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We keep swaying and I’m trying to formulate a way to express to him exactly what I’m feeling. Part of me is hurt, part of me is betrayed and the other part of me just really does not know what to do with the current situation.I know for this whole thing to work; I need to have a mate from each element, but my biggest problem is that neither Orwell nor Callan are fated mates of mine. Maybe mine hasn’t been born yet, or perhaps he has already died. These are all things I do not have answers to right now. These are all things I definitely need answers to. But for the moment I am currently screwed and not in the good sense.
I breathe in deeply and try to let out my breath slowly as I try to calm the storm that’s within me. Raising my head, I look at Kaedyn, then over at Hollis, then back to Kaedyn. The only person I don’t look at is Orwell because he has his back to me as he’s chatting up with his parents. They’re congratulating him on finding his mate. As much as that may or may not be true, it feels like a farce to me. I glance down briefly, and that’s telling enough. Kaedyn threads his hand up my neck and the tips of his fingers into my delicate curls at the base of my neck.
He forces me to look him in the eye and for once; he takes the role of alpha in our little game. “I know there’s something going on deep in that head of yours. I need you to talk to me.” His tone is soft, but the authority behind it makes my skin prickle with goosebumps as I stare at him.
I kind of like the forceful Kaedyn much better than the soft go with the flow Kaedyn that I normally deal with. I nod slightly, almost imperceptivity to those that are further away from us. And a gentle smile graces his lips when he realizes I’m conceding to his request. “It’s like this,” I whisper. And then lean forward as his lips press against my forward head, closing my eyes.
I trust in the fact he’ll keep us safe as I try to formulate how I wanna say what’s on my mind. “What if we find Orwell’s fated mate in the Fire Kingdom?” The question hangs in the air, like somebody swinging from a tree hung there to die. It’s dead weight in the air, and part of it strangles me and makes me wanna cry. Thinking that once I complete the bond with him, his future is sealed. I can reject him still because it was only a bite exchange between us. But once we get into the physical, I can’t go back. Kaedyn reaches through the bond, and he quickly fills Hollis in.
Hollis looks between the two of us and then takes me quickly from Kaedyn to dance with him. We sway further and further away from everybody else. With every twist and turn, I feel like the stress is melting away from me. “I understand your fear and concern, baby girl. We can put off the inevitable for a while longer. But you need to walk through the kingdom and see if there’s anyone here that is more than just compatible to you. Otherwise, I foresee no other choice other than finishing the bond with him.” Hollis’s tone is firm but gentle and he gives me an out in a way that makes it possible for me to find the person meant for me.
It would be the first time in centuries that a commoner ascends to the throne of the king. I nod to him gently and he breaks away, returning me back into Kaedyn’s arms and we finish out the dance. Just before we break away, I notice Hollis is talking to Orwell and his parents. Orwell’s mom is in tears, and the king is nodding solemnly. Understanding the stance in which Hollis is presenting to him, no one should be denied their fated mate and a compatible mate may be fine, but not in a situation like this.
Hollis returns to us after several moments and three songs later and takes me back from Kaedyn. His heart is thudding in his chest like the deep bass of some songs I used to hear in the clubs in the middle of the night. The ones that used to rattle your rib cage, and you’d feel to your very soul. As I slowly look up at him and he gives me a smile and a soft nod. “The king and queen as well as Orwell, understand. Orwell himself has the same concern that you do. But he’s more afraid that if you find your mate, what will happen to him? He would rather you take that walk tomorrow. Like Kaedyn has suggested, and see if your mate exists in this kingdom. He said that he will escort you through the town if you wish, so that way you don’t miss anyone.” I glance down and nod softly.
Part of me is slightly relieved. Duty is calling me to finish what I’ve started. The other part is sad, my heart is breaking thinking about it. The bond with Orwell is weak, and it’s possible it would easily break the bond with a single bite of my fated mate.
