The Prince's Mate

Chapter Ten

Callie

I think it is really sweet that Mason went out to the store and got me some comfortable clothes for me. I change quickly and scrub my face and brush out my hair so it won't be a mess in the morning. 

I am feeling a little nervous to be sleeping in bed with him, even though we have already completed the mating process, this is just sleeping, there is no heat induced haze.

 What if I snore or he doesn't like the way I sleep? Just go to bed already! 

I smirk at Amara and head into the bedroom. Mason goes into the bathroom right after I do so I go ahead and get comfy in the bed while I wait on him. He opens the door and is only wearing checkered pajama bottoms. 

I take in his sculpted chest, with the dark chest hair, in a thick patch at the top. He has a happy trail that goes all the way down and disappears in his pants. He sees me staring at him and I pat the bed beside me, trying to cover up ogling him. He climbs into the bed and puts his arms behind his head and closes his eyes. Okay, do I snuggle with him? Do I lay on my other side? Should I sleep on my back too? I keep shifting around and can't figure out where to sleep. 

"Callie." His voice startles me out of my internal monologue. 

"Yeah?" He takes his arm from behind his head and pulls me closer to him. Okay, this is nice. I lay my head on his chest and listen to his heartbeat. Soon, I drift into a dreamless sleep. When I open my eyes, the sun is shining through the small window and I jump up and look out. 

We are flying over beautiful blue water and the palace sits at the top of a hill, surrounded by beautiful trees. It is absolute massive and beautiful. It is a literal palace. I hear Mason start to stir in the bed and he opens his eyes, giving me a sleepy grin. I decide that I may as well take this mate thing as serious as possible and shouldn't deny my feelings anymore so I walk over to him and place a gentle kiss on his lips. "Good morning." He looks taken aback but kisses me back. "Good morning, princess. Ready to see your new home?" 

Mason

When I wake up, I see Callie standing at the small window, looking out at what I am assuming is the palace. My father mind linked me letting me know we got here a few minutes ago. Callie hears me moving around in the bed and she turns around and looks at me.

 I am taken aback when she walks over to me and plants a kiss on my lips. "Good morning." 

I kiss her back and say, "Good morning, Princess. Ready to see your new home?" I love calling her princess and I don't know why. She nods excitedly and I smile.

 "Okay, get dressed and meet me in the dining area." She nods and grabs the duffel bad which also has some casual clothes for this morning. While she is in the bathroom, I change quickly into some dark jeans and a navy blue polo shirt. I head into the dining area where my father is going over security protocols.

 "Has there been any more threats?" He turns around when I ask the question and looks behind me. 

"She is in the bathroom." He lets out a breath and nods. 

"Word got out that the Prince was traveling to find his mate. It is more or less powerful Alphas that think that their daughter is worthy of the throne, whether or not she is mated to you or not. We need to make a public appearance with you two as soon as possible." 

I nod taking all this in, I know there are a lot of packs that would rather have their daughter in Callie's place which puts a target on her back.  I can't lose my mate, having her is part of what is going to get me the crown. But also, I know that if I lose her, a part of me will be missing too. 

My father's voice pulls me from my thoughts, "We are doubling the security at the landing strip. She will go in the third car with you and there will be two decoy vehicles in between us and you. When we get to the castle, the guards are already prepared."

 I nod and we all go silent when Callie walks into the room, wearing a light green sundress and sandals, her hair in a braid. She looks beautiful. 

Callie

I walk into the bathroom and decide to change for the day, but while I am in there, my sensitive wolf hearing picks up the conversation going on in the dining room. Nobody told me there would be a danger coming here.

 I am not worried about it, seeing as I can take on any she wolf that tries to come in between me and my mate. This crown is mine and mine only.

  Now you're talking like a Queen! I smile and continue getting ready. 

Maybe they think that because I am not from an Alpha bloodline that I can't hear everything going on. They stop talking the second I walk in the room, oh well, I guess it will take them time to see just how gifted I am. I walk up to Mason and he takes his hand in mine.

 "Oh, you two truly were made for each other!" I blush at his mother's comment and decide to break the ice. 

"So, are we at the palace?" Mason kisses the top of my head and nods. 

"I am so excited to see everything! So how does it work? Do you land on the island or do we have to take a boat or something?"

 The King chuckles at all my questions and says, "We land on the island, from there, we will take vehicles up to the palace, which will be your new home. You two have your own wing that is designed for the future King and Queen, after Mason takes the crown, you will be moved to the King and Queen wing."

 I look at Mason in shock. We get a whole wing to ourselves? 

"But what happens to you and the Queen when we move to the Royal suite? I don't want to take over your part of the palace...That seems....Wrong." 

The Queen laughs this time and waves me off, "Oh honey, it is no big deal, we are more than comfortable in any part of the palace." 

Hmm... I think I will see about that. We all take our seats and buckle in and I am white knuckling the seat as we land. Mason sees this and puts his hand on mine, rubbing circles on my knuckles. I relax and close my eyes, ready for the crazy jolting and bumping to stop. Finally, we are still. 

The King and Queen stand up, and Mason and I stand behind them. The doors open and the view is not what I thought it would be. Instead of seeing the beautiful view of the island, I am met with body guards and black SUV's. Huh. Royal life is different for sure. 

I follow along beside Mason, his hand never leaving mine. The ride to the palace is short and I can't see much out of the tinted glass on the windows. As soon as we stop, I reach for the door handle but Mason pulls my hand back, leaning close to my ear. 

"Remember what I said about doors, Princess." I let my hand fall back into my lap and sigh. He gets out and goes around the car, opening the door for me. There are people lined up on either side of a long, stone pathway.

 Mason's eyes are darting everywhere,taking in any possible threats, while I am just taking in the view. The water is beautiful and the flowers and trees everywhere are so green. There is security in front of us, behind us, and to the side. We walk side by side and I cannot help but smile. 

Mason

We land on the island and I can tell that Callie is not the flying type. As soon as we start to descend, she is gripping the arm chair like she might snap it in half. I put my hand on hers and she immediately calms down. It is a crazy thing the effect the mate bond has on a wolf. 

When the doors open, we are met with security, which for me is nothing new, but I can tell by the look on Callie's face that she was not expecting this. The ride to the palace is short and uneventful, but I cannot help my nerves being on edge. 

What is someone decides to make a move while we are going into the castle? What if she gets too overwhelmed and wants to leave? 

We park at the end of the stone walkway that leads up to the palace and there are people everywhere, everyone wanting to get a glimpse at their future queen. I am taking in everything, trying to separate all the different scents around me.

 Once we get in the front doors, I breathe a sigh of relief. My inner thoughts are interrupted by squealing. I immediately shield Callie behind my body and go into a defensive stance. But she doesn't stay behind me, no this woman runs right to the sound. 

By the time my senses have caught up, I realize the squealing is coming from my mate and her best friend. Apparently Chelsea and Alex got to the castle before us and have been waiting in the foyer for us.

 The two girls are jumping around and shouting incoherent things at each other. 

"This is our future queen?" The squealing stops and I turn around to see Megan, the she wolf that was in my bed before we left on this trip. Oh boy. This could get bad. 

I look to my parents for support but they are just standing there with smirks on their faces. I know they never approved of my life style but come on! Callie walks up to Megan with a smile on her face and her hand outstretched.

 "Hi, I'm Callie!" Megan doesn't take her hand, but instead walks over to me and puts her hands on my chest. The growl that comes out my mate is almost deafening. This is not going to be good.