The Alpha King's Second Chance

FREYA

After leaving Penelope with Prince Jasper, I walk into my room and slam the door behind me, furious that Lupa almost gave in to that man. That I almost gave in to him.

I hate that I almost gave in to him.

The prince’s scent surrounded me when he pulled me close to him, and his thin lips looked so kissable as he leaned close to me. But I wanted to save my first kiss for my mate.

“He is our mate.”

“I know that, Lupa, but he didn’t want us until he realized I was a princess. We can’t give in to him so easily.”

“Why can’t we? He is our mate. We found our mate, and he wants us!”

“Lupa, he only wants us because of my title. He doesn’t truly want us. His wolf doesn’t truly want you.”

My wolf whimpers at those words, and I immediately regret them. “I’m sorry, Lupa,” I say, sitting on my bed, but she has already retreated to the back of my mind.

I didn’t mean to be so hard on my wolf, but I need her to understand that we won’t just fall at Prince Jasper’s knees because of the mate bond. Yes, it’s hard to fight the bond, but I know we can do it.

We deserve to have someone who wants to cherish and love us for us, not for our title. I want the real love my parents had, the kind that made my mom leave her pack without hesitation. I want a love for the ages.

“Can we at least try to give him a chance while he’s here this week?” Lupa asks.~ “If he shows us he truly wants us, then we can accept him.” ~

“Okay,” I reply, relieved that my wolf is speaking to me. ~“We will give Prince Jasper and his wolf a chance. If they show us they truly want us, then we will accept them. But I will not be kissing or having sex with him anytime soon, Lupa.”~

She gives a happy howl in my head, and I smile. She’s such a hopeless romantic. I am too, but I’m also a logical person with feelings that don’t revolve around the mate bond.

As Lupa retreats to the back of my mind again and begins projecting images of the prince to me, I hear a knock on my bedroom door. Miss Greta slips in and sits beside me on my bed, asking, “Are you okay, Miss Freya?”

Miss Greta was the only human besides my dad who knew my mom was a werewolf. And ever since my mom died, she’s been like a mother to me.

I lay my head on her shoulder, and she wraps her arm around my middle. “I miss her,” I mumble.

“I know, sweetie. I do too,” she replies.

We’re quiet for a second, and then I begin to cry. “I need her guidance. I need her help.”

Miss Greta pulls me closer and rubs my back. “It’s okay, sweetie.”

Just then, my door bursts open, and the prince walks in, looking bewildered. I sit up and wipe my tears. “What are you doing here?”

Ignoring my question, he steps closer and asks, “Why are you crying?” Before I can respond, he pulls me up and away from Miss Greta. He wraps his arms around me and lays my head on his chest.

Without saying anything, my godmother slips out of my room.

After I calm down, I pull away from Prince Jasper. “You’re not supposed to be here. It’s against the rules to be in my room with the door shut.”

My dad is very old-fashioned. My brothers are allowed to have guests of the opposite sex in their rooms, but I’m not—not that I mind, since I’m waiting for my mate.

“Tell me why you were crying, Freya,” the prince says.

My name sounds wonderful coming out of his mouth, and I have to remind myself it’s only because of the mate bond. But I look up into his eyes and answer anyway. “I miss my mom.”

Something crosses Jasper’s eyes, and I drop my head. I don’t want his sympathy; I get that from everyone.

I try to remove myself from his arms, but he holds me tighter. “I’m sorry about your mom.”

I clear my throat. “It’s fine. What are you doing here?”

Jasper finally lets me go. “Well, I was walking the halls, trying to find you and tell you it was time for dinner, and then I felt extreme sadness and hurt. I knew it wasn’t coming from me.”

“How can you feel my emotions?” I ask, shocked.

He rubs the back of his neck and looks down. “I’ve already accepted you. We haven’t said it to each other yet, but I accepted you when I realized I wanted you.”

The prince sounds vulnerable, but I don’t care. “Oh, so you accepted me when you realized I was a princess. You don’t want to go back to your kingdom empty-handed, huh?”

Lupa gives a low growl. “You said you would give him a chance. This is not giving him a chance, Freya.”

I mentally roll my eyes at her but try again in a softer tone. “Forget what I just said. I’ll give you the week to show you really want me for me and not for my title. If you can convince me, then I will go back with you to your kingdom.”

