The Prince’s Unwilling mate

099 Griffin

By the tI finally could go to bed, I was exhausted, and I still didn’t have an appetites Desperately wanting to feel closer to Ayla I decided to just go to sleep in the bed that still vaguely smells of her. When I find one of my shirts she wore to bed the last night we were together under her pillows I slip into it. Normally I would sleep topless but, having her scent envelopis the most calming thing for me at this moment. I allow myself to close my eyes and imagine she is peacefully sleeping next to me. I know this will alone causemore pain in the morning. But for now, I let it lullinto a peaceful sleep.

***

The next morning I woke up after a fitful sleep. Wearing a shirt that smelled of her helpedfall asleep peacefully. However, I should have known that it would never be enough to actually have a peaceful night. Even my subconscious misses the feeling of her in my arms when I am sleeping. I needed to get up though, we would travel to the White Oak pack shortly. After the announcement on the website, I let the pack know we were still actively searching for their Princess.

And after yesterday’s hiccup, we now truly had the support of the entire pack and it meant the world to me. Not only because it would make my life, and my mission to get the love of my life back toso much easier. No, I wanted Ayla to have a warm, loving pack. That missed her, that believed her and fought for her to go htoo. Being without our mates

099 Griffin

288 Vouchers

even without having completed the process was painful for any wolf. We had always managed to take the edge off with texting every day. Making sure we were surrounded by each other’s scent. I highly

doubt David. would allow her any of those.

That’s the dark place my mind keeps going back to. Trying to imagine what he is doing to her. How he is trying to break her because I know from my own experience just how strong she is. And just how stubborn she is, she will keep fighting him if not physically she will fight him mentally. I wish I could tell her to just go along with everything he is coming up with. That I would never blher for acting like she prefers him over me. I know it is not true but, if that is what is going to keep her safe she should do it. Just hold out long enough forto cand save her. Sadly I cannot reach her and she will be too stubborn, she lovestoo much to speak badly about me.

With a body that feels like it’s been run over by a tow truck, I shuffle towards the bathroom. Hoping that a hot shower will release sof the tension in my body. I feel like I have to be ready for anything, every second of the day now. So my body has been tensed up ever since reading that letter. Ready to pounce on whoever I need to pounce on. And it made my muscles sore, of course, the lack of nutrition doesn’t help either. But how could I be stuffing my face when I am not sure that Ayla even gets to eat anything?

When I walk out of the shower Mom is waiting for me, a plate of scrambled eggs with bacon sits on my dining room table next to a mug of coffee.

“Honey, I know you don’t want to but you need to eat something. The

099 Griffin

28B Vouchers

only way we are getting your mate back is by keeping our strengths up. You know Ayla would never want you to starve yourself” She adds the last words in a gentler tone.

She is right, I can practically hear Ayla scoldfor not taking care of myself. It feels like nobody gets it though. Nobody seems to understand how much the simplest things like eating or even breathing feel without her. No one in my family or pack has ever been through something like this. So there is nobody here I can talk to.

“I know Mom, I just miss her so much that it hurts me” I can barely hold in my sobs.

Suddenly Mom’s arms are around me, it feels so comforting. Like it did when I was a little pup crying over a scraped knee or a missing toy. Only now I was an adult, set to take over the throne in a few years. And now it was my heart that was hurting and I lost my mate, not my favorite toy So Mom’s hugs could only go so far. Still, it comfortedenough to attempt to eat breakfast. My mouth felt dry, and my throat was swollen. I had trouble with every bite I swallowed down. Feeling like the bit of fluffy eggs got lodged in my throat.

Two hours later I sat in the royal jet, heading towards the White Oak pack once more. Next towas an empty chair, the chair where Ayla should have been seated. I should be flying to the White Oak pack not because I needed to find out what happened to her. No, we needed to be

43 67%

15-38

000 Griffin

288 IVouchers

going there together to visit her family. Maybe even to go over to bring them sgood news.

Still, I was glad to be out of the castle, looking for hints here would feel so much better than just sitting at home. Staring at words or images on a computer screen to try and get more information. After

landing we would go straight to the packhouse to speak with Alpha Cedric and the rest of his family, he was heartbroken about the news too. But as the Alpha, he couldn’t just cover to the castle and leave the pack without a leader. More so because the kidnapping had taken place on his packground. Indicating a breach of security, something he had to look into. Both to keep the rest of the pack safe and to see if there are any hints to find out what happened to Ayla.

After we arrived we did as we planned, we spoke to Alpha Cedric and he had snews for us. Since it had been peace among

the neighboring packs for so long there wasn’t any security around the borders of the pack apart from the guards station at the entrance. With the party and how well–loved Ayla was in this pack. almost everyone had attended the party so security was at an all–tlow.

Sof the security cameras on the property had managed to capture three unknown wolves. He had also been able to track most of Ayla’s route home, not all of it as the security cameras where put into place to protect the heart of the pack better. And to possibly form evidence if there ever was a fight between pack members.

15:38

099 Griffin

1298 Vouchers

It was better than nothing though because it meant there was a set path Ayla had taken to her home. With our combined force we would research every inch of said path to look for traces or hints of what had happened to her. Agreeing with the rest of us that the Blood Moon pack had to be involved. David more specifically, Cedric asked everyone to look at the wolves on the camera. Hopefully one of the

former Blood Moon members could confirm who it was. The council had already agreed with us that we had more than enough evidence to act on our suspicions that it was David who kidnapped my mate.

So we didn’t need to know who kidnapped her to be able to act upon it. It was still valuable information. We could maybe use it to put spressure on the kidnapper hoping they would crumble underneath the weight of it. Confessing and pointing us out to Ayla in return for a lesser

sentence.

Upon seeing the security camera footage both Jessa and Dan jumped up stating they knew who the wolf on the screen was. But I noticed. something else as I closely monitored the videos for any lead that could bring Ayla back to me.

100 Griffin