Rejected, Princess Mate Selection Game

ChloeI was kneeling before the yawning hole that would hold my mother in just a few moments. Just as soon as I worked up the courage to lower her down into it. I glared up at the sky, waiting for it to open up and rain down on me, mirroring my own pain.I couldn’t help but compare this funeral to the one only a few months ago. The differences were stark. When we’d buried Conson, the whole pack had shown up. It’d been standing room only to say goodbye to the Blackstone Pack Beta. I didn’t blame anyone for this. Conson was many things, but he was as kind in private as he was in public. He’d taken his role as Beta very seriously and was well respected for his level-headedness. Losing him truly was a blow to the pack, and I knew everyone felt it.My mother married Conson almost seven years ago, and we had a mostly happy life together. I knew my mother and Conson weren’t mates, but they’d had a loving relationship, and it had been worth tolerating his daughter Leah to see my mother happy.

ChloeA tall, thin man stood behind me, a black cloak wrapped around his shoulders. He looked like he was a villain who’d stepped right out of one of the cheesy romances Mom had always had lying around, half-started. The memory shot an arrow of pain through me, and I only realized after a heartbeat that he’d been speaking, and I hadn’t heard a word he’d said.“Pardon?”The cloaked man gave me a small smile. “I asked if you are Susanna’s daughter?”“I am,” I said slowly, rising to my feet to put myself on a more even footing. I smelled him, and I knew he was a wolf, but he wasn’t a member of our pack, which led to the question – who’s pack was he a part of? Or was he a rogue?“I’ve finally found you!” He said under his breath, more to himself than to me. “You are a hard woman to track down, Chloe.”I stared at him, the lack of sleep and emotional pain I’d been suffering from for weeks making me dumb. I wished we were having this conversation after I’d had a good night’s sleep – maybe I

Caden“Now, now, Omega, that’s no way to clean the floors,” Jared hissed at Chloe, who was on her hands and knees cleaning the floor with a rag. My knees ached at the thought of having to crawl across the tile like she had been doing for the better part of an hour.Chloe ignored him and continued to dip the rag in the sudsy water. I could tell from the mean glint in Jared’s eyes that he wasn’t about to give up. I wanted to stop him, but I didn’t. It wasn’t my place anymore.“You’re doing it wrong,” Jared smirked before kicking over the bucket, soaking both Chloe and the floor in soapy water she now had to clean up.I jerked in their direction before I managed to control myself.Part of me wanted Chloe to fight back, even if it wouldn’t make anything better. The old Chloe, who’d been my mate, had always been spirited, even if a little quiet sometimes.Jared walked off, laughing his head off.Before I could make my way over to Chloe to do something, anything to help, Mariah poked her he

Chloe“I understand that your mother has passed on,” King Charles said gently.I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. The pain was still too real.“I think I owe an explanation to you, Chloe. You may hate me afterward, but I feel like you deserve to know the truth.”I doubted I could ever hate the wolf sitting beside me, still clutching my hand. He might be the King Alpha, but he was… safe. My wolf felt safe with him.“I searched for many years for my mate, but I never found her. It was a different time, then, and with court politics… well, it was important there was a Queen Luna on the throne next to me, so I married a political friend. In many ways, she was suited for the throne better than I was, and I hoped to someday grow to love her. While she was everything a Queen Luna should be, I didn’t. There was always something missing, and we weren’t anything other than friends. I thought I was okay with that; I really did. But I did have a habit of slipping out of the palace and relaxi

ChloeWerewolves were natural gossips. I pushed the thought away as soon as it appeared in my mind; Adrian was my half-brother. We were related. The Moon Goddess didn’t pair siblings together – inbreeding was nonexistent.A motion to the left of us caught my eye, and I turned to find Knox approaching, his expression wary. “Are you okay?” Knox said, stepping forward slightly with a frown. I wasn’t sure who he was speaking to me, Adrian or Bryce. Perhaps he was asking all three of us.“I’m fine,” Adrian snarled. Knox’s eyes widened in surprise, and he stopped advancing. I almost felt bad for him. While Adrian wasn’t the warmest person to me, he seemed to be very close to his younger brothers and loved them very much. I was sure Knox wasn’t used to his eldest brother speaking to him in such a manner.“We’re all good, Knox. Thank you for checking on us. We are just having a little discussion,” Bryce said with a forced smile.Knox nodded slowly before turning back to Adrian. “You’re startin