Taming Her Beastly Mate

As she walked into the crowd, Diana could feel eyes on her. She tried to keep her head up and not let their scrutiny get to her. She knew that as the princess and Luna, she had a duty to win over the pack. She saw Janna smile at her, and she returned it, hoping to break the ice.

“Hello, Diana,” Janna said, walking up to her with a drink in her hand. “We don’t get to see you at many of our parties.”

Diana took the drink Janna offered, trying to relax. “I’m sorry for intruding. I just thought I would come say hi and get to know everyone a little better.”

The tension in the air dissipated slightly, and some of the other wolves started to relax. A few stepped forward to introduce themselves, and Diana felt her nerves settle. Maybe this wasn’t going to be as bad as she thought.

One of the guys, a tall, muscular wolf with shaggy brown hair, stepped forward and reached out to shake her hand. “It is good to see you out. We were afraid Aiden was keeping you locked away from all of us so we couldn’t embarrass him. You know we grew up with Aiden and have a LOT of embarrassing stories to tell.”

“Oh really? I would love to hear about them.” Diana said as Jamie chuckled, shaking his head.

“No way. You’ll be running for the hills before Aiden gets back.”

“Now I’m highly intrigued. I have to hear these stories.” Diana said as the man in front of her grinned widely.

As the group of wolves began to share their stories and laughter filled the air, Diana couldn’t help but feel a sense of belonging. For once, she didn’t feel like an outsider or a burden to the pack. She was just one of the guys having a good time.

The group of wolves talked about the pranks they used to pull, and the mischief Aiden used to get into. They talked about how protective he was over his sister Lucy and none of them dared to approach her. She found herself laughing at some of the stories as she tried to imagine Aiden doing these things.

“Thank goodness you’re here, and Aiden has a mate. Now the rest of us have a chance with the ladies. Especially Janna…” A man with bright blonde hair said as he cast his gaze towards the bonfire.

Diana watched as Janna smiled in their direction for a moment before looking back at the person she was talking to. It made her wonder again about her relationship with Aiden. Had it really been nothing? She wondered if Aiden had any lingering feelings for the beautiful woman.

Her black shiny hair rested perfectly behind her shoulders. Not a strand out of place. Her skin had no blemishes or imperfections to be seen. Her long slender body had curves and bumps in all the right places. Diana could see clearly that this woman was beautiful. No wonder she was the one the men all had their eyes on… including Aiden.

Diana watched and listened as Kurt and Jamie talked with their friends. She had moved closer to the fire and Lycaon stood at the edge of the tree line keeping a protective gaze on her.

“They are a good bunch.” Janna said as she approached Diana. She had a kind smile on her face as they both looked at one another. “I’m not sure what you’ve heard…” Janna stopped and reached her hand up to tuck her hair behind her ear. “But I never played Aiden. I know I probably hurt him… but I was just trying to make him jealous. The truth is, he was never overly interested in me. Not like the rest of them are.” She said as she nodded her head at the men talking.

“I wanted him to get angry for once… for me. My immaturity and insecurities ended up causing a rift with him. I just wanted you to know so you didn’t think ill of me.” Janna shrugged her shoulders and gave Diana a crooked smile. “Maybe you could let Aiden know that what he thought he saw wasn’t—”

“It was exactly what he saw.” Kurt growled as he stepped next to Diana. “And this is why Gia barely tolerated you and we had to stop Lucy from murdering you. You like to play head games and then act all innocent about them later. For someone as beautiful as you are, you sure have an ugly soul.”

Diana watched as the woman’s lips parted in shock. Honestly, Diana stood there in astonishment as well. Kurt’s tone was low and almost a snarl. She had never heard him speak in the manner that he was. He turned to look at her and shook his head. “Don’t listen to a word she is saying. She has an ulterior motive anyways. In her twisted mind she thinks that Aiden will come running back to her if he believes her lie. She is trying to use you to get with your own mate.”

Diana began to smile as an airy chuckle left her lips. “I would personally eviscerate anyone who tried to take my mate from me. Regardless, if Aiden went to them willingly or not.” Her silver eyes narrowed at Janna who took a small step backwards. “I don’t know what happened. Aiden has never mentioned you to me, but I’ll be sure to relay your message.”

“No… that’s okay—“

Diana smiled and shook her head. “It’s no trouble at all. Personally, if there is something I need to know, I would rather know it now. If I had to get my hands dirty, then it is best to do it now so everyone can move forward.”

“I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I just… I noticed that you weren’t marked and—”

“And you thought you still had a chance to become the future Luna?” Diana kept her composure completely relaxed. The insecurities she may have had in the depths of her mind were unnoticeable to anyone else. “Well… Aiden can make his choice when he returns. After all… you are right, I do not have a mark on my neck—”

“Get the hell over yourself Janna.” Jamie’s voice whipped out like thunder. He stepped next to the other side of Diana. “Dee, you don’t need to have words with her. And to think I liked to look at her… now I feel gross.” His sharp eyes pinned against Janna as he leaned back on his heels. “i***t. You are a mental mess. I can tell you with certainty that Aiden loves Diana. It is because he loves her so much that he hasn’t marked her yet. It doesn’t have anything to do with not wanting her. He needs her. He was just waiting for her to be ready. Also, Aiden was never interested in you. Even without Diana, he would NEVER choose you.”

“Honestly Janna… this is grounds to kick you out of the pack. It is a disrespectful act towards our princess and Luna. Just wait until Freya hears about this.” The moment Kurt said Freya’s name Janna dropped to her knees and began to sob.

“Please, forgive me. I was wrong. Please have mercy.”

Diana closed her eyes and shook her head. “As if you could ever be a Luna. Grow up. Life isn’t a game. There are real consequences to your actions. Hopefully… you have learned a lesson today.” She turned around and walked away. Kurt and Jamie were at her heels. “I guess I blew that… huh? So much for getting the pack members to like me.” She whispered.

“Actually Deeders…” Kurt grinned as he glanced behind him. “I just think you won them over.”

Diana glanced back to see several smiles and approving nods. She looked over at Kurt and Jamie who had proud grins on their faces.

“You handled that well. You showed you were confident and addressed her like a leader.” Jamie said, as he watched a small frown form on her face.

“I’m okay with acting like a leader but it would be a lie to say that I don’t have some reservations over… them.” Diana admitted as Lycaon bent down in front of her, stopping her from entering the house.

“Of course you do. That doesn’t mean you don’t believe in Aiden. It means you have scars from what had happened in the past. Those wounds may have healed but the scar on your heart remains.” Lycaon suddenly grew tense and straightened up. His eyes were hazed over, and his jaw was clenched.

Lycaon, bring her to me. A voice boomed in his mind as his lips curled up in defiance.

f**k you!

This is important. Bring her.

She doesn’t concern you.

Selene has asked for this. She said you would be compliant.

Lycaon gritted his teeth and flexed his muscles in anger. Damn… he would have to take Diana to Endymion.

“Diana…” Lycaon watched as her silver eyes flashed up to him. “You need to come with me. Endymion has requested your presence.” He reached out and pulled her into his chest. “We will be back.”

Jamie and Kurt watched as Lycaon and Diana vanished before their eyes. They knew the name Endymion and they both felt anxious about what he could want.

“Come on, Kurt. Let’s wait for them inside.”