The Prince’s Unwilling mate

095 Griffin

Reluctantly I make my way back to the castle, I don’t want to come face to face with the wolves doubting my mate. Not when I should focus my attention on getting her home. But as a good leader, I must ensure the pack is behind me. If my parents and I have to go to war with David, they will all fight with us. That’s how a pack works, but a wolf that’s not certain of the cause we are fighting for. Is more likely to die, and as leaders, we need to keep our pack safe.

When I reached the edge of the forest I shifted back and got dressed again.

“Griffin, are you okay I am sorry I acted out it’s just my sister” Daniël had been pacing around at the forest edge, and his voice broke when he spoke to me.

Somehow it was soothing, my parents and everyone in Ayla’s family were all worried sick. Every single one of them was deadset on getting her home with me. With us. Of course, I want her home too, I am sure Dan does too. But they have all sprung into action, and I need a moment. I know I am supposed to be, this strong brave Crown Prince.

And I am, but there has never been through anything so heartbreaking as losing Ayla. Knowing that she is out there somewhere most likely thinking about me, missing me. All I needed was a moment to let go, to

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let someone know that I was not doing okay. That my heart was aching for my mate.

By the way, Daniël had screamed at my pack members who do not support Ayla. The fact that he had just played an entire private voice message to make a point. Showed me he was not coping that well either.

“I am as okay as can be, let me speak to my packmembers, and then we can have a drink and talk in my office okay?” I ask him and he just nods.

As expected the five pack members that are not. supporting us have settled down in the kitchen. Probably waiting for me because they knew I overheard them and it had caused me to go on a run. When Daniël and I enter the kitchen they scramble up.

“Crown Prince Griffin, please know” One of them starts apologizing on behalf of the entire group.

I don’t have the time or the patience to listen to him. They can’t know that I am on the verge of losing it. But they can surely know that I am heartbroken and that their refusal to believe in their future Queen hurt me on a personal level.

“Chris, talking to all of you now, takes away time from rescuing my mate. I know you don’t want to believe that your future Queen would not leave me. But just imagine how you would feel if you knew Nathalia was hurt and I was stopping you from saving her because I would rather

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believe she ran away from you. So sit down and keep your pitiful apologies to yourself” I snap at them and then sit down without waiting on them.

The awkwardness in the kitchen is now palpable but I honestly no longer can’t be bothered.

“The only reason I am here is to see what your worries are, to see if I can ease them. And if that is not the case I want to excuse you all from fighting in the upcoming battles” I tell them

Everyone is baffled by my decision a few of the pack members stammering that they are still a part of the pack even if they doubt Ayla. I want to scream at them, telling them that as far as I am concerned they are not. If they cannot trust and believe in their Luna how can they be a part of the pack? It doesn’t work like that though so instead I just tell them I don’t want them to die in a war, a fight they do not believe in.

“Crown Prince Griffin, I don’t want to be rude, or disrespectful. But we have all seen her run away from you that first night. She seemed nice during the pack event last weekend. But your mateship has been far from normal. How can you be so sure that this time it isn’t her fault” Sarah

asks me.

Deep down I know she has a point, I expected not everybody to agree with this for that exact reason. Because they don’t know me like I do. So. that is what I tell them, I tell them they don’t know her like me. They

didn’t listen in to the conversations we had in the dark as we were

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falling asleep in each other’s arms. Most of all neither of them knows what she went through before she met me.

One by one the pack members think over what I told them. Some have additional questions. Chris who was the first to apologize, is the last to speak. And when he does to my surprise he addresses Dan, not

me.

“So she is your sister, I have an older sister too. I know I am one of the people that knows her best. Simply because we grew up together. How can you be so sure she has not left our Crown Prince for her ex–mate” He

asks him.

ת דרכים

“Because as you said, we grew up together, with that ex–mate of hers. I am not going to tell you exactly what he has done but brother to brother, I wanted to not only kill him for what he has done. I wanted to kill the she–wolf that abused my sister because of him. The same she–wolf, Ayla now supposedly wants to be our queen.” His stance is rigid, jaw clenched suppressing his anger.

I am not sure if he is suppressing the anger of thinking about David and Hanah again. Or from the question Chris just asked, but his answer did. the trick. Chris stands up and shoves his hand toward Daniël. And when Dan takes it, Chris not only pledges his loyalty to Princess Ayla. He promises Daniël from one brother to another that he will help keep Dan’s

sister safe.

With the last wolf convince I can finally take Dan to my office so we can share a drink. Get our hands screwed on right again and then take action

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to go and find Ayla. Or more action because I want to jump in and travel towards wherever she is right away. I can’t and I set enough in motion so that we can find out where she could be.

***

We have been sitting in my office in silence both nursing our whisky’s for about ten minutes now. Both of us were too tired, and too emotional to break the silence. One question is running through my mind on a loop though. I only heard half of the voice memo and I am dying to hear the

rest of it.

“Dan, can I listen to that voice memo? “I eventually ask him.

“Sure,” he tells me before taking his phone out of his pocket and placing

it on the desk between us.

“You might want to hear the second to last one too” He states and then he plays the message.

“Hiii, favorite brother do you know what day it is? The day I am finally getting what I wanted for so long. A love like Mom and Dad have, and I am so happy you found it too. Granted, there was nothing that could stop me from living with Grif, but it feels good to know you will be there too” Ayla’s cheery but sleepy voice fills my office.

Like it had so often when I called her in the mornings, especially the last

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weeks to make up for the fact I could not give her coffee in bed. Hearing her voice hurts, like I knew it, would. But now it mostly gave me some clarity, Ayla was right nothing can stop us from living together, so I need to go help the others find more hints about where she could be.

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