Taming Her Beastly Mate

Kurt’s demeanor changed instantly. His eyes narrowed on Jamie as he practically snarled at him. “What happened? Why did you leave her? Damn.it Jamie, you know better than to leave—”

“She isn’t alone. I never would have left her otherwise. She was in too much pain. She was burned by a salador and needed a healer. She has been taken to the Nova pack.”

Diana knew about the salador creature but this particular beast normally stayed in the fiery depths of hell. A salador is a demon lizard that emits an intense heat. Just being near one can burn someone to ashes. If it was above the surface, then demons were definitely plotting something.

“Jamie.” Sam’s voice was calm as he approached from out of nowhere. “Relax… both of you.” He said, eyeing Kurt. “Come with me and make a full report. Diana, if you don’t mind, I’ll handle this and then Jamie will move into the pack house tonight.”

“I said I was going back for her.” Jamie said, and Sam turned and looked at him.

“You are staying with the princess and moving into the packhouse with Kurt,” Sam said, leaving no room for objection. “You’ll help Winston with running the pack and—”

“There was another lycan there and a strange monstrous lycan-like creature I had never seen before. The sheya is also with Gia,” Jamie said, and Diana’s shoulders tensed. A lycan… one that had woken up since she was now awake.

“Who were they?” Diana asked, showing no emotions though her insides were racing.

“The one person was Alpha Sion Faust from the Chance pack,” Jamie said, and Diana’s shoulders visibly tensed.

“Diana, let Sam handle this. I think that’s enough for today.” Lycaon said as he gripped Diana tighter. What happened one hundred years ago was something that mentally happened only a short while ago to Diana. The Faust name was something she wasn’t ready to mentally tackle. This wasn’t the same person, but he wasn’t sure Diana was ready for this.

“I’m fine.” Diana said as she tried to wiggle free from Lycaon. His grip on her tightened and she looked at him. She noticed Kurt moved towards her and Lycaon pulled her tightly against him.

“Do what you need to do. I’m taking her back,” Lycaon said, and teleported away with her.

She looked around the room, trying to decipher where she was. This was Aiden’s room! Lycaon had teleported her away from everyone. Diana angrily pushed away from Lycaon, who released her from his hold. “This is my business! This is why I am here. What are you doing?!”

“Sam can handle this.”

She sighed and her icy eyes landed on Lycaon. “Am I a child or am I an adult?” She watched as he stared at her blankly. “Don’t treat me like a little girl. I am a woman, a leader, that is how I want to be treated.” She watched as he quietly assessed her for a moment. Then he sucked in air through his nose and tilted his head down at her.

“If Aiden was here, you wouldn’t be handling this situation. You always stood back and just observed.”

“I was wrong. I shouldn’t just be observing. I’ve been wrong about a lot of things. I’ve been making… a lot of mistakes.” She whispered as she thought about Aiden. She should have opened up to him faster. She should have accepted his mark. She kept telling herself she wasn’t ready and that it wasn’t fair. That wasn’t how she felt though. She needed him and now that he wasn’t around… sometimes it hurt to breathe.

“Is Sam capable?”

“Of course he is but—”

“Then there isn’t a problem here.”

Diana narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head. “There is a problem here. You are here to protect me from the crazy deity. That’s it. You keep interfering. I thought gods weren’t supposed to interfere.” A low dark chuckle came from Lycaon’s throat as he shifted his body towards her. He reminded her of a panther, ready to pounce on its prey. She took a small retreating step back as he continued to stalk her.

“Who said gods don’t interfere? They are not supposed to tip the balance out of place, but when it comes to interfering…” He chuckled and his hand reached up, grabbing her chin. “There is a lot of meddling. In more than one way. Some of those out there that are demigods exist because of non-consensual acts. Gods driven so mad with l**t and want that they claim someone against their will. They are consumed by their poisonous desire… and a child is born from that…” He released her chin and turned his head to the side exhaling loudly. As if he was collecting himself from doing something he shouldn’t.

“There is also the moon goddess who continues to manipulate events. She stacks the board with chess pieces. She continually plans for the battle ahead. Not direct interference, but it still changes the outcome.” He then turned and looked at Diana’s gray eyes. “I am going to protect you and I will interfere where I feel it is necessary. I might make decisions that upset you, but I would never cross the line. I would never hurt you.”

Diana watched as his eyes softened and the corners of his lips curved down. He looked upset. Was he sad because of how she reacted to him? She knows he is trying to keep her safe, but he said he believed in her as a leader. If so, then he needed to trust her.

“Ike…” She whispered softly. “I know what you are afraid of.” She watched as his eyes flickered at hers curiously. “You are afraid I’ll be upset hearing about Shaun Faust’s ancestors.” He smiled and let out an airy snort as she continued. “I can handle it. I am not so naïve that I can’t separate things. They are not Shaun and have done no wrong. I wouldn’t blame them. I am not over emotional. You believe I will be a good leader…” She watched as he nodded his head. “Then trust me to be just that.”

“Diana… I’m sorry… I just want to protect you. I don’t want you under more stress than you need to be. You are precious to me…” He pursed his lips together and nodded his head slowly. “More so than you should be. I’m going to be overprotective.” It was hard to look at her as a leader and not someone precious to him. He wanted to shield her and protect her. He wanted… a lot more than he should but it wasn’t meant to be. He would never hurt her or force her to be with him. It was clear who her heart belonged to. Aiden and Diana were a couple that Selene planned to be together. Their descendants would be vital to saving the world in the future. He stared at Diana’s beautiful gray eyes like a stormy day and gave her a sad smile. “It will be weird when Aiden comes back. I don’t know what I will do with myself. I’m used to seeing you all the time now.”

