And just like that, life went from complicated to suffocating. How was she supposed to be the Alpha King’s mate? How was she going to be a queen to the werewolves? How did she deserve this? She didn’t mean this as if it was a punishment, though. She meant, how did someone like her deserve to have this life? Did she deserve to be loved? She’d been alone for so long. Was this even possible for her? She wasn’t a coward. She wouldn’t run away—even though part of her screamed at her to do it. At the same time, she didn’t know what she thought about all of this. She wasn’t given a choice. Hunter had claimed her without her permission.
I was forced into this. I didn’t ask to be marked. I don’t even know if I can accept this,Freja admitted to Ember. She could talk with her, right? She was, after all, a part of her.
Ember walked up to Freja and sat beside her.Don’t you know? Or are you afraid?
Freja turned to look into the dark orbs of her wolf. She squeezed her fists while staring at Ember.I don’t want to go through that again. I don’t want to lose any more important people.
So, you decided it was best not to have important people, because then you couldn’t be hurt again. You built a wall around yourself. But Freja … you didn’t keep people out. You walled yourself in. You caged yourself. This isn’t freedom. This isn’t a life. It’s time that you choose to live. Really live. Make up your mind. Why don’t you try seeing what it is that you really want? What you’ve always wanted, deep down inside … a family.
It had been so long since Freja had thought of having a family. She had pushed the idea of having a family out of her mind, locking it in her heart. She’d always thought she was going to die. She’d been cursed by her mother’s coven of witches with a death curse, and she was supposed to die. That is, untilReiya removed the curse and saved her life. Could she dare hope to have the life she’d always wanted? She continually punished herself for being the abomination she was. She was part witch and part vampire … a dhampir who shouldn’t exist. Now, she was also a werewolf. A dangerous tribrid. She could feel the lethal strength of her wolf combined with her vampire. She could also sense that, while the wolf seemed fine with her, it had a murderous intent about it. She was possessive and protective over what she claimed.
Freja wasn’t sure what she wanted anymore. She thought she had life figured out. She would live her life hunting and killing demons until she was killed, but could she have more of a life than that? Was it okay not to be afraid of having it? To risk loving and losing it? And then there was the bigger question … could she even fight off this mate bond? It was like she had a double mate bond, pulling her like a magnet, demanding to connect to its other half. What sealed things for her more than anything at this exact moment was Reiya. The girl who’d risked her life to save hers. How would she feel? If Freja were to deny Hunter and run from him, this would undoubtedly cause Reiya pain, and that was the last thing she wanted. She owed her life to her. She had in fact pledged it to her, and she couldn’t knowingly do something that would upset her. Plus, she didn’t want to make a rash decision. If possible, she wanted to take her time and figure out what she really wanted. Hopefully she could ignore the mate bond long enough for that.
We do need to mark our mate back for a complete transfer of power,Ember added, watching Freja as she sat there in silence.
Not yet. I need some time.It was obvious Ember wasn’t happy hearing this.I need some time to sort all of this out. I’m going to think about what I really want. What if I don’t like Hunter as a person? What if I can’t stand living in a pack? Ihaven’t been around others in so long, I don’t know if I’ll adapt or not.
Freja thought Jin was impressive. She seemed so happy. If she was held captive by demons, there was no way she’d had a good life. She would have been tortured and neglected. And yet, when she looked at Jin, she didn’t see the face of someone facing her own demons.
Freja smiled inwardly. She had no problem killing demons. Killing demons was easy. Battling your own demons … that was more difficult. Freja was battling her own demons now, reflecting on her past and determining whether or not she deserved happiness. Jin was able to move on from her past. Maybe Freja could, too.
If this—Freja motioned between her and Ember—if this is going to work, I’m going to need boundaries. I don’t want you to just creep into my mind and butt into my conversations. I need time to properly get used to this.
Ember wagged her tail and panted in happiness.I told you, Freja. I understand you and know what you need. We’ll be a great team together.
Freja wasn’t convinced, but she nodded her head politely. Having been deep in her mind for a while now, it was time to pull herself back and face her life. She was overwhelmed and maybe a bit insecure about everything, but she wasn’t a coward, and she would do her best to objectively try this life out. Already marked, and now a werewolf, too, it wasn’t like she could really escape this. But she needed to choose Hunter, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready to do that yet. She hadn’t really felt alive in so long, and she hoped she still had it in her. As she pulled back into reality, she inwardly wished she was fighting a band of demons instead of what she had to fight: the mate bond.
