Abaas turned and quickly left, not wanting to push his luck. A cruel smile spread over his lips. This time, nothing would stop him. Not the fairy prince. Not the alpha wolf. Not even the guardians.
The fairy princess would be his. Now, he just had to wait for her to come out. “Tick. Tock. Princessssss.”
Chapter 1 Reiya
The hot sun warmed Reiya’s face as she lay down by the lake, the bright light flickering over her eyelids. She slowly sat up and looked out into the distance. This was her home now, here in Elysia, but she missed Hunter and Chasen. Reiyawas twenty years old, as was her twin brother Hunter. Hunter had transitioned into the alpha position in their pack a year ago. Then, just six months ago, she moved to the fairy kingdom with her brother and guardian Brody and her parents Asher and Lita Chain, who were the King and Queen of Elysia. They’d left Hunter and Chasen, who was Brody’s twin brother and Hunter’s guardian, back in the Black Ice Pack. It was where she grew up. Her Uncle Grayson came to Elysia, too, since he was her mother Lita’s guardian.
A guardian was a werebear who was given special powers by the fairy queen. They were in charge of protecting the royal fairy family and Elysia. Brody was her own special guardian. His main responsibility was to protect her. She was always being protected. Having grown up with three overprotective brothers who never let anyone get close to her, an overprotective uncle who was always keeping an eye on her, overprotective friends who hovered constantly, and an overprotective father who had eyes everywhere, her love life was nonexistent.
Brody and Chasen were werebears, but they were her brothers because her parents had adopted them when they were toddlers. Her parents knew they were their children’s guardians, but they were raised as her brothers from the day she was born. Chasen and Hunter had always felt connected, though, and Brody had always paired up with her. Guardians were very protective of their charges.
Caden, who was her father’s beta, and his mate Rosa were planning to move to Elysia, too. They wanted to wait until their children were a bit older before they made the move, though. They had two children, Sam and Susan. Sam was Hunter’s beta. She missed them terribly, since they were all very close friends. It was the same with Caspian and his mate Merida. They were also staying behind for their child. They had a daughter, Renee, who she missed, too. Renee was such a sweet and quietfriend. Caden, Caspian, and their mates were close friends of her parents and were practically family, so that meant their kids were the same way. Thinking about them made her homesick, which she probably shouldn’t be getting, since Elysia was her home now.
Her father’s cousin Kristen and her mate Garrett were back home, too. They would be staying in the Black Ice Pack along with their two boys, Adam and Winston, who were the gamma and delta in charge. They were a couple of goofballs, and she loved them dearly. She missed her family, and she felt sad thinking about the Black Ice Pack and her loved ones there.
She sighed and stood up. Her long hair swayed in the breeze as she looked out over the lake. Her hair was a very unique color, like a light silver but not aged gray. It shone in the sun. Her eyes were a deep blue, and her body … well, she knew she was put together nicely. She wasn’t the tallest girl around, but she wasn’t exactly short either. She could thank her mother and father for her good looks. Not that they did her any good, though. No one could even look at her without risking instant death from her family.
Her father, Asher, was the best daddy a girl could ask for. Sure, he was overprotective, but she was his little princess, and she knew she had him wrapped around her finger. He was hopelessly devoted to her mother, who only had to barely frown and he was there to take care of her. They had a special bond. They were soulmates and could feel each other’s pain and hear each other’s thoughts. It was special, and almost completely unheard of.
Her mother was amazing. She was not only a fairy queen, but she was a healer and the previous Luna of the Black Ice Pack. She was strong, beautiful, and brilliant. Her wolf was black, enormous, and amazing. As far as she could tell, her mother was perfect.
Her father’s wolf was a beautiful silver color. He had led the Black Ice Pack with wisdom and courage. He even fought against a half-demon wolf and matched his strength.
Hunter got his wolf at 15. His wolf was large, gray, and magnificent. His wolf was even larger than their father’s. Because of this, they all expected big things from Hunter and his wolf.