Looking relieved, Jasper grabs my hand. “Let’s go. It’s dinner time, and I want everyone to know you’re mine.”

***

All eyes are on us as we walk into the dining room holding hands. I try to ignore the sparks that spread from our hands to my body, reminding myself that he doesn’t truly want me.

“Stop thinking that way, Freya. He wants us, and I want them.”

“Lupa, have you even met his wolf yet?”

She doesn’t answer.

The fact that Jasper’s wolf isn’t eager to meet mine speaks volumes about them. Typically when my kind meets our mates, our wolves are borderline desperate to meet in their wolf space and get to know each other. His wolf is probably as into titles as he is.

As we walk through the dining room, I catch Penelope and her parents glaring at me. I understand she wanted to be with the prince, but there was never any guarantee that he would choose her—so why is she mad? Also, why are her parents here? They never have dinner with us unless my dad invites them.

My dad clears his throat, and my brothers’ smiles drop when they see my face. Penelope’s mom doesn’t even wait until we make it to the table to open her mouth. “Why are you holding his hand after he kissed my daughter?”

That stops me in my tracks. I try to let go of Jasper’s hand, but he squeezes mine tighter.

Sensing my discomfort, my brothers get up and walk toward us. Nicholas reaches out for me, but Jasper wraps his arm around my waist. The air seems to get colder as he pulls me closer.

Still approaching slowly, Lance says, “I’m not sure how you handle women in your kingdom, but here when a woman wants you to let her go, you let her go. Let my sister go.”

Jasper moves me behind him, and Nicholas scoffs, “Why are you trying to hold her after kissing her friend?”

“She’s mine,” he says in a gruff voice I recognize as his wolf.

My brothers stop moving and stare at him for a minute. I can’t see the look Jasper gives them, but I do see when their confusion turns into understanding. The humans in the dining room may not know what’s going on, but we werewolves have always been taught not to interfere with the mate bond. So, Nicholas and Lance turn around and walk back to their seats.

But I couldn’t care less about the mate bond now that I know Jasper kissed my friend.

I step from behind him and address my dad. “Father, excuse me for tonight. I will be going back to my room.”

Before my dad can say anything, I turn around. Jasper grabs my arm, but I refuse to look at him. “Let me go,” I whisper. He does, and I speed-walk to my room.

How could he try to claim me after kissing my friend? How could he come to my room and help me calm down after kissing my friend? How could he think I would be okay with that?

My wolf whimpers as I lie down in bed, and I chastise her. “Lupa, stop that. He’s shown us multiple times that he doesn’t want us. I gave him his chance, and he blew it.”

Lupa puts up a mental block, but I’m too tired to care. Tears start falling from my eyes, and I hate it.

I can’t believe I’m crying over someone who is supposed to love me unconditionally.

***

Sometime in the night, I hear my door open and feel a hand on my back. I turn over and see my dad, who motions for me to get up.

I walk with him to the sitting area in my room and settle at the table, where my dad has placed some food. “Eat, sweetie,” he says.

After I’m done eating, Dad reaches over to wipe the remaining tears from my eyes. He takes my hand and guides me to the sofa, and I lay my head in his lap.

“He’s your mate.” It’s not a question but a statement. I nod. “You know, you don’t have to accept him if you don’t want to. I know I talk a lot about accepting your mate, but if you don’t feel he is the one for you, then don’t accept him.”

“But aren’t I supposed to feel like he is the one for me? Aren’t I supposed to be in love with him because he is my mate?”

Dad runs his fingers through my hair. “Maybe or maybe not. I don’t know the specifics. Even though I’m human, when I met your mom, I was instantly in love with her. It was love at first sight. She felt the bond, but I also felt something. I knew she was my world.”

He drops his voice to a whisper. “If you don’t feel like that, sweetie, then maybe he’s not the one. Maybe the Moon Goddess got it wrong for you.”

I sigh. We both know that she doesn’t get it wrong.

“I can’t tell you what to do,” my dad continues, “but I want you to be happy. He claims the kiss is not what it sounds like, but it’s up to you to determine whether you should believe him or not. It’s up to you to figure out whether you want to give him a chance or not.”