Freja opened her eyes and pulled back, startled by the set of green eyes that were only an inch from her face.Holy no personal boundaries.
“Oh, thank goodness. We were getting worried! What happened?” Jin asked as she climbed a bit closer to Freja.
It was obvious that Jin didn’t think there was a need for personal space with her. Freja breathed in deeply through her nose and clenched the bed below her. The scent of her mate filled her nostrils, and her senses began to overflow, her instincts demanding for her to comply. She was already marked and had almost triple the mate pull going on. Her eyes flicked to the side and met with the silver ones. She could almost hear her subconscious whispermateover and over, trying to pull her in.
She was still a bit sour over being forced into this position, and because of it, she was now a werewolf, a tribrid. That was only a shallow part of her mixture of emotions, though. The rest screamed for him in various degrees. She wanted to learn about him. He did say he didn’t mean to mark her, that he was unable to control himself. She guessed that was because he was the Alpha King.
“Are you okay? What happened?” Hunter’s gentle voice called out to her. He was worried. She’d been asleep for a couple of days, then the moment she woke up, she was unresponsive for over an hour. Her beautiful eyes looked back at him. The need to speak with her was killing him. He was afraid he’d scared her, and he was really kicking himself for losing control.Chasen, Jin … can you please leave us?Hunter wanted a moment alone with her.
“Come with me, Jin. Let’s prepare something for Freja to eat. She must be hungry.” Chasen held his hand out to Jin, who hopped off of the bed and into his embrace.
“We’ll be back with some goodies,” Jin said as she bounced out of the room by Chasen’s side.
“She looks happy,” Freja said, quietly staring at the shut door.
“She is. She’s fitting in well here.” Hunter continued to stare at Freja.
Freja scoffed a bit and shook her head. “How? How was she able to remain the same after everything that happened?” Unable to contain her hatred, she hunted demons down mercilessly until she became known as the huntress. She was cruel and unforgiving in her pursuit of demons, hating them for what had happened. “How is she so free of the hatred that plagues me?” she asked herself quietly.
Hunter ached hearing her. He couldn’t do anything about her past. The only thing he could do was take care of her present and future. “I’m sorry for everything that’s happened to you. I’m here now, though. If you let me, I’ll be someone you can lean on and depend on. I can be your person, if you’ll be mine.” He watched her unreadable green eyes flick back to him, blinking as they met his. He could almost sense her hesitation, and his heart broke. He couldn’t lose another mate. He reached out and grabbed her hand. “Please give me a chance. We can take our time. I’m sorry about marking you already, but we can slow down from here. I can’t … I can’t lose you, Freja. I need you.” His voice broke, trembling as he choked out the last words.
Freja squeezed her eyes shut as she felt the surging energy flow through her hand. Her body was tingling, screaming for her to get closer to her mate. His voice sounded pained, as if he was also in pain. Why was he hurting? Did he think she was going to leave him? It made sense, since she’d never made her intentions clear. She opened her eyes and looked back into his before looking down at their joined hands. He didn’t know what he’d done to her, did he? He didn’t realize he’d given her a wolf.
“Do you know what you’ve done?” She looked at his confused eyes. He had no clue that he’d practically bound her here. Byher becoming a werewolf, she was now a mated werewolf. She was already this pack’s luna, and the Queen of the Werewolves. She could feel a deep-rooted loyalty forming inside her now. Leaving? She wasn’t sure if this was even an option now. “When you marked me … you turned me into a werewolf. I’m now a tribrid.”
Hunter’s eyes widened. He had turned her into a werewolf. What did all his new powers as the Alpha King actually entail?
CHAPTER TWENTY
“My wolf told me she is a born luna because she came into creation after being marked.” Freja squeezed his hand lightly. “I don’t know about any of this. This is a lot, and it’s all very overwhelming. I think I just need some time to sort through all of this. I haven’t lived with others since I was a child.” Her eyes lifted up to Hunter’s. “I’m not leaving. But I need some time. I need to figure me out.”
