Chapter Six: Angry With My Mate, and Angry Ex-Mate.

Iris’s Point of View

I didn’t speak with my mate and still made a fool of myself. Great, just great. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t talk. If I thought that Alec was good-looking, damn, my mate was in a whole different league.

“You are so right; I could lick him anytime,” Minerva muttered as she drooled.

“Minerva, calm yourself. You are not helping,” I mumbled.

“He is yummy,” she repeated.

“Indeed,” I replied.

He is taller than Alec. I would say at least 6 feet, 5 inches, making me look like a kid beside him. He has mesmerizing blue eyes with sparks of gold and green, short black hair at the sides and longer at the top, and luscious, full, pink lips just asking to be kissed. And his body. I could see that he had ripping muscles under that black suit that he was wearing, and I think that he had a tattoo, but his shirt covered it.

I’m drooling, and that makes me look like a dumb teenager. I haven’t answered him correctly, for Goddess’s sake. I seemed like a damn mute, causing Stephanie to give me death stares. Well, I guess I deserve it; he is the King, after all, and I haven’t talked properly to him. I should have greeted and bowed to him, but I couldn’t. My mind didn’t seem to work at the moment.

I was surprised he was so calm. He even growled at Stephanie when she was being a bitch to me. I guess he is a decent human being, but as everyone here treats me like crap, it is weird that he is being this nice.

“He is our mate; of course, he is nice to us,” Minerva huffed.

“Oh, that is right. How could I forget? He is my freaking mate. I have to become the breeder of my mate,” I said through gritted teeth.

“Why are you so mad at our mate?” Minerva asked.

I couldn’t answer her, though. I wasn’t angry at him; I was scared. He didn’t know that I was the wolf-less girl of the pack.

“You are not wolf-less. I am your wolf, Iris.” Minerva said softly.

“You showed up a little late, so no one knows I have a wolf,” I responded.

“You knew who your mate was, didn’t you?” Minerva asked.

“Yeah. I knew, but you showed up a few years later. And may I add that you don’t talk much to me; you disappeared entirely after the rejection.” I answered her.

She just huffed and retreated to the back of my mind. My wolf is mouthy. I love her, but we haven’t shifted yet, so everyone still calls me wolf-less.

He will be very disappointed when he finds out my real reputation. I doubt that my sister or Alec will keep that to themselves. They have to give him a reason for me wanting to be a breeder, as I am a young and ranked wolf.

I walked behind him until we reached Alec’s office. Stephanie gestured at him, so he entered the office. She was going to walk behind him, but he turned to look at me and gave me his hand.

“I’m going to talk to her alone.” He ordered in the deepest and sexiest voice I have ever heard.

That startled Stephanie, but she nodded and allowed me to go into the office. The King let me pass before him and then shut the door. I didn’t know what to do. I stood there in the middle of the office.

He looked around and found a couple of chairs. He gestured for me to sit on one of them and took the other. I sat there and fidgeted with my fingers to calm my racing nerves. He looked at me and sighed before he spoke.

“Iris, I don’t like to impose myself on others, but we need to talk.” He said in a gentle voice.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. My behavior was not the best. I was startled at first. Please forgive me,” I said as I bowed.

He gave me an amused look, and I had to bite my tongue to avoid making a snarky remark. I will get in so much trouble if I don’t control myself.

“He would punish us. That would be interesting.” Minerva said—damn horny and crazy wolf.

“Calm yourself; it is hard for me to focus, and you are not making it easier,” I scolded Minerva.

“I don’t want to make it easier; he is our mate. I want to go there so that he can f—” I blocked her from my mind.

Focus Iris.

I looked at Kayden. No, King Kayden. And he just stared back at me. Did he say something?

“Damn it, Minerva, it’s your fault for distracting me.”

“Hey, don’t pin the blame on me; you are just as attracted to him as I am. I just voice your inner thoughts.” She stated.

I had to fight the urge to roll my eyes at her.

Focus Iris. I repeated mentally.

“You are a mouthy one, aren’t you, Iris?” He said as he chuckled.

Was he making fun of me? I haven’t said anything. In fact, I was on my best behavior. I squinted my eyes as I analyzed him.

“I haven’t said anything, Your Majesty,” I replied. Simple and plain, if I add too many words, then I may commit a mistake.

“You haven’t, but I can see your inner turmoil in your eyes. You are trying to control yourself, aren’t you?” Kayden said, trying to hold his laughter.

Hmm, so he is observant. I looked at him for a couple of seconds. I took a deep breath, debating what to do, but the best option was to rip the band-aid off.

“What do you want to discuss, our mate bond or the breeder deal?” I blurted out.

I just laid out both topics. If I was going to be rejected again, it better be quick.

“To be fair, you rejected Alec,” Minerva mumbled under her breath.

“Hold your horses. I rejected him because he wanted to reject me first. You were okay with it! You even told me you wanted Mars but not Alec. Don’t put the blame on me, Minerva,” I exclaimed.

“I see you get straight to the point. I like it.” He said with a grin that made my knees weak. “I want to address the fact that we are mates, but for that, I think we need to clarify a few things.”

