The Royal Four... Finding Their Mate

Chapter Seven

Cade POV:

My skin feels tight. I can feel my wolf bristling beneath my skin. He wants his mate—no, he needs his mate. I feel empty. When I smelled Aurora’s unique scent and heard her lovely voice, it felt as if someone finally made me whole. Like the last puzzle piece fell into place. When she left that room, she took that piece with her. The emptiness can only be filled by her. By her voice. By her scent. By her wit. I miss everything about her. I remember the feel of her. The taste of her. Fuck, I have to stop thinking about her. I have a kingdom to run, rogues to kill. I can’t dwell on my errant mate. She made her choice. She left. If she truly wished to be my mate, she would have listened to my instructions. She would have listened to her king. But she didn’t. As I rounded the corner, I groaned at the sight that greeted me.

“Sulking?”

“Fuck you Marcus!”

“No thanks Lars, you’re not my type.”

Lars snarled, lunging at a grinning Marcus.

“Was it something I said?”

A low growl was his only response. Partially transformed, Lars swiped at Marcus.

“I thought you were into incest,” Marcus baited him.

“Enough!” There, that should shut them up.

Marcus’s attention snapped to me. Lars lunged. Sighing, my exasperation overrode my need to keep the peace. I closed my eyes… the stress making my head pound. Sounds of snarls and grunts greeted my ears. A door opened in the distance. I tried to quiet my thoughts. I breathed in. Deep breathes, in and out, in and out. I smelled sweat, fresh blood and… peppermint? ‘Mine!’ My wolf snarled in my mind. Fur rippled over my skin. My eyes snapped open. There, in the doorway, stood Dante holding the very unconscious form of my mate. ‘Mine. Bite. Claim.’ My wolf snarled this, repeating it over and over. I could feel him pushing, trying to force the change upon me. I held him back. I couldn’t change, not now.

Dante’s POV:

When I arrived home, I did not expect to be greeted by the sight of two of my brothers killing each other. I also didn’t expect to see Cade, the all-powerful Alpha King wearing an expression that could only be described as constipated. I wanted to laugh at the now shocked faces they wore. Lars eyes were fastened to the tiny bundle in my arms. He stared open mouthed while he still gripped an equally shocked and bleeding Marcus. And Cade, he somehow managed to growl while his dropped jaw was catching flies. I wanted to, I really wanted to laugh… but I couldn’t. Not with her in my arms.

“What happened?” asked Marcus.

Not the first person I expected to get his shit together.

“I don’t know. I was taking a run when I smelled her. I changed back… she ran out of the woods straight into my arms. Once I settled my wolf, I realized she was crying.”

“She was crying?” asked Lars.

“More like sobbing. She passed out. I tried to get her back her as soon as I could. Cade, what do we do? I don’t know what to do. Seeing her like this is making my wolf go crazy.”

He said nothing. Cade continued to stare open mouthed at her.

“Cade!” Lars shouted.

“Think we broke him?”

Marcus pushed Lars off him. He walked up to Cade, waving his hand in front of Cade’s face.

“Hello… anybody in there?”

Marcus continued to wave his hand.

A whimper drew my attention to the prone body in my arms. I tightened my arms as I nuzzled her hair. I murmured nonsense to her. I breathed deeply. Her very scent was a balm to my soul.

“Give her to me.”

My head snapped up, a growl slipped past my lips. Cade growled back, is eyes flashing amber.

“Sorry, I didn’t hear you approach. I’m all out of sorts.”

“It’s okay. We all are.”

Cade stared down at her. He trailed a finger down her cheek—his hand slightly trembled. I saw a lightness in his eyes. A softness I haven’t seen since he was a child. Not since father began his ‘training’.

“You feel it, don’t you?” I asked.

He said nothing. He continued to stare, stroking an invisible pattern on her cheek.

“Yes. I believe I do Dante.”

His lips curled up. A ghost of a smile adorning his face. I looked at Marcus and Lars. I saw happiness on both of their faces. Even Lars’s. I stared down at the miracle in my arms. Everything would be alright now that she was here.