Then, there was Reiya. She was twenty years old, the daughter of the previous luna and alpha of the Black Ice Pack, and she still didn’t have her wolf. She knew she was there, but it was like she couldn’t break through. She couldn’t connect to her, and she didn’t have any of her werewolf senses. No werewolf senses meant no way to find her mate. If she even had a mate out there …
“Reiya!” Brody called, running up to her. “I told you not to leave without me.”
Reiya looked back over her shoulder. Brody was standing behind her, resting his hands on his knees and catching his breath. He was tall and muscular, and large like a body builder. Most werebears were. He had dark hair and dark brown eyes. He was a very attractive guy, and only four years older than her. He was always following her around, never letting her out of his sight for very long. If he had his way, he would sleep with her … not in a romantic sense, though. It was just how guardians were.
“You were taking too long, Brody. Besides, I did wait for you. I didn’t go for a walk without you.” Reiya winked at him, and he snorted in protest. “Brody, do you miss our pack?” The truth was, Reiya was a bit bitter over leaving the Black Ice Pack. She wasn’t ready to move to Elysia, but she knew why they had. Her parents tried to keep things secretive, but she knew they’d brought her here to keep her safe from a pair of demons named Abaas and Leoric. It wasn’t fair. She wasn’t ready to be closed offfrom everyone. She didn’t want to leave her family. Now, she was in a cage … a cage called Elysia.
“Like you give me time to miss it.” Brody grinned widely, then frowned a bit, seeing her serious face. “I miss Hunter and Chasen. It’s tough not seeing them all the time. I also miss Caden, Garrett, and Caspian. I miss my friends, too. Just a bit. It isn’t unbearable, though, because I have you, Reiya. You’re my home.”
“You’ll never leave me? Like, never ever?” Reiya raised an eye and smiled at him.
“Sorry, sis, you’re stuck with me forever. I’m just like Grayson with momma. Stuck to you forever.” Brody smiled broadly.
“Great, so she has to put up with your overprotective ass for eternity,” a voice hissed out by the lake.
“Chelsie, I was waiting for you.” Reiya giggled as she watched her friend walk out of the water. Chelsie was a kelpie, and she shifted from a water horse to a human. Her father was Rowan, a kelpie who was good friends with her parents. Naturally, the two girls became fast friends, too. She often visited her in the Black Ice Pack since she could teleport to any body of water she chose.
Chelsie was beautiful. She had long black hair with light green eyes. She was sort of the ideal temptress, if it wasn’t for her cheeky attitude.
“Man, Chelsie’s coming, too?” Brody whined, shooting daggers at the girl.
Reiya giggled. They were always bickering. Secretly, she thought they had a thing for each other, though neither would admit it. They were both jealous and possessive over her. Neither liked to share her with, well, anyone. It was the way both werebears and kelpies were—selfish, possessive, and hot-tempered.
There Brody and Chelsie were, inches from each other’s faces, yelling and arguing about who knows what now. First, it wasabout who could protect Reiya better. Then it was about how dark fairies couldn’t be trusted. Last thing Reiya made out was how werebears’ tempers were too dangerous.Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.At this rate, they might as well pitch a tent, because they were never leaving this spot.
Reiya grinned evilly and whipped her wrist toward the two of them, drenching them in water.
“Reiya!” they both whined as they looked at her, annoyed.
“Enough already!” Reiya tapped her foot at them. She was a water elemental. She also had the coolest summon ever, and he visited her often. Honestly, he was a constant in her life, too. He was also incredibly attractive. He had rich, dark brown hair, light blue eyes, and his body … ugh … it was sculpted like a god. Well, he was a tier-one deity and a water dragon. His name was Leviathan, though she just called him Lee or Levi. He always managed to cheer her up, and she was glad he chose her to be his summoner.
Reiya? Where are you at? You’re supposed to join us for training, remember?