“We aren’t kicking you out. You are welcome here.” She said as he shook his head.

“I’ll still check in on you, but I know I need to take a step back.” He chuckled and stepped towards the door. “I think I’m going to feel lonely after this is over.”

“Do you have…” She paused, not sure of what to say. “Someone?”

“No… after— well after what happened, I closed myself off from the world. I stayed with you and stayed isolated. I guess I have also been stuck. You’ve been my constant company.” His green eyes looked at her as her lips parted slightly.

“You’ve also been punishing yourself.”

“It was my job to keep my lycans safe. I failed.”

“But you can’t—”

“I failed once… I won’t fail again. I won’t let anything happen to you…”

Diana watched as Lycaon stood there by the door. She knew he carried a heavy burden on his shoulders, one that she could never fully comprehend. She couldn’t begin to fathom the responsibility that came with being a god, let alone the guilt that came with failing those he swore to protect.

“I always thought gods were more selfish than that…” She whispered as she stared at him. “Maybe try to find your own happiness? I’m sure there is someone out there for you.” She listened as he laughed through his nose with a peculiar smile on his face.

“Perhaps… but that could lead to something unhealthy. I need to find my own happiness first before I decide about finding a partner. Once I see you are happy and content, I will work on myself. I have eternity…” Lycaon looked at Diana as he studied her. “How do you feel about eternity?”

“I’m a lycan so I am not eternal.”

“Yet…” He said and noticed her puzzled face. “Diana, have you not really thought this out?” The look on her face told him she did not realize what her future would be like.

“Thought what out?” She didn’t understand and her brows furrowed in confusion.

“Aiden has pure vampire b***d even though he is only part vampire. The line from his mother is strong and the b***d stays pure. If Aiden marks you… you will change. You will become immortal.” He watched as her eyes widened. “Being immortal is not being invincible. You can still be killed… but you have the potential to live forever.”

Lycaon’s words echoed inside her head like a bell, ringing with clarity. She heard Aiden talk of entering Elysium, where his family would be free from the tyranny of their enemies. She knew there was vampire b***d in Aiden, but she never realized what that would mean for her.

There were other vampire mixes in the world, and they were not immortal. In her mind, she never put together that Aiden was immortal. She didn’t realize that his mark would also make her immortal. If she was never killed, she would never enter the life pool again. She… she would never have the chance to reunite with her family’s souls.

As Lycaon stood there, watching her, Diana’s mind was racing with thoughts and questions. She never wanted to become immortal, but knowing that Aiden’s mark would make her so was a shock to her system. She had so many questions but didn’t know where to start.

“The potential to live forever…?” Diana finally whispered out, breaking the silence.

“It means that you will have the potential to live forever, Diana,” Lycaon replied, his voice low and steady. “Of course, with me watching over you I am not about to let you die. Think of what this means. It means that you will have to watch as everyone around you grows old and dies… while you remain the same. Werewolves and lycans might live a long time… but even five-hundred years… heck even one thousand years is a blink of an eye with an eternity… trust me on this.”

“However…” Lycaon added with a soft smile. “It can also mean an eternity with your mate. It will mean you will be there to watch over your children and children’s children and so on. You will also be around other immortals and can live a peaceful life in Elysium.”

She stared at Lycaon and tried to see the weight of eternity on him. The responsibility and burden of centuries upon centuries in his eyes. The difference was she wouldn’t be doing it alone. She could have an eternity with Aiden. After everything she had been through, having Aiden by her side forever sounded like an incredible gift. She could have her mate, watch her family grow for centuries, and live a peaceful life in Elysium.

But if something happened to Aiden… if he was killed. It would mean an eternity without him. She shuddered at the thought of experiencing such heartbreak. It was painful losing her family… but to lose your mate… would be catastrophic.

Lycaon could see the turmoil in Diana’s eyes and knew that the decision was not an easy one for her. He watched as she bit her lower l*p, lost in thought. He knew that becoming immortal was a big responsibility, but it was a decision that Diana had to make on her own. Still… he didn’t want her to make this decision out of fear. He knew that this was a lot for her to take in, but he also knew that she was strong enough to handle it.

“Listen to me, Diana,” Lycaon said, stepping up to Diana to place his hand on her shoulder. “I understand that the idea of living forever can be overwhelming, but you have to remember that you will never be alone. You will have Aiden by your side, and I will always be here to look out for you.”

“What if something happens to Aiden…” She whispered.

“There are no promises and guarantees… but most likely, if you did lose Aiden, you would still have your children to keep you going. Most mates get through their losses by surrounding themselves with family and friends. But your mate is strong, and I am pretty sure the moon goddess has seen a future with you and him in Elysium.” He watched as her eyes brightened up and a tiny smile reached her lips.

“There really isn’t another decision to be made here. I want Aiden as my mate. I want his mark. I want to spend an eternity by his side. Thank you, Ike. I am glad I got to work this out mentally now instead of later. It would have been a bit of a shock afterwards.” She let out a tiny giggle.

Lycaon smiled down at her. “You have a bright future ahead of you. I’ll be here to guide you as long as I have air filling my lungs. After all, I am also immortal and not invincible. No guarantees.” He winked at her with a smile.

“I couldn’t see anything ever getting the better of you. You are too powerful.”

He smiled at her and shrugged. Before, nothing could have gotten the better of him, but not now. Now he had a clear weakness. He looked into Diana’s silver shining eyes and patted her shoulder before they walked out of the room. A weakness he wouldn’t hesitate to exchange his life for.