My Royal Mate

Home.

Morgan’s POV:



My heart was fully content. I've been waiting for this day to happen since the first day I left. I was back home, and I was here to stay. I should never have left, but the pain of losing my mother was so unbearable that I thought putting some distance between the Crescent Moon Pack and I would help. I was wrong. I was wrong on so many levels.

It was too late by the time I realized that, though. I was buried to my neck with school stuff when I thought about going back home. And to be quite frank about it, throwing all of that out of the window felt so wrong. It had always been my dream to become a doctor like my mother, and my pack did not offer that benefit.

So it was either I stay and suck it up, or I go and deal with regret later. I opted for the first option. I had already met so many amazing people who somehow were a light in my path and that helped.

I spoke to Usher right before I bought my ticket, and my new position as a pack doctor was waiting for me. My friend Rekha, who is also a doctor, gave me a beautiful white coat with my name embroidered on it. I was more than ready to be Dr. Miller. Even saying it aloud felt fulfilling. I had also saved my mom's old white coats, and it would be an honor to wear them.

***

“Dude, let me say hello to my girl”, Ryan complained, and my cheeks felt warm right away.

I laughed and quickly reached out to him. I had never displayed my affection for Ryan in front of my brother, so I was a little hesitant to go for a small kiss. I just went for a friendly hug instead. Alex whined the moment I left his arms to go to Ryan’s. The warmth of Ryan's arms felt instantly different.

“Welcome home, beautiful. We have been anxiously waiting for you,” Ryan told me. Not letting me go. His hug got tighter.

“And I have been counting down the days, the hours, and the minutes,” I replied to him.

His beautiful green eyes reflected so much love for me. I only wish to return the same favor and love him like he loves me. I was always very honest with him, he knew I would never love him like I would love my Goddess-given mate. But I was going to make every single effort to love him close enough.

My dad always said that the love you feel for your Goddess-given mate is so strong that it takes your breath away. Ryan could love me with devotion because there was no mate bond to hold him back. I, on the other hand, love him, but I had my reservations and I felt like I was robbing him of that experience. The love you feel for a friend is definitely not the same as the love you feel for a mate.

“Allison and Usher will meet us at Lily’s diner,” said Alex. My stomach started growling at his announcement. I had only had a small meal fourteen hours ago, before I boarded the plane. I had a snack during the flight, but it was nothing. These airlines need to step up and do better.

“Why can’t we go to Salem’s mall and eat at one of the fancy restaurants there? We are celebrating Morgan's return after all,” asked Ryan.

“Because I need to have some of those delicious waffles.” I whined while I interlaced my arm with his.

Alex took one of my bags from me, and Ryan took the other. My luggage was small. I mainly brought my clothes and a few souvenirs I bought for my friends.

“Beautiful, are you sure you want to go to Lily’s diner? We can always go there another day,” insisted Ryan.

“Ryan, I’m sure I want to go there. I have not spoken to Lily for the longest time. I miss her. You know Allison, Lily, and I have been best friends since we were in diapers.” I chuckled. That was a true story.

“Okay then, we will go there,” he confirmed. I was planning to go there with or without him anyway.

Alex asked Ryan to drive us to the diner because he wanted to sit in the back with me. He didn't want to leave my side, and I didn't want to leave his. At first, Ryan complained, but then Alex won the argument by telling him that his brother's title triumphed over his boyfriend's title. Ryan had no other choice. Alex and I sat in the back seat like we were Uber passengers.

I slid my arm under my brother’s arm and rested my head on his big shoulder. His tall frame has always overpowered mine. That's why I always felt so secure when he was around. I felt like he could defeat any monsters just by standing in front of them.

I was so overjoyed. I had been away from him, from my friends, and from the pack I loved. I could not believe I was finally home. It felt surreal.

On our ride to the diner, we had plenty of time for Ryan and Alex to update me on some juicy gossip. School kept me so busy most of the time, that I never had any time to laugh about the crazy drama of our pack. And whenever I spoke to them over the phone or on our video calls, we only talked about ourselves.

“s**t! I cannot believe Henry is Dawn’s mate. She was so evil to him,” I exclaimed.

