From Princess To Queen

Shelby and Felix

All I wanted to do was get home and head to my bedroom. After showering, I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling, wondering what had happened. All I could think about was how stupid I was even to think I could break into the compound and find the parking garage. It is not fair she is living with a silver spoon in her mouth. DAM IT!

When I entered the grounds, I smelled the most amazing smell of the ocean and lilacs. My wolf was dancing around and excited that he would meet his destined mate. This was not supposed to happen because I was homing in on Clara. She is my choice, mate. Why did the goddess have to ruin my plans? I always knew who my father was, but because of Mom, we never had a good relationship, and things came to a blow one day with Libby getting in the way and starting a fight between Dad and me.

We fought for the right to be alpha but not to death like everyone thinks or has said. Nobody can find a body because there is none. He conceited and moved out in the middle of the night, going to a different pack I would never attack. That was a promise I had made to him and his new alpha. We did not have an alliance, but we had a mutual understanding. When he arrived, he smelled his fated mate and lived happily with her.

Her name is Sabrina, and she is a beta of the pack. She is twenty years younger than my dad, and she had gotten pregnant by her boyfriend, who left her and his child for his mate. He never talks to them again and disowns his child. Dad became his father by adopting him and had four more children with her. I have three brothers and two sisters who look up to me, and I will do anything to protect them, and they know that.

Although my father tried to, Libby never gave me a good life as a child. He was compassionate, and she was a bitch and loved power, hence being with my father for all the wrong reasons. I had to grow up fast. My mother did not treat me well; she was abusive and wanted power. More power was better than no power at all. Dad had told me it was okay when they first had their union, but not like it should have been. She just wanted to be in power and did her best to overpower him when she could.

She left him one night to go out with friends for a weekend getaway but returned pregnant. I do not know who my biological father is, but Dad cared for me when he could. He kicked Mom out of her position and the pack, but they constantly fought over who would raise me. Of course, Mom won, but I went to be with Dad as often as possible. He showed more stability than Mom. She made me train hard to fight and take over the pack so she could rule it and not me.

Dad instilled values that Mom refused to do. She was or is a whore. Dad trained me physically and mentally on how to handle pack business and people, Mom the opposite. I was ready to kill Mom at fifteen so I would not have to deal with her, but Dad told me I could not do that, not yet anyway. When I turned seventeen, Dad wanted to leave the pack and move where his sister’s pack was, so we did a fake fight to take over. That is when things went downhill.

As I got older, I learned to deal with all the shit, take my aggressions out in boxing, and spare with my beta and gamma. I started to become ruthless and not allow my men to have mates; if they had them, they were killed off, or their mates were. It was distracting and making them weak, just like Mother had told me. Guess she felt that way about Dad, he was never her fated mate, and she loathed him, but I never quite knew why. She was more worried about having a title and the crown she was going after.

I had visited Aunt Vi in her pack where dad was and became beta since his fated mate was beta and the only sibling. I snuck away several times to see them. Mom would kill me if she knew how often I would visit. I had to stop when mom found some rogues that wanted to become a pack to gain access to other packs for revenge or take over the crown, her words were not mine, but they too soon became that way for me.

I started thinking about my meeting with Shelby and wanted to see her more. The bond was powerful, and having her help me was imperative to get into the castle and take it over. She was not like my mother but much calmer and did not want the power that had been instilled in me since I was a toddler.

I was getting scared now as I did not know what to do. Mom was never going to get out of prison. Hell, she may even be killed for the crimes that she had committed. I could be in the same boat if I did not turn my life around. I did not know how to do that, so I am screwed no matter what. I had to do some serious soul-searching and reach out to Dad fast.

I called Dad and asked if we could meet, telling him I was worried about something and needed his advice. We set an appointment for the following day in a nearby city. The city was primarily humans, although some wolves and their families lived there because they worked and had businesses. I was excited to see my father as I had to get some answers. I could not go on like this.

“Dad, it is good to see you again.” Felix hugged his father.

“It is, son, so what is on your mind?” he did not want to waste time; he got to the point.

“Mom was in the castle’s cells, then taken away to prison. I know she will never see the light of day again, maybe even be killed for all her crimes that she had committed.”

“Good, about time she had been caught. Look, Felix, I know Libby and I never got along, and you had to be torn between two parents. But you have helped her commit some pretty heinous crimes yourself along with her. I tried to take you away from her so you could have a good life and not succumb to her ways. I have failed you over the years. I heard that you escaped from the castle cells as well?”

“Yeah, not my proudest moment, Dad. I was caught red-handed breaking into the compound and heading to their garage. I am so irritated by the vehicles they have and everything they stand for. I am so engrossed in having the crown alongside Princess Clara that I will do anything to mark her.”

“But, now what, Felix? Did something happen?”

“Yeah, I found my fated mate, and I want to reject her as she would be a slowdown and distraction for my quest.”

“Hmmm...Well, you do have a dilemma now, don’t you? I suggest keeping her and mating with her. Nothing is more precious than having a fated mate to keep you grounded. She is your sole that completes you and makes you a better man than before. Will you stop what you are doing, turn yourself in, and pay for the price of all the people, including your pack members, or will you continue your path? What is the most important thing to you right now?”

“I do not know, Father; I am so confused. I have such a screwed-up life, and I want to make things right but still want all the other things I do not have.”

“You cannot go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”

“What do you mean by that, dad? I don’t get it.”

