Chapter 3

Jasmine

Age fourteen.

“So what was so important that you had to talk to me?” Cato asked.

I looked over at Ginger sitting beside me at the umbrella table. Winter and Sofia were racing in the pool. Cato sat across from us with the water dripping from his blonde hair, his brown eyes fixed on Ginger's breast.

What a damn perv

“I will only agree to this marriage on one condition,” I told him.

His almost nonexistent eyebrow raises.

“Okay, I’ll bite. What’s the condition?”

Ginger gives me a reassuring nod and I take a deep breath.

“This marriage will only be on paper. You will not be allowed to kiss me, touch me, and most definitely no sex,” I tell him and take a sip of my lemonade.

The corner of his mouth raises.

“And why would I agree to that? The point of the marriage is that our Lycan genes will make a powerful baby,” He raises his eyebrow up and down as his brown eyes roam my body.

Gross!

I chuckled because he doesn't know yet that I don’t have the gene Winter does.

“I don’t have the gene,” I told him, and pointed to Winter, “My ten year old sister does,”

Cato glances at the pool then his eyes land on Ginger.

“If I agree to your terms, I’ll get to have any girl I please and you’ll be okay with it?”

I nod.

“We will be married but live separate lives,” I replied.

He shrugs.

“I can do that. My father won’t like this but at least the kingdoms will still have the merger and that’s the most important thing. We will rule together and have the strongest kingdom of all,” Cato holds out his hand.

“Deal,” We shook on it.

“I’ll have my father's lawyer to draw up the agreement. Once it’s signed we can be friends and learn to work together,” I tell him.

He nods.

“Text me when you have that done,” He stands and walks over to the ledge of the pool and dives in.

“That was easier than I thought,” I whispered.

Ginger narrows her eyes at me.

“Did you see the way he gawked at me? I wanted to throw up,”

We both giggled out loud.

Since we’re all staying the night at Cato’s place Tyson gave us all rooms Ginger and I sharing a room but I’m using another room's shower to wash the chlorine out of my hair from our swim.

The smell in this mansion smells like Tyson Cato and Mia ... .but that faint smell that I’ve smelled on aunt Mia before is all over this place. It smells so good it’s making my mouth water. My throat slightly burns when I walk into a place where the smell is stronger.

I smile to myself as I rinse out the conditioner. I did it! I actually did. I talked to Cato and got him to agree on the terms. I was worried that he would refuse and cause trouble for me. If he hadn’t agreed I was planning on telling my parents I was not going to be Queen. I know my father said it was a must that I couldn’t refuse the crown but my mother said if I really didn’t want it I didn’t have to and she would stand behind me no matter what I chose.

My mom knows what I've given up to be Queen and she knows the pain that I’m going to feel when I have to give up my mate. Right now I’m just disappointed in myself for hurting my future mate but I don’t feel the bond so it’s not so painful.

Mom said that pain will hurt more than anything I can imagine.

I wonder if she can place a spell on me that keeps me from feeling pain?

Note to self ask mom.

As everyone took their seats at dinner and thanks Tyson I had to sit next to Cato.

“Did the two of you workout everything?” Tyson asked, the question was toward both of us but he was asking Cato.

He nods.

“Yes, sir. Jasmine and I are going steady,” Cato announces, and I almost drowned from the swallow of water.

Geez, try and warm a girl before you announce something like that.

“Are you okay, Jazz?” Cato asked, patting my back.

narrowing my eyes I plastered a fake smile.

“I’m fine,” I replied, still coughing.

“The two of you need to visit each other often so you can work out how you are going to run your new kingdom together,” Cato’s mother Mia said.

Mia is nice but she’s so far up Tyson ass you don't know where she starts and he ends.

My mother nods in agreement.

What the hell.

“I agree,” my father says.

“Maybe Jasmine can come here with Ginger's company of course and Cato is always welcome at our palace,” he added.

You have got to be kidding. I don’t want to come here all the time. Goddess please help me!

“Sounds like a plan. What do you two think?” Tyson asked Cato and me.

I smile at Cato but my eyes are telling him to say no but he doesn’t. He nods with approval.

What’s going on? Cato agreed we will only be a man and wife on paper so why is he agreeing to see me so often? What is this boy thinking?

“We think that’s a great idea,” Cato answered.

Tyson nods, “it’s settled then shall we play a game of charades?” He asked.

Everyone nods and we follow him toward the game room.

Tyson freezes when a woman with red hair walks from what only looks like a wall. Maybe a bathroom?

“I was just giving….”

“You were just leaving,” Tyson cuts the girl off before she could even finish her sentence. The tension between them was thick; she shifted on her feet as her and Tyson had a stare down.

That smell. I close my eyes and inhale a deep breath. It’s stronger this time and it’s coming from the redhead that is standing only a few feet from me.

Her red hair is shoulder length and her pasty white skin is covered with all different kinds of tattoos. Her fingers have a variety of colors all the way up her arms, and her face has multiple tattoos with bright colorful butterfly covering her left eye. It’s beautiful but I bet it was painful to get.

“I’ll be right back. Mia can you show you to the game room partner up and I’ll be there shortly,” Tyson says and gives a short nod to his wife and she nods in understanding. They were saying something secretly with their eyes.

Everyone follows Mia to the game room but I fall behind and sneak off behind Tyson. He walks towards a wall and he stands there.

What the hell is he doing? It’s a wall it doesn’t……

Before I could finish my thought Tyson slid the wall to the side and to my surprise it’s a hidden elevator.

Why would they hide an elevator? Where does it go?

Tyson stands there in front of the door he keeps looking over his shoulder why doesn’t he just open it? What’s he waiting for?

The doors open and Tyson steps onto the elevator and the doors close.

Where does that elevator lead? Most importantly, why are they hiding it?

The door to the elevator opens and Tyson walks out. He’s Angry.

I frowned.

What could have gotten him in such a bad mood?

“Jasmine?” Mama calls out.

I quickly hold my stomach and double over.

“Jasmine, what’s wrong honey?” She asks. She’s concerned, I knew she would be, she's always afraid that with any sickness I get it’s my heart acting up.

“My stomach is upset. Is it okay if I don’t play the game and lie down instead?”

She nods.

“You go on up to bed and I’ll check on you later,” She kisses my head and I walk towards the stairs. Once my mom was out of sight I ran over to the wall that’s hiding that elevator.

I push it over and expose the golden doors of the elevator. I look around but there’s no button.

“How does it open?” I said to myself out loud.

My eyes widened when the doors opened and I stepped inside.

That smell it’s so much stronger here. The sweet delicious smell has my mouth watering to the point I’m drooling.

It’s not moving.

What the hell is wrong with this? Again I look around for the buttons but none. What kind of elevator has no buttons? The only thing I’ve noticed was a fingerprint scanner but that was on the outside there’s nothing on the inside.

My heart pounds in my chest as the elevator starts to move.