The Banished Mate is a hidden princess.

Aylin brushes her fingers down her turtleneck top. The sleeves were opened by the shoulders. She was feeling squeamish again. The healers told her it was symptoms of pregnancy, but she couldn’t bring herself to believe it. 

Staring at herself in the mirror, she wondered how many times, years, she would believe it. People were already talking. It was bad enough they hated her and saw her as a weakling because she had no wolf, but she couldn’t do the simple duty of a woman and a luna.

Bring the pack’s next heir.

She was useless.

Honestly, no difference from a human. 

It would have been better if she were an omega; at least she would have been a proud omega. But she was useless beyond bounds. 

No wolf.

No, nothing.

Honestly, the only things that were a mediocre semblance of wolfish traits were her sharp hearing and healing.

But those two were still unremarkable. Better than humans for sure—after all, no human can heal a broken bone in five days—but it was worse than a wolf. No insult, to put it truthfully. The only plausible reason a wolf would take that long would be that they probably had a silver shot at them.

But not Aylin Woods. That was how she was. 

Aylin sighed, tearing a toilet roll and using it to wipe her hands. Her eyes landed on her neck before it widened. 

She forgot something important. Something vital. Grabbing the bottoms of her high-waist skirt, she pushed the door, rushing out of the restroom back to her room.

Thank goodness she didn’t forget honestly.

The door to her room opened before she touched the nub.

“Paige? What are you doing here?” Aylin asked, as her head tilted to the side with her brows furrowed down.

Paige jolted, her eyes widening before it cooled. “Oh nothing. Just looking for the curler. You know, Connie and I share it, so I thought it was with you.”

“Oh no.” Aylin answered, brushing the front curled locks from her face. “I dropped it in Connie’s room; check her dresser or drawer… or worse, her bed.”

She moved into her room before turning around. “You know how she can be.” She stated, chuckling at her friend.

“Exactly.” Paige nodded in agreement. “Aren’t you heading down to the hall? I heard there is a fight today.” 

“When isn’t there?” 

Aylin waved her hands backward at her. “I will get around there soon. Just need to get something.”

“See you around.”

Aylin listened to her footsteps leave the hallway as she got to her table. Her fingers trailed over her vanity desk. To call it a shared vanity between the couple would be an understatement, as she had more things than her lover… not like he even cared.

She found the necklace. It was a 3D heart-shaped necklace with fangs at the top. It was red, not because it was its natural color but rather because it was mixed with hers and her mate’s blood.

It felt cold once it landed on her neck. Clipping it at the back, she was ready.

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The hall was rowdy and noisy with cheers and screams of pack members. The metallic smell immediately hit her nose hard and heavy. 

She was used to it.

She made her way to her seat. Her seat by the alpha.

“Never mind… she is here.” She heard as she reached the stairs to her throne seat. Her mate Maddox looked down at her. His hands reached to pick her up.

Taking it, she let her flowy skirt sweep his ankles as she sat down beside him. 

“Hey.”

“You are late.”

Hey…” She greeted again. Maddox went silent and nodded. “Good morning, my love.”

She hummed and leaned close to him, her forehead pressing against his.

“I didn’t see you when I woke up this morning.”

He hummed again, “The elder.”

She bit her lip at the simplicity of his words. He didn’t need to elaborate. She already knew what they were pressuring him for. Her nails dug deep into her palm, causing crescent red marks to appear and fade out. She shook her head once she heard a familiar and soothing growl.

“Hello, Bane. How are you?” 

His response was a scarp of his fangs on her neck. It wasn’t sharp enough to cut her but enough to raise her nerves.

"Stop," she murmured. But very clearly, he didn’t want him to stop. 

Maddox slid his arms around her waist as he tapped his thigh with the other.

“Sit here.”

“No.”

“Sit.”

Her lips puckered. “You should be watching the match.”

“I didn’t arrange this." He waved his hand at the ongoing fight, then he frowned and whipped his head toward her. 

“Don’t change the subject. Sit here; I want to hold you," he murmured, his bi-colored eyes looking down at her, his eyes filled with need.

She hummed as she slowly gave him a simple nod. Arranging her skirt, moving to his side, she slid to his thigh. Immediately she buried her face in his chest. 

She was embarrassed?

No, she wasn't; she couldn’t be embarrassed about being in her lover's arms, but rather she was flustered. Very flustered. 

She could feel the hairs on her neck stand at the sense of people's gaze on them. 

But it will dwindle for a while. It wasn’t a new thing; Maddox and Bane were always like this, wanting to touch her, whether holding her hand, having arms around her waist, or even doing something as simple as playing with her platinum hair.

It didn’t take long before his claws began to lightly scrape her thighs and just touch her, feeling her skin on his. Bane was behind him, occasionally humming and sighing at her.

“If you didn’t plan this, then…why?”

Her eyes squinted at the match; it was Maddox’s beta, Toby. “He was being challenged for his position?”

Maddox nodded, twirling his finger on her locks. “Yeah, so he told me. I really can’t stop it now, can I?”

“I guess not.”

Fights were a normal occurrence. Maddox loved fights. There were always fights during lunchtime and after dinner. Times when there are no fights are during the weekend when the male wolves and some female (if they wanted) go hunt for the week. 

She leaned back on Maddox, which he gratefully allowed as his arms wrapped up around her. But the moment didn’t last forever as a younger pup came to them.

“Greetings, Alpha, Luna.”

Her eyes turned to him. “Yes? How are you?” She answered as Maddox only stared her down, which was very frightening for her.

“The elders are called for the alpha.” 

Aylin blinked as she hummed; a low rumble escaped Maddox's throat as his arms became tighter around her waist.

“I understand. Tell them I would be with them shortly.”

Aylin looked down at the crescent marks on her palm. 

“I will be fine.” He murmured against her neck.

So he says, but she wasn’t so confident as she gave him a way to leave. I didn’t take long, thirty minutes max, and there was a loud roar. One so loud, one so terrifying, the walls shook. 

“LUNA!!! YOU-YOU HAVE TO STOP HIM.”