Chapter Thirteen

Tara

Leaving Blue Moon felt surreal. It had been my home for my whole life. Everything I knew was here. I had rarely ventured off of pack lands.

My entire life had changed in less than forty-eight hours. Mate bond? Check. Future Queen? Check. New Lycan-enhanced strength, weirdly lavender eyes, and a wolf who now had a Lycan alter ego? Triple check.

It wasn’t a dream. This was my life.

My pack had seen me off with great fanfare. All dressed up, gathered for an evening of cocktails and celebrating my life. They had a PowerPoint presentation with pictures of highlights from my life, starting in childhood.

I was a little embarrassed, almost creeped out, in a way. It felt like a funeral. Like the old me was dead, and this new version had replaced it. Were they mourning the loss of me, or celebrating my moving on to a grand new life? Perhaps more importantly, which of those was I doing?

Now we were about to head to Mac’s castle. To our castle. It still felt weird to call it that. Like I was borrowing something that didn’t really belong to me yet.

“You’re overthinking again,” Mac said as we loaded the last of the boxes I was taking with me into my car, where Alexander sat in the driver’s seat, a boyish gleam in his eyes.

“Never,” I replied to Mac, flashing him a smile. Then, I sighed. “How can you tell?”

“You always stare at the ground like it’s trying to pick a fight.”

“Maybe it is,” I said. I smacked his arm, then leaned into his shoulder, silently grateful he knew how to make me laugh even when my brain was being a jerk. “Be nice to my car,” I warned Alexander, feeling a bit silly— I’d been driving for five years. He’d been driving since cars were invented.

“This car wants to go fast,” he grinned, “but I promise, she’s safe with me.”

“Don’t blow my new speakers,” I showed him how to access the hands-free system, and even logged him in to my streaming service. “You can listen to whatever you want.” I shook my head, smiling as his face lit up. He had a goofy, almost puppy-like quality that was very endearing. He was my mate’s Beta, but also his best friend, so I was glad we got along.

I took one last look at the Pack House, determined not to cry. I succeeded, but barely. Saying goodbye to my parents had been I took a deep breath and climbed into the back of the SUV with Mac. “You okay?” He asked, and I nodded. He pulled me close to him and held me as the convoy pulled away, and I clung to him like a lifeline.

We’d made it about thirty minutes down the highway when we hit the ambush, a crowd that flooded the road and brought us to a standstill. Mac got out to confront them, and I followed him. I shouldn’t have.

They weren’t a threat, but they were terrifying in their own way. Paparazzi. A horde of them. Lying in wait like they knew we’d pass this way. Cameras flashed like lightning strikes. Drones zipped overhead. Shouts filled the air:

“Is that her?”

“Queen Tara! How does it feel to be mated to the Lycan King?”

“Did you two mate in the woods the first night you met?”

“Do you really eat raw meat?”

“Are you pregnant yet?!”

“LOOK THIS WAY!”

And then,

Click. Click. Click.

Too much. Too fast.

The sound. The flashes. The suffocating pressure of a thousand eyes on me. I felt my chest tightening like a boa constrictor had me in a death grip. My breath caught in my throat.

“Tara?” Mac’s voice was calm but urgent. “Tara, look at me.”

I couldn’t. I stumbled, almost losing my balance.

Everything was spiraling. The world was tilting. My wolf whimpered. My Lycan snarled. The mate bond pulsed, trying to anchor me, but even that was distant, muffled. Mac gently pushed me back into the vehicle, shielding me until he could slam the door shut behind us.

“Tara,” he said again, cupping my face. “You’re safe. Breathe with me.”

In. Out. In. Out.

This was the worst panic attack ever. I just wanted to hide, to crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head. Hot tears stung my cheeks, tiny rivers of humiliation escaping their banks.

Eventually, the shaking stopped. The roaring in my ears dulled to a whisper. I collapsed into Mac’s chest. “I’m sorry.” I whispered.

“Don’t be. That was a lot.” A female voice, assertive yet reassuring, came from the front seat. We broke free from the crowd, finally, moving at a slow crawl, then gaining speed as it thinned. From the front, Mac’s third in command, Aimee, turned slightly. “We need to stop for a moment, to reroute. They will be camping out all along this road, near every city. Annoying bastards.” She smiled at me, with genuine concern and empathy. I immediately liked her. “Nice to finally meet you, I tend to hang out behind the scenes. Mac, your mate is gorgeous. I’m Aimee,” she said.to me.

“Nice to meet you too,” I replied, “sorry about that, stupid panic attacks. I don’t usually have them like that.”

“Don’t apologize, for Goddess sake. You aren’t used to the fame, and it’s fucking terrifying at first, for anyone.” She winked at me, before turning her attention back to the map displayed on the touch screen.

We stopped a minute later. Mac got out to discuss the route change, and I pulled myself the rest of the way together, at least for a moment.

Then, there was a knock at the window. I rolled it down, and to my surprise Cindy poked her head through the opening.

“Don’t worry! I gave a few internet-friendly statements for you while you recovered. Told them I was your royal advisor. You’re welcome.”

“You what?” I eyed her suspiciously. Was she being nice? Or was this a trick?

“Relax,” she said, waving it off. “They ate it up. You need someone who understands how to manipulate public image, and clearly, you’re overwhelmed.” She smiled, and before I could respond, she disappeared, like one of the rodents in the Whack-a-Mole game.

I rolled up the window, wondering what planet I had been transported to. Since when did Cindy defend me in public to the paparazzi? How did such a situation even become a possibility?

“Don’t worry. If she told them anything stupid, I’ll eat her for dinner,” Trinity growled.

I groaned, sinking back into the plush leather seat. “Tell the aliens to turn the mothership around and take me back,” I muttered. I’d been so confident yesterday. Now I was questioning everything. I had thrown myself to the wolves, and they were hungry.

Very hungry.