Dawn, a filthy rich narcissist, used to bully Henry so much. It was painful to watch her do that. Henry never defended himself from her insults; he must have known that she was his mate or something. She came from a wealthy family and Henry was the complete contrary— his family was limited.

I just cannot believe he forgave her after all the nasty insults she threw at him. She was a b***h.

Karma is a b***h! -Expressed Kira - She was right about that. We had our fair share of Dawn's bullshit.

She was a floozy. Her wealthy status was the poor excuse she used to manipulate and to use men to her advantage. We got into a couple of duels because she was always after men with power. Usher and Alex were always on her radar. Luckily, Alex would have never fallen for a b***h who mistreated me or my friends. And neither did Usher.

She was a total b***h.

Actually, I was beginning to think that our Moon Goddess is the b***h here. She could make mistakes, right? She took Ryan’s mate, and instead of making me his second chance mate, she gave me a mate from who knows where. And then she mates poor Henry with his bully. How pathetic! The Moon Goddess probably needed a lesson about love.

“They already have a pup,” added Alex.

Unvelibable!

“Dawn used to get around. Is Henry really the pup’s father? I feel bad for him,” said Ryan.

And that infuriated me.

“Well, if I’m not mistaken, you went out with her for a couple of months. Didn’t you, Ryan? If she got around, then you must have experienced that first hand," I barked at him. He was one of her acquaintances. He didn't care that she mistreated Allison, Lily, and me. That actually gave her more leverage to treat us like s**t.

“No! I only had eyes for you, beautiful” he replied so fast. He must have regretted his previous comment.

But he was lying. I saw them kissing on numerous occasions.

“Listen Ryan, you are technically my first and only boyfriend. I know you have a list of acquaintances you went out with before me. So, can you please refrain yourself from speaking ill of any of the girls you dated or slept with before I entered your love orbit?” I argued.

Alex was looking at me with a smirk on his face. "He had a lot, you know," he told me. He probably wanted me to keep arguing with Ryan and then break us up. Like I said, he does not approve of our relationship. He has made it very clear in so many conversations we've had.

“I’m sorry beautiful! I didn’t mean to make you jealous,” mumbled Ryan.

“Who said I was jealous?” I spat. But was I? Was that the reason why I was mad?

“We are almost there,” said Ryan, changing the subject.

It is not that I got jealous of his comment about Dawn. It’s just that I strongly believe that a man should never express negatively about a girl. Regardless of how their relationship ended. That never speaks well of a man who speaks badly about a girl he once liked. Even if there was no history. A man should be a gentleman at all times.

“That is right, Morgan. Get him!”

“Oh, shut it, Kira. You want me to get mad at him. When are you going to accept the fact that there is no fated mate for me? Please be nice to Ryan and talk to his wolf. He likes you very much.”

“But I do not want Ryan as our chosen mate. And I don't want his wolf either. Our Moon Goddess has a special mate for us. I can feel it in my soul. She was waiting for us to return home. He will come for us—you will see.”

"Grrrr! You and your fairy tail story. The Moon Goddess made a mistake," I barked.

"You should apologize to her. She is perfect and knows no mistakes." Kira’s voice caused turmoil in my head.

Could she be right? Was he from our pack? Holy s**t! Was he waiting for me now that I was coming back home? Did I make a mistake when I accepted to be Ryan’s girlfriend? Was Alex right when he told me to wait until I was a little older? Oh no, f**k, f**k! There must be a mistake. Our Moon Goddess simply forgot to visit me in my dreams. She must have been really busy fixing other issues, and she forgot to tell me that my mate had also died. I’m sure that's what happened.

“Our Moon Goddess makes no mistakes, Morgan. She knows what she does.”

“Listen Kira. I know you want to meet your soulmate, but what if he does not exist?”

“But he does exist, Morgan, and he is coming for us. He will love us, and cherish us, and protect us with his life.”

“Oh, Kira. I miss my mom so badly. She would be able to tell me what to do. What if I f****d up?”

And just like that, Kira had the power to make me doubt my choices. She was an expert at making me realize what a mistake it was to date Ryan. Now, I was mistrusting myself and my curiosity was getting the best of me. Who was this mate that my wolf was so passionate about? Did she know something I didn't?

Fuck! Who could help me solve this riddle?