The Prince's Mate

Chapter 36

Bennett and I spent the next few days huddled up in the palace. Everyone was in turmoil over Bennett's announcement that his mother should be a free woman and he figured it was better to let people calm down than it was to try and reason with angry mobs. I didn't argue with him, I knew he had far more experience with this type of thing than I did. And, if we're being honest, I wasn't going to complain about lazing around with my mate.

I also used this down time to gain muscle mass and fat tissue back. I wasn't able to eat a whole lot because my stomach had shrunk so much from having no food at all, but I ate often and only healthy foods that would help me recover. I didn't gain all my weight back over night. Even though I was a werewolf it still took a tremendous amount of time to undo the damage. But, the few days with no distractions or work did help me gain some of my energy and weight back, and that made me feel much better about myself.

Then, on the fifth day I got stir crazy all over again. It was like being under house arrest, only more pleasant and more geared towards my wellbeing instead of control.

"Ben, I'm going out to the barn, do you want to join me?" I asked as I pulled on my winter jacket. Christmas was just around the corner and it certainly felt like it.

"I think I'm going to stay here. I think my first appearance after my hiatus should be when I address the issues at hand. I don't want angry people following me around, demanding answers." Bennett murmured, hardly looking up from his book.

"Okay, I'll be back in a bit then." I said.

The walk to the barn was brutally cold, even in my big puffy jacket and ski pants. I kept my head down as I walked, ignoring all of the curious glances I got from the royal pack members. I knew everyone was wondering what had happened to their new king, but I also knew that everyone was afraid of me. I didn't think of myself as particularly frightening, but when you challenge ideologies and break tradition people have a tendency to think you're up to no good. I just took a deep breath and reminded myself that they would adjust in time.

I gave out a little sigh of relief when I finally got to the barn, out of the cold and out of sight.

"Hello everyone." I cooed when all of the horse whickered and whinnied at my arrival.

I beamed broadly as I reached towards a big beautiful horse that stretched her neck out to sniff me. She was a gorgeous roan mare with gentle eyes and a sweet personality. But when I glanced into her stall as I scratched behind her ears I let out a shriek and leapt away from her.

"Dear God child, you are lucky this horse is calmer than a turtle or you would've gotten me killed." The queen hissed out.

"I'm sorry; I didn't know you were in here. You just scared me is all." I explained, my hand over my pounding heart.

"Well this is my barn." The queen snapped, her sharp eyes narrowing on me.

"No, now it's my barn." I said stiffly, the fear wearing off and was replaced by anger. My mate had defended her, half of his own people hated him now, and she couldn't even pretend to be nice to me, the current queen.

The queen ticked her chin up, no longer scowling, "You've changed. You've grown."

"Excuse me?"

"When my son first found you you were this weak, whiny girl who couldn't even look me in the eye. You were not fit to a queen. And now, well, you're still no queen, but you are far stronger than you used to be."

"I am the queen." I replied curtly.

"Yes, of course, now that my husband is dead I am nothing."

"You killed him. You knew you would lose your title as queen. Shit, you're lucky you didn't lose your life."

"I suppose I am lucky, but I knew there was a possibility I would die and that didn't stop me from killing my own husband." The queen said, returning her attention back to the beautiful horse.

"How could you kill someone if you knew it could lead to your own death?" I asked, baffled by her change in tone.

"The question really is 'how could I live with him for so long?'" the queen sighed, "That man was a brute, an absolute bastard, but I suppose you figured that out for yourself, no? I'm surprised that I clung on to my own plan for so long." The queen slid a halter on the horse and led her out of the stall before tying her in the aisle.

"You're telling me you planned on murdering your own mate?"

The queen rolled her eyes as she picked up a brush and started combing through the horse's mane, "I suppose you might've gotten stronger, but not smarter. Killing a king is no easy business and Fredrick knew I hated him more than I loved my own life. He knew there was always a threat of me killing him. I just had to wait for the right moment."

I grabbed a stiff plastic brush and began making circular motions on the horse's coat, "And the right moment was when I was collared outside."

"Well, of course. A lot of the factors I needed lined up properly. For one all of the attention was on you, everyone was convinced you were going to die and that was far more exciting than watching over an old lady who had already been broken by her mate. No one was concerned about me doing anything irrational. And Bennett was finally found you which meant he could take the crown, but I worried that he would be just like his father. I know he didn't treat you fairly in the beginning and I didn't want all of my work to be for nothing. It wasn't until you were collared that I saw how much he cared for you. It was then that I realized he was putting on a façade for his father. So I poisoned his father when I knew the werewolf community would have a good leader in line and when no one expected it."

"So you think Bennett will be a good king then?"

The queen rolled her eyes, "I love my son more than anything, but I am not dumb. Bennett is impulsive, quick to anger, and entitled. Will he be better than his father? Yes. Good? Maybe, but not yet, he is young and has a lot to learn."

"Do you think I will be a good queen?" I asked, trying to sound confident, but my words came out timidly.

The Bennett's mother sighed, staring at me over the back of the horse, but I pretended not to notice.

"I think you will be a good queen in time, but I also think you and my son will struggle very much. You have the opportunity to bring peace and freedom to many women, but there will be challenges, there will be people who hate you for what you have done. So, maybe current day wolves will not be so thankful for you, but the wolves in the future may adore you, if you seize this chance."

"So Bennett and I will be okay?"

"Yes, just remember he is your mate before he is your king and you are his mate before his queen. Nothing should come between you. You must be a team if you wish to achieve anything."

**Tell me what you think about the queen**