Aidan let out a dry chuckle. “Massive understatement, babes.”
We both went silent then, and I stared out the window as the car hummed along a road marked with a blue N67.
My mind was too full, thoughts tumbling over each other, tangled with emotions I didn’t know how to handle. I’d grown up in a sheltered world, hidden away with only my secret books and an old laptop as a portal to the outside world. Going to university in the human world was supposed to be my ultimate escape. Two weeks ago, I was planning to abandon the wolf community altogether.
But now here I was, mated to three kings, bonded to them in ways I barely understood. It felt surreal — like a dream I hadn’t fully woken up from.
“How are you feeling… doing with all of this?” I asked Aidan after a long silence.
“Better than I thought, to be honest,” he said, his voice thoughtful. “I hate to give Wild credit for… well, anything. But I’m feeling grand. Having trouble remembering all the reasons I held out this long, actually. How about you? You’re the one whose plan to study physics in Ontario has been severely compromised. How are you doing with having your entire life upended to be queen of all the Irish Wolves?”
I hesitated, trying to gather my thoughts. “Well, the life I thought I wanted is over, but…” I realized my next words as I said them: “I’m not as upset as I thought I would be. Maybe I’m still in shock? I guess the answer to your questions is ‘I’m still trying to figure it out.’ But getting out of there was a good idea. I’m glad we did this.”
Aidan reached over, resting his hand on my knee, his touch warm and grounding. “Me, too.”
I looked at his hand for a moment before covering it with my own. His touch was reassuring, and despite everything, I felt… comforted.
A strange sort of peace settled between us, and I leaned back into my seat, letting the silence stretch. It was odd, how natural this felt — sitting next to him, sharing the quiet.
So, this was what it felt like to have a mate, I thought with a contented sigh. Maybe my life wasn’t completely ruined after all.
“Five more minutes until we get there,” Aidan said, several minutes later, breaking the silence as he nodded toward a sign for our destination.
“Aidan?” I asked, curiosity piquing. It suddenly felt crucial that I understand the dynamic between two of the kings I’d pledged myself to yesterday. There were too many unknowns, and I needed clarity, even if it meant asking more difficult questions.
“Hmm.”
“Why does Wild hate you so much?”
Aidan’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, and suddenly his side of the mate bond went completely silent.
My belly knotted. “And now I’m wondering why you’ve muted your side of the mate bond.”
“Ah… I hadn’t even realized I did that.” Aidan reopened his side of the bond with a weak chuckle. “Guess it’s the generational Normanwolf curse of being too emotionally closed off coming back to haunt me.”
Now that his side of the bond was back open, I could tell he hoped I’d ask himabout his vulnerability issues, but I stayed silent, waiting for the real answer.
He let out another sigh, and his words came out haltingly as if he were auditioning for one of those old-timey Hugh Grant films. “I don't hate him, per se. It’s not… easy to explain, is it? There’s history — like donkey years of bad history between our two kingdoms. And, you know, that Terrible Belfast Mess didn’t help, did it? That was proper drama the feud didn’t need. However, keep in mind that, technically, the kingdom of Dublin had nothing to do with it. We just ended up being the beneficiary of it — I suppose you’d call us the winners. But don’t. That would be in bad taste. Anyway, it’s not about that. I suppose Wild’s got feelings of his own. Bad ones around the prophecy — though I’m aware it didn’t seem like it yesterday. But — this is Wild’s question to answer, not mine. Oh, look, we’re here.”
I frowned. His answer left me with more questions than before.
But before I could ask them, Aidan announced, “We’re here.”
I looked out the car window as we pulled up back in front of the brick house we’d left when Aidan said, “Hey, what about a breakfast date?” after we finished showering.
It had seemed like a great idea. A chance to put some distance between us and the thing we’d both given into the day before.
But now we’d returned. My cozy morning with Aidan was over.
Which meant it was time to face the other two kings. And find out what came next.
Dublin
Saved by Belfast House.
Even if I’d dared to mute my side of the bond again, I doubt I would’ve been able to mask my relief at reaching our destination.
“Let’s just put a pin in this until after we’ve had breakfast," I suggested, bringing the car to an ultra-quiet stop.
