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Lycan King's Jaded Mate 27.
ZaraSunlight streamed through the windows as I sat by my vanity, preparing for the day. Pamela and Bella scurried about my room as usual, trying to ensure I was ready, but I focused more on what I was doing by the vanity. It has been a very eventful last couple of days, from the elders at the consulate to having to learn about Chase's secret to being invited back to his home. I've always wanted to know more about him and for him to be more vulnerable with me because it seemed like he knew so much about me. Knowing that we were on the same playing field and having that experience has brought us so much closer, which was a breath of fresh air. Although, I must say, I still feel a tiny ping in the chest from him abruptly leaving while we were sharing a kiss. Ugh! It wasn't like we hadn't done much more than kiss almost two weeks ago.Now, two days later, Chase is away to one of the states on royal business, and as much as I would have loved to go with him and avoid all the other busi
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With that, I got back to styling my hair. The maids were no help in that area because I have pretty kinky, curly hair, so I have resorted to doing my hair myself each morning. I worked my way through my hair, slowly detangling it section by section so I could work a brush through it. As I worked through a particularly stubborn twist, I noticed Pamela and Bella exchange glances through the mirror, their eyes falling on the mark on my wrist and remaining there.'Screwing their noses and looking at their queen in disgust? Oh, they're really bold,' Nia hissed, mirroring the same intense anger I felt. 'I'm sick and tired of people judging me on something that was just a mistake and happened on a whim,' I said to Nia, suddenly feeling heavy. Branded. Because I had dared to sleep with someone else who wasn't my mate. Branded, because I dared to get drunk and act on a whim. Branded, because I was a bond betrayer. Everyone only cared that I betrayed Asher. No one cared to ask how I got it.
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A quick knock on my bedroom door jolted me from the sugary, sweet thoughts that filled my head. I was now used to feeling that way after I'd spoken or been around Chase. "Yes, come in," I called at the door. The handle moved, and the door was pushed open as Ryan poked his head in. "Ready to go?" I took a deep breath, channeling my confidence immediately after the call. I was Chase's wife and the queen, I thought, repeating the words in my head like a mantra. 'You are much more than that. You are YOU. And that is what matters the most,' Nia said softly and I smiled at the encouragement. "As ready as I can be," I responded, quickly rushing to the mirror to fix the curly tendrils of my hair that had flown out of the ponytail I'd put it in. Ryan stood by the door, his stance very relaxed but vigilant. Ready to pounce on anything that was trying to harm me, and it made my heart melt. I loved that he was the one with me because it was very easy to be myself and let my guard
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With the commotion happening and being so close to the servant's quarters, the maids were already trooping out and peeking to see what was happening. Sabrina was obviously trying to embarrass me, but I wouldn't give her that power. "Have we stooped so low as a kingdom to have a branded for a queen? Have we all gone mad?" one of the girls behind Sabrina said. Sabrina scoffed. "Apparently, we have. We don't need a branded for a queen, and I'm sure everyone can agree with this. I will do whatever it takes to break whatever witchcraft you put on Chase." Ryan closed the distance between him and Sabrina, his voice firm. "Watch your mouth now. You're speaking to the queen." Sabrina's eyes narrowed, and she leaned forward, her tone sharp. "And why should I?" Sabrina spat back. "I'm warning you, my lady. Watch your mouth!" Ryan's face darkened and his fists clenched at his sides. There were more eyewitnesses now poking around and trying to see what was going on, and I didn't want
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Chase "Make sure you pay attention when using a knife, or you'll chop your finger off," I told the class as I skilfully diced the garlic on the chopping board.The boys watched, wide-eyed, as the pieces fell neatly onto the chopping board. When I was done, I wiped my hand with a kitchen rag and walked around the room, paying attention to what the other boys were doing. Some diced slowly and precisely, and others cut the garlic into jagged pieces. "Don't worry; with time and practice, you all will learn how to do it," I assured, adjusting my glasses.It was my second-day visiting Ruernia, and I'd decided to spend my last and final day here teaching a cooking class for boys. I hadn't done something like this in a while and was slowly settling back into my humanitarian and royal duties. I had hoped to be back home yesterday, but the meetings stretched out longer than I thought they would, so I had to postpone the class I had promised the boys to today.Zara and I exchanged calls and t
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ZARA.Chase asked me on a date!I looked at myself for the millionth time in my room mirror and adjusted the lined layers of my dress. I had decided to go for a long, red silk dress that fit me like a glove, and it shimmered under the soft light of my room. The dress was also backless, which was a little risqué but perfect. My hair was not in its usual bun this time. I'd left it in a curly Afro, and my makeup was light and minimal. Just a hint of mascara and a touch of tinted lip gloss; perfect for an evening dinner date.Butterflies danced wildly in my stomach because this was the first date Chase and I were going for, and the anticipation was overwhelming. Chase returned last night, and just before we retired to our separate rooms for the night, he asked me on a date tonight, and I couldn't wait!I had no idea where he was taking me yet, but that only seemed to add to my excitement. And nervousness at the same time."What do you think?" I asked Pamela and Bella, who had been stand