Per tradition, we’re supposed to share the mating room tonight, and that makes my skin crawl. My animal is fighting against me; she doesn’t want him in the room with us. She rejects him suddenly. Immediately knowing full well that he’s not meant to be ours. I relay this information to Hollis. Sadly, he looks down briefly before looking back at me again. “We’ll all sleep in the mating chambers with you and make sure that nothing happens you don’t want to happen.” With that, I just nod once more and slowly dance among those in the hall.
It’s now that he passes me off to the next eligible bachelor. One of the wedding traditions in the Water Kingdom has the females that are to be mated passed around one last time before they cement the bond in place. Just in case a better mate or more suitable mate is present, and they could take him or her before they make a mistake. It’s probably one of the more brilliant things that the Water Kingdom has come up with. And for this moment, I’m thankful.
Chapter31
Kaedyn
Heavy isthe head that wears the crown and unfortunately, my mate has the weight of the world on her shoulders. My heart breaks and bleeds for the turmoil she’s dealing with at this moment. As Hollis and I pass her off between the two of us, she expresses to us her level of concern about taking a compatible mate. It’s not the first time that I’ve heard it tonight because Orwell himself had expressed it as well. The only difference between him and his brother is that his brother would have forced the mating just to keep Bella as his. But because of due process, the winner of the game gets the hand of the prince of their choice. Out of the two of them, Orwell seemed the better choice for Bella. If the choice is of a compatible mate instead of a fated mate, I agree Orwell is the better choice.
It’s not exactly fair to him to choose a compatible mate, either. The odds of him producing children with Bella are only twenty-five percent versus a guaranteed success from Hollis and me. No matter how many times we try, Hollis and I will produce children every time that we’re allowed to have a shot at it, unlike Orwell. To explain, if there’s four pups in the litter, maybe just one is his. The other three would either be mine or Hollis’s. It’s not fair; but unfortunately, genetics is a bitch.
I watch him with his parents as they speak toward the end of the night as they pass Bella between each of the single men on the dance floor. Each time she looks hopeful for a split second and then that hope fades away the minute they get a grip on her skin. The skin-to-skin contact tells her immediately that they’re not hers, and each time she passes off, there’s that moment of hope, and then the crushing weight of failure.
The party rages on till 1 a.m. till Bella has danced with every male present. There is an entire pack full of males that were not at present at this because they don’t hold title. Nor are they of any kind of rank that would make it a necessity for them to be in her presence tonight. So for what we’ve worked out between Orwell and myself. Bella will visit the different artisans within the kingdom.
I know the one named Sebastian; the artist making wolves out of clay greatly interested her. He was the second artisan working with Anthony that we met later this evening night. Her wolf seemed to perk up, and she showed an interest in him. To her dismay, he would not remove his gloves to accept her hand and would not touch her otherwise the entire time they danced. Something tells me he feels the bond; but because of the difference in rank and status in the kingdom, he’s afraid to act on his suspicions because of Hollis and me. I also don’t know what the laws and statutes are within this kingdom regarding a commoner marrying a royal. The laws and statutes are something that Hollis is looking into currently.
~The Next Day~
The next morning comes way too early and as far as I can tell, everybody else is still sleeping. Against my better judgment, we allowed Orwell into the room. He took the couch while we had Bella sandwiched between the two of us. She yawns and stretches and, just as she normally does every morning, she gets frisky. She freezes suddenly when the unfamiliar scent in the room catches her attention. A deep, guttural growl escapes her lips, as I can feel the hair bristle over her arms and then recede.
She sits up quickly and then looks around, trying to figure out where exactly the scent is coming from. When her eyes lock on Orwell in the room she relaxes, huffs out a sigh and then slides out the bed from the bottom. I finally sit up and look around, and Orwell looks just as sad, I feel for him. Shaking my head, I get out of bed and get dressed for the day. Hollis and I have decided that we’re taking Bella on a tour of the kingdom without him.
