The Prince’s Unwilling mate

Chapter 149

149 Ayla I underestimated how much going out to the food truck festival would take out of me. When Griffin returned with a fruit salad and a fresh smoothie to watch our show, I felt so understood. And I told myself I would make it through at least two episodes. So that I could have squality twith him. But I never caught the ending of the first episode. Now I woke up in an empty bed. Hating the knowledge that I still couldn’t mindlink him, I got my phone to see if he texted me. He didn’t and I could hear he wasn’t in the rooms with me. That feeling of having lost him, of him having run away from me, was there for a split second. Where I used to let the fester months ago, I reminded myself of how good he was for me. How good our relationship was and I managed to calm myself down quickly. He is probably just in his office, so maybe I could go ahead and surprise him by showering and bringing him his coffee. So I made my way to the kitchen where I found an already used coffee cup. Showing me, I was most likely right and Griff had just got up early to get swork done. It was not like he hadn’t suffered from all that happened to me. Not to mention that I could see how busy he must have been with finding me, taking care of me, just sitting at my bedside. That he must be drowned in work. More so since I still was unable to help him. “I will take better care of myself, heal the best I can so I can be the future Queen and Luna Griffin deserves as soon as I can,” I told myself And temporarily forgetting all about showering and making coffee, I got a notebook and set down at our dining table. I wrote down all the things I needed to do. Perhaps I can ask one of the doctors for ssort of physical therapy to get stronger quickly. Since the pack knew what happened to me, I could probably find a comfortable spot to have 0.00% ||| O 10:45 120 Ayta

the Gemma interviews. So I wrote down a meeting with Krystel to go over Gemma’s on the list too. Of course, I would ask Griffin if he had any tips. But I wanted to do this without him, so as not to burden him more. It must have been thirty minutes, and the list seemed daunting but it felt good to have a list. And deep down I knew I had enough tto get it all done, there was no rush. Nobody expectedto work yet, everyone expectedto take a break. To rest until I was feeling better. I heard the door open, as I was about to look up and greet whoever was visiting me. Figuring it would probably be Dillion who never knocked or just Griffin coming in to check up on me. When I heard my wonderful mate whisper to someone. “Quiet, she has not textedyet she is probably still asleep, let’s try to keep i….” I could hear the exact moment he spotted me. I looked up, wondering what all the whispering and secrecy was all about. And that’s when I saw it behind Griffin, my parents, and grandparents had cdown to visit me. Seeing as how Griffin is leading them into my chambers, I have no doubt that he is the one who set this all up. “What are you guys doing here?” I ask as I start to get up, and that is when I notice the rest of it. They are all carrying boxes, there is one at Griffin’s feet. He probably put it down to open the door. “Hi, Sweetheart, we are here to help you finally unpack,” Grandpa told me. In that sweet matter-of-factly tone like not happening. I have always loved when he did that in the moments I was feeling lost with all that was happening around me. Unable to stop myself from smiling, I make 28.68% III O 10:45 147 Ayla

my way over to my family to hug all of them. Everyone wrapsup in their arms at once. And it was exactly what I needed. I needed to be with my family, surrounded by the people I love. “Kate and Tim will be here later today, your parents and grandparents got in the car at six am to be here on time,” Griffin tellsbefore pecking my forehead. It is such a chaste touch, nothing like how it was between us. Sure, he would not just givea passionate kiss with my parents and grand present. But we would at least give each other a normal kiss. Just a peck on the lips, it was like Griffin was scared to touchnow. I shook the thought from my head, convincing myself we just needed to find our new normal. We both just needed to heal and this would all be over soon enough. We would soon be back to normal, so I was not about to let my own insecurities ruin the amazing gift Griffin had just given me. “I am sorry for not texting you Griff, I wanted to surprise you by making you a coffee and bringing it to your office. But then I got distracted by making a to-do list of everything I need to do so I can start becoming the Princess you and our pack deserve.” As I spoke those words, there was another spark of heat in my heart. The sign of the pack bound growing, it was another thing I was desperate for. To be a part of this pack. My bound with the White Oak pack was still intact, so there was no risk ofbecoming a rogue. And while I loved the White Oak pack, I made a promise to the members of the Silver Moon pack that I was going to be their Luna, their Queen. I was more than ready to fulfill that promise and beca true part of this pack. Griffin looked over at the notebook with my endless list. I could see him starting to worry again. “Don’t worry Griff, they’re baby steps, you take a look when I finally 54.25% < O ||| 10:45 149 Ayla take a shower, okay?” I asked, my arms still wrapped around his waist.

I was met with another peek to the forehead like he couldn’t get enough of touching me. All while holding himself back. “Aunt Suzy, made you a cake sweetheart, I will go cut that up and make everyone a coffee to have with your slice of cake” Grandma cut through the awkward tension betweenand Griff. I shot her a grateful smile, even if it was gnawing atthat the awkwardness was so obvious that my grandparents noticed. As I stood under the shower, I was contemplating bringing this up with Griffin or not. I did not want to pressure him into anything, and I didn’t want to make him feel bad. But there was this small voice in the back of my mind that remindedof how important it had been to Griffin that we both saved ourselves for our mate. That neither of us had been with another wolf. The voice in the back of my mind would then question if Griffin was put off from being intimate withagain, knowing that he no longer was the only wolf I had been intimate with. Even if he should have felt that I never wanted it. 82.76% ||| 10:45