Page 71 of Monster Daddies

I kick myself for projecting my anxiety onto him. I need to learn to control that part of our bond. I don't need him freaking out every time I get overwhelmed by something.

Yes, Daddy. Petra offered to show me some of my queenly duties.

I can feel his amusement through our bond.There's no rush. Take your time. Petra isn't going anywhere. She's been handling things for years.

I take a deep breath and let it out. Everyone has faith in me. Maybe it's time I have some faith in myself.

"Okay, Petra. Let's do this."

She smiles and claps her hands. "You're going to do great."

We spend several hours going over my duties as queen. It's a lot, but nothing that I can't learn with time. Petra cleared her schedule so that she could help me acclimate. She showed me her appointment book, and I nearly choked on my tongue at how jam-packed it is.

"Don't get too overwhelmed by this. Anne received numerous calls this morning from other packs wanting to welcome the new queen. I'm sure the gifts will start arriving soon," she says with an eye roll. "Alphas want to suck up as fast as possible. Always a bit of a pissing contest, to be honest."

I laugh at that. "I can imagine there's a lot of one-upping happening between packs. Alphas are a competitive bunch.”

Petra laughs too. "No joke. Kael or Saint will want to contact the Alphas on your behalf and give them the ego strokes they want. He won't want you speaking with Alphas, especially unmated Alphas, without him by your side. Though I think it would be good for you to return the calls of the Omega mates. Knowing the Omegas in the kingdom will be a great start."

I nod, but I'm not exactly sure I agree. I feel a bit like I'm being thrown to the—well, wolves. Talking to strange Omegas is definitely more appealing than speaking with the Alphas. I know for a fact I'm not ready for that. Probably never will be after my past experiences with Alphas.

Petra prints off a list of Omegas, their pack names, and any other pertinent information before sending me off to my office to do my first duty as queen. Thank the Goddess I have a private bathroom because I might puke.

The first call is nerve-racking, but the Omega I speak with is so friendly I'm immediately at ease. I lose time on how long I spend chatting with various Omegas, taking notes on our discussions for future reference. Everyone is so welcoming andoverjoyed that the king finally found his mate, and that I'm his Goddess-given mate pleases them even more.

Maybe this queen thing won't be so bad. I'm sure it won't all be as pleasant because one of my jobs is to handle disputes and concerns from the females of not only the royal pack, but also other packs if they are unable to resolve issues within their own hierarchy. That doesn't sound like much fun, but I'll figure it out with Petra's help. For the first time, I'm feeling like maybe I have a handle on everything. Only time will tell.

I jump when Kael brushes my hair off my face. "Goddess, you scared me!" I scold.

"Sorry, love. I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine. Don't sneak up on me, though. I nearly turned you into a toad."

He gives me a shocked look. "You can do that?"

I giggle at his expression. "No, but I could knock you out for hours or stop your heart with little more than a thought. Maybe boil you from the inside."

"Definitely want to avoid all of those things. I think being turned into a toad would be preferable."

I point my finger and make a little circle. "Ribbit, ribbit."

"Haha, not funny. Time for dinner. It's been hours since lunch."

I hop up and kiss his cheek. "Let's go. I'm starving."

Just like every other meal we've eaten, Kael feeds me while I'm perched on his lap. Everyone seems very enamored with how he acts with me. I'm guessing he's not always been a cute and cuddly wolf. Being king can't be easy. I can see him as a tough but fair ruler.

"What are you thinking about so hard?" Kael asks.

"Just what you're like as king. Are you grumpy?"

Saint laughs at my question. "He's an asshole. One hundred percent asshole."

"You don't become king by being nice," Kael says with a shrug.

"You've been nothing but nice around me."

"That's because your mere presence soothes my wolf and calms me."