Page 84 of Settle Down, Princess

The speaker was an elderly woman with a head of wispy white hair, but there was nothing frail about her as she got to her feet. Each one of the older people around the table turned to stare at me as she came closer. Hands dry like crepe paper touched my face gently, turning my head one way then the other before she pulled them away.

“I am Elder Wren,” she told me, “Pale as a doll you were, last time I saw you, and twice as lifeless.”

“Not thanks to those idiots,” another woman grumbled, shaking her head, which gave me hope.

“Thank you for your concern, Elder Wren.” I inclined my head in respect. “To all the elders for allowing me to enter the packlands. For your healing services, Mother Marian.”

“Well, she’s polite enough for a princess,” a grizzled older man said with a long look at me. “I guess that’s what they teach them in those human courts. Sit down, girl.”

I moved without thinking, taking the empty seat he gestured to, eyes dropping to the table.

“Princess Jessalyn—” Marian started to say.

“Jess, please.”

Interrupting was an unforgivable sin back at home, but here… I hoped they’d forgive me, because when I woke up, I had to a feeling of certainty. I’d made the first stumbling steps towards becoming Jess last night, only for Creed to interrupt the process. Well, he wouldn’t going forward. Whether it was on the packlands or somewhere else, Jess was who I chose to be, who I needed to become and so I squared my shoulders and stared down the table.

“I don’t need my titles used.” I let out a very unladylike snort. “If anything, I would like to pretend I was never born to the royal family of Stormare. They sold me…” The silence around the table intensified, though not in an unfriendly way. “They sold me to your king so I might become his next victim.”

“A bad business if ever there was one,” another elder muttered.

“If I am not a princess, I’m not worthy of marrying, nor killing.” I forced myself to smile. “If I’m just Jess, I’m…” I paused for a second, searching for a way to finish that sentence but not finding it. “I’m still working that part out.”

“That seems entirely reasonable considering what you have been through,” Elder Wren said, reaching over to squeeze my hand. “Which is far more than any woman ever should.”

“You’ll be safe now,” one of the men said in a tone that was meant to be reassuring, but his words dispelled any sense of comfort. “Those mates of yours will protect you.”

The women around the table shot him meaningful looks, silencing him quickly.

“About that.” My hands went to my lap, arranged precisely, just as I was taught, but I pulled them away and gripped the edge of the table. “I spoke to Creed’s family, who helped me to understand the mating process a little more clearly, though there is one aspect I need further clarification on.” I sucked in a breath, reaching for courage and not really finding it. “On how one rejects the bond.”

“Rejection!” the male elders spluttered, turning to each other instead of me, but Wren smiled sadly and nodded.

“Good fellows, if you could give us the room?” Her tone was gentle but contained a thread of iron that would not be denied. I couldn’t have been more jealous of someone than I was of Elder Wren right then. “This is a tricky business, and I think you’ll all agree it’s one that’s best dealt with by other women.”

“We’ll go and talk to those young pups,” the grizzled man said with a frown. “Talking about rejection already? What did those fools do?”

While they took off to find out exactly what, disappearing out the doors of the hall, the women turned to me.

“So, you wish to find out how to reject the bond?” Wren asked. “We will ensure that you have all the answers you need, but…” She sucked in a breath, her lips thinning. “Be mindful that this is a permanent thing. I say this not to dissuade you from making this decision, but to make certain you are aware of the consequences of taking such action.”

“You will never know your mate’s touch again,” one of the other women said. “All of the pull you currently feel will evaporate. You’ll be free to find a male amongst those that haven’t found a pack to join, but…”

“It’s not the same,” another woman said. “At least that’s what we’ve been told. Your soul recognises theirs—”

“But that doesn’t always mean the experience is a desirable one.” Wren cut through the chatter, creating quiet again. “It’s happened before, and it may happen now. In answer to your question, Jess,” I heard her hesitate, forcing herself to truncate my name. “How do you reject your mates? You go through the process of the mating games, and then at the end, in the presence of the entire packlands, you let them know that you reject the bond.”

“They’ll never know the pleasure of being with a woman,” one of the other elders said.

“And perhaps that’s a just sentence for what they have done,” Wren countered. Her eyes locked with mine. “Only you know, Jess. At the end of the mating games process, search your heart and search it well. What do you want? What does your soul need? If it’s not them, you just say the words.”

It felt like all of us went perfectly still right then.

“I reject you. Some phrase it differently, going into detail or making it sound more flowery, but the intent is what matters. Make it plain that you reject their offer, and the bond between you will die.”

I sat back in my chair, able to see that moment clear in my mind. Of the four of them standing there, chests heaving, dirt smeared across their skin as they grinned at each other, right before stepping up to me. All that arrogance would burn brightly in their eyes. No, worse, because before the entire packlands they would’ve proven their worthiness.

But not to me.

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