Her Dilemma, Her Choice

Prologue - Part 2

Beth

I swallowed. I didn’t really have much of a plan. Just get out of the patriarchy and see what I could do for myself. Be free. Make bad decisions. But I couldn’t tell the king that.

“Ummm…Get a job at a publishing firm as an editor and stay out of the limelight. If I get a job where I’m never seen, then they won’t ever realize I’m not aging at the same rate they are.” I thought of a plan quickly.

King Maxwell looked disappointed, but he nodded.

“I had hoped, Beth. That you would stay in my territory and my pack and live in this palace for many more years. I was sad when you turned 18 and we weren’t mates.” He said this softly, his eyes sad. Surprised, I turned my head to my father, who looked taken aback. The king continued.

“And even though it is customary for the King to wait until he’s 100 years or older, I had plans to ask you to be my chosen mate when I turned 75. Now that you’re asking to leave, I feel compelled to move up the timeline. However, you’re still young and I truly want what’s best for you. In spite having travelled extensively in mine and the surrounding territories, there is much you have yet to see and experience. I want you to have those experiences and I want to live vicariously through you since I am tied to a throne and cannot.”

He smiled at my shock, which evidently showed on my face.

He continued, “So, Beth. I will grant your wish to leave, under 2 conditions. One, you take one of my guards with you. For protection, you’ll be out of territory and therefore, my jurisdiction. I won’t be allowed to come protect you if something untoward were to happen. You may also want the company. And two, when you turn 50, you come back for a big celebration and maybe stay and become my chosen mate?”

Stunned. I opened my mouth to protest the conditions. Having a guard would seriously hamper me. Besides, I was the daughter of the Gamma and the Chief War Advisor. I had been trained to not only defend myself, but to fight. And well.

And what was this about becoming his chosen? Sure, some of the Lycan kings chose a mate, but it was typically frowned upon. The last king to do so had been 300 and still mateless before he chose a mate. He died without an heir and the throne passed to Maxwell’s line, while his daughter founded my lineage. The royal family were lucky in that they almost always get a fated mate, chosen by the Goddess, in spite of the change that started around 1000 years ago. In fact, I can only think of 2 kings that didn’t. King Maxwell was surely too young to worry about not having found his mate yet. I didn’t realize that the King really noticed me, let alone liked and respected me enough to want me for his Luna Queen.

“Why me?” I asked.

“I have my reasons.” He said. When it was clear he wouldn’t elaborate, I opened my mouth to press further.

Beth, don’t be ungrateful. Just say, ‘Thank you, your Majesty’ and let's go. My dad mind linked to me.

The king’s smile faltered. Undoubtably, he thought I’d fall at his feet like most of the girls in (and out of) the territory and I know he disliked being questioned.

“It’ll of course be your choice.” The king said. “If you want to go, those are my conditions.”

I wanted to live life and prove to myself that I could survive and thrive on my own. I thought back to the meeting with the king numerous times over the next month as I packed my rooms and said goodbye to my friends. The guard that the king assigned me was my friend April. April is one bad ass in a pint-sized container. She is 5’3” with honey blond hair, amber eyes that match her wolf’s. She’s a feisty package and her wolf, though also smaller than most, is quick, agile and fierce. Also, April cusses like a sailor in heat.

“s**t Beth! I’m excited to be going on this assignment with you. How the f**k did I get so lucky?” April said as we put my bags in the trunk of my blue Charger.

My apartment in the city was set up two days ago with my belongings and some new furniture. So all I had left were a few personal items I wanted from our family’s suites in the palace. We chatted on the 4 hour drive to our new apartment. April would, of course, be living with me. The apartment was the 13th floor of a new and very contemporary building in the city of Pixima. It was a lovely 4 bedroom, with each of us having a bedroom and office that we would share, and a guest bedroom. The open concept of the apartment made it easy to converse from no matter where you were and the huge wall of windows gave a spectacular view of the city and the huge park that we fully intended to use for our wolves to run in.

After we had unloaded the car and unpacked the few things we brought. April and I called my dad, so she could check in and I could let him know we had made it. Then we sat down for a glass of wine and went over the schedule for the next day.

“I have my interview at E.R. Publishing tomorrow at 9am. Want to get coffee before? I think there’s a coffee shop across the street. It might be a good place to hang out during the day, if I’m at the office.” We’d already agreed, that a low-level editor didn’t warrant a body guard and, therefore, April couldn’t actually go to work with me. I already knew I had the job. The interview in the morning was a formality and really just a way to meet everyone in person. The good news was that, except for days when I had meetings, I'd be able to work almost exclusively remotely.