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We had light chatter as the car pulled out of the driveway and headed toward the restaurant. We spoke about safe topics like his time away and the upcoming events, but we never deviated from those topics to discuss the issue lingering in the air. The night at his family home. It was obvious he didn't want to talk about it, and I didn't want to sound like a desperate lady eager for some attention. I mean, he initiated the kiss, and he pulled away on his own accord. Not because I was a terrible kisser, because I know I wasn't. Or was I? Now I'm not sure anymore.So I did the reasonable thing anyone in my situation would. I completely pushed the conversation to the back burner and didn't worry about it anymore. Now, I could notice the tension between us, but I didn't want to spoil our evening by bringing up a topic that could dampen the mood. 'He likes you,' Nia said. 'Isn't it obvious?''He's just being nice,' I countered.I had a history of latching on to men who were just being ni
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I watched him move around the kitchen, stirring the pasta until it was covered in the tomato based sauce, and he kept adding bits of pasta water. Chase was making a brownie, my favorite dessert, and from the corner of my eye, I saw a vanilla ice cream tub in the freezer, and my heart melted.Brownies with ice cream may seem childish, but it was my all-time favorite dessert and has gotten me through many dark times. It may seem basic to some, but to me, it was heavenly. Chase did not just take me out on a date, but was cooking for me as well.Tears stung at my eyes, threatening to fall because no one had ever done something like this for me before. It felt nice to be considered and pampered. He meticulously measured ingredients, his brow furrowing in concentration as he sifted flour and cocoa powder. Each movement was precise, and one can easily notice the amount of thought, and care put into it. "You really did your research," I spoke out before I became a bawling mess.He smiled
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Lycan King's Jaded Mate 67.
ZARA. The morning light from the half opened curtain filtered into the room and I moved to the side, hoping to feel Chase's body beside me, but he wasn't there. We had spent a huge chunk of last night tangled up against each other in bed and I felt safe and protected in his arms. These past few weeks had been tumultuous to say the least, and I was just glad I had my best friend back to take care of me. As much as I wanted to be mean and cruel to Chase, when he explained everything to me, I could see where he was coming from. He deserved to be scared just like I was when I realised that I'd lost my mate and would be carrying around a mark on my wrist for the nearest foreseeable future. I had no idea what to do with myself, but Chase had swooped in and practically saved me. He was scared he'd lose me, and that was a completely understandable emotion. I was giving him grace because he'd proven to be who he said he was, ever since the first moment I met him. I wasn't going to hang
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Another question that could put me in a difficult situation, but again, I chose honesty. "No, Snookums. I chose to marry you because I wanted you. Because the bond had already snapped into place for me." I swallowed. "And then, as time passed, my connection with you became stronger and I knew without a shadow of doubt that I was never going to let you go." "So you didn't tell me we were mates so I wouldn't stay? Did you hope I would leave? Because I still can't understand your reasoning there." The one question I'd asked myself now for weeks. The one I'd battled and created debates over. Why didn't I tell Zara she was my mate? In hindsight, it seemed so easy to do, but it wasn't. But I knew the answer. Hell, I'd known since the bond kicked into place. "I was scared!" I finally admitted out loud after all those weeks of avoiding the main reason. "I was terrified, Zara. Finding my mate was something I'd definitely given up on, as you can tell, I'm not a complete youngin." "You're
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CHASE. I watched Zara inhale, her bottom lip quivering as she spoke up. "Is there anything else you would like to tell me? Secrets have lived between us for a while now and I don't want that to continue to happen." I froze for a bit, racking my brain and thinking about anything I might have kept from her till now, but at that moment, I couldn't think of anything. But still, I felt like there was something I was missing, something very important. "No," I responded slowly. "Are you sure?" Zara asked again, but before I could reply, she continued speaking. "Because I want to know why you didn't tell me we were mates." I completely froze in my spot, unmoving. That was something else I'd forgotten to tell her. Not entirely forgotten, per say, but something I had hid from her selfishly. "I...H...how did you know about that?" I asked, the wheels in my brain moving a mile a minute. I also wanted to ask her how long she'd known for too, but I didn't want to push it. Zara sat down pr
