Page 148 of A Female Alpha for the Lycan Prince

“What?” she jolts back, shocked. “This is not your fault! He successfully manipulated you as a child and gaslit you. He made you believe you were all alone. That’s how these predators normally do it. Marius, you’re a victim! Nothing can excuse what he did. And you, you just tried to deal with it the only way you knew how. You were just a child, Marius. Being an alpha’s son has nothing to do with it.” She pauses. “Did you think you couldn’t ever allow yourself to be close to anyone?”

“I never wanted a mate,” I admit. “Because my mate would find out. I knew I could hide it from everyone else, but my mate would notice something was wrong. It would eventually slip during a mind-link. I have nightmares and occasional panic attacks. But…” I look at her sadly. “That’s not an excuse for how I’ve treated you, or for the disrespect I’ve shown you.”

She is silent for a long while. “I can’t deny that you hurt me,” she admits. “You really went out of your way to push me away. You could have told me in a civilized and respectful manner that you needed more time, that you had issues to solve. I would have given you the room you needed.”

“I was too caught up in my own mind,” I mutter. “I was panicking. But you’re right. It’s not an excuse.”

She tilts her head. “I’m glad you told me, because now, at least, I understand the reasons behind everything.”

Before I can react, Cyrus makes his presence known, at least for me.

I’ll be out here for a minute,he suddenly exclaims.Don’t blow it.

What!? Where are you going?

Linking my woman. Danica!Cyrus looks like I truly just asked the most stupid question ever.I can leave you unsupervised for five minutes, can’t I?

He doesn’t give me any time to react, and instead blocks our connection for a moment. Maybe it’s better that way. I’m talking to Celine here, not to her wolf, and I have to be able to communicate with her without constant backup from my lycan.

I look her straight in the eye. “I know I would deserve it if you rejected me,” I say nervously. “But I hope you don’t.” The mere thought of her rejecting me and choosing another man is soul-crushing, but I have no right to stop her. My past and trauma are no excuse for how I treated her. I was an absolute shit mate, and if Celine weren’t the level-headed person she is, she would have rejected me long ago. Another woman wouldn’t have agreed to meet me here at all. However… “I really do want you, Celine,” I tell her honestly. “I… I always wanted you, and I always will. I want you to know that. I’m thankful the moon goddess chose you as my mate, although I did nothing to deserve you. I know it’s selfish, but I’m not ready to give you up. I can’t even ask for your forgiveness because there is too much to forgive. But, if you allow me to prove my worth to you and that I’m a better man than what I’ve shown you so far… then I promise you, I won’t fuck it up again.”

She looks conflicted and torn, and part of me is thankful that she hasn’t just agreed out of pity. If it were just pity, she would have already said yes. “I can’t promise you anything,” she finally says. “I really can’t. Not yet. I… I’m very honored that you trusted me enough to share your past with me. It means a lot to my wolf and me. Danica is inside me, reaching out to your lycan.” She shifts around in her seat, her face scrunched in deep thought, making me wonder what kind of feelings she is battling with. “I’m willing to give you a chance to live up to the promise you just gave me now. At least for Danica’s sake.”

I’m so shocked that my mouth drops open. I was so sure she would stand up and walk away, and that would be it. I feel a tiny spark of hope light inside me. Even if it might be a long path to acceptance, and even if she still hasn’t entirely made up her mind, she’s giving me a chance. The only one more surprised than me is Cyrus, who has frozen in shock.

Quite literally. He has popped up in my mind, just to sit there, eyes wide, jaw dropped open.

I take a deep breath. “Allow me to start anew.” I reach out my hand towards her to shake it. “I’m Marius Alcott, second Prince of Silverlake pack. I live in my brother’s pack though, Red Claw, originally to support him, but I don’t think I’ve done too well up to now.”

Her lips tug a bit, and I could swear there was a hint of a smile. She takes my hand, and I can feel the sparks through the bond. “I’m Celine Anderson, reigning Alpha of Moon Blood, and half-witch. I have problems with trusting others… just so you know. We’ll start as friends, I… I can’t promise you more than that yet.”

“That’s already more than I expected,” I say, trying not to sound too happy. “I’m more persistent than you think I am,” I add, with a hint of sass.

She looks a bit surprised, which is new and great. I can’t wait to surprise her some more in the future. Now that I have a foot in the door, I’ll make sure to treat her like the queen she is.

Silence engulfs us for a moment, and it’s a bit awkward, until Celine looks at me again. “Marius,” she pauses, looking at me through her beautiful blue eyes. “You told me what happened to you, and I’m relieved and thankful that you did. I understand everything far better now. I know there is much more to your story, you aren’t ready to share yet. Please don’t feel obliged to tell me more than you can. If I ever ask too much, tell me to stop. And if you’re ready to talk, I’ll listen, but you don’t need to force yourself to do it. You don’t need to prove yourself to me that way.”

My eyes widen at her words. I was prepared for her to ask me questions, to pepper me with them. The fact that she just said she’s willing to wait for me to come around makes my heart swell. At the same time, I feel so guilty again. I wronged her so much, yet she’s here and ready to start anew. At least as friends… or distant acquaintances. Hey, I’m taking whatever she offers. At least it means she’s talking to me.

The Thunderstorm I

*VALERIE*

“Come,myprincess.”Erictakes my hand and runs across the meadow with me. What sounds like frolicking through the countryside during our romantic picnic date is actually us being chased by rain. We were so engrossed in conversation with each other that we didn’t see the approaching thunderstorm until the first raindrops started to fall.

Eric’s perfect sandwiches and tarts he’d prepared for our picnic, are now a soggy mess drifting away in the flood. “The poor food,” I groan, sad that I won’t be able to taste it all.

I squeal in surprise as Eric scoops me up in his arms. “We are faster this way, princess,” He grins.

He’s right. His long legs take us from the park right to the entrance of a hotel in a couple of minutes. Even with Eric running so fast, we are both still completely drenched on arrival. I start laughing when he puts me down. “The wet T-shirt look suits you,” I tease, my eyes taking in his rugged physique. The white shirt sticks to his body, revealing the outline of a nice set of abs.

I should feel embarrassed undressing him with my eyes, but I’m not. And I’m not the only one taking advantage of our wet clothing sticking in all the right places, judging by Eric’s gaze on me. Unlike me, he doesn’t say anything though; he’s too much of a gentleman.

“There is no way we can drive back in this storm,” he points out, furrowing his brows as he stares in the direction his car is parked.

I nod. He’s right; the rain is so heavy we can barely see a few feet in front of us. Also, the wind is picking up, indicating that the storm is coming hard and fast. It almost feels like monsoon season, which is crazy since we don’t have them in this region.

A smile curls around Eric’s lips as he looks at me. “I think I’ve got the perfect way to get dry, have food, and continue our date.”