The Sovereign Heir (Book 1)
Chapter 22 Who Is In Control

This asshat took my keycards, what a control freak. I link Bryant and told him to take my Tahoe and drop it off in my parking spot at the apartment complex. I put my Tahoe keys in my sports bra. I can unlock anything without a key and even drive without one. But I’m not letting Nolan see me do anything. We eat breakfast with some minor chit chat.

I look at my watch and needed to hit the road if I was going to beat the traffic. “I’m ready when you are.” Nolan decides not only would he give me a ride, but personally drop me off himself without his driver. Who is he having a pissing contest with? “I’ll be here when you get out, just message me when you’re ready.”

Bryant links me as my feet touch the pavement. “Tahoe outside, gassed up and ready to go. What’s up with the roadster?” He is going to rag on me about the tesla app. “My keycards mysteriously vanished into thin air; you know he hid them from me.” He was about to say it and I deserve every bit of it for procrastinating. “Control issues much? How many times have I told you to download the app to your phone, it takes like only a few minutes. Why are you so hardheaded. Laina, download the app now, please. I heard what happened down at Ominous.” Oops, I left the hard drive at the club last night too, I need to pick it up. “I don’t know about this, I felt bad after he told me his inner thoughts, but last night has me rethinking my plan on how to have him reject me. I’m not down with this domineering persona he has.”

I go to class and get ahead of several of my assignments in all my classes while in the library.

After my midterms I will be exempt from the last four weeks of school. Only thing left will be my graduation application. It is about 4 o’clock and I feel the need to get back on the balance beam and bars. I withdrew from the team in the fall of 2016 and didn’t resume until 2018. I still have privilege to use the equipment until I graduate. Nicole is in our apartment arguing with someone on the phone.

“Hey, Laina!” Nicole is trying to distract me from her obvious blow up just a few seconds ago. “Hey girl, who was that?” Nicole bit her lip. “Ashton, he is asking about you and where you’ve been every day for the past three days. He needs to be concerned about his mate and his title. My dad threatened to give the Alpha title to our cousin if he didn’t complete the mating process.”

“It is what it is, either he wants to be Alpha or a fuck up. Your brother is a prime example of mating gone wrong.”

“Still no action on your end with your Lycan?”

“We’ve kissed a couple of times, but nothing else past that.”

“I’m surprised you’ve held out this long. Lycans can be very persistent and persuasive, so I’ve heard.”

“Trust me he has been, want to head to the floor with me and hit some aerobatics?”

“Yes ma’am, let’s go!”

The gym is empty, just how I liked it. We stretch and talk about the pack and news from the realm. My cousin Katrina is raising all types of hell during her training. Her twin Ashleigh is doing well, but that girl had a mouth on her. She is now known as the realm comedian. Giving my Uncle Bryce a run for his money, wait till they turn eighteen, it will be much worse. I get on the balance beam and did an impromptu routine.

I sense Nolan’s minions all around the gym, hiding in plain sight. Nicole was using the trampoline, I make my way to the bars, using the single. I join Nicole on the tramp, showing her my latest creations inspired by the Avengers. After we are finished I walk Nicole to the dining hall, then back to my apartment. Nolan sent a text asking was I ready. [ Not yet, got something to do and you don’t need to come get me. I’ll be home around 7. ] I wasn’t going to let him know I had my SUV, so his goons could track me. I orb out of the apartment into the club.

“Hey boss lady.”

“Hola, Lex,” while giving him an air kiss on the cheek. ”I’m so sorry for last night. I’ve handled it and it won’t happen again.” Lex has his hand on his hip, “ Mmhm…no worries, just get him in check.” Only if that were possible. “Left something in my office last night, going to grab it and be out. Oh, before I forget, anymore Lycans hanging around, let me know immediately.”

“Your wish is my command.” Lex giving me a over the top bow. I popped him on the arm. “Ouch, so violent.”

I orb into my office, picking up the drive. Michelle walks in, giving me one of the kitchens latest creations for dinner. ”Thought you might like to try this before we put it on the menu.” It was crispy chicken breast fillet paired with cauliflower drenched in a cheese sauce and fried asparagus tips. “Mmm, this is amazing! Add it for Friday’s menu.”

Michelle sits while I eat, we discuss her hand fasting. The topic of Nolan comes up. “Look, I will not sit here and deny him being my mate, I’m just not feeling his attitude with me on how I conduct my life outside of his mansion. Talking to any man or casually dancing isn’t something to start a fight over or come out of his mouth towards me. Look at my parents, they coexist independently. That’s really all I want and if I can’t have that, I want nothing at all.”

Michelle is listening intently to every word I said, ”Laina, that’s completely acceptable, you have to remember one thing, he is over one hundred years old. Not only that, but he was also partly raised by an asshole of a father, which can bleed into you whether you want it to or not sometimes. It’s up to him to change that about himself.”