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"What concoction are you talking about?" I asked as I stood up. Was this his way of running away from the conversation or was he playing another trick? "You don't have to lie. I know everything. You tried to get rid of the baby before I even knew you were pregnant!" He yelled. I said nothing. My head was spinning, my mind twirling with thoughts that made no sense. And Chase was raging angry, panting like a lion ready to devour its prey after a quick chase "First of all, it's crazy that no one told me that's why I almost lost our child," I started, keeping my voice calm and steady. "Zara, I..." But I didn't let him finish. "Secondly, I didn't even know I was pregnant, Chase," I repeated what I had told him at the hospital. "It didn't cross my mind for one moment that the reason for my changes was because I was pregnant. So why would I try to get rid of a child I had no idea I was carrying?" Chase shook his head. " Bella said she saw you taking a pregnancy test." My blood ran c
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The moment stretched on, the silence, albeit thick with tension, provided me a bit of reprieve from everything else. The chaos that just happened and one I was sure would flare up once we decided to discuss things. I wasn't going to meekly wait for him to offer me explanations now. I am done with that! "I am so sorry, Snookums," Chase finally broke the silence, his voice sending a rush of calm through my nerves. Again with the very vague apology. One that doesn't seem to have any meaning. I needed him to tell me what he was apologising for specifically, because as far as I was concerned, he'a done a lot of questionable things in the past week that needed apologies. I also knew that for my mental health and his, I couldn't keep pushing this conversation until I was ready. Because the thing was, I had no idea when exactly I would be ready, considering I wasn't one who was ever comfortable discussing her feelings. I was never one taken serious back home, so I got used to bottling my
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Zara I watched wide eyed as punch after punch flew between Chase and Ryan. It had all started in a blur. A type of blur that I did not anticipate. Ryan grabbed Chase by the collar punching him and they bumped into the walls, knocked down the coffee table and the tea set on top, breaking the set into a million tiny pieces on the floor. They struggled against each other, both trying to be the one on top, but Chase was currently straddling Ryan and punching him. The fighting made no sense because there was nothing to it. I could tell that Chase was acting completely out of anger because I was talking to Ryan. And Ryan was trying as much as he could to defend himself, while Shane was trying to stop it just like I was. It wasn't going great though, because Chase kept pushing Shane away and plummeting the life out of Ryan. It was a very unfair scene because Chase was ten times stronger than the two men combined. I've never seen Chase this angry and out of control in all the time I'v
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When I arrived at her room on the first day, I was confused and borderline depressed. I met Isa in the room when I’d walked in and she had said Zara was taking a shower and wouldn’t like to see anyone. Yet, I could smell her close by and I couldn’t hear the sound of the shower running. I wanted to insist on seeing her because I desperately needed answers, but I also knew that I had to give her space even though I didn’t want to. My mind was still pretty set on the fact that Zara had not done what the consulate said, but it was so hard when the opinion of everyone else was in my head. I mean, she didn’t know we were mates, so of course, she didn’t want to keep the pregnancy. We both knew that this might not last long, so the genius plan was obviously to get rid of the pregnancy. I poured myself a glass of whiskey as Shane walked into the room. “Still no luck?” he asked, sitting across from me and I shook my head. “I don’t know what to do right now and who to believe. I really
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Chase I lingered in front of Zara's room after a long day trip. It was the third day since her return from the hospital and my meeting with the consulate, and I hadn’t been able to see her. I thought about barging in and demanding an audience with her, but I was already on Zara's bad list, and I didn’t want to push her away any longer. Yet, even standing by this door, I could smell her, and my entire body shivered with need. I would do anything right now to hold her, kiss her, and tell her that everything would be alright. I paused for a couple of minutes and knocked on the door, hoping for a response. When none came, I pushed it open and walked inside, expecting to see Isa standing watch by the door and ready to stop me from entering. But nobody was there right now, except for Zara, who was lying on the bed, and I was certain she wasn’t asleep. The sound of her heartbeat resounded in my ears as her scent filled me. Somehow, I am more aware of her now and the mate bond, most
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ZARA. I walked into mine and Chase's chambers, my spirit down and feeling sadder than I'd ever been in a while. Perhaps ever since I got here. We were expecting a child, and instead of being over the moon and ecstatic, I felt drained and tired. It was heartbreaking that Chase didn't want the child that we were having together, but it was even worse that we might be mates and I had no idea. Because he hid it from me. I sighed heavily and slumped into a nearby chair, my mind a complete mess. These past few days had shown me the amount of love I was surrounded by. I was constantly being doted on, and the one person I wanted to feel a bit of care from was nowhere to be found. Chase and I hardly talk to each other, or better yet, I do most of the avoiding. Learning that we were mates, and he hid that from me broke my heart. It made me question why he chose to hide it, and if I had any right to have the feelings I thought I had for him. Right now, I wasn't sure anymore. First, I was
