The Rejected Werewolf Princess by Didiadeyemi

RYKER'S POV

There was a chill breeze in the air that felt unnatural. It was almost like a warning, telling me about everything that could go wrong. Juan was beside me, silent but equally tense. The horses moved slowly, almost as if they also could sense the danger. It was in the air, swirling around us, threatening to choke whatever good was left.

“What if you chose wrong?” Juan asked and I stilled. I had thought about it, debated it actually, the truth was, I wasn't sure. “Do you think they would know that you came looking or can we just head out to the other spot?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I don’t know them like I would love to. I don’t make assumptions that I cannot back up by fact.”

“This is a dangerous game you are playing, Ryker. We are facing an enemy that has nothing to lose and those are the most dangerous foes.”

“She has her child.”

He snorted. “I don't know why, but I believe the idea of them not being great parents. A lot of us wolves would do the same thing," I opened my mouth to protest but he cut me off. “That isn't to say that we aren't good parents, we would just choose our mates over our children. She picked her husband over her child.”

I thought about it for a second but I didn’t even need to think about it for long, if it came down to it, I was going to pick Camilla. I wasn’t sure if that made me a bad father or not, but it was what I would have done. I wasn't sure I could live without Camilla, I couldn't even imagine life without her.

“The mate bond is a powerful thing," was my answering response and he hummed in agreement. “How is Christine? How do you feel about the babies?”

“Honestly, I was preparing for one kid, two is a little more than I bargained for but it is exciting nonetheless. I want a family with her and it seems like it will be a good challenge, I just don't know if it is one I'm ready for. Were you ready for your girls?"

I snorted. “I found out about Audrey when she was three and I was not ready for Aurora in the least. I don't think anyone is ever ready for children, it is just something that happens. You will be a good father”

“I know I will,” it wasn't over confidence or pride, he was just stating a fact. “I just hope there is a world for my children to come into.”

could already see the marsh. “I think we should dismount here.

the water had something to do with it, but I couldn't help but know that it was something else. There was old magic running through the veins of the waters and it almost seemed to sing out to me. We were only a few feet away from the stream when I

on my shoulders as he tried to figure out what was happening but I couldn't hear him, the sound

my lips because his eyes grew

but it was there. Juan was watching me with concern and apprehension

whispered as I put a hand in the water. I wasn't sure how I knew what to do. “I know you're grieving and I know I am arguably

tart bubble up in my chest. I knew instantly that it wasn't mine, it was coming from someone else,

at me.

mind link between Juan and I. “Step back, now.

you

“Step back!”

had hair that looked like it had been spun straight from the depths of the ocean. Her eyes were bottomless pits the color of the waves of the sea and I noticed her bottom half was no longer that of a man, it was a tail, the same color as her hair. “Why shouldn't I kill you right now?” she snarled as she stared so hard, it felt like she was seeing directly into my soul. “You

she spoke directly into my mind. I wasn't sure if it was an after effect of hearing her voice or if it was just a power

doesn’t change the fact that you killed my husband and I

moral high ground for

I have take everything you hold dear and I will make you watch as I drain the life

I saw something akin to worry flash across her eyes. “You came to my family when you didn’t need to. You attacked us unprovoked, you tried to have me killed and you used your

to talk about magic. Why

one more defeated foe to my history. Our species do not need to be at war, we have peacefully coexisted without having to interact with