The Time I Tripped into a Curse and got two Mates

Chapter 3

I arrived at the guest house and started unloading the jeep. As I was setting up the rooms, I made a mental note to make a shopping list for the kitchen. As I was writing the list, I heard a shuffling outside and froze instantly. I sniffed the air and couldn't identify the unfamiliar scent. No one was supposed to be out here except for me, so I immediately dropped what I was doing and I ran downstairs, ready and poised to fight.

I quickly glanced through the rooms I passed and found nothing so I crouched low and snuck through the backdoor to make my way stealthily around the house. Once I reached the corner of the house, I risked a glance and saw an unfamiliar man standing a few feet from the front door. The man was taller and more muscular than the men I was used to. Upon further observation, I decided that he must be a visitor for the ball, so I righted myself and walked towards him.

“Can I help you, sir?” I asked the stranger while looking directly at him.

He met my eyes in a direct stare and I nearly gasped. The eyes that met mine were a deep shade of green with a gold band around the iris. He was a Lycan!

I knew he was a Lycan because of his eyes. Lycans had gold bands around their irises, except for the royals whose irises were completely golden. This stranger was tall and well built and he had red hair that was short on the sides with longer hair on top.

“Hi, erm, I’m looking for someone by the name of Evelette. When I called the packhouse earlier, they told me that I would be able to find her here.” he gestured at the house, “But am I right in assuming that you are Evelette?” He said with an apologetic smile as he scratched at the stubble growing on his well defined chin.

“That’s me, I’m Evelette. So am I right in assuming you’re one of the visiting Lycans?” I replied, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of my lips. “I wasn’t expecting you to arrive for a few hours.”

“The rest won’t be arriving for a few more hours. I was sent ahead to make sure everything was ready for us…because there has been a slight change of plans.” He responded, looking embarrassed.

“Oh?” I questioned.

“Yes, you see, the princes will be attending the ball after all.” He said quickly.

I raised my eyebrow and attempted a smile. Sh*t, another thing I have to worry about.

“Give me a moment, I need to mind-link with someone about this.” I said formally to the Lycan.

“Hey, Syl. I’m here at the house and we have an early visitor. He said that the princes are coming to the ball.”

“Seriously?” She replied. “This is good news. But f*ck, I need to adjust some plans and let Luna and Alpha know. Thanks for filling me in.”

She cut off the mind link and I looked back at the stranger.

“Sorry about that. Anyway,” I reached for the list of names and took out my pen, “What is your name?”

“Oh, please excuse me! My name is Beta Clay. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He said with a soft smile.

“Nice to meet you, Beta Clay.” I said as I lowered my eyes reluctantly from his extremely handsome face.

“You don’t need to do that, you know, lower your eyes.” He said gently as he reached for me. He stopped before his hand touched my face and I heard him sigh.

I looked up at him and smiled. “Shall we go inside to discuss the changes that need to be made because of the prince’s arrival?”

“Of course. After you.” He said as he swung his hand towards the front door, indicating I was to lead.

I tried not to let panic set in as I walked into the house. I had no idea what kind of accommodations the princes would want or what their preferred foods or activities were. I knew Luna Mora would be frustrated with me for not already knowing this information. I rolled my eyes at the thought. Sometimes she could be unreasonable, but I hoped that this time would not be one of them. I was so caught up in my own thoughts that I forgot to take note of the small step on the threshold of the house and I tripped and almost fell. A full ten seconds passed before I realized that I didn’t hit the floor. Clay had apparently ran to me and caught me before I hurt myself. I looked up at him, startled and blushing.

“Are you okay?” He asked, a look of concern spread across his face.

“Yes, yea. Thanks. I’m great!” I said, too enthusiastically and with an awkward giggle to boot. I righted myself and brushed imaginary dust from my pants. I needed to collect myself.

Clay kept a steading hand on my back as we walked inside and I looked to Clay for a reaction to the guest house. With the prince coming, I needed to make sure that everything was acceptable, and who else would know that beside the Beta himself? The look on his face was indiscernible as he walked around. He didn’t look disappointed, so that was a good sign, right?

“You know what, let’s start with a tour of the house.” I said. I needed some more time to collect myself and my thoughts before addressing the major concern here.

I showed Clay all of the bedrooms and the bathrooms, including the larger master bathroom that had a bathtub large enough to fit six people. He whistled when we entered that bathroom. After the upstairs tour, I led him downstairs and showed him the game room that had nearly every video and board game imaginable, all of which I had never played. This was followed by the kitchen. Not all of the food had been delivered at this time, but I told Clay that the rest of the food would arrive later on in the evening.

I was hesitant to mention that the Lycans would have to cook for themselves. All of the pack’s chefs were tasked with preparing the massive feast for tomorrow night. I didn’t know if that was something that they were used to. Regardless if they were used to it or not, no one was going to come here to cook for them, so I supposed they would have to get used to the idea.

“I’m not sure how the princes will like this,” I looked up at him sheepishly, “but you guys will have to prepare and cook your own meals. If you ever run out of ingredients, just let me know and I will make sure some more is delivered.” I said.

Clay smiled and nodded. “Well I hope you have good fire proofing in the house, then. A fire suppression system, maybe?” He teased, “Because none of us know how to cook.”

I stared at him a moment, not saying anything, my mouth slightly agape. He winked at me and I dumbly realized he was joking. I let out a sigh of relief and smiled. Then I led Clay outside to give him a tour of the grounds and his entire body seemed to vibrate when he saw the large swimming pool.

“Please tell me this is heated.” He said excitedly.

I grinned. “Yes, it’s heated. You won’t have to worry about how chilly it is outside. It’s always set to the same comfortable temperature.” I said with pride in my voice. “Also, the house is very close to the tree line and you guys can feel free to use the forest as you like. All the pack members will be told to steer clear of this part of the land out of respect for you. Our territory is marked by large egg-shaped stones. You shouldn’t miss it. I’m sure that if any of you happen to cross the line, there won’t be an issue, but I wouldn’t test it, either.” I explained and he nodded.

While I was talking, I noticed he was looking thoughtfully at me and didn’t take his eyes off of me wherever we went or for whatever I was saying. It unnerved me, but I thought I knew what he was thinking about.

“Ok, I gotta ask, it’s been eating at me. Why is your wolf not affected by me?” He asked and I blanched.