“Why do you need a breeder?” I asked before we could continue.

That question has been nagging me since I saw him. He’s got the looks; he could get any girl if he wanted. Suddenly, his eyes darkened, and the surrounding air became chilly. His power radiated from him in waves, telling me he was furious.

“I don’t need a breeder; I needed a breeder. Past tense. Now I have my mate in front of me.” Kayden growled. I rolled my eyes at him.

So bossy. I haven’t accepted him as my mate.

“Okay, that’s what you needed. Still, you came here for a reason, and I want to know why,” I said, crossing my arms in front of me to show my determination. He was not going to leave this room before I got my answer.

“Well… I was pressured to take a chosen mate.” There it goes, I thought, and my eyes started to water involuntarily. “No, no, please don’t cry.” He rapidly said, letting out a sigh. “Look, I am twenty-eight, so it was assumed that my mate had died. The council worried there would be no heir, so they pressured me to take a chosen mate, but now that I have found you, it is no longer necessary.”

“Still, that doesn’t explain why you needed a breeder. You could have a son with your chosen mate.” I replied.

“Indeed, but I wanted to have an heir before to avoid any she-wolf who would approach me just for the throne.” He explained.

And that is when realization kicked in. If I had not been his mate, he would have taken my baby, just like that, snatched from my arms. Minerva started growling in my mind at the thought of having to leave her pup.

He must have noticed the anger in my eyes as he quickly grabbed my hand and caressed it, making sparks erupt from my skin. It felt amazing; the sensation made me gasp and quickly move my hand. That made Kayden look hurt and sad, but he quickly recovered.

“So, you were going to snatch someone’s baby from her arms. And that someone could have been me, and all for what? To be able to judge someone’s character and make the right choice of a chosen mate.” I seethed.

He wasn’t a two-year-old; he was a grown-ass man.

“I didn’t expect you to understand. It doesn’t sound good to you, but I have reasons. If you want to judge me for them, then so be it. But you should give the bond a chance.” He replied, and I could register his soft plea in his voice.

I wanted to give this bond a chance; I really did. But first, I wanted to see his reaction, knowing I’m not the beloved beta daughter he might think I am.

“I’m wolf-less. My mother died during childbirth, and it is said that I’m cursed.” There. Everything is on full display now.

“What the hell are you doing, Iris?” Minerva asks, shrieking.

I wanted to know if he would want me even if he thought I was weak. I now know I have a wolf but haven’t turned yet, so I can still pass as wolf-less.

“I’m almost like a slave here. I work with the omegas, but even they mistreat me.” I finished and waited for his answer. That would determine a lot about our future.

He stood there thinking. I should have known he was going to reject me. Well, I’m prepared for it. But what is taking him so long, and his eyes continue to shift colors? If I wanted, I could hear his wolf and him, but I don’t want to. It is going to be the…

“Sorry, I had to control my wolf. He wanted to murder your pack for the way they had treated you. I don’t care that you don’t have a wolf; we have to train you, though. Being queen means that you’ll have to be extra careful with threats. I just don’t understand something. How do you know you’re my mate if you don’t have a wolf?” Kayden questioned.

I just looked at him and gaped like a fish. Doesn’t he care that I’m not what they promised him?

“I told you,” Minerva said smugly.

“Yes, Minerva, I know you told me. I just wanted to be sure,” I replied.

“I don’t know, I just do. It was the same with my first mate.” I said, and he emitted the most powerful growl I had ever heard.

“How are you going to tell him that you do have a wolf? And why did you mention Alec, Iris? Kayden is losing it.” Minerva scolded me.

“Geez, Minerva, I’m sorry. I didn’t know it would set him off. And I will tell him when we turn regarding your question,” I snapped back.

She huffed and retreated to the back of my mind. I knew she was right. Kayden is the King, so his instincts are extremely powerful. I just had to poke the bear.

I knew what his next question would be. He was going to ask me who my first mate was, but Alec knocked on the door before we could continue.

“Excuse me, Your Majesty, Elder Tobias came here and asked for you. What should I tell him?” He asked.

Why is there an Elder here?

The Elders are the oldest wolves. They are supposed to be the wisest and even the strongest among us. Seven of them compose the council, and with the King, they create our laws. Only Kayden is stronger than an Elder. They rarely come to our pack because we are not one of the strongest. Weird.

“I’m coming out no,” He looked at me once again but said nothing. I knew he had to go. If an Elder came all this way, he needed to discuss something important. He left the office and closed the door.

“You made him mad. What did you expect?” Minerva grumbled, but before I could continue speaking with her, the door opened, and Alec entered his office.

He looked furious, and as soon as he closed the door, he approached me with incredible speed and started choking me against the wall.

“What did you say to him, Iris?” His face was red. I could see he was furious. The veins in his forehead popped, and his eyes changed color. “Answer me!” He yelled at me.

But I couldn’t. I literally couldn’t, as he wasn’t letting air pass through. I started seeing black spots in my vision and knew this was probably my end.