“You got the raw end of the deal from day one, but now you can change who you are and what you are doing, Be the reason for the change by making things right. Start with you and your pack, grow your pack, stop the fighting, let your pack have their mates, and go out and look for them. Stop fighting other packs to take them over and ruin their lives. You are not a rogue. You are an alpha who needs his mate. Screw your mother; she was the mastermind behind all this.

“Start fresh but building business inside your pack, help them out. How much money do you have now?”

“We do not have money or any finances.”

“Where do you live now, son?”

“Someone’s old pack house in the forest. I have fencing all around it; nobody can come in or out. We all live as rogues, but most have all left and taken up residents in other packs or the castle. They are no longer my followers.”

“Can you blame them? You took away their homes, and they had to fight for you and Libby and got tired of it. It is time you do the same. Let the rogues be rogues. Please return to your actual packhouse, and be the alpha they need. Not the ruthless one with no mates.” his dad sighs.

“Your stepmother and siblings are here too; I have to go, but if you ever need anything, just call me, okay?”

“Thanks, Dad; I appreciate you taking the time to see me.”

Felix’s father got up and walked out the door, hoping his son would heed what he said. He knew he was a screw-up thanks to his mother and her evil ways. He could not help but wonder what he would be like if he had gone to live with his father instead. He wanted to accept the bond with Shelby, but he had to do a lot of explaining about his life and did not know if she would accept him for his crimes.

Shelby had a good life she lived up till now. She helped her family man the farm and their animals. She was a warrior and a damn good one at that. She saw Felix enter the grounds and confronted him when they met. The tingles that come with a bond snapped in place when they saw each other. She knew who he was and the type of alpha he was.

They sat and talked briefly before she let him go and finish his break in. For some reason, they could mind-link each other and did not understand why that was. She was confused but did not think of it and continued walking, finishing her patrol. She talked to her mother and father after her shift. She decided she would take them to dinner when she returned home.

“Can I ask you all something?”

“Sure darling, what is on your mind?”

“I met my mate, but not sure if I want to accept the bond or reject him.”

“You can never reject the bond...” both parents said in unison.

“But what if he is an evil person trying to mate with Princess Clara?”

“OHHHH....uhm...then I would say reject Alpha Felix.”

“Uh, how did you know it was him? I did not mention his name.”

“Could you mind-link him?”

“I don’t know. I have not tried it. Why?”

Shelby did not want to tell her parents that she received a mind link from Felix. She feared what they would do or think if she told them she had received one from him. Suppose she said anything that would lead to more questions that she was unwilling to answer and was not up for doing.

“Shelby, your father and I have something to discuss with you. Just hear us out until we are finished talking, and if you have anything you want to ask, you may do so.”

“Honey, we belonged to Alpha Felix’s pack when you were born. You were sworn in after you turned six, so you could use your mind link, and we could keep tabs on you. You and Felix always hung around together until his mother demanded he comes home. He did not have a good childhood growing up. Libby is nothing but a power-hungry monster, to put it nicely. Felix’s dad is not his biological father, but he does not know that and never did.” Her father told her.

“When we left the pack, it was not long after Felix fought his father for the alpha position, and that is when all hell broke loose. He was no longer the same; we needed to find a different place to live. We were invited to come here to the castle and become warriors, although we can no longer link the alpha because we are sworn to the King and his court. However, you never pledged your allegiance to the King or his pack.”

Shelby’s face dropped, turning white as a sheet, letting her parents know something had happened. They were unsure what it was but knew it was not good if she looked like a ghost. They needed to ask her more questions by pushing her to speak and tell them what happened so they could handle it from their end. They knew Felix was put in the cells since he broke into the compound, but they did not realize that Shelby had helped set him free yet.

“Shelby, we know something has happened. We can tell just by the look on your face. What happened?”

“I...I...met him, Dad, I met my mate, and we could mind-link. He said he would come back for me, then left.”

“What do you mean he would return for you then left?”

“Shelby, darling, you need to tell us because the only person you can link is Felix or someone from his original pack.”

“I’m sorry, it was Felix, he is my mate, and he mind-linked me. You were right, Mom.”

“Dear goddess, when did this happen?”

“I saw him a few days ago when he broke into the compound. I should have....wait, how could I have contacted anyone...SHIT!!!! Now it all makes sense by what you told me.”

“Shelby? WHAT HAPPENED?”

“Dad, I saw him, but I could not get ahold of you or other warriors; plus, he told me to be quiet about seeing me. He’s a good person, really he is.”

“No, no, he is not Shel, he killed his father to take over his position, and Libby is not a good person either. They split when he was little, but she refused to let him keep and raise him.”

“Libby is not mean; she’s different, but....”

“SHELBY, she was taken to prison where she will have a trial and put back in there if not killed for everything she has done all her life.”

She exited her chair and ran to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. She needed clarification with all the information that was just given to her. Why did her parents not allow her to take the oath to the King and his court/pack, why was Libby in prison for life, and should she reject her fated mate? All these questions ran through her head, and she did not know how to quiet her restless thoughts.

Her parents looked at each other in defeat, knowing what they did not do and what they should have done to prevent this.

“I had a feeling she was fated to him; goddess, I was hoping I was wrong.”

“Is that why you did not want her to be initiated into the pack?”

Knowing the damage was done, her mom shook her head as they looked towards the stairs after their daughter left the table.