Theirs to Protect

Untitled Episode

Le’Andra had never been to the werewolf kingdom. As they crossed into the werewolf territory, she couldn’t help but marvel at all of the foliage and trees. The forest was thick and oppressive. She had lived all of her life in the Fae Capitol and had few chances to explore the woods around the city, but in those few opportunities, she had never felt the suffocation she felt in this forest. She looked out of the carriage window as they crossed a bridge. The forest was eerily silent—no animals trekking through the underbrush. No birds were singing. All that could be heard was the trickle of water from the stream they crossed. “Almost there”, her father said as he patted her knee. He had ridden in the carriage with her when she knew he preferred to ride alone. She suspected that he felt her nervousness, or he was afraid she would try to make a run for it. Either way, she was glad for the company. She was so nervous. And she dreaded what was to come. Even though she had accepted that she would probably marry one day and that it may not be a love match, she still, in her heart, had a small hope that she would make a love match. That she would meet a man who swept her off her feet and gave her the butterflies that Fae women spoke of. Instead, she was getting hitched to not one but two probably bossy, alpha male types. She still couldn’t wrap her head around the two husbands’ thing. Although today her mind had conjured up another idea. How would this work when it came time for them to share a bed? Would the twins take turns coming to her chamber? She had never experienced lying with a man, so it was new to her. She knew the ins and outs thanks to a talky kitchen maid, and she had seen the animals in the kingdom doing that stuff, but that wasn’t the same as having experienced it. If she had experienced it, it would have been with a single man, not two. Now her brain was on fire with the ‘how’ it would work with three of them. She didn’t want to admit even to herself, but Le’Andra grew warm at the thoughts she was having. She kept telling herself that they were going to be too much. She had never been exposed to this kind of marriage, and wasn’t sure it was for her. But in truth, when she thought of the private things that would happen between her and her husbands, she felt wetness in her core.

The fact was that the idea made her hot. Which also made no sense to her because she had never been ‘hot’ before. Not even when she imagined her love match with one groom, she had never really thought about s*x or how it would feel. It just never caught her attention. Now it was consuming much of her attention. That was just one more reason that she was dreading the marriage. How was she supposed to keep her head level if she couldn’t focus? When she married the werewolves, she needed to be on top of her emotions. It would be best for her to lay down the ground rules before everyone got too deep. She had expectations for her marriage and for how they would rule the two kingdoms when the time came. She didn’t want to let herself be bullied by her husbands. She was a princess. One who one day would be queen of the Fae. She had to set her boundaries early.

With her thoughts swirling, she almost didn’t notice that they were coming to the end of the forest. She could see the sunshine ahead where the trees started to thin out. Oh, sunshine. Even though it had only been for half of the day, being in this forest made her miss the beautiful light. A few more strides and she would bask in it. She smiled at the idea just as the carriage broke through the last of the trees. The blinding light on her face was refreshing. She kept her eyes closed momentarily as she just absorbed the warmth of The Mother’s Creation.

To the Fae, the Mother of Nature was the creator of all. Le’Andra hadn’t been a zealot for their religion, but she did believe that the Mother was beautiful and kind. She thought that the Mother had created all of her subjects out of love. And she believed that the Mother had a purpose for each of her creations. If you were lucky, then she created a mate that was made to fit you in every way. That is how it had been for her mother and father. They had been mates destined to be together forever if death had separated them.

Her father would often say that her mother was his heart outside of his body. Le’Andra knew that losing his beloved had crushed her father. The only reason he hadn’t drowned in sorrow was that Le’Andra had been born. She had been his only reason to live after he lost his queen, and she was the light in his darkest hour. He told her often that she was a blessing from his beloved, sent to keep him alive when she could no longer be in this world with him. Le’Andra wondered how her father would fair without her in the Fae Palace. Surely, he would be lonely. She quickly made one more point against the marriage. “Father, we don’t have to do this. We could turn around and go right home. I know you think that I need this, but honestly, I don’t, and I don’t like the idea of leaving you to live alone.” The Fae King barked in laughter. “Daughter, you will not change my mind. You are getting married in a few hours. It will be a beautiful and beneficial marriage that will offer our kingdom great rewards and offer you the best protection. The protection of two alpha werewolves.” Le’Andra had to roll her eyes. “Teww Alpha Werewolves, woo hoo!” The sarcasm was not lost on her father. He nodded but carried on without scolding her. “And you don't need to worry about me in the palace. I have all of the Kingdom duties to keep me busy. Henry will be there if I need him. And I get to start decorating chambers for when you visit, and hopefully soon when you bring my grandchildren to visit.” Le’Andra blanched when he said grandchildren. She quickly turned back towards the window and looked out. Best to end that conversation now.