycans?!” Lycaon growled, looking at the meddling goddess. “They need a leader—”

“Take a break for now. I will help give you a new start… a strong start. One that won’t claim more of yourself than it already did. What will you do to the lycan that betrayed you…” She watched Lycaon’s eyes widen. “Oops.” She smirked with a slight shrug. “I sometimes say too much.”

“Death is too good for the one who did this. I will make him suffer… I will make his ancestors suffer.” Lycaon then turned a cruel smile to Selene. “I will hand them to you. They shall become your children. His bloodline will all be cursed to be wolves until the day Diana is awoken.”

Selene smiled and nodded her head. This was precisely what she wanted. “Well, I can see you have a lot to do. You still need to track down the mastermind, and oops, I am saying too much again. Until next time.”

Lycaon watched as the Moon Goddess vanished. She had the power of premonition and was always meddling one way or another. Because of her unique gifts, she was considered untouchable, off-limits. He had no reason not to trust her, though. She had never steered him wrong and always looked out for her wolves. He turned his head to look at the young woman frozen in time.

“Sleep well, princess.” He frowned and looked at her brother. “I’ll see to it they all receive a proper burial.”

__

Diana stirred as a scent began to invade her senses. It was a homey relaxing smell of a fire burning. For a moment, she felt like she was curled up in her room while a fire burned in her room. Sweet tingles rushed over her body, sparking energy into her. She felt like she was waking up from a deep sleep. Her memories began to flash through her head, and she inwardly prayed it was a nightmare. The scents that invaded her were foreign. She didn’t recognize them.

She opened her eyes and glanced around in confusion. Her eyes moved to where she saw her brother’s body last, but it wasn’t there. She couldn’t even smell his scent. The strangers around her were all dressed oddly. She then looked up at the man who was holding her. Her eyes connected with his, and her breath caught in her chest. His green eyes pulled her in, and for a moment, all that existed was this man. Her mate.