The Prince’s Unwilling mate

028 Ayla

How dare he suggest that what he has gone through is the sas being by your childhood friend and finding out that it was not friendship between you but him pitying you seeing you as unfit to be anything other than an omega. How can he suggest that the mark he bears is as bad as the scares that litter my body? Scars I have from the abuse that was ignited by my rejection? It has been ages since I showed anyone my naked body. I didn’t stop to think about it before I did. No, I just did it, Griffin brought back the old Ayla. A girl that was not beaten down so many times she lost the energy to get back up and fight again.

That was the one thing people didn’t even know. Not even now that they knew of the abuse. Getting rejected like that, getting mocked by most of my old pack. Getting beaten and attacked to the point my body could not keep up with its healing anymore. It brokeand it broke more than just my body and skin. If only a handful of people love and appreciate you. When the one person who is supposed to love you more than anything in the world. If the one person who has been created to love you by the MoonGoddess herself can’t bring himself to do it. All because of my physical appearance, and my lack of elegance as he called it. If the pack that is supposed to love and protect you as a family laughs. behind your back. Then how are you supposed to believe you are truly worthy of loving at all? Let alone by the Crown Prince.

It madestop fighting, fighting to find love again or be with my mate. Or fight back against not only the abuse but the whispers and rumors too. Hiding my body had never been aboutbeing ashamed of it or my

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028 Ayla

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scars. It had always been about hiding what was happening toso that people could not askto fight it. It had been so that I didn’t have to fight to keep the few opinions aboutthat mattered the same. And I didn’t know what to feel about the fact that with Griffin I was ready to fight again. Fighting meant I stood to lose something. With not a lot left to lose that was a scary thought. I expected him to say something, to go all Alpha onand want to go after the people who hurt me.

“Oh Darling, I am so sorry I should have never said that please forgive me” he pleaded with me.

His scent envelopedas he huggedfrom behind. On instinct my body went stiff, rigid even. It has been too long since someone touched me, without ill intend. Within second I could no longer deny the comfort his scent brought me. I leaned into his embrace, all my anger suddenly forgotten. He kissed the top of my head again, causingto sigh. Just as I was about to turn around when there was knock at the door. Griffin

stepped back like I was on fire. He must be ashamed to be seen with me, werewolves aren’t usually shy about naked bodies. Not there own but certainly not that of others not even their mates. Seeing Griffin hide my body from the servant at his door hurt me. This admission of shwas like a stab through the heart. All the forgotten anger cback fiercer

than it had before.

“Sorry, but we need to get ready my parents are waiting on is, can we talk after dinner?” He atleast has the decency to look guilty, voice low.

Nodding at him I walk of to my overnight bag, I don’t think there was a

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028 Ayla

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lot we could talk about. It got increasingly clear that the gap between what we wanted and what we could give eachother was to big. Still his parents were nice people, excited to get to know me. They were the whole reason I decided to cover anyway. So I got the nice dress I had brought. Ironically, it was the little black dress I had bought to bring to the ball. The one Grandma toldnot to wear. She said it was pretty but more for a funeral and not as much a ball too meer your mate. At this point I was ready to skip the party tomorrow and just go hafter dinner. By Greyhound bus, the fact is was going to costa lot of. money I couldn’t really miss annoyedeven further. Griffin eyedputting my dirty clothes back in my bag but he doesn’t say anything about it. He only changes his shirt changing into a black one. For a second I wonder if he did this to match my dress. And if so if this was” because he wanted to match withbecause he wanted to show we

sorta belonged together. Or if it just was to make a point of us being a good couple to his parents. Regardless of the ugly mess between us right

now.

Not that I could blhim for the latter. After all that was the sexact reason that madeplace my hand in the arm Griffin offeredEvery one looking at us walking to the diningroom,

no arms intertwined. They would perceive us as the perfect couple. Even if we didn’t speak, from the outside looking in it would seem like a comfortable silence. One of these couples that did not need words to communicate. He pulled my chair back, still behaving like the true gentleman even when we

entered the dining room. His parents who had also changed clothes beamed up at us. ForI just was happy to see nobody was dressed up. King Rodrick still wore jeans but paired with a dress shirt like Griffin. Queen Isabella wore a pencil skirt but with a simple dress on top of it.

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But it was the gift King Rodrick gave me, to emphasize is apology and welcinto the family. It was a signed first edition of pride en prejudice any first edition would be an extremely welcgift. This was a book I actually loved. One I had a copy of in my own collection. Making it even better.

“Thank you so much this is the most thoughtful gift I have gotten in ages. And I actually love pride and prejudice” I could not help but beam at the King and Queen.

“Well this has been in the family for ages. Griffin toldyou were an avid reader. He figured it was one of your favorites since your own copy was a little worn down” Queen Isabella told me.

Knowing Griffin noticed little things aboutlike this confusedmore. How could he be so able to notice the smallest things aboutand drawing correct conclusions from it. Only to givea gift that was so far from what I would have wanted from him. He never was honest about how he was going to make sure I could travel to him. And part ofwanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. But the other part, the bigger, strenger and louder part toldnot to believe him. To protect. myself at all costs. For now I decided to just focus on this dinner. On just getting to know his parents. Besides seeing how he would interact with his family says a lot about him too. Maybe that will helpmake up my mind about him.

***

Dinner had only confusedmore. Mostly because he showed the guy I

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had got to know during last weekend. Sweet, patient and funny the guy that I couldn’t stop thinking about no matter how much it scared me. That guy was not the sguy who boughta Porsche just to try and buylove. All while being so ashamed about the state of my body that he hideven from his servants. Now after a delicious meal prepared by his dad just like he promised. We were walking to his wing of the castle to have a conversation about our future when I didn’t think either.

of us knew what it was we needed to do..

“Ayla I should not have said what I said. But I feel like I am fighting the damage another wolf did to you. And I can’t anymore” Griffin was the first to speak and I never expected him to break my heart.

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