Chapter 7

Looking back, Dean may have rushed her just a bit. She freely professed her love for him, even earlier than he expected her to. But when he suggested she be his mate, she suddenly became withdrawn. She wouldn't even speak to him or see him for about a week after he first made the suggestion.

Over time, he persuaded her to his way of thinking, culminating in her agreeing to leave her home and come with him to become his mate. As alpha, he could have forced her to become his mate, but he wanted Eliza to choose him of her own free will.

He still remembered the day he first brought her to his villa. He thought the grandness and beauty of it all would make her happy and that she would forget all of her past reservations, but that wasn't to be. When she first settled in, she busied herself decorating their living quarters, and he admitted, she did a wonderful job. He hadn't touched a thing that she did to this day.

But after this initial project was complete, she seemed to grow sad again. She would frequently ask that he give her time alone, and she slept for long periods. Needless to say, their romantic life suffered profusely. They had been passionate lovers; their bodies seemed made for each other. But after Eliza started falling into her periods of great sadness, she seemed to lose all interest in him. To say he was hurt is an understatement, and it was distracting not to have his physical needs met, but he was unwavering in his love for her and truly believed they would work things out.

Dean knew that Eliza loved him, but he wasn't sure she was at all comfortable with her position as mate to the alpha. He blamed himself for pushing her too far, too soon. He felt such a sense of urgency, as though she were going to vanish, never to return if he didn't take her to be his mate. That feeling didn't come about because Eliza had some other beau waiting in the wings. Far from it. His competition was Eliza's wanderlust.

When they first started seeing each other, she used to tell him excitedly about these plans she had to travel the world. She would describe cities large and small, from the most popular tourist spots to the most isolated village. She used to say she wanted to breathe in as many cultures as she could in her lifetime. For Eliza, life was all about learning how others live and about places she could visit, especially at the far corners of the world. The ironic thing was, he had no idea where this deep love of travel came from because, to his knowledge, she'd never traveled anywhere before. Eliza had spent pretty much her entire life in one place. But perhaps that was the catalyst for wanting to explore the globe.

He knew one thing: he hadn't taken her seriously enough at that time. He thought it was nothing but a young she-werewolf's pipe dreams, something to fill her end of the conversation with, so she could prove herself fascinating to him. He found it amusing but never thought she was serious about actually traveling so far away.

After he lost her, he felt great sadness that he hadn't allowed her to fulfill her dream to travel, to see other places than the small patch of the world she had always known. He didn't know that it would make a difference in her kidnapping and murder, but perhaps if she were happy she would have been easier to protect because she would have been more aware of her surroundings. Or, if she had been traveling when he had to be away from the villa, perhaps she would be alive today. He should have done something.

.....

Blossom POV.

I feel as though the scene is spinning out of control. Dean's words hit me hard. I felt as though I were being used by my uncle, but I had resigned myself to making the best of it and just being thankful I could leave his home. But I didn't expect to be ridiculed in the process. My uncle hadn't warned me that I could stand up in front of the Royal Elders and in front of the drama-seeking crowd and be the object of rejection by the strongest alpha werewolf on the continent.

I didn't need this kind of disrespect. It made me feel small and insignificant. But I was not. I was of noble lineage. And, although I didn't yet completely understand it, I had special powers flowing through my veins.

Perhaps I had my reservations when I first learned about the arranged marriage between me and this alpha. But I would not be cast aside like last week's trash, like someone who simply didn't matter. My uncle often made me feel as though I was insignificant, and I had made up my mind that I was not going to let other men do the same. If I had to be forced into an arranged marriage, I should not be made to face public humiliation.

After a few brief moments of shock, followed by anger, I finally calmed my nerves. I was going to have to be the level-headed one here, the one who brings all the parties together—the one who brings about a resolution to this problem before it's too late.

I looked around, first at my uncle, then Aries, and finally, Dean. I cleared my throat. I cleared it a second time, more loudly. A few of the elders looked in my direction. I summoned up all of my strength to force the volume in my voice.

"Your most honorable elders," I began. "I wish to address the court. It appears that we are experiencing a bit of an impasse here. To move forward and resolve the differences, I request that I be able to speak to the alpha werewolf alone, in private, for just five minutes. I thank you in advance for considering this request."

Alejandro couldn't believe what he was hearing. 'Was this young she-werewolf addressing the Royal Elders? What was she thinking! She's not in a position to be speaking to anyone, let alone the court's honored leaders. If things had been going awry up to this point, they are most certainly going to go down the toilet now,' he thought to himself.

Aries was also caught off guard. At first, he couldn't believe his ears. He had anticipated that Alejandro would launch into one of his long-winded speeches in a feeble effort to save the day. He had even prepared to chuckle at Alejandro, as though he couldn't help himself.

'But the girl?' Aries had to admit, 'she certainly had more guts than her uncle.'