She is right, it’s not all his fault. King Alder is an asshole on so many levels. “I think we just need to talk and clear the air on both our expectations, if he would stop trying to clap my cheeks all the time, maybe we would get somewhere.” Michelle and I both chuckle.

“Thank you for listening, I’m not talking to my parents right now after they basically forced me to give this fiasco a try.” Michelle is picking up the plate and turns before leaving, “Try to forgive them and don’t give up the throne, if you don’t take it, everything you and your family have done will go to shit.” Michelle is right, I was a little brash with my comment last Friday.

I orb out of Ominous back into my apartment, Nikki wasn’t back yet. I put a few of my things into a duffle bag and head to the truck.

My dad insisted on the black-on-black Tahoe before I bought the roadster. I had a 99 Expedition that I personally worked on myself; I kept it in pristine condition. My father called it a dinosaur, but I loved it anyway and wouldn’t even step foot in the Tahoe. Once I met Erica, I gave it to her after we got her situated, my baby went to a good cause. It finally won me over after about a month of using it, making my dad happy.

The highway isn’t too bad heading to Nolan’s. I pass the gate going up the long drive, parking it next to my tesla. I go through the garage, heading to the kitchen to rinse out my tumbler to load it with ice. The house is eerily quiet as I walk to the stairs.

Before I am halfway up to the first landing a booming voice comes out of nowhere, “ You’re late, Elaina.” What is he talking about, it’s 7:10pm, I’m not late and what the hell, I’m not a child! I usually have a comeback for situations like this, he was lucky I held it back. “What are you? The curfew police? Last I remember, I’m legally an adult in the human world and our world, who doesn’t have a prescribed deadline to be anywhere except for my classes.”

Just as I get to the top of the third-floor steps, Nolan is standing there with a glass of port in his hand, swishing it about. “I may not be your father, but I am your mate.” Here we go with the bullshit, I roll my eyes at him, “A mate that has not marked me nor have I accepted yet.” I put the emphasis on the word ‘yet’ to rile him up. The urge to piss him off is the logical thing to do, since we are clearly in a tug of war for dominance. I brush past him, and he is right on my heels. I put my bag down, continuing to ignore his little tantrum.

“You were in your apartment at 5:30, then you just vanished. Popping back up suddenly like a ghost. Where were you? Who were you with?” I knew he was surveilling me; this just proves it.

“Since when do you have the right to monitor my movement, you do not own me or have the right to scrutinize my actions. Does it matter where I was, I’m here now, so what’s the real problem?” I’m undressing while he is contemplating his next move. Nolan still says nothing as I walk past him with my clean clothes in hand.

He grabs my arm, ”Who were you with, I can smell someone else’s scent on you.” Okay to be fair I wasn’t just with Nicole, still none of his business. Nolan is sniffing the air around me. ”You’ve been somewhere other than school, that I do know for sure.” This is getting out of hand, “Prove it!”

I look at Nolan’s hand on my arm then back up to his face in such a way, he was compelled to let go. “I’m taking a bath, think whatever you want. For someone who doesn’t want me to reject them, you’re making a case for the opposite.” I didn’t even feel the need to lock the door, at this point I was ready to hand him his ass.

I sit in the tub letting the hot water take me under. Another vision comes back to me, one I had almost forgot about. ”Elaina, why do you keep wanting to run away from me, you know this is where you belong. Why are you fighting so hard to not accept it and accept us?”

I am getting tired of these premonitions with Nolan. It’s my choice what I do and who I decide to choose or not choose. Stepping out of the tub, I got dressed in boxer briefs and a camisole. I have no classes tomorrow, but I have a kidnapping to intercept in the Middle East. Nolan is sitting in the front room with the door open just eyeing me with contempt. Whatever, bro, keep your butt hurt feelings then.

Launching myself in the trapeze doing my yoga routine, I make sure to keep eye contact with him, irritating him more. I was poking the bear and loving it a little too much. Nolan has his mind on sex overdrive. “I can just imagine all the positions I can put her in. I want those legs on my shoulders, while she screams my name. I know she is hiding something. If it’s another man, I will rip his spine out of his mouth. It’s a pity I can’t chain her up to the bed until she gives into to me.”

Dude, that is so medieval and totally against the law everywhere. Besides chains couldn’t hold me anyway nor any magic. I get hot all of a sudden and flip out of the trapeze. I crack my neck and drink some of my ice-cold water, feeling a little better. Nolan puts his glass down, deciding to come towards me.

“We should talk and clear the air, or we are going to be at each other’s throats.” That’s the first sensible thing he has said yet, I’m sure there is a catch. “Okay, so talk.” Nolan leads me to the bench, and we hash out our differences. I tell him what I’m expecting from him, he tells me what he would like from me. I think we made some headway tonight, still too early to tell. I suddenly feel flushed again and decide to lay down. Nolan said he is going for a run and will be back later. Kind of odd to run this early, but I’ll let him do what he wants. I pull only the sheet over me and plant my head on the pillow.