“I understand you’re mad,” Mason’s tone turned cold, “but don’t talk to her like that. You didn’t see the state she was in last night.”
He reminded me of the Mason I first met at that moment. He was protecting me. “My wolf forced her way to the forefront, and I almost shifted. I’m not ready to face him.” I hadn’t meant for it to happen, but my voice cracked.
“Don’t be so hard on her.” Mona dropped her hand back onto the table. “She’s had so much thrown her way.”
“You’re right.” Kassie cut her eyes over at Mason. “Both of you.”
“I think I might have found a way she can shift, and the king won’t know.” He turned his body in my direction. “When your dad said he could feel all his people, was it every wolf here or only the alphas?”
“I don’t remember.” I had been so young it was hard to retain everything.
“It was alphas.” Kassie nodded her head in my direction. “He told me the same thing, and that’s what you are. You were born to rule as Queen.”
“But what if she submitted.” Mason squeezed my hand.
“No way. She can’t.” Kassie slammed her hand on the table. “She’s not made for that.”
“No, I want to do it.” That was the perfect plan. “Would it be to your father?”
“Yeah, or even one of these ladies.” He pointed to Mona and Kassie. “As long as you aren’t the alpha, your uncle would never know.”
“And I could be a true shifter after all this time.” I glanced over to Mona. “What do you think?”
“Will you be happy?” Her eyes met mine.
“Are you seriously entertaining this idea?” Kassie’s mouth dropped. “She wasn’t made for that.”
“Maybe fate intervened when my parents were killed.” It hurt to say all this stuff, but what if it was all true? “Have you thought of that? Maybe Darren was always supposed to be King, and I was supposed to figure out a new way of life for myself.”
“You don’t really believe that, do you?” Kassie’s forehead furrowed, and she leaned toward to me.
That was a fair question. “The thing is none of you are worth losing for the crown. I’d rather submit and be happy instead of always living in fear. I want to be with my mate and not worry that my uncle will appear and take everyone that I love and care about away.”
“And this will make you happy?” Mona took a deep breath as she stared at me intently
I glanced at Mason and then them. “Yes, I believe so.”
“She’ll have to go to your father.” Kassie shook her head and bit on her bottom lip. “I can’t have her submit to me.”
“So, I’m the only one stuck with your grouchy ass?” Mona arched an eyebrow and winked.
“Yeah, our pack will remain small with the two of us.” Kassie pointed at her. “But good try.”
That was one of the points of contention right after we lost my parents. Neither one of them wanted to be alpha, but eventually, they had to choose since being rogue was taking a toll on them.
“Will your father accept me?” He was my only hope at this point.
“Of course he will.” Mason grinned and leaned toward me. “When I told him I found my mate last night, he was so happy. And when he asked if that meant I’d be leaving and I told him I didn’t think so, he asked if you’d want to join our pack.”
Maybe this could work out after all.
“I told him I would talk to you about it.” His voice turned warm. “If you don’t like it with my pack, we can go find another one to join together.”
If I wasn’t already falling for him, I would have at that moment. “That sounds fair.” Granted, I’d never want to make him leave his pack. “So how does this work? Submitting?”
“As long as you recognize him as your alpha, you’ll be good.” He reached out to touch my cheek. “Do not feel pressured to do this. I was only trying to help solve a potential problem. If you don’t want to do this, we can cut off this conversation now, and it’ll never be mentioned again.”
“No, I think it’s the best solution.” It made sense. “And you two won’t feel obligated to watch over me anymore.”
“Oh, baby girl.” Mona lifted a hand in the air. “This has never been about obligation. We love you as our own child.”
“She’s right.” Kassie rubbed the back of her neck. “We aren’t going anywhere, and besides, who else is going to keep you out of trouble?”
“I love you two.” My eyes began to burn as I fought back the tears. “I don’t know what I’d ever have done without you.”
“Well, stop this right now.” Mona pointed her finger at Kassie then me. “This sounds like a goodbye conversation and makes me feel uncomfortable.”
“When will your dad be ready to accept me?” I never thought this would’ve been possible. I figured I’d have to stay human and fight my wolf my entire life. Now, I was going to be able to embrace her and be what my parents were.
“He said to bring you over when you make your decision.” Mason leaned his head against mine. “Are you sure? Do you want some time to think about it? This is a huge decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly.”
“Yes, this gives me the future I never thought I’d be able to have.” I could finally be with him and have no worries. “I’m ready now.”
“You do need to be careful.” Mona took a sip of coffee. “You need to let your wolf out a little to be able to submit to him before you fully shift. Otherwise, you’ll be a bleep on Darren’s radar.”
“That’s a good point.” Kassie nodded. “Make sure it’s in place before completing the transition.”
“Got it.” I probably wouldn’t have thought of that. “Are you ready?” I turned my