We don’t want anybody to feel obligated to reject Bella. She wants to have the best chance at finding her fated mate in this kingdom, just as much as she wants Orwell to find his. To be perfectly honest, I don’t blame her. She returns from the bathroom and then ducks straight into the closet. When she finally emerges fifteen minutes later. She has on a nice pair of fitted jeans and a flowery loose top. She’s braided her hair and put it up slightly.
She smiles at me and then motions over to Hollis. Gently, I wake him up and he rolls his eyes slightly before getting himself up and out of bed. He goes through his morning routine and finally, everybody’s ready. Orwell sits in solemn silence. He’s sad and shaken by the entire ordeal occurring. I honestly can’t blame him right now. I feel bad that he’s having to deal with this. But I would also feel worse if he were to find his fated mate after his bond with Bella had been sealed. Unfortunately, then she would end up having to battle Bella for his hand. I can tell you right now that will not end well. He will lose his true mate and still be stuck with Bella.
We make our way out of the room and head down the hall and out the front door. I blindfold Bella and direct her to walk. She walks down the road and then pulls to the side. I watch as she keeps pulling in one direction. It just happens to be toward the workshop where we first met Sebastian. I knew something was up. I just wasn’t sure exactly what it was. We keep following her and she walks till she touches the door. I open it for her. Once the door is open, we silence Anthony and Sebastian. Hollis pulls Sebastian off to the side and explains to him what’s going on. He nods slowly, understanding that Bella has come to see him. When he finally accepts what’s happening, he takes his gloves off and places his hands out in front of him.
Grabbing Bella’s hands, I walk her forward and then rest her hands in his. There’s a flare of recognition in his and her eyes the glow is visible through the blindfold. She can’t rip the fabric off fast enough to look at him. Happy tears roll down her cheeks all the way to the floor. The level of happiness pulsing through her is amazing. She keeps laughing and staring up at him as if he is the last male on Earth. She doesn’t have any words to say at this point about it. But she knows and recognizes that he’s hers, without any doubt.
She looks back to Hollis and me and then pulls herself in tighter to Sebastian’s chest. “What are we gonna do?” The soft question that falls from her lips almost turns my stomach.
This beautiful, powerful female is unsure of what to do next. We just smile and try to reassure her the best that we can. I mean, there’s honestly not much that I can do then try to be as supportive of her as possible. She holds his hand in hers and refuses to release it. If she holds on any tighter, I swear she will crush his hand. Sebastian let loose with a laugh that makes Bella pause and look back at him. The brilliant smile that crosses her lips is enough. That’s all I need to see. This obviously is a much better situation for her than the relationship she was forcing herself into.
She just smiles and nods, then looks out over the rest of his workshop, then back to Hollis. “We need to break it to the king and queen. They’re not gonna be happy.” All I can do is nod and accept the fact that she’s right.
They’re not gonna be happy, not by a long shot. I don’t know exactly what to say at this point. I don’t believe that there’s gonna be any kind of right answer. At least not one that would make everybody involved happy. The antiquated idea that only royals can marry royals has caused many political marriages, like the one that Bella almost trapped herself in. Thankfully, my mate has enough of a spine to stand up for what she wants. We draw a deep breath almost at the same time and it makes Bella laugh. She leads us back toward the castle with Sebastian in tow. We all prepare ourselves for what is about to happen.
As we arrive, Bella leads the charge heading up into the throne room. There’s not much that can be said other than hell is about to break loose. I try to take in a deep, calming breath and cleanse the thought from my mind. But the more I think about it, the worse it seems. We will get through this. Each of us accepts that this is the best course of action. As Bella enters the castle, Orwell comes down the stairs and stops dead in his tracks at the sight of Sebastian with us. His eyes flash golden as he stares at her. I can see the hurt in his eyes. I’m sure he feels betrayed, but how can there be betrayal when the last stroke has not been done yet. They have not completed the bond. It’s upsetting to think that this is how everything has turned out. It is for the best, though. Bella will have a fated mate and Orwell will have the chance at his own.
