The Prince’s Unwilling mate

124 Griffin

The last thought in my mind before falling asleep yesterday was to tell Jay about Ayla possibly being underground. Part ofhad wanted to get excavators and just started digging. The sensible part of me knew that would be a dumb thing to do. Without knowing where to dig, we could hurt Ayla and possibly innocent bystanders. Or we could just alert David and his new pack that we knew they were hiding underground. Causing them to cup with a different hiding place. To give credit. where credit was due, from hearing about him and interacting with him. I would have never been deemed capable of doing something like that.

But when I woke up this morning I was unable to move, I felt hot and shaky, and I noticed my bedding and pillows were soaked with sweat. It felt like someone had sprinkled glass splinters in every single joint. Making the pain of moving my heave jelly–like limps excruciating. I panicked, even when I quickly realized this had nothing to do with how Ayla was feeling. This was just my own body giving up on me.

“Dillion, Gerald, I am so ill I cannot move can you guys cto my room and help me” I mind–linked my best friends, aware of the fact that I would never make it out of this bed alone.

Like clockwork, they were in the room within three minutes. Where I expected them to pity me, and teasea bit. And then helpget ready to go to my meeting with Jay. They both gave me judgmental stares, Gerald even had his arms crossed. I rolled my eyes at them,

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hissing from the fact that even that slight movement hurt me.

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“I know, I know, I should have taken better care of myself now, please helpget out of this bed, so I can shower and make it to my meeting with Jay.” I croaked out, getting my voice above a whisper was a struggle.

“Griff, I love you, but we won’t Dillion is going to the meeting as your Beta. And you are finally getting srest. You’ve been running yourself to the ground” Gerald stated, like he was the one with the authority here.

“Stop messing around Gerald, I am still your Crown Prince, which makeshigher ranking. You need to do as I tell you” But even I could hear there was no authority in my voice.

“Ha Ha we thought about that too, technically all I need to do is call the King and ask him what he wants us to do” Dillion threatened, knowing. very well Mom would panic.

She would force Dad to bringhuntil I was healed, in our pack hospital before lettinggo back to the BloodMoon pack.

“You would never do that to me, you know what my mother would do” I protested.

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“LO 3

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man, we both love you, and I don’t know what I would do if it was Colin that was kidnapped, What I do know is that you and Gerald would wantto take care of myself too” Dillion tried to makesee

reason.

“And not just him and you, what about Fire Cracker, I love her as a sister, our future Luna and future Queen but when she is mad she scaresa little bit Griff” He chuckled and I knew what he was doing.

Trying to lighten the mood, and make it seem like it would be any day now we would see Ayla again. He was right she would be so upset withright now if she sawlike this.

“If you feel her pain, she feels yours too so it is not fair on her either you know” Gerald offered some extra advice.

Gerald was almost soft–spoken, quiet, and reserved, not speaking until he thought things over. Until he was sure what he was saying. Dillion would blurt out everything trying to make light of every situation to keep our spirits high. They were both fiercely loyal and protective of the ones they loved. The way they went about it was just vastly different. And I believe it was what made us such good friends, and it would be what would make them a good Beta and Gamma as soon as I was King.

“You guys play dirty, I grumbled” as I had to admit defeat.

I quickly told Dillion all about what Lizzy had told me, about Kayla and

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the probability that Ayla was being kept underground. He reassuredhe would tell Jay all about it. Look into ways to find her when she was underground and keepupdated. As he left Gerald ran me a tub so I could get cleaned up. I barely managed to find the strength to make it to the bathroom. Scared I would fall asleep again and drown Gerald made my bed. Talking toas he did, for a moment I considered not answering just to see how fast he would crunning in. But I decided against worrying about my best friend like that.

He was right I was feeling incredibly weak, and I should not mess around because if something happened tohe might not crunning. Thinking I was playing another prank on him. Not to mention the fact that I was worrying about how sick I was. I should have started my recovery as soon as I woke up, but nothing had changed since I had woken up. I knew what I had to do, even if I was reluctant to do so. The only thing that madeask for more help was the thought that Ayla might be suffering even more because of me.

“Gerald, can you please getthe pack doctor, you know Tessie, Ayla’s mom?” I asked Gerald as soon as he helpedput on my boxers and back into bed.

Gerald walking off to go and get Tessie was the last thing I remembered before I must have drifted back to sleep. Suddenly I felt the bed‘ dip, it was probably Tessie sitting down next toto check up on me. But I was so tired that I was unable to open my eyes.

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“I am sorry Tessie, please giveten more minutes, I am so” I tried to ask her to letget a little more sleep.

I never expected her to stroke my hair, and that’s when the scent hit me. The smell of Ayla invaded my every sense.

“I’m not Tessie baby, don’t you recognize your mate?” Her voice was so different, but I couldn’t care less. All I needed was her back in my arms. I struggled to wake up to open my eyes. It was like something was wrong, her scent was a little different, and “baby” was weird too. But it felt as if the fever had boiled my brains and I could not get them to work properly anymore.

“Shhh, sleep baby I am tired too, let’s take a nap together” The voice that claimed to be Ayla cooed at me.

Followed by a warm body snuggling up to me. I opened my arms, ready to finally embrace the love of my life again. Even her body felt different it was longer and more slender. As the realization of what must be

happening dawned on me, I finally managed to open my eyes. And just

as I noticed it was Hannah who had crawled in bed with me. Dressed in one of my shirts, I had given Ayla to sleep in. Hannah must have found it somehow and slipped it on. I knew she did it on purpose, and I knew how this looked. But I had already heard the creaking of the door, and I knew who was about to cinto my room.

“Sorry Griff, I put out one of Ayla’s shi.,” I could tell the exact moment she noticed I was in bed snuggled up to the girl, who tormented her

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daughter for the past few years.

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I know I should have pushed her out of my bed, I should have her arrested. But it has been so long since I saw Ayla. So I could not refuse what Hannah was trying to offer me, I just wished I had been able to tell Tessie and Jay before they sawwith Hannah.

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